118 HR 5691 IH: Drought Assistance Improvement Act U.S. House of Representatives 2023-09-26 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.

I118th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 5691IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESSeptember 26, 2023Ms. 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 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.