Drought Assistance Improvement Act

[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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