Legislative Activity

The Farm Rescue Act of 2025 allows agricultural producers to receive an advance partial payment for the 2025 Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program if projected payments are anticipated. Producers can opt to receive an immediate advance payment of 40% to 50% of their projected PLC amount for the 2025 crop year. The final payment will be adjusted after the marketing year concludes, and the Secretary retains the right to recover erroneous advance payments.

The Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act updates federal grants supporting high-quality charter schools by enhancing technical assistance for authorizing agencies. It establishes new educator-led experience requirements for entities receiving pre-charter planning subgrants. The bill also modifies the required allocation percentages for how state entities distribute these grant funds.

This bill establishes the Tariff Response And Damages to Exports (TRADE) Fund, managed by the Treasury Department and administered by the Secretary of Agriculture. The fund will be financed by specific tariffs collected on imported goods. Its purpose is to provide financial assistance to agricultural producers harmed by trade disruptions, such as retaliatory tariffs or decreased export markets. The authority to use this fund will expire on September 30, 2030.

The GREATER Act establishes a formal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). This agreement mandates these agencies to coordinate efforts to expand rural entrepreneurship and support small businesses specifically within the Appalachian and Delta regions. The partnership requires regular reporting to Congress on assistance provided and future collaboration plans.

This resolution recognizes and honors teachers who have achieved or maintained National Board Certification as of March 2025, acknowledging their positive impact on student learning and potential lifetime earnings. It encourages the growth of new National Board Certified Teachers by urging educators, administrators, school districts, and States to provide candidates with incentives and support.

The "Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025" amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, allowing the Secretary to provide advance payments to agricultural producers and owners of nonindustrial private forest land for emergency measures such as repairing or replacing fencing, farmland, conservation structures, and forest restoration. It also clarifies that damages from wildfires, including those not naturally caused, are covered under the Emergency Conservation Program if the spread is due to natural causes. This act aims to improve access to funds for necessary repairs and rehabilitation following natural disasters.

The "Quality Loss Adjustment Improvement for Farmers Act" amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to improve quality loss adjustment coverage for farmers. It mandates regular reviews of quality loss adjustment procedures with stakeholder input and requires reports to Congress. In the event of a disaster declaration or salvage market for soybeans, the Corporation must establish a state or regional discount factor to reflect average quality discounts applied to local soybean market prices.

The Drought Assistance Improvement Act amends the Livestock Forage Disaster Program to provide more flexible eligibility requirements for livestock owners experiencing forage losses due to drought. The bill also modifies the Agricultural Act of 2014 to include drought as a cause for emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish, and adds loss of crawfish harvest due to adverse weather or drought as an eligible cause for assistance. It also requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish documentation standards for data collection and loss conditions due to drought.