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This bill would make it easier for farmers and forest land owners to get help after disasters. It updates two USDA emergency programs so people can get money faster to repair or restore damaged farmland, fencing, conservation structures, and private forest land after events like floods, storms, or wildfires. It also lets the government give part of the payment up front instead of making people pay first and wait for reimbursement. The bill is meant to reduce delays and help producers respond more quickly when damage must be fixed right away.
- For farmland and conservation work, the bill allows advance payments before repairs begin: up to 75% of the cost for replacing something, and up to 50% of the cost for repairs or restoration.
- It gives producers more time to act by changing one deadline from 60 days to 180 days.
- It expands wildfire coverage so assistance can apply even when a fire was not naturally caused, as long as the damage came from the spread of the fire due to natural causes, and also when the fire was caused by the federal government.
- For nonindustrial private forest land owners, the bill allows advance payments of up to 75% of the cost of emergency measures, with any unspent funds returned if they are not used within 180 days.
Official Summaries
Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025
This bill revises the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to expand eligibility for payments to agricultural producers and owners of forest land impacted by natural disasters. The bill also provides additional options to receive an advance on cost-sharing payments before carrying out emergency measures.
The bill expands advance ECP payments to include the replacement, repair, or restoration of farmland or conservation structures requiring an immediate response. Producers may receive an advance on cost-sharing payments for 75% of the cost of the replacement and 50% of the cost of the repair or restoration. Current law limits advance payments to 25% of the cost of the repair or replacement of fencing.
Under EFRP, the bill allows owners of nonindustrial private forest land impacted by a natural disaster to receive an advance on cost-sharing payments for up to 75% of the cost of the emergency measures. Currently, advance payments are not available under the program.
ECP and EFRP recipients must use the funds within 180 days after the funds are disbursed. This provides additional time to ECP recipients who currently must use the funds within 60 days.
The bill also expands eligibility for payments under the programs to include emergency measures to address damages caused by (1) a wildfire that is not caused naturally, if the damage is caused by the spread of the wildfire due to natural causes; and (2) a wildfire that is caused by the federal government.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 629 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 629
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to remove barriers to
agricultural producers in accessing funds to carry out emergency
measures under the emergency conservation program, 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 ``Emergency Conservation Program
Improvement Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM.
Section 401 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``and
Other Emergency Conservation Measures'' after
``Fencing'';
(B) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by inserting ``or for other emergency
measures to replace or restore farmland or
conservation structures requiring an immediate
response (as determined by the Secretary),''
after ``replacement of fencing,''; and
(ii) by striking ``option of receiving''
and all that follows through the period at the
end and inserting the following: ``option of
receiving, before the agricultural producer
carries out the repair, replacement, or
restoration--
``(A) with respect to a payment to the agricultural
producer for a replacement, 75 percent of the cost of
the replacement, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) with respect to a payment to the agricultural
producer for a repair or restoration, 50 percent of the
cost of the repair or restoration, as determined by the
Secretary.''; and
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ``60-day'' and
inserting ``180-day''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Wildfire Determination.--A wildfire that causes damage
eligible for a payment under subsection (a) includes--
``(1) a wildfire that is not caused naturally, if the
damage is caused by the spread of the wildfire due to natural
causes; and
``(2) a wildfire that is caused by the Federal
Government.''.
SEC. 3. IMPROVING THE EMERGENCY FOREST RESTORATION PROGRAM.
Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``wildfires,'' and
inserting ``wildfires (including a wildfire that is not caused
naturally, if the damage is caused by the spread of the
wildfire due to natural causes, and a wildfire that is caused
by the Federal Government),'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Advance Payments.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall give an owner of
nonindustrial private forest land the option of receiving,
before the owner carries out emergency measures under this
section, not more than 75 percent of the cost of the emergency
measures, as determined by the Secretary.
``(2) Return of funds.--If the funds provided under
paragraph (1) are not expended by the end of the 180-day period
beginning on the date on which the owner of nonindustrial
private forest land receives those funds, the funds shall be
returned within a reasonable timeframe, as determined by the
Secretary.''.
Passed the Senate March 24, 2026.
Attest:
Secretary.
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 629
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to remove barriers to
agricultural producers in accessing funds to carry out emergency
measures under the emergency conservation program, and for other
purposes.