H. B. No. 340: Emerging Crops Fund; extend repealer and place moratorium on certain poultry loans.

AMEND on line 69 by striking the numbers "1999" and inserting in lieu thereof the numbers "2002".

AMEND further on line 83 by striking the words "Sixteen Million Dollars" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "Eighteen Million Dollars".

AMEND further on line 84 by striking the following: "($16,000,000.00)" and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "(18,000,000.00)".

AMEND further on line 141 by striking the numbers "1999" and inserting in lieu thereof the numbers "2002".

AMEND further on line 152 by inserting the following after the word "with": "federal agencies,".

AMEND further on line 152 by inserting the following before the "period": "of the state".

AMEND further by striking lines 194 through 243 in their entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following language:

"(9) The Mississippi Business Finance Corporation shall make available to the Agribusiness and Natural Resource Development Center through Alcorn State University an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) in Fiscal Year 2001 and Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) in Fiscal Year 2002 from the cash balance of the Emerging Crops Fund to support the development of a cooperative program for agribusiness development, marketing and natural resources development. This subsection (9) shall stand repealed on June 30, 2002.

(10) The Mississippi Business Finance Corporation shall make available to the Small Farm Development Center at Alcorn State University funds in an aggregate amount not to exceed Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00), to be drawn from the cash balance of the Emerging Crops Fund. The Small Farm Development Center at Alcorn State University shall use such funds to make loans to producers of sweet potatoes and cooperatives anywhere in the State of Mississippi owned by sweet potato producers to assist in the planting of sweet potatoes and the purchase of sweet potato production and harvesting equipment. A report of the loans made under this subsection shall be furnished by January 15 of each year to the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

(11) The Mississippi Business Finance Corporation shall make available to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce "Make Mississippi Mine" program an amount not to exceed One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) to be drawn from the cash balance of the Emerging Crops Fund."

AMEND further on line 245 by striking the following: "its passage" and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "June 1, 2000".

AMEND further by striking the title in its entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

"AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 69-2-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM THAT AUTHORIZES THE MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS FINANCE CORPORATION TO LOAN OR GRANT FUNDS TO CERTAIN ENTITIES FOR LOAN REVOLVING FUNDS TO ASSIST IN PROVIDING FINANCING FOR MINORITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT THAT MAY BE DRAWN FOR SUCH PURPOSE FROM THE EMERGING CROPS FUND FROM $16,000,000.00 TO $18,000,000.00; TO AUTHORIZE THE PROGRAM THAT GUARANTEES CERTAIN BONDS THAT MINORITY BUSINESSES ARE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN CONTRACTS WITH GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES TO APPLY TO CONTRACTS WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES; TO PROVIDE THAT THE MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS FINANCE CORPORATION SHALL MAKE FUNDS AVAILABLE FROM THE EMERGING CROPS FUND TO THE AGRIBUSINESS AND NATURAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER THROUGH ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COOPERATIVE PROGRAM FOR AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT; TO PROVIDE THAT THE MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS FINANCE CORPORATION SHALL MAKE FUNDS AVAILABLE FROM THE EMERGING CROPS FUND TO THE SMALL FARM DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY TO BE USED BY THE SMALL FARM DEVELOPMENT CENTER TO MAKE LOANS TO PRODUCERS OF SWEET POTATOES AND COOPERATIVES IN THE STATE OWNED BY SWEET POTATO PRODUCERS TO ASSIST IN THE PLANTING OF SWEET POTATOES AND THE PURCHASE OF SWEET POTATO PRODUCTION AND HARVESTING EQUIPMENT; TO PROVIDE THAT THE MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS FINANCE CORPORATION SHALL MAKE FUNDS AVAILABLE FROM THE EMERGING CROPS FUND TO THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE "MAKE MISSISSIPPI MINE" PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES."