,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #fgg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #i1 #bjac ,mr4 ,roberts introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act to extend and improve the crop insurance program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,crop ,insurance ,improvement ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,information sharing ,section #ejb7;c7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejb7;c77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#d7 ,information 7,a7 ,request ,subject to subparagraph 7,b71 the ,farm ,service ,agency shall1 in a timely manner1 provide to an agent or an approved insurance provider authorized by the producer any information 7including ,farm ,service ,agency ,form #eghs 7or any successor form71 maps1 or any corrections to those forms or maps7 that may assist the agent or approved insurance provider in insuring the producer under a policy or plan of insurance under this subtitle4 7,b7 ,privacy ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,c71 an agent or approved insurance provider that receives the information of a producer pursuant to subparagraph 7,a7 shall treat the information in accordance with paragraph 7#a74 7,c7 ,sharing ,nothing in this section prohibits the sharing of the information of a producer pursuant to subparagraph 7,a7 between the agent and the approved insurance provider of the producer4 4 #c4 ,supplemental coverage option 7a7 ,availability of supplemental coverage option ,section #ejh7;c7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;c77 is amended by striking paragraph 7#c7 and inserting the following3 7#c7 ,yield and loss basis options ,a producer shall have the option of purchasing additional coverage based on-- 7,a7 7i7 an individual yield and loss basis2 or 7ii7 an area yield and loss basis2 7,b7 an individual yield and loss basis1 supplemented with coverage based on an area yield and loss basis to cover a part of the deductible under the individual yield and loss policy1 as authorized in paragraph 7#d77;,c72 or 7,c7 a margin basis alone or in combination with-- 7i7 individual yield and loss coverage2 or 7ii7 area yield and loss coverage4 4 7b7 ,level of coverage ,section #ejh7;c7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;c77 is amended by striking paragraph 7#d7 and inserting the following3 7#d7 ,level of coverage 7,a7 ,dollar denomination and percentage of yield ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,c71 the level of coverage-- 7i7 shall be dollar denominated2 and 7ii7 may be purchased at any level not to exceed #he percent of the individual yield or #ie percent of the area yield 7as determined by the ,corporation74 7,b7 ,information ,the ,corporation shall provide producers with information on catastrophic risk and additional coverage in terms of dollar coverage 7within the allowable limits of coverage provided in this paragraph74 7,c7 ,supplemental coverage option 7i7 ,in general ,notwithstanding subparagraph 7,a71 in the case of the supplemental coverage option described in paragraph 7#c77;,b71 the ,corporation shall offer producers the opportunity to purchase coverage in combination with a policy or plan of insurance offered under this subtitle that would allow indemnities to be paid to a producer equal to part of the deductible under the policy or plan of insurance1 if sufficient area data is available 7as determined by the ,corporation74 7ii7 ,trigger ,coverage offered under this subparagraph shall be triggered only if the losses in the area exceed #aj percent of normal levels 7as determined by the ,corporation74 7iii7 ,coverage ,subject to the trigger described in clause 7ii7 and the deductible imposed by clause 7iv71 coverage offered under this subparagraph shall cover the first loss incurred by the producer1 not to exceed the difference between-- 7,i7 #ajj percent2 and 7,,ii7 the coverage level selected by the producer for the underlying policy or plan of insurance4 7iv7 ,deductible ,coverage offered under this subparagraph shall be subject to a deductible in an amount equal to #aj percent of the expected value of the crop of the producer covered by the underlying policy or plan of insurance1 as determined by the ,corporation4 7v7 ,calculation of premium ,notwithstanding subsection 7d71 the premium shall-- 7,i7 be sufficient to cover anticipated losses and a reasonable reserve2 and 7,,ii7 include an amount for operating and administrative expenses established in accordance with subsection 7k77#d77;,f74 4 7c7 ,payment of portion of premium by ,corporation ,section #ejh7;e77#b7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;e77#b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,h7 ,in the case of the supplemental coverage option authorized in subsection 7c77#d77;,c71 the amount shall be equal to the sum of-- 7i7 #gj percent of the additional premium associated with the coverage2 and 7ii7 the amount determined under subsection 7c77#d77;,c77v77,,ii7 for the coverage to cover operating and administrative expenses4 4 7d7 ,conforming amendment ,section #ejh7k77#d77;,f7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7k77#d77;,f77 is amended by inserting or authorized under subsection 7c77#d77;,c7 after of this subparagraph4 7e7 ,effective date ,the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,corporation shall begin to provide additional coverage based on an individual yield and loss basis1 supplemented with coverage based on an area yield and loss basis1 not later than for the #bjad crop year4 #d4 ,permanent enterprise unit subsidy ,section #ejh7;e77#e7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;e77#e77 is amended by striking subparagraph 7,a7 and inserting the following3 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,corporation may pay a portion of the premiums for plans or policies of insurance for which the insurable unit is defined on a whole farm or enterprise unit basis that is higher than would otherwise be paid in accordance with paragraph 7#b74 4 #e4 ,enterprise units for irrigated and nonirrigated crops ,section #ejh7;e77#e7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;e77#e77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,d7 ,nonirrigated crops ,beginning with the #bjad crop year1 the ,corporation shall make available separate enterprise units for irrigated and nonirrigated acreages of crops in counties4 4 #f4 ,data collection ,section #ejh7;g77#b7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;g77#b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,e7 ,sources of yield data ,to determine yields under this paragraph1 the ,corporation-- 7i7 shall use data collected by the ,risk ,management ,agency or the ,national ,agricultural ,statistics ,service1 or both2 or 7ii7 if sufficient county data is not available1 may use other data considered appropriate by the ,secretary4 4 #g4 ,adjustment in actual production history to establish insurable yields ,section #ejh7;g77#d77;,b7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;g77#d77;,b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in the matter preceding clause 7i71 by inserting for the #bjac crop year or any prior crop year1 or #gj percent of the applicable transitional yield for the #bjad or any subsequent crop year1 after transitional yield2 and 7#b7 in clause 7ii71 by striking #fj percent of the applicable transitional yield and inserting the applicable percentage of the transitional yield described in this subparagraph4 #h4 ,submission and review of policies ,section #ejh7;h77#a7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;h77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 as clauses 7i7 and 7ii71 respectively1 and indenting appropriately2 7#b7 by striking 7#a7 ,in general4--,in addition and inserting the following3 7#a7 ,submission and review of policies 7,a7 ,submissions ,in addition 2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,b7 ,review ,the ,corporation shall review any policy developed under section #ebb7;c7 or any pilot program developed under section #ebc and submit the policy or program to the ,board under this subsection if the ,corporation1 at the sole discretion of the ,corporation1 finds that the policy or program-- 7i7 will likely result in a viable and marketable policy consistent with this subsection2 7ii7 would provide crop insurance coverage in a significantly improved form2 and 7iii7 adequately protects the interests of producers4 4 #i4 ,board review and approval ,section #ejh7;h7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;h77 is amended by striking paragraph 7#c7 and inserting the following3 7#c7 ,review and approval by the board ,a policy1 plan of insurance1 or other material submitted to the ,board under this subsection shall be reviewed by the ,board and shall be approved by the ,board for reinsurance and for sale by approved insurance providers to producers at actuarially appropriate rates and under appropriate terms and conditions if the ,board1 in the sole discretion of the ,board1 determines that-- 7,a7 the interests of producers are adequately protected2 7,b7 the rates of premium and price election methodology are actuarially appropriate2 7,c7 the terms and conditions for the proposed policy or plan of insurance are appropriate and would not unfairly discriminate among producers2 7,d7 the proposed policy or plan of insurance will1 at the sole discretion of the ,board-- 7i7 likely result in a viable and marketable policy that can reasonably attain levels of participation similar to other like policies or plans of insurance2 7ii7 provide crop insurance coverage in a significantly improved form or in a manner that addresses a recognized flaw or problem in an existing policy2 or 7iii7 provide a new kind of coverage for a commodity that previously had no available crop insurance1 or has demonstrated a low level of participation under existing coverage2 7,e7 the proposed policy or plan of insurance will1 at the sole discretion of the ,board1 not have a significant adverse impact on the crop insurance delivery system2 and 7,f7 the proposed policy or plan of insurance meets such other requirements as are determined appropriate by the ,board4 4 #aj4 ,budget limitations on renegotiation of the standard reinsurance agreement ,section #ejh7k77#h7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7k77#h77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,f7 ,budget 7i7 ,in general ,the ,board shall ensure that any ,standard ,reinsurance ,agreement negotiated under subparagraph 7,a77ii71 as compared to the previous ,standard ,reinsurance ,agreement-- 7,i7 to the maximum extent practicable1 shall be budget neutral2 and 7,,ii7 in no event1 may significantly depart from budget neutrality4 7ii7 ,use of savings ,to the extent that any budget savings is realized in the renegotiation of a ,standard ,reinsurance ,agreement under subparagraph 7,a77ii71 and the savings are determined not to be a significant departure from budget neutrality under clause 7i71 the savings shall be used for programs administered or managed by the ,risk ,management ,agency4 4 #aa4 ,stacked income protection plan for producers of upland cotton 7a7 ,availability of stacked income protection plan ,the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act is amended by inserting after section #ejh;,a 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh;a7 the following3 #ejh;,b4 ,stacked income protection plan for producers of upland cotton 7a7 ,availability ,beginning not later than the #bjad crop of upland cotton1 if practicable1 the ,corporation shall make available to producers of maximum eligible acres of upland cotton an additional policy 7to be known as the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan71 which shall provide coverage consistent with the ,group ,risk ,income ,protection ,plan 7and the associated ,harvest ,revenue ,option ,endorsement7 offered by the ,corporation for the #bjab crop year4 7b7 ,required terms ,the ,corporation may modify the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan on a program-wide basis1 except that the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan shall comply with the following requirements3 7#a7 7,a7 ,provide coverage for revenue loss of not more than #cj percent of expected county revenue1 specified in increments of #e percent4 7,b7 ,the deductible is the minimum percent of revenue loss at which indemnities are triggered under the plan1 not to be less than #aj percent of the expected county revenue4 7,c7 ,once the deductible is met1 any losses in excess of the deductible will be paid up to the coverage selected by the producer4 7#b7 ,be offered to producers of upland cotton in all counties with upland cotton production-- 7,a7 at a county-wide level to the fullest extent practicable2 or 7,b7 in counties that lack sufficient data1 on the basis of such larger geographical area as the ,corporation determines to provide sufficient data for purposes of providing the coverage4 7#c7 ,be purchased in addition to any other individual or area coverage in effect on the producer's acreage or as a stand-alone policy1 except that if a producer has an individual or area coverage for the same acreage1 the maximum coverage available under the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan shall not exceed the deductible for the individual or area coverage4 7#d7 ,establish coverage based on-- 7,a7 an expected price that is the expected price established under existing ,group ,risk ,income ,protection or area-wide policy offered by the ,corporation for the applicable county 7or area7 and crop year2 and 7,b7 an expected county yield that is the higher of-- 7i7 the expected county yield established for the existing area-wide plans offered by the ,corporation for the applicable county 7or area7 and crop year 7or1 in geographic areas where area-wide plans are not offered1 an expected yield determined in a manner consistent with those of area-wide plans72 or 7ii7 7,i7 the average of the applicable yield data for the county 7or area7 for the most recent #e years1 excluding the highest and lowest observations1 from the ,risk ,management ,agency or the ,national ,agricultural ,statistics1 or both2 or 7,,ii7 if sufficient county data is not available1 such other data considered appropriate by the ,secretary4 7#e7 ,use a multiplier factor to establish maximum protection per acre 7referred to as a protection factor7 of not more than #abj percent4 7#f7 7,a7 ,pay an indemnity based on the amount that the expected county revenue exceeds the actual county revenue1 as applied to the individual coverage of the producer4 7,b7 ,indemnities under the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan shall not include or overlap the amount of the deductible selected under paragraph 7#a74 7#g7 ,to the maximum extent practicable1 in all counties for which data are available1 establish separate coverage for irrigated and nonirrigated practices4 7#h7 ,notwithstanding section #ejh7;d71 include a premium that-- 7,a7 is sufficient to cover anticipated losses and a reasonable reserve2 and 7,b7 includes an amount for operating and administrative expenses established in accordance with section #ejh7k77#d77;,f74 7c7 ,relation to other coverages 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan is in addition to all other coverages available to producers of upland cotton4 7#b7 ,limitation ,acreage of upland cotton insured under the supplemental coverage option described in section #ejh7;c77#d77;,c7 shall not be eligible for the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan4 7d7 ,payment of portion of premium by corporation ,subject to section #ejh7;e77#d71 the amount of premium paid by the ,corporation for all qualifying coverage levels of the ,stacked ,income ,protection ,plan shall be-- 7#a7 #hj percent of the amount of the premium established under subsection 7b77#h77;,a7 for the coverage level selected2 and 7#b7 the amount determined under subsection 7b77#h77;,b7 to cover administrative and operating expenses4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendment ,section #ejh7k77#d77;,f7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7k77#d77;,f77 7as amended by section #c7;d77 is amended by inserting or under section #ejh;,b after subsection 7c77#d77;,c74 #ab4 ,authority to correct errors ,section #eae7;c7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aeae7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in the first sentence1 by striking ,the ,secretary and inserting the following3 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary 2 7#b7 in the second sentence1 by striking ,beginning with and inserting the following3 7#b7 ,frequency ,beginning with 2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 ,corrections 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,corporation shall establish procedures that allow an agent and approved insurance provider within a reasonable amount of time following the applicable sales closing date to correct information regarding the entity name1 social security number1 tax identification number1 or such other eligibility information as determined by the ,corporation that is provided by a producer for the purpose of obtaining coverage under any policy or plan of insurance made available under this subtitle to ensure that the eligibility information is consistent with the information reported by the producer to the ,farm ,service ,agency4 7,b7 ,limitation ,in accordance with the procedures of the ,corporation1 procedures under subparagraph 7,a7 may include any subsequent correction to the eligibility information described in that subparagraph made by the ,farm ,service ,agency if the corrections do not allow the producer-- 7i7 to obtain a disproportionate benefit under the crop insurance program or any related program of the ,department of ,agriculture2 7ii7 to avoid ineligibility requirements for insurance2 or 7iii7 to avoid an obligation or requirement under any ,federal or ,state law4 4 #ac4 ,implementation ,section #eae of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aeae7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7j71 by striking paragraph 7#a7 and inserting the following3 7#a7 ,systems maintenance and upgrades 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall maintain and upgrade the information management systems of the ,corporation used in the administration and enforcement of this subtitle4 7,b7 ,requirement 7i7 ,in general ,in maintaining and upgrading the systems1 the ,secretary shall ensure that new hardware and software are compatible with the hardware and software used by other agencies of the ,department to maximize data sharing and promote the purposes of this section4 7ii7 ,acreage report streamlining initiative project ,as soon as practicable1 the ,secretary shall develop and implement an acreage report streamlining initiative project to allow producers to report acreage and other information directly to the ,department4 2 and 7#b7 in subsection 7k71 by striking paragraph 7#a7 and inserting the following3 7#a7 ,information technology 7,a7 ,in general ,for purposes of subsection 7j77#a71 the ,corporation may use1 from amounts made available from the insurance fund established under section #eaf7;c71 not more than-- 7i7 7,i7 for fiscal year #bjad1 #be1jjj1jjj2 and 7,,ii7 for each of fiscal years #bjae through #bjah1 #aj1jjj1jjj2 or 7ii7 if the ,acreage ,crop ,reporting ,streamlining ,initiative 7,,acrsi7 project is substantially completed by ,september #cj1 #bjad1 not more than #ae1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjae through #bjah4 7,b7 ,notification ,not later than ,july #a1 #bjad1 the ,secretary shall notify the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate on the status of the substantial completion of the ,acreage ,crop ,reporting ,streamlining ,initiative 7,,acrsi7 project4 4 #ad4 ,research and development 7a7 ,in general ,section #ebb7;c7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in the subsection heading1 by striking ,contracting2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#a71 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a71 by striking may enter into contracts to carry out research and development to and inserting may conduct activities or enter into contracts to carry out research and development to maintain or improve existing policies or develop new policies to2 7#c7 in paragraph 7#b77;,a71 by inserting conduct research and development or after ,the ,corporation may2 7#d7 in paragraph 7#e71 by inserting after expert review in accordance with section #eje7;e7 and procedures of the ,board after approved by the ,board2 and 7#e7 in paragraph 7#f71 by striking a pasture1 range1 and forage program and inserting policies that increase participation by producers of underserved agricultural commodities1 including sweet sorghum1 sorghum for biomass1 specialty crops1 sugarcane1 and dedicated energy crops4 7b7 ,funding ,section #ebb7;e7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;e77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7,a7 by striking 7,a7 ,authority4-- and inserting 7,a7 ,conducting and contracting for research and development4--2 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by inserting conduct research and development and after the ,corporation may use to2 and 7,c7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by inserting conduct research and development and after for the fiscal year to2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#c71 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a71 by striking to provide either reimbursement payments or contract payments2 and 7#c7 by striking paragraph 7#d74 #ae4 ,biomass and sweet sorghum energy crop insurance policies ,section #ebb7;c7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act of #aich 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aebb7;c77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#ah7 ,biomass and sweet sorghum energy crop insurance policies 7,a7 ,authority ,the ,corporation shall offer to enter into #a or more contracts with qualified entities to carry out research and development regarding-- 7i7 a policy to insure biomass sorghum that is grown expressly for the purpose of producing a feedstock for renewable biofuel1 renewable electricity1 or biobased products2 and 7ii7 a policy to insure sweet sorghum that is grown for a purpose described in clause 7i74 7,b7 ,research and development ,research and development with respect to each of the policies required in subparagraph 7,a7 shall evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools for the production of biomass sorghum or sweet sorghum1 including policies and plans of insurance that-- 7i7 are based on market prices and yields2 7ii7 to the extent that insufficient data exist to develop a policy based on market prices and yields1 are based on the use of weather indices1 including1 at a minimum1 excessive or inadequate rainfall1 to protect the interests of crop producers2 and 7iii7 provide protection for production or revenue losses1 or both4 4 #af4 ,pilot programs ,section #ebc7;a7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aebc7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by inserting 1 at the sole discretion of the ,corporation1 after may2 and 7#b7 by striking paragraph 7#e74 #ag4 ,technical amendments ,section #ejh7;b7 of the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking paragraph 7#g72 and 7#b7 by redesignating paragraphs 7#h7 through 7#aa7 as paragraphs 7#g7 through 7#aj71 respectively4 #ah4 ,repeal of direct payments 7a7 ,repeal ,sections #aajc and #acjc of the ,food1 ,conservation1 and ,energy ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #hgac1 #hgec7 are repealed4 7b7 ,continued application for #bjac crop year ,sections #aajc and #acjc of the ,food1 ,conservation1 and ,energy ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #hgac1 #hgec71 as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act1 shall continue to apply through the #bjac crop year with respect to all covered commodities 7as defined in section #ajja of that ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #hgjb77 7except pulse crops7 and peanuts on a farm4