General powers
Succession
Corporate seal
Property
Suit
Bylaws and regulations
Mails
Assistance
Collection and sharing of information
Surveys and investigations
Data collection
Sharing of records
Expenditures
Settling claims
Other powers
Contracts
Submission of certain information
Social security account and employer identification numbers
Notification by policyholders
Identification of holders of substantial interests
“Substantial beneficial interest” defined
Actuarial soundness
Projected loss ratio as of October 1, 1995
The Corporation shall take such actions as are necessary to improve the actuarial soundness of Federal multiperil crop insurance coverage made available under this subchapter to achieve, on and after
instituting appropriate requirements for documentation of the actual production history of insured producers to establish recorded or appraised yields for Federal crop insurance coverage that more accurately reflect the associated actuarial risk, except that the Corporation may not carry out this paragraph in a manner that would prevent beginning farmers (as defined by the Secretary) from obtaining Federal crop insurance;
establishing in counties, to the extent practicable, a crop insurance option based on area yields in a manner that allows an insured producer to qualify for an indemnity if a loss has occurred in a specified area in which the farm of the insured producer is located;
establishing a database that contains the social security account and employee identification numbers of participating producers, agents, and loss adjusters and using the numbers to identify insured producers, agents, and loss adjusters who are high risk for actuarial purposes and insured producers who have not documented at least 4 years of production history, to assess the performance of insurance providers, and for other purposes permitted by law; and
taking any other measures authorized by law to improve the actuarial soundness of the Federal crop insurance program while maintaining fairness and effective coverage for agricultural producers.
Projected loss ratio
Nonstandard classification system
Regulations
Purchase of American-made equipment and products
Sense of Congress
Notice requirement
33 So in original. Probably should be “(q)”. Procedures for responding to certain inquiries
Procedures required
Implementation
Not later than 180 days after
the manner in which inquiries described in paragraph (1) are required to be submitted to the Corporation; and
a reasonable maximum number of days within which the Corporation will respond to all inquiries.
Effect of failure to timely respond
Source
(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title V, § 506, 52 Stat. 73; June 21, 1941, ch. 214, § 2, 55 Stat. 255; Aug. 1, 1947, ch. 440, § 7, 61 Stat. 719; Aug. 25, 1949, ch. 512, § 8, 63 Stat. 665; Pub. L. 96–365, title I, §§ 103, 107(a),Notes
References in Text
Codification
Amendments
Effective Date of 2008 Amendment
Effective Date of 1998 Amendment
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Effective Date of 1993 Amendment
Effective Date of 1980 Amendment
Regulations
Transfer of Functions
Required Terms and Conditions of Standard Reinsurance Agreements
Definitions.—
In this section, the terms ‘approved insurance provider’ and ‘Corporation’ have the meanings given the terms in section 502(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1502(b)).
Terms and Conditions.—
Incorporation of amendments.—
For each of the 1999 and subsequent reinsurance years, the Corporation shall ensure that each Standard Reinsurance Agreement between an approved insurance provider and the Corporation reflects the amendments to the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) that are made by this subtitle [see Effective Date of 1998 Amendment note above] to the extent the amendments are applicable to approved insurance providers.
Retention of existing provisions.—
Except to the extent necessary to implement the amendments made by this subtitle, each Standard Reinsurance Agreement described in paragraph (1) shall contain the following provisions of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement for the 1998 reinsurance year:
Section II, concerning the terms of reinsurance and underwriting gain and loss for an approved insurance provider.
Section III, concerning the terms for subsidies and administrative fees for an approved insurance provider.
Section IV, concerning the terms for loss adjustment for an approved insurance provider under catastrophic risk protection.
Section V.C., concerning interest payments between the Corporation and an approved insurance provider.
Section V.I.5., concerning liquidated damages.
Implementation.—
To implement this subtitle and the amendments made by this subtitle, the Corporation is not required to amend provisions of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement not specifically affected by this subtitle or an amendment made by this subtitle.”
Crop Insurance Provider Evaluation
In General.—
The Comptroller General of the United States and the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (referred to in this section as the ‘Corporation’) shall jointly evaluate the financial arrangement between the Corporation and approved insurance providers to determine the quality, costs, and efficiencies of providing the benefits of multiple peril crop insurance to producers of agricultural commodities covered under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).
Collection of Information and Proposals.—
The Corporation shall require private insurance providers and agents to supply, and the private insurance providers and agents shall supply, records and information necessary to make the determinations and evaluations required under this section. The Corporation shall solicit from the approved insurance providers and agents proposals for modifying or altering the requirements, regulations, procedures, and processes related to implementing the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce the operating and administrative costs of the providers and agents.
Initial Report.—
Not later than 180 days after receipt of information and cost-reduction proposals under subsection (b), the Corporation shall evaluate the information and proposals obtained and report the results of the evaluation to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
Final Report.—
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act [
consider the changes made by the Corporation in response to increased program participation resulting from the enactment of this Act;
include an evaluation and opinion of the accuracy and reasonableness of—
the average actual costs for approved insurance providers to deliver multiple peril crop insurance;
the cost per policy of complying with the requirements, regulations, procedures, and processes of the Federal Crop Insurance Act;
the cost differences for various provider firm sizes and any business delivered by the Federal Government;
the adequacy of the standard reimbursement for potential new providers; and
the identification of any new costs related to the enactment of this Act not previously identified in the information reported by the providers;
compare delivery costs of multiple peril crop insurance to other insurance coverages that the provider may sell and determine the extent, if any, to which any funds provided to carry out the Federal Crop Insurance Act are being used to fund any other business enterprise operated by the provider;
assess alternative methods for reimbursing providers for reasonable and necessary expenses associated with delivery of multiple peril crop insurance;
recommend changes under this paragraph that reasonably demonstrate the need to achieve the greatest operating efficiencies on the part of the provider and the Corporation has been recognized; and
identify areas for improved operating efficiencies, if any, in the requirements made by the Corporation for compliance and program integrity;
assess the potential for alternative forms of reinsurance arrangements for providers of different firm sizes, taking into consideration—
the need to achieve a reasonable return on the capital of the provider compared to other lines of insurance;
the relative risk borne by the provider for the different lines of insurance;
the availability and price of commercial reinsurance; and
any additional costs that may be incurred by the Federal Government in carrying out the Federal Crop Insurance Act; and
include an analysis of the effect of the current or proposed reinsurance arrangements on providers having different business levels.
Information.—
Privacy.—
In conducting the evaluation required by this section, the Comptroller General and the Corporation shall maintain the privacy of proprietary information.
Subpoenas.—
The Comptroller General shall have the power to subpoena information relevant to the evaluation required by this section from any private insurance provider. The Comptroller General shall allow the Corporation access to the information subpoenaed taking into consideration the necessity of preserving the privacy of proprietary information.”