Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Corporation may, at the sole discretion of the Corporation, conduct a pilot program submitted to and approved by the Board under section 1508(h) of this title, or that is developed under subsection (b) or section 1522 of this title, to evaluate whether a proposal or new risk management tool tested by the pilot program is suitable for the marketplace and addresses the needs of producers of agricultural commodities.
Under this section, the Corporation shall not conduct any pilot program that provides insurance protection against a risk if insurance protection against the risk is generally available from private companies.
In this subsection, the term “livestock” includes, but is not limited to, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and poultry.
To the maximum extent practicable, the Corporation shall evaluate the greatest number and variety of pilot programs described in paragraph (2) to determine which of the offered risk management tools are best suited to protect livestock producers from the financial risks associated with the production and marketing of livestock.
The Corporation shall begin conducting livestock pilot programs under this subsection during fiscal year 2001.
Any policy or plan of insurance offered under this subsection may be prepared without regard to the limitations of this subchapter.
As part of a pilot program under this subsection, the Corporation may provide reinsurance for policies or plans of insurance and subsidize the purchase of futures and options contracts or policies and plans of insurance offered under the pilot program.
No action may be undertaken with respect to a risk under this subsection if the Corporation determines that insurance protection for livestock producers against the risk is generally available from private companies.
The Corporation shall conduct the livestock pilot programs under this subsection in a number of counties that is determined by the Corporation to be adequate to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility, effectiveness, and demand among producers for the risk management tools evaluated in the pilot programs.
Subject to section 1522(e)(4) of this title,[1] the Secretary shall carry out a pilot program in a limited number of counties, as determined by the Secretary, for crop years 1997 through 2001, under which a producer of wheat, feed grains, soybeans, or such other commodity as the Secretary considers appropriate may elect to receive insurance against loss of revenue, as determined by the Secretary.
The purpose of the pilot program established under this subsection is to determine whether approved insurance providers will compete to market policies or plans of insurance with reduced rates of premium, in a manner that maintains the financial soundness of approved insurance providers and is consistent with the integrity of the Federal crop insurance program.
The time limitations and procedures of the Board established under section 1508(h) of this title shall apply to a proposal submitted under this subsection.
The Corporation shall carry out, through at least the 2004 reinsurance year, the adjusted gross revenue insurance pilot program in effect for the 2002 reinsurance year.
In addition to counties otherwise included in the pilot program, the Corporation shall include in the pilot program for the 2003 reinsurance year at least 8 counties in the State of California and at least 8 counties in the State of Pennsylvania.
In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Corporation shall work with the respective State Departments of Agriculture to establish criteria to determine which counties to include in the pilot program.
The Corporation shall establish a pilot program under which producers or processors of camelina may propose for approval by the Board policies or plans of insurance for camelina, in accordance with section 1508(h) of this title.
The Corporation shall commence the camelina insurance pilot program as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this subsection.
In addition to any other authority of the Corporation, the Corporation shall establish and carry out a pilot program under which a producer of nondehiscent sesame under contract may elect to obtain multiperil crop insurance, as determined by the Corporation.
The Corporation shall commence the sesame insurance pilot program as soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this subsection.
In addition to any other authority of the Corporation, the Corporation shall establish and carry out a grass seed pilot program under which a producer of Kentucky bluegrass or perennial rye grass under contract may elect to obtain multiperil crop insurance, as determined by the Corporation.
The grass seed insurance pilot program shall be carried out only in each of the States of Minnesota and North Dakota.
The Corporation shall commence the grass seed insurance pilot program as soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this subsection.
In this subsection, the term “livestock commodity” includes cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and poultry, including pasture, rangeland, and forage as a source of feed for that livestock.
Notwithstanding subsection (a)(2), the Corporation may conduct 2 or more pilot programs to provide producers of underserved specialty crops and livestock commodities with index-based weather insurance, subject to the requirements of this section.
The Board shall approve 2 or more proposed policies or plans of insurance from approved insurance providers if the Board determines that the policies or plans provide coverage as specified in paragraph (2), and meet the conditions described in this paragraph.
In reviewing applications under this subsection, the Board shall conduct the review in a manner consistent with the standards, rules, and procedures for policies or plans of insurance submitted under section 1508(h) of this title and the actuarial soundness requirements applied to other policies and plans of insurance made available under this subchapter.
The Board shall prioritize applications that provide a new kind of coverage for specialty crops and livestock commodities that previously had no available crop insurance, or has demonstrated a low level of participation under existing coverage.
The Corporation shall pay a portion of the premium for producers that purchase a policy or plan of insurance approved pursuant to this subsection.
The premium subsidy shall provide a similar dollar amount of premium subsidy per acre that the Corporation pays for comparable policies or plans of insurance reinsured under this subchapter, except that in no case shall the premium subsidy exceed 60 percent of total premium, as determined by the Corporation.
Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), the premium subsidy under this subsection shall be paid by the Corporation in the same manner and under the same terms and conditions as premium subsidy for other policies and plans of insurance.
Subject to clause (ii), operating and administrative expense payments may be made for policies and plans of insurance approved under this subsection in an amount that is commensurate with similar policies and plans of insurance reinsured under this subchapter, on the condition that the operating and administrative expenses are not included in premiums.
All reports required under paragraph (5) and all other proprietary information and data generated or derived from applicants under this subsection shall be considered to be confidential commercial or financial information for the purposes of section 552(b)(4) of title 5.
If information concerning a proposal could be withheld by the Secretary under the standard for privileged or confidential information pertaining to trade secrets and commercial or financial information under section 552(b)(4) of title 5, the information shall not be released to the public.
In no case shall a policy or plan of insurance made available under this subsection provide coverage substantially similar to privately available hail insurance.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this subsection, of the funds of the Corporation, the Corporation shall use to carry out this section not more than $12,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2018, to remain available until expended.