Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, repeals direct payments to farmers, and amends crop insurance and dairy programs.

Highlights:

• Authorizes states to implement a pilot project work program for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to which individuals between 50 and 60 years of age are assigned (Sec. 4033).

• Requires an individual participant in the pilot program to participate in a mandatory work activity for a minimum of 20 hours per week per household, and requires the individual participant to be subject to penalties during a period of nonparticipation (Sec. 4033).

• Defines “work activity” as certain activities including, but not limited to, the following activities (Sec. 4033):
• Employment that is not subsidized by any public program;
• Participating in a career or technical training program directly related to the preparation of individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations;
• Participating in a job search, obtaining employment, or the preparation to seek or obtain employment including, but not limited to, life skills training, substance abuse or mental health treatment, or rehabilitation activities.

• Exempts certain individuals including, but not limited to, the following individuals from a state’s pilot work program requirements (Sec. 4033):
• An individual who has “good cause” for nonparticipation as determined by the state;
• An individual who has 1 or more dependent children less than 1 year of age;
• An individual who is participating in a work program under a state program funded by the Social Security Act for at least 20 hours per week.

• Establishes a minimum payment threshold of $20 or more per year for home energy assistance that must be met or exceeded in order for the household to qualify for the SNAP, whereas existing law specified that households receiving any amount of home energy assistance are eligible for the SNAP program (Sec. 4007).

• Prohibits the continuation of SNAP benefits to households in which a member receives “substantial” lottery or gambling winnings (Sec. 4009).

• Limits the eligibility of college students for SNAP benefits to individuals participating in the following study programs or courses (Sec. 4008):
• Career or technical education; or
• Remedial courses, basic adult education, literacy, or English as a second language.

• Requires state agencies to verify the income and eligibility, or immigration status of applicants for SNAP benefits (Sec. 4014).

• Appropriates $79 million for employment and training programs for SNAP recipients for each fiscal year, whereas existing law appropriates $90 million for each fiscal year (Sec. 4019).

• Specifies that nothing in this act prevents a state from enacting legislation that tests any individual who is a member of a household applying for SNAP benefits for the unlawful use of controlled substances (Sec. 4033). 

• Repeals direct payments, counter-cyclical payments, and the Average Crop Revenue Election program to producers on farms of the “covered commodities” of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, long and medium grain rice, soybeans, “other” oilseeds, and peanuts (Secs. 1101-1104).
  

• Requires the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to make price loss coverage payments to producers on farms for a covered commodity when the effective price for the commodity for the crop year is less than the reference price for the commodity for the crop year (Sec. 1107).

• Requires the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to make a one-time revenue loss coverage payment to producers on farms for a covered commodity when the actual county revenue for the crop year for the covered commodity is less than the county revenue loss coverage “trigger” for the crop year for the covered commodity (Sec. 1107).

• Requires farmers for the 2014 through 2018 crop years to maintain “sound agricultural practices” by meeting the following requirements prior to receiving price and revenue loss coverage payments (Sec. 1108):
• Comply with applicable conservation requirements;
• Comply with applicable “wetland protection” requirements; and
• Control “noxious weeds”.   

• Authorizes farmers to purchase additional crop insurance coverage from the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation through the Supplemental Coverage Option based on either of the following, beginning no later than the 2014 crop year (Sec. 11003):
• An individual or area yield and loss basis;
• An individual yield and loss basis supplemented with coverage based on an area yield and loss basis to cover part of the deductible under the individual yield and loss insurance plan policy;
• A margin basis alone or in combination with coverage based on individual or area yields and losses.

• Limits the amount of optional additional disaster assistance provided to producers of noninsured crops to no more than 65 percent of individual yields, whereas existing law did not specify a limit (Sec. 12306).

• Prohibits an individual or legal entity with an adjusted gross income exceeding $950,000 from receiving any of the following federal benefits (Sec. 1604):
• Price and revenue loss coverage payments;
• Marketing loan gains or loan deficiency payments;
• Disaster assistance; or
• Payments made through the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program.

• Repeals the Catfish Inspection Program (Sec. 12107).

• Requires the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to reconcile the social security numbers of all individuals who receive payments under this act with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration at least twice a year to determine if the individuals are still living (Sec. 1607).

• Extends the requirement that the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture purchase at least $50 million per year of fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to schools from the 2012 fiscal year to the 2018 fiscal year (Sec. 4204).

• Requires the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to establish the Dairy Producer Margin Insurance Program which makes margin insurance payments to participating dairy producers whenever the average actual dairy producer margin for a consecutive 2 month period is less than the coverage level threshold selected by the dairy producer (Sec. 1401).

• Repeals the Dairy Product Price Support Program, the Milk Income Loss Contract Program, the Dairy Export Incentive Program, and the Federal Milk Marketing Order Review Commission (Secs. 1481, 1482 & 1486).

• Establishes new crop insurance protection plans for producers of upland cotton and peanuts (Secs. 11016 & 11017).

• Establishes economic adjustment assistance at a rate of $.03 per pound for domestic users of upland cotton (Sec. 1207).

• Establishes a competitiveness payment program for domestic users and exporters of extra-long staple cotton produced in the United States whenever the following occurs (Sec. 1208):
• The price of extra-long staple cotton produced in the United States exceeds the world market price; and
• The lowest priced competing growth of extra-long staple cotton is less than 134 percent of the loan rate for extra-long staple cotton.

• Extends the requirement that the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture make loans available to sugar cane and sugar beet farmers at the following rates for the 2014 through 2018 crop years (Sec. 1301):
• 18.75 cents per pound for raw sugar cane; and
• 128.5 percent of the loan rate per pound for raw sugar cane.

• Increases the minimum amount that may be used to assist certain countries in increasing farm production and farmer incomes to an amount not less than the greater of $15 million or 0.5 percent of the funds appropriated to the John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program (Sec. 3014).

• Repeals the Partnership for Nutrition Assistance Program between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Mexican Government (Sec. 4033).
  

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text