[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5551 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5551
To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require a one-time update of
base acres for covered commodities to ensure base acres reflect recent
planting history, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 23, 2025
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself and Ms. Budzinski) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require a one-time update of
base acres for covered commodities to ensure base acres reflect recent
planting history, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Balanced Agricultural Support and
Efficiency Act''.
SEC. 2. MANDATORY BASE ACRES.
(a) Definitions.--Section 1111 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7
U.S.C. 9011) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:
``(4) Base acres.--The term `base acres', with respect to a
covered commodity on a farm, means the number of acres
determined for a farm under section 1112.'';
(2) by striking paragraph (10); and
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (11) through (26) as
paragraphs (10) through (25), respectively.
(b) Base Acres.--Section 1112 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7
U.S.C. 9012) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
``(a) Mandatory One-Time Update of Base Acres.--
``(1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of the Balanced Agricultural Support and Efficiency
Act, the Secretary shall update the base acres on a farm, as in
effect under this title on the day before the date of enactment
of that Act, for the 2025 crop year in accordance with this
section.
``(2) Mandatory update.--For the purpose of applying this
title to covered commodities, the Secretary shall determine the
base acres on a farm by updating all of the base acres for
covered commodities on the farm among those covered commodities
planted on the farm at any time during the 2020 through 2024
crop years.
``(3) Update formula.--The updated base acres among covered
commodities on a farm shall be the proportion that--
``(A) the 5-year average of--
``(i) the acreage planted on the farm to
each covered commodity for harvest, grazing,
haying, silage, or other similar purposes for
the 2020 through 2024 crop years; and
``(ii) any acreage on the farm that the
producers were prevented from planting during
the 2020 through 2024 crop years to that
covered commodity because of drought, flood, or
other natural disaster, or other condition
beyond the control of the producers, as
determined by the Secretary; bears to
``(B) the 5-year average of--
``(i) the acreage planted on the farm to
all covered commodities for harvest, grazing,
haying, silage, or other similar purposes for
the 2020 through 2024 crop years; and
``(ii) any acreage on the farm that the
producers were prevented from planting during
the 2020 through 2024 crop years to covered
commodities because of drought, flood, or other
natural disaster, or other condition beyond the
control of the producers, as determined by the
Secretary.
``(4) Inclusion of all 5 years in average.--For the purpose
of determining a 5-year acreage average under paragraph (3) for
a farm, the Secretary shall not exclude any crop year in which
a covered commodity was not planted.
``(5) Treatment of multiple planting or prevented
planting.--For the purpose of determining under paragraph (3)
the acreage on a farm that producers planted or were prevented
from planting during the 2020 through 2024 crop years to
covered commodities, if the acreage that was planted or
prevented from being planted was devoted to another covered
commodity in the same crop year (other than a covered commodity
produced under an established practice of double cropping), the
owner--
``(A) may elect the commodity to be used for that
crop year in determining the 5-year average; but
``(B) may not include both the initial commodity
and the subsequent commodity.'';
(2) in subsection (b)(1), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by striking ``Notwithstanding the election''
and all that follows through ``circumstances occur:'' and
inserting the following: ``Notwithstanding subsection (a), the
Secretary shall provide for an adjustment, as appropriate, in
the base acres for covered commodities for a farm whenever any
of the following circumstances occur:'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``the election made
under'';
(ii) by striking ``, including generic base
acres'' each place it appears; and
(iii) by striking ``or generic base
acres''; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``or generic base
acres''; and
(4) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``or generic
base acres''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)(A), in the matter preceding
clause (i), by striking ``, including any generic base
acres,''.
(c) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Payment yields.--Section 1113(c)(1) of the Agricultural
Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9013(c)(l)) is amended by striking
``established or that is planted on generic base acres,'' and
inserting ``established,''.
(2) Payment acres.--Section 1114 of the Agricultural Act of
2014 (7 U.S.C. 9014) is amended--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking
``subsection (e)'' and inserting ``subsection
(d)''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking
``subsection (e)'' and inserting ``subsection
(d)'';
(B) by striking subsections (b) and (f); and
(C) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and (e)
as subsections (b), (c), and (d), respectively.
(3) Price loss coverage.--Section 1116(g) of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9016(g)) is amended, in the
matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``(19)'' and
inserting ``(18)''.
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