PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 3335 PRINTER'S NO. 3370
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, JOSEPHS, GLADECK, FLEAGLE,
YOUNGBLOOD, R. MILLER AND DeLUCA, APRIL 11, 2000
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, APRIL 17, 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. ELIGIBLE PRODUCERS' APPROVED <--
27 APPLICATIONS FOR THE FEDERAL PROGRAM FROM WHICH FEDERAL
28 PAYMENT FOR ELIGIBLE PRODUCERS IS CALCULATED. APPROVED
29 ELIGIBLE PRODUCERS SHALL QUALIFY FOR GRANTS UNDER THIS
30 CHAPTER IN AMOUNTS WHICH SHALL BE DETERMINED ON A PRO RATA
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1 BASIS OF THE MAXIMUM SUM APPROPRIATED UNDER SECTION 5102.
2 (d) Powers and duties of department.--The department is
3 authorized to enter into agreements with Federal and State
4 agencies as necessary to implement the provisions of this
5 chapter.
6 (e) Intent.--It is the intent of the General Assembly that
7 the Commonwealth funds provided under this chapter are in
8 addition to the $75,000,000 or more in funds provided by the
9 Federal Government.
10 Section 5102. Appropriations.
11 (a) Drought relief.--The sum of $60,000,000, or as much
12 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the
13 Department of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of Chapter
14 3. Any funds not needed for the purposes of Chapter 3 shall
15 lapse to the General Fund on December 31, 2000.
16 (b) Crop insurance.--The sum of $5,600,000, or as much as
17 may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of
18 Agriculture to provide payment for crop insurance [under the
19 USDA-FSA 1999 Crop Disaster Program] in an amount up to 10% of
20 the cost of the insurance premiums and the total amount of all
21 related fees for [eligible] producers[, as defined in Chapter
22 3,] of agricultural commodities during calendar years 2000 and
23 2001. If sufficient funds are not available to provide for up to
24 10% of the cost of the insurance premiums and the total amount
25 of all related fees, the Department of Agriculture shall prorate
26 the available funds among all the [eligible] producers of
27 agricultural commodities that applied. Any unused funds shall
28 lapse into the General Fund on June 30, 2001.
29 (c) Orchard and nursery indemnity.--The sum of $2,000,000,
30 or as much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated
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1 to the Department of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of
2 Chapter 5. Any funds not needed for the purposes of Chapter 5
3 shall lapse to the General Fund on June 30, 2001.
4 (d) Public assistance and hazard mitigation.--The sum of
5 $10,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby
6 appropriated to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for
7 the match required for Federal disaster funds for the August and
8 September 1999 disasters for public assistance and hazard
9 mitigation to be allocated by the Office of the Budget among
10 these disasters and programs. This appropriation shall be a
11 continuing appropriation.
12 (e) Supplemental Individual Assistance Program.--The sum of
13 $5,000,000 is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for
14 allocation by the Governor for payment of the Commonwealth's
15 share necessary to secure individual and family assistance from
16 the Federal Government under the provisions of The Robert T.
17 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public
18 Law 93-288, 88 Stat. 143) and for payment of Supplemental
19 Individual Assistance Program grants authorized pursuant to
20 Chapter 7. This subsection shall be construed in a manner which
21 secures the maximum available Federal funding for individual and
22 family assistance. Any unused funds not needed for purposes of
23 this appropriation shall lapse to the General Fund on June 30,
24 2000.
25 (f) Other Federal funding.--Nothing in this act shall
26 supplant or replace any funds otherwise available from the
27 Federal Government.
28 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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