Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act of 2025
Congress aims to speed USDA drought disaster aid and expand help for grazing, bees, and permanent water fixes
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Expands USDA disaster help so ranchers who graze on federal land or lease state/local land can qualify for certain emergency programs.
- Lets USDA disaster funds cover longer-lasting fixes during droughts, like permanent water wells and pipelines, not just temporary repairs.
- Speeds up approvals during a declared drought by waiving a 30-day public comment step for certain projects on Bureau of Land Management land, and letting Interior accept USDA reviews.
- Boosts drought forage payments: 4 straight weeks of qualifying drought can trigger 1 month of help; 8 weeks can trigger 2 months of help.
- Adds clearer, nationwide rules for paperwork and payments for honey bee losses, and sets up a multi-agency group to improve drought data used to decide when aid kicks in.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S1607-1609)
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articlesLegislation to Improve Livestock Disaster Assistance Reintroduced
Covers S.904’s reintroduction and details on drought-triggered payments, NEPA streamlining on BLM lands, and USDA disaster program changes affecting grazing permit holders and beekeepers.
Thune, Luján Reintroduce Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act
Local/regional write-up summarizing the bill’s key elements: eligibility for grazing permit holders, drought-emergency permitting streamlining, and improvements tied to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.