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S 3479 116th Congress Senate Agriculture and Food Agricultural conservation and pollution Agricultural insurance Agricultural practices and innovations Agricultural research Congressional oversight Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Livestock Natural disasters Research and development

Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020

Introduced: March 12, 2020 Introduced by: Thune, John Republican · South Dakota See on congress.gov
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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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 12, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S1743)
Mar 12, 2020
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020

This bill modifies the federal crop insurance program to address the planting of cover crops following prevented planting.

Specifically, the bill allows a producer that is prevented from planting its first crop to plant a second crop and receive an indemnity equal to the full guarantee for the first crop if the second crop (1) is an approved cover crop, and (2) cannot be harvested for grain or other uses unrelated to livestock forage or conservation. Under current law, if a producer plants a second crop it can only get an indemnity worth at most 35% of the prevented planting guarantee for the first crop.

For a producer planting a cover crop following prevented planting, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) may provide separate prevented planting coverage factors that include preplanting costs, the cost of cover crop seed, and the cost of fencing and supplying water to livestock.

Further, the FCIC must conduct research and development regarding a policy to insure crops on fields that regularly utilize cover crops, including research to examine the extent that cover crops reduce risks of prevented planting and other crop insurance losses.

What's happening now March 12, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S1743)

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 1 Republican 2
R
Cramer, Kevin
North Dakota · Jun 17, 2020
 R
Rounds, Mike
South Dakota · Jun 17, 2020
 D
Smith, Tina
Minnesota · Jun 17, 2020
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3479: Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3479/
MLA
"S. 3479: Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3479/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3479, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3479/.
Markdown link
[S. 3479: Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3479/)
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