I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10363 

To amend the Agricultural Act of 1961 with respect to the Emergency 

Loan Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 11, 2024 

Mrs. HAYES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To amend the Agricultural Act of 1961 with respect to 

the Emergency Loan Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helping America’s 

5 Farmers Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY LOAN PROGRAM. 

7 Subtitle C of title III of the Agricultural Act of 1961 

8 (7 U.S.C. 1961 et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) in section 321(b), by adding at the end the 

10 following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED

2 STATES.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

3 of this subtitle, the Secretary may waive the re4 quirement under paragraph (1) if, at the time 

5 an applicant submits an application for a loan 

6 under subsection (a), such applicant resides, 

7 and the property for which the applicant seeks 

8 to cover with such loan is located, in any— 

9 ‘‘(A) State provided assistance under 

10 section 524(b) of the Federal Crop Insur11 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(b); commonly 

12 known as the ‘Agricultural Management 

13 Assistance program’); or 

14 ‘‘(B) other State that the Secretary 

15 determines is historically underserved by 

16 crop insurance.’’; 

17 (2) by amending section 323 to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 323. USE OF LOANS. 

19 ‘‘Subject to the limitations on the amounts of loans 

20 provided in section 324(a) of this title, loans under this 

21 subtitle may be used— 

22 ‘‘(1) for any purpose authorized for loans under 

23 subtitle A or B of this title; 

24 ‘‘(2) for crop or livestock changes that are ne25 cessitated by a quarantine, natural disaster, major 


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1 disaster, or emergency and that are deemed desir2 able by the applicant; 

3 ‘‘(3) to provide paid leave to employees unable 

4 to work due to the direct effect of a natural disaster; 

5 ‘‘(4) to maintain payroll to retain employees 

6 during business disruptions or substantial slow7 downs; 

8 ‘‘(5) to meet increased costs to obtain materials 

9 unavailable from the original source of the applicant 

10 due to interrupted supply chains; and 

11 ‘‘(6) to make rent or mortgage payments.’’; 

12 (3) in section 324— 

13 (A) in subsection (a)(2), by striking 

14 ‘‘would cause’’ and all that follows through the 

15 period at the end and inserting ‘‘is greater than 

16 $2,000,000.’’; 

17 (B) by amending subsection (b) to read as 

18 follows: 

19 ‘‘(b) INTEREST RATE.—A loan under this subtitle 

20 shall be at an interest rate of zero percent.’’; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(f) WAIVER OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.—With 

23 respect to a loan made under this subtitle in response to 

24 a natural disaster, the Secretary shall waive— 


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1 ‘‘(1) any rules related to the personal guarantee 

2 on advances and loans of not more than $200,000 

3 for all borrowers; and 

4 ‘‘(2) any requirement that the borrower exhaust 

5 other loan options before applying for a loan under 

6 this subtitle. 

7 ‘‘(g) PRIORITY.—In making a loan under this sub8 title, the Secretary shall give priority to each— 

9 ‘‘(1) applicant in a State determined by the 

10 Secretary to be most impacted by a natural disaster; 

11 ‘‘(2) minority, veteran, and woman applicant; 

12 ‘‘(3) applicant in a State provided assistance 

13 under section 524(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance 

14 Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(b); commonly known as the ‘Ag15 ricultural Management Assistance program’); 

16 ‘‘(4) applicant in a State that the Secretary de17 termines is historically underserved by crop insur18 ance; and 

19 ‘‘(5) other applicant as the Secretary deter20 mines appropriate.’’; and 

21 (4) by inserting after section 329 the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 330. FUNDING. 

23 ‘‘There is hereby appropriated, out of any amounts 

24 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated 


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1 $10,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 

2 2029, to make loans to applicants under this subtitle.’’. 

Æ 


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