two pages paper

PRINCETON MODEL CONGRESS

Committee:

Principal Author:

Bill No: Delegation:

Title of Bill:

An Act to Reduce Government Subsidy Spending

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PRINCETON MODEL CONGRESS

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Preamble: Whereas $114,024,265,743 has been appropriated to the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) over the past seven years for subsidies, and since 10% of the total

USDA subsidy payment recipients were paid 65% of the total USDA subsidies in 2002, and

since subsidized farm operations drove small farmers off their land to cause a 15% decline

in the number of farmers from 1987 to 1997, and since the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreement

on Agriculture established parameters for freer worldwide trade,

SECTION 1: This act may be cited as the “Freedom to Farm Bill.”

SECTION 2: Individual farmers, farming corporations or corporate entities shall not receive

subsidies if that person or entity makes less than 80% of their income from

agricultural operations.

SECTION 3: There shall be a limit of total subsidies per person per year of $150,000.

SECTION 4: A farming commission shall be created by the USDA to assess--

Sub-SECTION A: The concentration of the subsidy payments.

Sub-SECTION B: How subsidies influence productivity.

Sub-SECTION C: The influence of subsidies on--

(A) Rural Poverty (B) Agricultural Growth (C) Foreign trade

SECTION 5: There shall be an expansion of the quota buy-out program set by the 2002

Farm Bill.

Sub-SECTION A: The industries subject to the quota buy-out program are the

corn, wheat, rice and sugar industries.

Sub-SECTION B: The USDA will create and implement a buy-out program that

will completely abolish quotas in these industries over the 5 years following the

passage of this bill.

SECTION 6: This bill shall go into effect 91 days after passage.