Bill Details
View committees (1)
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would push the federal crop insurance system to create and study a new insurance policy for mushroom growers. It directs the government’s crop insurance agency to research how to protect both the materials used to grow mushrooms and the mushrooms themselves. If the needed rules are met, the agency would then have to offer that insurance policy. The goal is to give mushroom farmers better protection against common risks that can damage their crops and income.
- The research must look at risks like pests, including mushroom phorid flies and sciarid flies, as well as fungal and viral diseases.
- It must also consider other losses that affect mushroom farms, such as power outages caused by weather and damage to growing materials from very heavy rain.
- The agency must study the best way to design coverage, including whether mushrooms should be covered under one policy or several different stages of production, and whether the paperwork can be kept simple for farms with fast-growing crops and many types of mushrooms.
- Within 2 years, the agency must send Congress a report on its findings and any recommendations.
Official Summaries
Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act
This bill requires the federal crop insurance program (FCIP) to provide for the research and development of a policy to insure the production of mushrooms and mushroom-growing media. (The term policy means an insurance policy, plan of insurance, provision of a policy or plan of insurance, and related materials.) The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, the agency that finances FCIP operations, must make any resulting policy available that meets specified FCIP requirements.
As part of the research and development, the bill requires an evaluation of the effectiveness of insurance for the production of mushrooms, including policies that (1) are based on the risk of specific pests and pathogens, (2) consider appropriate best practices to minimize the risk of loss, and (3) consider whether to provide coverage for mushrooms under one policy or to provide coverage for various phases of production.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1613 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1613
To amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require the research and
development of a policy to insure the production of mushrooms.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 26, 2025
Ms. Houlahan (for herself and Mr. Meuser) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require the research and
development of a policy to insure the production of mushrooms.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act''.
SEC. 2. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON MUSHROOMS.
Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c))
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(20) Mushrooms.--
``(A) In general.--The Corporation shall carry out
research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or
more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to
carry out research and development, regarding a policy
to insure--
``(i) the production of mushroom growing
media; and
``(ii) the production of mushrooms.
``(B) Availability of policy.--Notwithstanding the
second sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section
508(a)(2), the Corporation shall make a policy
described in subparagraph (A) available if the
requirements of section 508(h) are met.
``(C) Research and development described.--Research
and development described in subparagraph (A) shall
evaluate the effectiveness of policies described in
that subparagraph, including policies that--
``(i) are based on the risk of--
``(I) pests, including mushroom
phorid flies and sciarid flies;
``(II) fungal pathogens; and
``(III) viral pathogens;
``(ii) consider other causes of loss
applicable to mushroom compost and mushroom
production, such as--
``(I) a loss of electricity due to
weather; and
``(II) loss of growing media due to
excessive 5-year, 10-year, or 20-year
rainfall events;
``(iii) consider appropriate best practices
to minimize the risk of loss;
``(iv) consider whether to provide coverage
for mushrooms under 1 policy or to provide
coverage for various phases of production;
``(v) have streamlined reporting and
paperwork requirements that take into account
short propagation schedules, variable crop
years, and the variety of mushrooms that may be
produced in a single facility; and
``(vi) provide protection for revenue
losses.
``(D) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation
shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a
report that describes--
``(i) the results of the research and
development carried out under subparagraph (A);
and
``(ii) any recommendations with respect to
those results.''.
<all>