S. 5023 · 117th Congress
Agriculture Disaster Assistance Improvement Act of 2022
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
ThuneSponsor1 cosponsor · 1 D
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill modifies access to Department of Agriculture disaster assistance programs and requires increased interagency cooperation in drought-related activities.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Sep 29, 2022
Agriculture Disaster Assistance Improvement Act of 2022
This bill modifies access to Department of Agriculture disaster assistance programs and requires increased interagency cooperation in drought-related activities.
The bill specifies that state and federal grazing permit holders are eligible for the Emergency Conservation Program and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program. Further, emergency measures eligible for payments include new permanent measures, such as permanent water wells and pipelines. The bill also waives the 30-day comment period required for applications under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for emergency measures carried out during a drought emergency.
Modifications to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program 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.
The bill expands coverage for honey bee producers under the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for losses caused by adverse weather or drought, such as transportation costs and reduced honey crops. Further, the bill requires the ELAP payment rate for honey bee producers to incorporate additional factors, such as per-hive and per-colony rates of loss.
The USDA must establish an interagency working group to improve the consistency and accuracy of U.S. Drought Monitor data.
Finally, the Farm Service Agency and the Forest Service must enter into a memorandum of understanding to better align their drought response activities.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Agriculture Disaster Assistance Improvement Act of 2022
Latest action (Sep 29, 2022): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S5546-5548)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Sep 29, 2022
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.