H.R. 441

[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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