Official Summaries

Drought Assistance Improvement Act

This bill modifies access to two Farm Service Agency (FSA) administered programs: the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP).

The bill modifies the LFP to allow for one monthly payment when a county has four consecutive weeks of a D2 rating (severe drought) and two payments for eight consecutive weeks of D2. Currently, one payment is available for eight consecutive weeks of D2. As background, LFP makes payments to eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses on drought-affected pastureland, including cropland planted specifically for grazing.

The bill also expands coverage under ELAP for losses caused by adverse weather or drought. The bill includes under ELAP the loss of a crawfish harvest due to adverse weather or drought. As background, ELAP provides payments to producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish as compensation for losses due to disease, adverse weather, feed or water shortages, or other conditions that are not covered under other programs.

The FSA must establish ELAP documentation standards for (1) collecting data, (2) the production of crawfish, and (3) defining loss conditions due to drought.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 441 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 441

    To improve drought related disaster assistance programs of the 
           Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 15, 2025

  Ms. Letlow introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To improve drought related disaster assistance programs of the 
           Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Drought Assistance Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. LIVESTOCK FORAGE DISASTER PROGRAM.

    Section 1501(c)(3)(D)(ii)(I) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 
U.S.C. 9081(c)(3)(D)(ii)(I)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``at least 8 consecutive'' and inserting 
        the following: ``not less than--
                                            ``(aa) 4 consecutive weeks 
                                        during the normal grazing 
                                        period for the county, as 
                                        determined by the Secretary, 
                                        shall be eligible to receive 
                                        assistance under this paragraph 
                                        in an amount equal to 1 monthly 
                                        payment using the monthly 
                                        payment rate determined under 
                                        subparagraph (B); or
                                            ``(bb) 8 consecutive''; and
            (2) in item (bb) (as so designated), by striking ``1 
        monthly payment'' and inserting ``2 monthly payments''.

SEC. 3. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR LIVESTOCK, HONEY BEES, AND FARM-RAISED 
              FISH PROGRAM.

    (a) Documentation Standards.--Section 1501(d) of the Agricultural 
Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``drought,'' after 
        ``adverse weather,'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``adverse weather or 
        drought,'' after ``disease,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Documentation standards.--For purposes of this 
        subsection, the Secretary, in consultation with eligible 
        producers of farm-raised fish, shall establish a documentation 
        standard for each of the following:
                    ``(A) Collecting data.
                    ``(B) Production of crawfish, as related to 
                reductions in harvest.
                    ``(C) Defining loss conditions due to drought.''.
    (b) Reduced Crawfish Harvest Eligibility.--Subsection 1501(d)(2) of 
the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(d)(2)) is further amended 
by inserting ``and loss of crawfish harvest due to adverse weather or 
drought'' after ``cattle tick fever''.
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