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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 629 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 629
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to remove barriers to
agricultural producers in accessing funds to carry out emergency
measures under the emergency conservation program, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Conservation Program
Improvement Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM.
Section 401 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``and
Other Emergency Conservation Measures'' after
``Fencing'';
(B) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by inserting ``or for other emergency
measures to replace or restore farmland or
conservation structures requiring an immediate
response (as determined by the Secretary),''
after ``replacement of fencing,''; and
(ii) by striking ``option of receiving''
and all that follows through the period at the
end and inserting the following: ``option of
receiving, before the agricultural producer
carries out the repair, replacement, or
restoration--
``(A) with respect to a payment to the agricultural
producer for a replacement, 75 percent of the cost of
the replacement, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) with respect to a payment to the agricultural
producer for a repair or restoration, 50 percent of the
cost of the repair or restoration, as determined by the
Secretary.''; and
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ``60-day'' and
inserting ``180-day''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Wildfire Determination.--A wildfire that causes damage
eligible for a payment under subsection (a) includes--
``(1) a wildfire that is not caused naturally, if the
damage is caused by the spread of the wildfire due to natural
causes; and
``(2) a wildfire that is caused by the Federal
Government.''.
SEC. 3. IMPROVING THE EMERGENCY FOREST RESTORATION PROGRAM.
Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``wildfires,'' and
inserting ``wildfires (including a wildfire that is not caused
naturally, if the damage is caused by the spread of the
wildfire due to natural causes, and a wildfire that is caused
by the Federal Government),'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Advance Payments.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall give an owner of
nonindustrial private forest land the option of receiving,
before the owner carries out emergency measures under this
section, not more than 75 percent of the cost of the emergency
measures, as determined by the Secretary.
``(2) Return of funds.--If the funds provided under
paragraph (1) are not expended by the end of the 180-day period
beginning on the date on which the owner of nonindustrial
private forest land receives those funds, the funds shall be
returned within a reasonable timeframe, as determined by the
Secretary.''.
Passed the Senate March 24, 2026.
Attest:
Secretary.
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 629
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to remove barriers to
agricultural producers in accessing funds to carry out emergency
measures under the emergency conservation program, and for other
purposes.