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HR 541 118th Congress House Agriculture and Food

BALE Act of 2023

Introduced: May 11, 2023 Introduced by: Bost, Mike Republican · Illinois See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 118th Congress ended
It never became law before the 118th Congress (2023–2024) 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
Feb 13, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit.
Jan 26, 2023
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Jan 26, 2023
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Beginning Agriculturalist Lifetime Employment Act of 2023 or the BALE Act of 2023

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 $4 million, and (2) requires USDA to adjust the limits annually for inflation.

What's happening now February 13, 2023

Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Lobbying activity 1

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 541: BALE Act of 2023. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-541/
MLA
"H.R. 541: BALE Act of 2023." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-541/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 541, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-541/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 541: BALE Act of 2023](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-541/)
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