S. 629, the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025, was signed by the President on July 12, 2026.
S. 629 — Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025
What it does
This bill expands two federal disaster-relief programs for farmers and forest owners: the Emergency Conservation Program (for farmland damage) and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (for forest damage). It increases upfront payment rates (from unspecified baseline to 75% for replacements, 50% for repairs), extends the spending deadline from 180 days, and broadens eligibility to include wildfires caused by the federal government or spread by natural causes even if ignition was human-caused. Farmers and forest owners benefit by receiving faster, larger advance payments for emergency repairs.
Quorum's transparency scan gave Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 a moderate transparency flag.
What happens next
S. 629 was signed by the President. It is now law.
Who is behind it
Filed by Deb Fischer. Cosponsored by Adam Schiff and Ben Luján.