Agricultural Regulatory Relief and Trade Act of 1996

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Agricultural Credit

Subtitle A: Amendments to the Consolidated Farm and

Rural Development Act

Subtitle B: Amendments to the Farm Credit Act of 1971

Title II: Rural Development

Title III: Conservation

Subtitle A: Consolidation of Conservation Financial

Assistance Programs of the Department of

Agriculture

Subtitle B: Water Quality Conservation Program for

Livestock Operations

Subtitle C: Highly Erodible Cropland Conservation

Subtitle D: Environmental

Conservation Acreage Reserve Program

Subtitle E: Wetland Conservation Reform

Title IV: Agricultural Trade

Subtitle A: Public Law 480 and Related Law

Subtitle B: Agricultural Trade Act of 1978

Subtitle C: Miscellaneous

Subtitle D: Dairy Export Programs

Title V: Extension of Research Authorities

Title VI: Issuance of Orders for Promotion, Research, and

Information Activities Regarding

Agricultural Commodities

Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions

Subtitle A: General Conservation Provisions

Subtitle B: Inspection

Agricultural Regulatory Relief and Trade Act of 1996 - Title I: Agricultural Credit - Subtitle A: Amendments to the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to target ownership and operating loans to (citizen) family farmers.

(Sec. 103) Eliminates specified non-income producing loans and authorities.

(Sec. 104) Prohibits (with exceptions) loans to previously defaulting borrowers.

(Sec. 105) Reduces emergency loan limits.

(Sec. 106) Revises specified beginning farmer provisions.

(Sec. 107) Repeals target participation rate provisions.

Subtitle B: Amendments to the Farm Credit Act of 1971 - Amends the Farm Credit Act of 1971 with respect to: (1) loan decisions; (2) loan restructuring and bankruptcy; (3) borrower stock; (4) nonaccrual status; and (5) right of first refusal.

Title II: Rural Development - Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to authorize State rural development capitalization grants. Eliminates specified rural development provisions and makes conforming amendments to specified agricultural and rural Acts.

Title III: Conservation - Conservation Consolidation and Regulatory Reform Act of 1996 - Subtitle A: Consolidation of Conservation Financial Assistance Programs of the Department of Agriculture - Part 1: Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program - Establishes the agricultural conservation assistance program to assist soil, water, and related conservation measures undertaken on private lands. Authorizes appropriations.

Part 2: Conforming Amendments - Repeals specified programs and makes conforming amendments to specified Acts, including: (1) the Great Plains conservation program; (2) the agricultural conservation program; (3) the Colorado River Basin salinity control program; (4) the rural environmental conservation program; (5) water quality and tree planting programs; (6) the integrated farm management program; (7) certain forestry assistance programs; and (8) the Water Bank Act.

Subtitle B: Water Quality Conservation Program for Livestock Operations - Establishes a program of technical and cost-sharing assistance for water quality conservation for livestock operations. Obligates program funds.

Subtitle C: Highly Erodible Cropland Conservation - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to revise the highly erodible land conservation program, including: (1) guideline technical requirements; (2) variance procedures; and (3) good faith exemptions.

(Sec. 356) Requires notice of possible violations to be provided during on-site inspections.

(Sec. 357) Terminates such program authority, including any ineligibility provisions, after a specified date.

Subtitle D: Environmental Conservation Acreage Reserve Program - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend the conservation reserve program. Revises enrollment provisions. Repeals the environmental easement program. Authorizes owners or operators to terminate program contracts.

Subtitle E: Wetland Conservation Reform - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to revise the wetland conservation program, including program ineligibility provisions. Establishes a mitigation banking program.

Title IV: Agricultural Trade - Subtitle A: Public Law 480 and Related Law - Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (P.L. 480) to extend the trade and development and food for development programs. Makes program revisions including: (1) country priorities; (2) eligible private entities; (3) sale conditions; (4) commodities; and (5) local currencies.

(Sec. 420) Extends and increases obligation authority for the farmer-to-farmer program.

(Sec. 421) Extends the food for progress program.

(Sec. 422) Amends the Agricultural Act of 1980 to rename title III as the Food Security Commodity Reserve Act of 1995. Expands the commodities eligible for the food security commodity reserve (currently the food security wheat reserve). Extends and revises such program.

Subtitle B: Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 - Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to extend export credit guaranties.

(Sec. 434) Revises agricultural embargo protection payment provisions.

Subtitle C: Miscellaneous - Repeals provisions of specified agricultural trade-related Acts, including: (1) export enhancement; and (2) agricultural aid and trade missions.

(Sec. 449) Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to extend funding for promotion of agricultural exports to emerging markets (currently, emerging democracies).

(Sec. 452) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to monitor foreign compliance with the Agriculture Agreement of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, including World Trade Organization member compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

(Sec. 453) Provides for a limitation on durum wheat export subsidies.

(Sec. 454) Extends the market promotion program.

(Sec. 455) Extends funding for the export enhancement program.

(Sec. 458) Amends the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988 to extend funding obligations for sunflower seed oil and cottonseed oil export sales.

(Sec. 459) Amends the Agricultural Trade Acts of 1978 to establish a foreign market development cooperation program. Authorizes appropriations.

Subtitle D: Dairy Export Programs - Directs the Secretary to assist the dairy industry to establish an export trading company, and designate an entity if the industry is unable to establish one.

Title V: Extension of Research Authorities - Amends specified Acts to extend the following: (1) national genetics resources program; (2) national agricultural weather information system; (3) agricultural storage program; (4) water quality program; (5) livestock product safety and inspection program; (6) mesquite program; (7) prickly pear program; (8) deer tick program; (9) agricultural telecommunications program; (10) national centers for agricultural product quality; (11) pilot project to coordinate food and nutrition education programs; (12) assistive technology program for farmers with disabilities; (13) national rural information center clearinghouse; (14) Indian subsistence farming demonstration grant program; (15) Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences; (16) National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board; (17) food and agricultural sciences grant program; (18) commodity-based alcohol and hydrocarbon development program; (19) food science and nutrition research center; (20) nutrition education program; (21) animal health science research advisory board; (22) animal health and disease research programs; (23) regional animal health and disease research; (24) 1890 land-grant college programs of resident instruction and facilities upgrades; (25) national research and training centennial centers; (26) specified research and education programs; (27) alternative crop development; (28) aquaculture assistance; (29) rangeland research; (30) dairy goat research; (31) Federal agricultural research facilities construction; (32) competitive, special, and facilities research program; (33) research facilities program; (34) critical agricultural research; and (35) pseudorabies eradication program.

Title VI: Issuance of Orders for Promotion, Research, and Information Activities Regarding Agricultural Commodities - Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996 - Authorizes the Secretary to issue agricultural producer, handler, and importer commodity marketing orders. Authorizes appropriations.

Title VII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Subtitle A: General Conservation Provisions - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to provide that State water use or allocation shall not be superseded by National Forest System resource planning provisions.

Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to extend the application deadline for specified water system rights-of-way.

(Sec. 705) Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to repeal the composting research program.

(Sec. 706) Repeals the Farms for the Future Act of 1990.

(Sec. 708) Authorizes a program of technical and educational assistance for private grazing land conservation. Authorizes appropriations.

Subtitle B: Inspection - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to permit use of State inspectors. Expands State inspection authority.

(Sec. 723) Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to establish in the Department of Agriculture the Safe Meat and Poultry Inspection Panel.