COMPROMISING, ADJUSTING, OR CANCELING DEBTS

ACT OF DECEMBER 20, 1944

The Secretary of Agriculture, hereinafter referred to as the Secretary, is hereby authorized and directed to compromise, adjust, or cancel indebtedness arising from loans and payments made or credit extended to farmers under the provisions of the several Acts of Congress or programs enumerated in section 2: Provided, That the Secretary finds, after such investigation as he deems sufficent to establish the facts, that (1) said indebtedness has been due and payable for five years or more; (2) the debtor is unable to pay said indebtedness in full and has no reasonable prospect of being able to do so; (3) the debtor has acted in good faith in an effort to meet his obligation; and (4) the principal amount of said indebtedness is not in excess of $1,000. The Secretary is hereby further authorized at his discretion to cancel and discharge indebtedness arising under said Acts of Congress or programs when the amount of said indebtedness is less than $10, or the debtor is deceased and there is no reasonable prospect of recovering from his estate, or his whereabouts has remained unknown for two years and there is no reasonable prospect of obtaining collection, or he has been discharged of the indebtedness in any proceeding under the Act entitled "An Act to establish a uniform system of bankruptcy throughout the United States." The compromises, adjustments, or cancelations authorized by this section shall be effected through such agencies, upon such terms and conditions, and subject to such regulations, as the Secretary may prescribe, and the Secretary may delegate the exercise of any such powers and functions to such officers or employees of the Department of Agriculture as he may designate. (12 U. S. C. 1150) SEC. 2. The provisions of this Act shall apply to any indebtedness of farmers arising from loans or payments made or credit extended to them under any of the following Acts or programs: (a) July 1, 1918 (40 Stat. 635); March 3, 1921 (41 Stat. 1347); March 20, 1922 (42 Stat. 467); April 26, 1924 (43 Stat. 110); February 25, 1927 (44 Stat. 1245); February 28, 1927 (44 Stat., part II, 1251); February 25, 1929 (45 Stat. 1306), as amended May 17, 1929 (46 Stat. 3); March 3, 1930 (46 Stat. 78-79), as amended April 24, 1930 (46 Stat. 254); December 20, 1930 (46 Stat. 1032), as amended February 14, 1931 (46 Stat. 1160); February 23, 1931 (46 Stat. 1276); January 22, 1932 (47 Stat. 5); March 3, 1932 (47 Stat. 60); February 4, 1933 (47 Stat. 795); February 23, 1934 (48 Stat. 354); June 19, 1934 (48) Stat. 1056); February 20, 1935 (49 Stat. 28); March 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 50); April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115) (Executive Order No. 7305); January 29, 1937 (50 Stat. 5); and February 4, 1938 (52 Stat. 27); (b) Agricultural Adjustment Act (of 1933); Bankhead Cotton Act of April 21, 1934, on account of the several cotton tax-exemption certificate pools; Jones-Connally Cattle Act of April 7, 1934; Emer

gency Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1935, approved June 19, 1934; Kerr Tobacco Act of June 28, 1934, and Public Resolution numbered 76, approved March 14, 1936; section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, and related legislation; Supplemental Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1936; sections 7 to 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act; Sugar Act of 1937; sections 303 and 381 (a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and related or subsequent legislation authorizing parity or price adjustment payments; title IV and title V of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and related legislation; any amendment to any of the foregoing Acts heretofore and any other Act of Congress heretofore enacted authorizing payments to farmers under programs administered through the Agricultural Adjustment Agency; (c) Loans made by or through the Resettlement Administration or the Farm Security Administration out of funds appropriated or made available by or pursuant to the following Acts: April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115); June 22, 1936 (49 Stat. 1608); February 9, 1937 (50 Stat. 8); June 29, 1937 (50 Stat. 352); The Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, July 22, 1937 (50 Stat. 522 et seq.); the Water Facilities Act of August 28, 1937 (50 Stat. 869 et seq.); March 2, 1938 (52 Stat. 83, Public Resolution numbered 80); June 21, 1938 (52 Stat. 809); June 30, 1939 (53 Stat. 927); June 26, 1940 (Public Resolution numbered 88); flood-restoration loans, Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1943 (57 Stat. 537, 542); and subsequent legislation appropriating or making available funds for such loans; commodity loan, purchase, sale, and other programs of the Commodity Credit Corporation; and crop-insurance programs formulated pursuant to title V of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (the Federal Crop Insurance Act), and any amendment or supplement thereto heretofore or hereafter enacted. This Act shall also apply to any indebtedness of farmers evidenced by notes or accounts receivable, title to which has been acquired in the liquidation of loans to cooperative associations made under the provisions of the Act of June 15, 1929 (46 Stat. 11). (12 U. S. C. 1150a)

SEC. 3. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such amount as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to carry out the provisions of this Act, and the current and subsequent appropriations to enable the Secretary to administer the respective Acts of Congress or programs to which the aforesaid payments or loans or extensions of credit relate shall also be available for the administrative expenses of carrying out this Act. (12 U. S. C. 1150b)

SEC. 4. [Repealed, effective September 1, 1948, by 62 Stat. 862. Provisions of this section are now covered by sections 222 and 1026 of Title 18, U. S. C.]

PART VIII

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION APPROPRIATION ACT, 1959 1

AN ACT

Making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Administration for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1959, and for other pur

poses.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Administration for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1959, namely:

GREAT PLAINS CONSERVATION PROGRAM

For necessary expenses to carry into effect a program of conservation in the Great Plains area, pursuant to section 16 (b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as added by the Act of August 7, 1956 (16 U. S. C. 590p), $10,000,000 to remain available until expended.

AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM

For necessary expenses to carry into effect the program authorized in sections 7 to 15, 16 (a), and 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, approved February 29, 1936, as amended (16 U. S. C. 590g-590 (o), 590p (a), and 590q), including not to exceed $6,000 for the preparation and display of exhibits, including such displays at State, interstate, and international fairs within the United States; $235,000,000, to remain available until December 31 of the next succeeding fiscal year for compliance with the program of soilbuilding and soil- and water-conserving practices authorized under this head in the Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Administration Appropriation Act, 1958, carried out during the period July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958, inclusive: Provided, That not to exceed $24,698,000 of the total sum provided under this head shall be available during the current fiscal year for administrative expenses for carrying out such program, the cost of aerial photographs, however, not to be charged to such limitation; but not more than $5,025,800 shall be transferred to the appropriation account "Administrative

1 Approved June 13, 1958, Pub. L. 85-459, 72 Stat. 188.

expenses, section 392, Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938": Provided further, That none of the funds herein appropriated shall be used to pay the salaries or expenses of any regional information employees or any State information employees, but this shall not preclude the answering of inquiries or supplying of information at the county level to individual farmers: Provided further, That such amounts shall be available for administrative expenses in connection with the formulation and administration of the 1959 program of soil-building and soil- and water-conserving practices, under the Act of February 29, 1936, as amended (amounting to $250,000,000, including administration, and no participant shall receive more than $2,500, except where the participants from two or more farms or ranches join to carry out approved practices designed to conserve or improve the agricultural resources of the community): Provided further, That no change shall be made in such 1959 program which will have the effect, in any county, of restricting eligibility requirements or costsharing on practices included in either the 1957 or the 1958 programs, unless such change shall have been recommended by the county committee and approved by the State committee: Provided further, That not to exceed 5 per centum of the allocation for the 1959 agricultural conservation program for any county may, on the recommendation of such county committee and approval of the State committee, be withheld and allotted to the Soil Conservation Service for services of its technicians in formulating and carrying out the agricultural conservation program in the participating counties, and shall not be utilized by the Soil Conservation Service for any purpose other than technical and other assistance in such counties, and in addition, on the recommendation of such county committee and approval of the State committee, not to exceed 1 per centum may be made available to any other Federal, State, or local public agency for the same purpose and under the same conditions: Provided further, That for the 1959 program $2,500,000 shall be available for technical assistance in formulating and carrying out agricultural conservation practices and $1,000,000 shall be available for conservation practices related directly to flood prevention work in approved watersheds: Provided further, That such amounts shall be available for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers, lime, trees, or any other farming material, or any soil-terracing services, and making grants thereof to agricultural producers to aid them in carrying out farming practices approved by the Secretary under programs provided for herein: Provided further, That no part of any funds available to the Department, or any bureau, office, corporation, or other agency constituting a part of such Department, shall be used in the current fiscal year for the payment of salary or travel expenses of any person who has been convicted of violating the Act entitled "An Act to prevent pernicious political activities", approved August 2, 1939, as amended, or who has been found in accordance with the provisions of title 18, United States Code, section 1913, to have violated or attempted to violate such section which prohibits the use of Federal appropriations for the payment of personal services or other expenses designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress to favor or oppose any legislation or appropriation by Congress except upon request of any Member or through the proper official channels.

SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the National School Lunch Act (42 U. S. C. 1751-1760), $110,000,000: Provided, That no part of this appropriation shall be used for nonfood assistance under section 5 of said Act: Provided further, That $35,000,000 shall be transferred to this appropriation from funds available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, for purchase and distribution of agricultural commodities and other foods pursuant to section 6 of the National School Lunch Act, such additional funds to be used for the general purposes of section 32.

SOIL BANK PROGRAMS

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

For necessary expenses to carry out a conservation reserve program as authorized by subtitles B and C of the Soil Bank Act (7 U. S. C. 1831-1837 and 1802-1814), $200,000,000: Provided, That not to exceed $16,000,000 shall be available for administrative expenses of which not less than $12,750,000 may be transferred to the appropriation account "Local administration, section 388, Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938": Provided further, That no part of this appropriation shall be used to enter into contracts with producers which together with contracts already entered into would require payments to producers (including the cost of materials and services) in excess of $375,000,000 in any calendar year, and for purposes of applying this limitation, practice payments shall be chargeable to the first year of the contract period: Provided further, That no part of these funds shall be paid on any contract which is illegal under the law due to the division of lands for the purpose of evading limits on annual payments to participants: Provided further, That hereafter no conservation reserve contract shall be entered into which provides for (1) payments for conservation practices in excess of the average rate for comparable practices under the Agricultural Conservation Program, or (2) annual rental payments in excess of 20 per cent of the value of the land placed under contract, such value to be determined without regard to physical improvements thereon or geographic location thereof. In determining the value of the land for this purpose, the county committee shall take into consideration the estimate of the landowner or operator as to the value of such land as well as his certificate as to the production history and productivity of such land.

ACREAGE RESERVE PROGRAM

For necessary expenses to carry out an acreage reserve program in accordance with the provisions of subtitles A and C of the Soil Bank Act (7 U. S. C. 1821-1824 and 1802-1814), $330,000,000: Provided, That not to exceed $13,000,000 of the total sum provided under this head shall be available for administrative expenses: Provided further, That no part of this appropriation shall be used to formulate and administer an acreage reserve program with respect to the 1959 crops.