[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3764-S3765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Padilla):
  S. 2698. A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out 
a program to provide payments to producers experiencing certain crop 
losses as a result of a disaster; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the 
Agricultural Emergency Relief Act of 2023 and thank my colleague 
Senator Padilla for joining me as an original cosponsor.
  Our bill would establish a consistent structure and end the delays in 
administering ad hoc agricultural disaster assistance by authorizing 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emergency Relief Program. In 
addition to improving the distribution of supplemental disaster funds 
appropriated by Congress, this program would encourage participation in 
crop insurance by requiring producers who receive relief payments to 
purchase 2 years of insurance.
  Every year, farmers across the country are contending with disasters 
of increasing severity and frequency, whether droughts and wildfires in 
the West, hurricanes in the Southeast, freezes in the Midwest, or 
flooding throughout the country. In some cases, crop insurance is able 
to cover the damages caused by these storms, but producers often 
require additional assistance due to the scale of the damage. This is 
especially true with specialty crops, where producers may lack 
affordable insurance options and, as a result, often operate with 
little coverage or no insurance at all. Federal disaster assistance has 
been a critical bridge back to production for these farmers, who are 
producing the Nation's food supply amid the worsening impacts of 
climate change.
  Since fiscal year 2018, Congress has appropriated more than $19 
billion for agricultural disaster assistance. However, these funds, 
lacking proper authorizing language, have been distributed through four 
different USDA programs, with changing requirements, forms, and 
processes from year to year. Each time USDA has had to create a new 
program, administrative delays have slowed the dispersal of relief, 
leaving producers, their families, and their communities in limbo. 
Farmers deserve more reliability, which our bill would provide.
  Our bill would authorize USDA's Emergency Relief Program to provide 
consistent, authorized guidelines for program administration of ad hoc 
disaster funds. Payment calculations for farmers would rely on 
indemnities reported to USDA or on calculation of

[[Page S3765]]

lost revenue. This flexibility will help support farmers producing both 
commodities and specialty crops. Our bill would also require producers 
to purchase crop insurance for 2 years after receiving a relief 
payment.
  Congress has an opportunity to provide clarity and consistency to our 
Nation's farmers who have weathered disasters and delays in assistance. 
I thank Senator Padilla for his partnership on this bill, and I urge 
the Senate to take it up and pass it as soon as possible.
                                 ______