Congress orders new frost insurance research for vulnerable crops
H.R. 7464 — TEMP Act · Filed by C. Franklin (R-FL) · 20 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 10, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to research and develop a new frost or cold weather insurance product for crops like tomatoes, peppers, citrus, and berries. The Corporation can either conduct the research itself or contract with private firms to do it. Within one year, it must report findings to Congress on whether an index-based insurance policy can protect farmers against frost and cold-weather losses.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a research-and-development mandate for a new crop insurance product. It does not appropriate funds, does not create a new program, and does not directly subsidize any party—it directs the existing Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to study and develop a frost/cold weather insurance option.
What the text implies
- If the research succeeds and a frost/cold weather insurance product is developed, the Corporation may eventually offer it as a new insurance line, potentially increasing the Corporation's operational scope and budget needs in future years.
- The bill names specific crops (tomatoes, peppers, sugarcane, strawberries, melons, citrus, peaches, blueberries) but also includes 'any other crop,' leaving the scope of the final product open-ended.
- The one-year reporting deadline creates a hard deadline for the Corporation to deliver findings, which may constrain the depth of research or lead to expedited contracting with private research firms.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Farmers and agricultural producers gain a new insurance option to protect against frost and cold-weather losses, which are significant uninsured risks in many regions. The research-and-development mandate is cost-neutral to taxpayers (it directs existing agency capacity) and expands market options without restricting existing protections.
Who stands to gain
- Agricultural producers and farmers (expanded insurance options)
- Private research contractors (if Corporation elects to contract out R&D)
- Crop insurance companies (if a new product line increases market demand)
Named in the bill
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, House Committee on Agriculture, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Agricultural producers, Crop insurance industry
Where it stands
20 cosponsors: 13 Republicans, 7 Democrats.
- Feb 10, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 10, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,506 characters) on Aug 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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