Signed by President Bill Clinton

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that reforms subsidy systems, creates contracts between the United States and agricultural producers, and makes nonrecourse loans available for certain crops, among other provisions which expire in seven years.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to expend $35.63 billion for fixed, declining payments to farmers from 1996 - 2002, if they agree to comply with conservation and planting requirements.

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make nonrecourse marketing assistance loans to peanut producers, domestic sugarcane producers, and sugar beets producers.
• A nonrecourse marketing assistance loan requires the crop producer to pledge the eligible crop as collateral on the loan. In this case the authorized loans are $610 per ton for peanut producers, $0.18 per pound for sugarcane and $0.229 cents per pound for sugar beets.

• Establishes Congress' consent to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact and includes provisions allowing the addition of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia to the compact.

• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to make or guarantee loans that total $23.13 billion from 1996 to 2002.

• Extends food stamp programs and employment and training programs.

• Terminates the price support authority under the Agricultural Act of 1949.

• Extends the wetlands reserve program and caps maximum acreage enrollment at 975,000 acres.

• Extends the Environmental Conservation Acreage Reserve Program (ECARP) through 2002 to assist farmers and ranchers conserve and enhance soil, water, and other natural resources through contracts and the attainment of easements.

• Replaces the food security wheat reserve with a commodity wheat reserve made up of not more than 4 million metric tons of wheat, corn, rice, or sorghum to be used for emergence food assistance or urgent humanitarian relief.

• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to support the price of milk in decreasing amounts from 1996 to 2000.

• Limits maximum state milk manufacturing allowances.

• Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the regulation of the commercial transportation of equine for slaughter.

• $8.66 billion for the Reauthorization of the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Program through FY 2002.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that reforms subsidy systems, creates contracts between the United States and agricultural producers, and makes nonrecourse loans available for certain crops, among other provisions which expire in seven years.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to expend $35.63 billion for fixed, declining payments to farmers from 1996 - 2002, if they agree to comply with conservation and planting requirements.

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make nonrecourse marketing assistance loans to peanut producers, domestic sugarcane producers, and sugar beets producers.
• A nonrecourse marketing assistance loan requires the crop producer to pledge the eligible crop as collateral on the loan. In this case the authorized loans are $610 per ton for peanut producers, $0.18 per pound for sugarcane and $0.229 cents per pound for sugar beets.

• Establishes Congress' consent to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact and includes provisions allowing the addition of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia to the compact.

• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to make or guarantee loans that total $23.13 billion from 1996 to 2002.

• Extends food stamp programs and employment and training programs.

• Terminates the price support authority under the Agricultural Act of 1949.

• Extends the wetlands reserve program and caps maximum acreage enrollment at 975,000 acres.

• Extends the Environmental Conservation Acreage Reserve Program (ECARP) through 2002 to assist farmers and ranchers conserve and enhance soil, water, and other natural resources through contracts and the attainment of easements.

• Replaces the food security wheat reserve with a commodity wheat reserve made up of not more than 4 million metric tons of wheat, corn, rice, or sorghum to be used for emergence food assistance or urgent humanitarian relief.

• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to support the price of milk in decreasing amounts from 1996 to 2000.

• Limits maximum state milk manufacturing allowances.

• Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish standards for the regulation of the commercial transportation of equine for slaughter.

• $8.66 billion for the Reauthorization of the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Program through FY 2002.

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reforms subsidy systems, creates contracts between the United States and agricultural producers, and makes nonrecourse loans available for certain crops, among other provisions which expire in seven years.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to expend $35.26 billion for fixed, declining payments to farmers from 1996 - 2002, if they agree to comply with conservation and planting requirements.

• Terminates the price support authority under the Agricultural Act of 1949.

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make nonrecourse marketing assistance loans to peanut producers, domestic sugarcane producers, and sugar beets producers.
• A nonrecourse marketing assistance loan requires the crop producer to pledge the eligible crop as collateral on the loan. In this case the authorized loans are $610 per ton for peanut producers, $0.18 per pound for sugarcane and $0.229 per pound for sugar beets.

• Establishes the Environmental Quality Incentive Program to provide technical assistance, cost-sharing and incentive payments to livestock producers who enter into contracts to protect resources from livestock-related damage.

• Limits conservation reserve program total acreage enrollment to 36.4 million acres and prohibits new acreage enrollment in 1997.

• Requires the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board to set aside at least ten percent of revenues for international market development.

• Limits the number of Federal milk marketing orders to between 10 and 14 orders.

• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to support the price of milk in decreasing amounts from 1996 to 2000.

• Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a strategy to encourage the maintenance, development, and expansion of export markets for U.S. agricultural products.

• $3.23 billion for the Export Enhancement Program.

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text