PRINTER'S NO. 3335
No. 2467 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY BUNT, CAPPABIANCA, MAJOR, COY, McILHINNEY,
ARMSTRONG, BATTISTO, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF,
CALTAGIRONE, CIVERA, CLYMER, L. I. COHEN, ALLEN, DALLY,
DeWEESE, FAIRCHILD, FEESE, FICHTER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE,
GODSHALL, GORDNER, HALUSKA, HANNA, HARHART, HASAY, HENNESSEY,
HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, HUTCHINSON, JADLOWIEC, LAUGHLIN,
LEDERER, LEH, LESCOVITZ, MAITLAND, MANN, MASLAND, McCALL,
ARGALL, McNAUGHTON, MICHLOVIC, NAILOR, ORIE, PETRARCA,
PHILLIPS, ROSS, SCHRODER, SEYFERT, SOLOBAY, STEELMAN, SURRA,
TIGUE, WALKO, ZUG, GRUCELA, HARHAI, SATHER, STRITTMATTER,
KREBS, EGOLF, YUDICHAK, BARLEY, SAYLOR, TRICH, FREEMAN,
NICKOL, PESCI, PETRONE, ROBERTS, SANTONI, SEMMEL, B. SMITH,
STABACK, STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, TRUE, WILT, SHANER, COSTA,
BEBKO-JONES, BAKER, ZIMMERMAN, CHADWICK, FARGO, McGILL,
BASTIAN, DiGIROLAMO, BROWNE AND JOSEPHS, APRIL 11, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
APRIL 11, 2000
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 13, 1999 (P.L.905, No.57), entitled
2 "An act providing for emergency drought relief, for
3 commercial orchard and fruit tree nursery indemnity, for
4 grants for flood damage and for powers and duties of the
5 Department of Agriculture; establishing the Supplemental
6 Individual Assistance Program; providing for payment of the
7 Commonwealth's share to secure individual assistance from the
8 Federal Government; and making appropriations," further
9 providing for drought relief and for appropriations.
10 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11 hereby enacts as follows:
12 Section 1. Sections 302 and 5102 of the act of December 13,
13 1999 (P.L.905, No.57), known as the Drought, Orchard and Nursery
14 Indemnity and Flood Relief Act, are amended to read:
1 Section 302. Drought relief.
2 (a) Program.--There is established the Drought Relief
3 Program to provide grants to eligible producers adversely
4 affected by the 1999 drought. In administering the program, the
5 department shall cooperate with Federal and other Commonwealth
6 agencies and private entities and may accept Federal drought
7 relief or disaster assistance funds or private funds to provide
8 grants to eligible producers.
9 (b) Application procedure.--To receive a grant under the
10 program, an eligible producer must submit an application to the
11 department in a manner prescribed by the department.
12 (c) Grant criteria.--The department shall review
13 applications and award grants using an eligible producer's
14 [approved] application for the Federal program or other
15 documentation from which Federal payment for eligible producers
16 will be calculated. Each eligible producer shall be eligible for
17 a grant under this chapter in an amount [not to exceed 75% of
18 the grant received under the Federal program. If funds
19 appropriated under section 5102(a) are not sufficient to provide
20 grants prescribed under this chapter to all approved eligible
21 producers, grants shall be made to eligible producers on a pro
22 rata basis.] equal to the ratio of:
23 (1) the crop loss of the eligible producer, as
24 calculated by USDA-FSA; to
25 (2) the crop loss of all eligible producers, as
26 calculated by USDA-FSA.
27 (d) Powers and duties of department.--The department is
28 authorized to enter into agreements with Federal and State
29 agencies as necessary to implement the provisions of this
30 chapter.
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1 (e) Intent.--It is the intent of the General Assembly that
2 the Commonwealth funds provided under this chapter are in
3 addition to the $75,000,000 or more in funds provided by the
4 Federal Government.
5 Section 5102. Appropriations.
6 (a) Drought relief.--The sum of $60,000,000, or as much
7 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the
8 Department of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of Chapter
9 3. Any funds not needed for the purposes of Chapter 3 shall
10 lapse to the General Fund on December 31, 2000.
11 (b) Crop insurance.--The sum of $5,600,000, or as much as
12 may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of
13 Agriculture to provide payment for crop insurance [under the
14 USDA-FSA 1999 Crop Disaster Program] in an amount up to 10% of
15 the cost of the insurance premiums and the total amount of all
16 related fees for [eligible] producers[, as defined in Chapter
17 3,] of agricultural commodities during calendar years 2000 and
18 2001. If sufficient funds are not available to provide for up to
19 10% of the cost of the insurance premiums and the total amount
20 of all related fees, the Department of Agriculture shall prorate
21 the available funds among all the [eligible] producers of
22 agricultural commodities that applied. Any unused funds shall
23 lapse into the General Fund on June 30, 2001.
24 (c) Orchard and nursery indemnity.--The sum of $2,000,000,
25 or as much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated
26 to the Department of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of
27 Chapter 5. Any funds not needed for the purposes of Chapter 5
28 shall lapse to the General Fund on June 30, 2001.
29 (d) Public assistance and hazard mitigation.--The sum of
30 $10,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
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1 appropriated to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for
2 the match required for Federal disaster funds for the August and
3 September 1999 disasters for public assistance and hazard
4 mitigation to be allocated by the Office of the Budget among
5 these disasters and programs. This appropriation shall be a
6 continuing appropriation.
7 (e) Supplemental Individual Assistance Program.--The sum of
8 $5,000,000 is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for
9 allocation by the Governor for payment of the Commonwealth's
10 share necessary to secure individual and family assistance from
11 the Federal Government under the provisions of The Robert T.
12 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public
13 Law 93-288, 88 Stat. 143) and for payment of Supplemental
14 Individual Assistance Program grants authorized pursuant to
15 Chapter 7. This subsection shall be construed in a manner which
16 secures the maximum available Federal funding for individual and
17 family assistance. Any unused funds not needed for purposes of
18 this appropriation shall lapse to the General Fund on June 30,
19 2000.
20 (f) Other Federal funding.--Nothing in this act shall
21 supplant or replace any funds otherwise available from the
22 Federal Government.
23 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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