Only the right has signed this so far (Bill Ranking)
H.R. 441 · 119th Congress (2025-2026)
1 member · Left 0 · Center 0 · Right 1 (Bill Ranking)
| Sponsor | Rep. Letlow, Julia (R-LA) (Introduced 01/15/2025) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Voting Record | Lean right · DW-NOMINATE +0.43 · measured from every roll-call vote this member has cast (voteview.com) (Sponsor Ranking) |
| Support |
LLLCLRR support across the spectrum: 1 member signed on (Bill Ranking) this bill: sponsor + current cosponsors, each once |
| Committees | House - Agriculture Committee |
| Latest Action | 02/14/2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. |
| Roll Call Votes | There have been no roll call votes |
| Source | view on congress.gov → |
Introduced in House (01/15/2025)
Drought Assistance Improvement Act
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).
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.
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.
The FSA must establish ELAP documentation standards for (1) collecting data, (2) the production of crawfish, and (3) defining loss conditions due to drought.
119 HR 441 IH: Drought Assistance Improvement Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-15 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I119th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 441IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJanuary 15, 2025Ms. Letlow introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on AgricultureA BILLTo 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 programSection 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 standardsSection 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 standardsFor 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 eligibilitySubsection 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.
The bill's own words, from our database (synced from the GPO BILLS XML); paragraph breaks added at the bill's section boundaries, nothing else changed.
| Date | Chamber | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 01/15/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 01/15/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 01/15/2025 | House floor actions | Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. |
| 02/14/2025 | House committee actions | Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit. |
| 02/14/2025 | House committee actions | Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. |
| Title Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Display Title | Drought Assistance Improvement Act |
| Official Title as Introduced | To improve drought related disaster assistance programs of the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | Drought Assistance Improvement Act |
There are no amendments to this bill.
There are no cosponsors of this bill.
| Committee | Activity |
|---|---|
| House - Agriculture Committee | 01/15/2025 Referred To |
No related bill information was received for H.R. 441.
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food
No legislative subjects have been assigned yet.
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