Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§1505 Management of Corporation

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 36— - CROP INSURANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE › § 1505

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Gives control of the Corporation to a Board of Directors that works under the Secretary of Agriculture. The Board includes the Corporation’s manager (who does not vote), the Under Secretary in charge of Federal crop insurance, another Under Secretary chosen by the Secretary, the Department’s Chief Economist, one person with crop-insurance experience, one person with reinsurance or insurance-regulation experience, and four active producer policyholders from different U.S. regions who represent a mix of crops, including at least one specialty crop. The Secretary appoints the experts and the producers, who must not be federal employees, serve staggered 4-year terms, and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The Board picks its Chair. At least four members in office are needed for the Board to act, and vacancies do not stop it from working so long as four remain. Department employees on the Board get no extra pay but may get travel and subsistence costs for work outside Washington, D.C. Non-federal members get pay set by the Secretary but not over the daily equivalent of the GS–18 rate in 5 U.S.C. 5332 when actually working, plus travel or per diem under 5 U.S.C. 5703. The manager is the chief executive officer, has powers the Board gives, and is appointed and removable by the Secretary. The Board must set up independent review procedures so any insurance policy or related change offered under the program is checked by actuaries and underwriters. For each review the Board must hire at least five reviewers; no more than one may be a federal employee, and at least one must be chosen by approved insurance providers under Board rules. For reviews of submissions under section 1508(h), none of the reviewers may be employed by approved insurance providers (and at most one may be a federal employee), and each review must be finished and sent to the Board at least 30 days before the end of the 120-day period in section 1508(h)(4)(D). Review contracts are paid from funds under section 1516(b)(2)(A)(ii), and this contracting power is in addition to other contract authority the Board has.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §1505

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The management of the Corporation shall be vested in a Board of Directors subject to the general supervision of the Secretary.
(2)The Board shall consist of only the following members:
(A)The manager of the Corporation, who shall serve as a nonvoting ex officio member.
(B)The Under Secretary of Agriculture responsible for the Federal crop insurance program.
(C)One additional Under Secretary of Agriculture (as designated by the Secretary).
(D)The Chief Economist of the Department of Agriculture.
(E)One person experienced in the crop insurance business.
(F)One person experienced in reinsurance or the regulation of insurance.
(G)Four active producers who are policy holders, are from different geographic areas of the United States, and represent a cross-section of agricultural commodities grown in the United States, including at least one specialty crop producer.
(3)The members of the Board described in subparagraphs (E), (F), and (G) of paragraph (2)—
(A)shall be appointed by, and hold office at the pleasure of, the Secretary;
(B)shall not be otherwise employed by the Federal Government;
(C)shall be appointed to staggered 4-year terms, as determined by the Secretary; and
(D)shall serve not more than two consecutive terms.
(4)The Board shall select a member of the Board to serve as Chairperson.
(b)Vacancies in the Board so long as there shall be four members in office shall not impair the powers of the Board to execute the functions of the Corporation, and four of the members in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the Board.
(c)The Directors of the Corporation who are employed in the Department shall receive no additional compensation for their services as such Directors but may be allowed necessary traveling and subsistence expenses when engaged in business of the Corporation, outside of the District of Columbia. The Directors of the Corporation who are not employed by the Federal Government shall be paid such compensation for their services as Directors as the Secretary shall determine, but such compensation shall not exceed the daily equivalent of the rate prescribed for grade GS–18 under section 5332 of title 5 when actually employed, and actual necessary traveling and subsistence expenses, or a per diem allowance in lieu of subsistence expenses, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 for persons in Government service employed intermittently, when on the business of the Corporation away from their homes or regular places of business.
(d)The manager of the Corporation shall be its chief executive officer, with such power and authority as may be conferred by the Board. The manager shall be appointed by, and hold office at the pleasure of, the Secretary.
(e)(1)The Board shall establish procedures under which any policy or plan of insurance, as well as any related material or modification of such a policy or plan of insurance, to be offered under this subchapter shall be subject to independent reviews by persons experienced as actuaries and in underwriting, as determined by the Board.
(2)Except as provided in paragraph (3), the Board shall contract with at least five persons to each conduct a review of the policy or plan of insurance, of whom—
(A)not more than one person may be employed by the Federal Government; and
(B)at least one person must be designated by approved insurance providers pursuant to procedures determined by the Board.
(3)If the reviews under paragraph (1) cover a policy or plan of insurance, or any related material or modification of a policy or plan of insurance, submitted under section 1508(h) of this title—
(A)the Board shall contract with at least five persons to each conduct a review of the policy or plan of insurance, of whom—
(i)not more than one person may be employed by the Federal Government; and
(ii)none may be employed by an approved insurance provider; and
(B)each review must be completed and submitted to the Board not later than 30 days prior to the end of the 120-day period described in section 1508(h)(4)(D) of this title.
(4)The Board shall include reviews conducted under this subsection as part of the consideration of any policy or plan or insurance, or any related material or modification of a policy or plan of insurance, proposed to be offered under this subchapter.
(5)Each contract to conduct a review under this subsection shall be funded from amounts made available under section 1516(b)(2)(A)(ii) of this title.
(6)The contract authority provided in this subsection is in addition to any other contracting authority that may be exercised by the Board under section 1506(l) of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 made identical

Amendments

to this section. The

Amendments

by Pub. L. 110–234 were repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (e)(1), (4). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12033(c)(2)(B), substituted “this subchapter” for “this chapter”. 2000—Pub. L. 106–224, § 142(a)(1), inserted section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–224, § 142(a)(1), added heading and text of subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which read as follows: “The management of the Corporation shall be vested in a Board subject to the general supervision of the Secretary. The Board shall consist of the manager of the Corporation, the Under Secretary of Agriculture responsible for the Federal crop insurance program, one additional Under Secretary of Agriculture (as designated by the Secretary of Agriculture), one person experienced in the crop insurance business who is not otherwise employed by the Federal Government, and three active farmers who are not otherwise employed by the Federal Government. The Board shall be appointed by, and hold office at the pleasure of, the Secretary. The Secretary shall not be a member of the Board. The Secretary, in appointing the three active farmers who are not otherwise employed by the Federal Government, shall ensure that such members are policyholders and are from different geographic areas of the United States, in order that diverse agricultural interests in the United States are at all times represented on the Board.” Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–224, § 142(b), added subsec. (e). 1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–354, § 102(b)(3), (4)(A), (C), in first sentence struck out “of Directors (hereinafter called the ‘Board’)” after “Board” and “of Agriculture” after “Secretary”. Pub. L. 103–354, § 103, in second sentence struck out “or Assistant Secretary” after “Corporation, the Under Secretary” and substituted “one additional Under Secretary of Agriculture (as designated by the Secretary of Agriculture)” for “the Under Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Agriculture responsible for the farm credit programs of the Department of Agriculture”. Pub. L. 103–354, § 115(a)(1), substituted “The Board shall be appointed by, and hold office at the pleasure of, the Secretary. The Secretary shall not be a member of the Board.” for former third sentence which read as follows: “The Board shall be appointed by, and hold office at the pleasure of the Secretary, who shall not, himself, be a member of the Board.” Pub. L. 103–354, § 102(b)(4)(C), in third sentence struck out “of Agriculture” before “, who shall not”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–354, § 102(b)(4)(B), (C), struck out “of Agriculture” after “Department” in first sentence and after “Secretary” in second sentence. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–354, §§ 102(b)(4)(C), 115(a)(2), in first sentence struck out “upon him” before “by the Board”, and in second sentence substituted “The manager shall” for “He shall” and struck out “of Agriculture” after “Secretary”. 1980—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–365, § 102(a), increased Board membership to seven from five persons; substituted provisions including on the Board the Under Secretaries or Assistant Secretaries of Agriculture for crop insurance and farm credit programs and one person experienced in crop insurance business for former provisions including on the Board two other Agriculture Department employees and two persons with insurance business experience; authorized appointment of three active farmers not otherwise Federal employees; and required farmer appointees to be policyholders and representative of agricultural interests of different geographic areas. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–365, § 102(b), substituted “four” for “three” in two places. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–365, § 102(c), substituted as limitation on compensation of Directors of the Corporation not employed by the Federal Government the daily equivalent of rate prescribed for grade GS–18 under section 5332 of title 5 when actually employed, and actual necessary traveling and subsistence expenses, or the per diem allowance in lieu of subsistence expenses, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 for persons in Government service employed intermittently, when on the business of the Corporation away from their homes or regular places of business for former limitation of $50 per day when actually employed and transportation expenses plus not to exceed $10 per diem in lieu of subsistence expenses when on business of the Corporation away from their homes or regular places of business. 1949—Subsec. (c). Act Aug. 25, 1949, reduced compensation of members of Board of Directors who are not Government employees from “not to exceed $100 per day” to “not to exceed $50 per day”, and changed from “subsistence expenses” to “transportation expenses and not to exceed $10 per diem”. 1947—Act Aug. 1, 1947, amended section generally and, among other changes, increased membership of Board from three to five, provided for two members with insurance experience, not Government employees, increased from two to three the number of members necessary to carry on functions and to constitute a quorum, provided for compensation and expenses of Board members not otherwise Government employed, and for appointment of manager of corporation by the Secretary of Agriculture instead of being selected by the Board.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2008 AmendmentAmendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 8701 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–354 effective Oct. 13, 1994, and applicable to provision of crop insurance under Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) beginning with 1995 crop year, with such Act, as in effect on the day before Oct. 13, 1994, to continue to apply with respect to 1994 crop year, see section 120 of Pub. L. 103–354, set out as a note under section 1502 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–365 effective Sept. 26, 1980, see section 112 of Pub. L. 96–365, set out as a note under section 1504 of this title. Appointment of Board of Directors Beginning
February 1, 2001 Pub. L. 106-224, title I, § 142(a)(2), (3),
June 20, 2000, 114 Stat. 390, provided that: “(2) Implementation.—The initial members of the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation required to be appointed under section 505(a)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act [7 U.S.C. 1505(a)(3)] (as amended by paragraph (1)) shall be appointed during the period beginning
February 1, 2001, and ending
April 1, 2001. “(3) Effect on existing board.—A member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on the date of the enactment of this Act [
June 20, 2000] may continue to serve as a member of the Board until the members referred to in paragraph (2) are first appointed.” References in Other Laws to GS–16, 17, or 18 Pay RatesReferences in laws to the rates of pay for GS–16, 17, or 18, or to maximum rates of pay under the General Schedule, to be considered references to rates payable under specified sections of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, see section 529 [title I, § 101(c)(1)] of Pub. L. 101–509, set out in a note under section 5376 of Title 5.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Administration of program of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 501, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7877, 60 Stat. 1100. See note set out under section 1503 of this title. Wartime consolidation of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation into Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration, see note set out under section 1503 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 1505

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73