,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #hja  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,april #bd1 #bjac   
,mr4 ,thune 7for himself1 ,ms4          
,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,brown1  
,mr4 ,johanns1 and ,mr4 ,harkin7        
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       
provide for crop production on native   
sod4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be
 cited as the ,prairie ,protection ,act 
of #bjac4  #b4 ,crop production on      
native sod  7a7 ,federal crop insurance 
,section #ejh7o7 of the ,federal ,crop  
,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aejh7o77 
is amended--  7#a7 in paragraph         
7#a77;,b71 by inserting 1 or the        
producer cannot substantiate that the   
ground has ever been tilled1 after      
tilled2  7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,a71 by
 striking for benefits under-- and all  
that follows through the period at the  

end and inserting 8for--  7i7 a portion 
of crop insurance premium subsidies     
under this subtitle in accordance with  
paragraph 7#c72  7ii7 benefits under    
section #aif of the ,federal            
,agriculture ,improvement and ,reform   
,act of #aiif 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #gccc72 and 
7iii7 payments described in subsection  
7b7 of section #ajja of the ,food       
,security ,act of #aihe 7#g ,u4,s4,c4   
#acjh74  2 and  7#c7 by striking        
paragraph 7#c7 and inserting the        
following3  7#c7 ,administration  7,a7  
,in general ,during the first #d crop   
years of planting on native sod acreage 
by a producer described in paragraph    
7#b7--  7i7 paragraph 7#b7 shall apply  
to #fe percent of the applicable        
transitional yield2 and  7ii7 the crop  
insurance premium subsidy provided for  
the producer under this subtitle shall  
be #ej percentage points less than the  
premium subsidy that would otherwise    
apply4  7,b7 ,yield substitution ,during
 the period native sod acreage is       

covered by this subsection1 a producer  
may not substitute yields for the native
 sod acreage4  4  7b7 ,noninsured crop  
disaster assistance ,section            
#aif7;a77#d7 of the ,federal            
,agriculture ,improvement and ,reform   
,act of #aiif 7#g ,u4,s4,c4             
#gccc7;a77#d77 is amended--  7#a7 in    
subparagraph 7,a77ii71 by inserting 1 or
 the producer cannot substantiate that  
the ground has ever been tilled1 after  
tilled2  7#b7 in subparagraph 7,b77i71  
by striking for benefits under-- and all
 that follows through the period at the 
end and inserting 8for--  7,i7 benefits 
under this section2  7,,ii7 a portion of
 crop insurance premium subsidies under 
the ,federal ,crop ,insurance ,act 7#g  
,u4,s4,c4 #aeja et seq47 in accordance  
with subparagraph 7,c72 and  7,,iii7    
payments described in subsection 7b7 of 
section #ajja of the ,food ,security    
,act of #aihe 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #acjh74  2  
and  7#c7 by striking subparagraph 7,c7 
and inserting the following3  7,c7      

,administration  7i7 ,in general ,during
 the first #d crop years of planting on 
native sod acreage by a producer        
described in subparagraph 7,b7--  7,i7  
subparagraph 7,b7 shall apply to #fe    
percent of the applicable transitional  
yield2 and  7,,ii7 the crop insurance   
premium subsidy provided for the        
producer under the ,federal ,crop       
,insurance ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aeja et  
seq47 shall be #ej percentage points    
less than the premium subsidy that would
 otherwise apply4  7ii7 ,yield          
substitution ,during the period native  
sod acreage is covered by this          
paragraph1 a producer may not substitute
 yields for the native sod acreage4  4  
7c7 ,cropland report  7#a7 ,baseline    
,not later than #ahj days after the date
 of enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,agriculture shall submit 
to the ,committee on ,agriculture of the
 ,house of ,representatives and the     
,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 
and ,forestry of the ,senate a report   

that describes the cropland acreage in  
each county and ,state1 and the change  
in cropland acreage from the preceding  
year in each county and ,state1         
beginning with calendar year #bjjj and  
including that information for the most 
recent year for which that information  
is available4  7#b7 ,annual updates ,not
 later than ,january #a1 #bjad1 and each
 ,january #a thereafter through ,january
 #a1 #bjah1 the ,secretary of           
,agriculture shall submit to the        
,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house
 of ,representatives and the ,committee 
on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and        
,forestry of the ,senate a report that  
describes--  7,a7 the cropland acreage  
in each county and ,state as of the date
 of submission of the report2  7,b7 the 
change in cropland acreage from the     
preceding year in each county and       
,state2 and  7,c7 the number of acres of
 native sod that have been converted to 
cropland or to any other use in the     
preceding year in each county and       

,state4