GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2011

H                                                                                                                                                   D

HOUSE DRH11151-MH-3  (12/01)

Short Title:        Study Insurance for Contract Growers.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.
Referred to:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to direct the Departments of agriculture and Insurance to study options for agricultural contract growers to protect themselves against Financial losses due to Weather, natural disasters, or other acts of god.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  The Commissioner of Insurance, with the assistance of the Commissioner of Agriculture, shall study the availability and need for insurance products or statutory contractual requirements that will enable agricultural contract growers to protect themselves from financial loss resulting from loss of the contracted animals due to weather, natural disaster, or other act of God.  The Commission shall address, at a minimum, the following issues:

(1)        The current availability of and need for insurance products to protect contract growers who have a financial investment  in the animals they tend, even if they do not own the animals.

(2)        Standard contract language and terms in common use in the agricultural contract growing industry, and whether statutory protections or requirements are necessary to protect agricultural contract growers in the State from ruinous financial loss due to weather, natural disasters, or other acts of God.

The Commissioners may submit an interim report to the 2012 Regular Session of the 2011 General Assembly and shall submit a final report of their findings and recommendations, including any legislative proposals, to the 2013 General Assembly.

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.