Drought Assistance Improvement Act

Bill: 119-hr-441
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5]
Introduced: 2025-01-15
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-14
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Drought Assistance Improvement Act</strong></p><p>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).</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>The FSA must&nbsp;establish ELAP documentation standards for (1) collecting data, (2) the production of crawfish,&nbsp;and (3) defining loss conditions due to drought.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 441 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Drought Assistance Improvement Act . 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 . 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 .