Skip to main content
HR 2797 116th Congress House Agriculture and Food Agricultural conservation and pollution Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit Government lending and loan guarantees Minority and disadvantaged businesses

BALE Act of 2019

Introduced: May 16, 2019 Introduced by: Bost, Mike Republican · Illinois See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 10, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.
May 16, 2019
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
May 16, 2019
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Beginning Agriculturalist Lifetime Employment Act of 2019 or the BALE Act of 2019

This bill revises the limits for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation loan guarantee program.

The bill replaces the existing 80% limit on the portion of a loan that USDA may guarantee with limits that range from 80%-90%, depending on the principal amount of the loan.

For socially disadvantaged or beginning farmers or ranchers, the bill replaces the existing 90% limit with limits that range from 85%-95%, depending on the principal amount of the loan.

The bill also (1) prohibits USDA from guaranteeing a loan under the program that exceeds $3.5 million, and (2) requires USDA to adjust the limits annually for inflation.

What's happening now June 10, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2797: BALE Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2797/
MLA
"H.R. 2797: BALE Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2797/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2797, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2797/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2797: BALE Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2797/)
Report a problem