H.R. 831: BALE Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-02-02 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-02-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

BALE Act of 2017

Plain summary

Beginning Agriculturalist Lifetime Employment Act of 2017 or the BALE Act of 2017 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 1961 to revise the limits for the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) 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. USDA may not guarantee a loan under the program that exceeds $3.5 million. The bill also revises the limitations on the amount of farm ownership loans to prohibit USDA from making or insuring any loan that would cause the unpaid indebtedness of any one borrower to exceed the smaller of: (1) the value of the farm or other security; or (2) in the case of a loan other than a loan guaranteed by USDA, $600,000, with an adjustment for inflation beginning with FY2023.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

BALE Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12] · 15 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jim Costa (D-CA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Robin L. Kelly (D-IL), James Comer (R-KY), Darren Soto (D-FL), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Dan Newhouse (R-WA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12] reported raising $1.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr831.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr831 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115