Senate Bill sb2712

    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2712

    By Senator Aronberg





    27-1598A-06                                             See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to agricultural disaster

  3         assistance; amending s. 570.249, F.S.;

  4         expanding the conditions under which loan funds

  5         to certain agricultural producers may be

  6         granted; increasing the maximum amount of a

  7         loan; providing definitions; providing an

  8         appropriation; providing an effective date.

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10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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12         Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 570.249, Florida

13  Statutes, is amended to read:

14         570.249  Agricultural Economic Development Program

15  disaster loans and grants and aid.--

16         (1)  USE OF LOAN FUNDS.--

17         (a)  Loan funds to agricultural producers who have

18  experienced crop losses from a natural disaster or a

19  socioeconomic condition or event may be used to:

20         1.  Restore, or replace, or remove debris from

21  essential physical property., such as animals, fences,

22  equipment, structural production facilities, and orchard

23  trees;

24         2.  Pay all or part of production costs associated with

25  the disaster year.;

26         3.  Pay essential family living expenses.; and

27         4.  Restructure farm debts.

28         (b)  Funds may be issued as direct loans, or as loan

29  guarantees for up to 90 percent of the total loan, in amounts

30  not less than $30,000 nor more than $300,000 $250,000.

31  Applicants must provide at least 10 percent equity.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2712
    27-1598A-06                                             See HB




 1         (c)  For purposes of this subsection, the term:

 2         1.  "Losses" means crop loss or damage to an

 3  agricultural facility or infrastructure or farmworker housing

 4  owned by an agricultural producer.

 5         2.  "Essential physical property" means animals,

 6  fences, equipment, structural production facilities, other

 7  agricultural facility or infrastructure or farmworker housing

 8  owned by an agricultural producer, and orchard trees.

 9         Section 2.  The sum of $50 million is appropriated from

10  the General Revenue Fund to the General Inspection Trust Fund

11  within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for

12  fiscal year 2006-2007 for the purpose of providing loan funds

13  under s. 570.249, Florida Statutes, to agricultural producers

14  who experienced losses during the 2005 calendar year.

15         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.