Congress expands crop disaster aid to livestock farmers previously left out
S. 1494 — Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Enhancement Act of 2025 · Filed by Mike Rounds (R-SD) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 10, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill removes two existing exclusions from the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), making disaster aid available for crops and grasses used for grazing. Currently, NAP covers most crops but explicitly excludes grazing crops and grasses; this bill strikes those exclusions, extending federal disaster insurance to livestock producers who grow feed on their own land. The USDA must issue implementing regulations within 90 days.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to expand an existing federal crop-disaster insurance program to include a previously excluded agricultural commodity (grazing crops and grasses). It is a straightforward sectoral relief measure with no hidden mechanisms or riders.
What the text implies
- Expands federal disaster-assistance spending without an explicit appropriation cap or sunset; ongoing cost depends on future drought/disaster frequency and USDA claims experience.
- May increase NAP program administration costs and claims processing burden; 90-day regulatory timeline is tight for a new commodity class.
- Grazing-crop coverage may create new definitional disputes (what qualifies as 'crops and grasses used for grazing' vs. pastureland or rangeland not actively cultivated).
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary farmers and ranchers who grow forage and grazing crops gain access to federal disaster protection previously denied to them, reducing their financial risk from drought, disease, or other crop failures. This expands a public safety-net program to a previously excluded agricultural sector without apparent cost to other citizens.
Who stands to gain
- livestock producers and ranchers
- forage and hay farmers
- agricultural commodity producers in drought-prone regions
Named in the bill
USDA (Department of Agriculture), Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, Section 196 (cited provision)
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Apr 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Apr 10, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry”
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 (691 characters) on May 19, 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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