Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act creates a USDA payment program for timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses. Eligible entities are businesses that harvested or hauled unrefined timber products in the previous calendar year. A business qualifies if, because of a major disaster, it experienced a gross revenue loss of at least 10 percent in a 30-day period or calendar quarter compared with the same period in the prior year.
Payments equal 10 percent of the eligible entity's gross revenue during the applicable comparison period. Recipients must certify that the payment will be used only for operating expenses. USDA must report within 180 days and annually after that to the House and Senate agriculture committees on payment recipients and amounts. USDA must issue necessary regulations within 30 days without notice-and-comment and Paperwork Reduction Act procedures. The bill authorizes $50 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
Who Benefits and How
Timber harvesting businesses and timber hauling businesses affected by major disasters benefit from operating-expense payments. Logging contractors, log truck operators, and rural forestry communities may benefit if the payments help businesses stay open after disasters or insect infestations.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA Farm Service Agency administrators must rapidly issue regulations, verify revenue losses, collect certifications, make payments, and report recipient identities and amounts to Congress. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the authorized $50 million per year. Applicants must document gross revenue losses and certify operating-expense use.
Key Provisions
- Defines eligible entities as timber harvesting or timber hauling businesses active in the previous calendar year.
- Provides payments for businesses with at least a 10 percent disaster-related gross revenue loss in a 30-day period or quarter.
- Sets payment amounts at 10 percent of gross revenue during the comparison period.
- Requires recipients to certify payments will be used only for operating expenses.
- Requires USDA reports to agriculture committees within 180 days and annually.
- Authorizes regulations without notice-and-comment and Paperwork Reduction Act procedures.
- Authorizes $50 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes USDA Farm Service Agency payments to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that lose at least 10 percent of gross revenue from a major disaster, requires payments equal to 10 percent of prior-period gross revenue for operating expenses, and authorizes $50 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
Key Policy Areas
Forestry, Disaster Assistance, Agriculture, Federal Payments
Primary Purpose
Authorizes USDA Farm Service Agency payments to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that lose at least 10 percent of gross revenue from a major disaster, requires payments equal to 10 percent of prior-period gross revenue for operating expenses, and authorizes $50 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
Policy Domains
Section 2 timber harvesting and hauling disaster payment program
Identified Gains
- Timber harvesting businesses
- Timber hauling businesses
- Logging contractors
- Log truck operators
Identified Costs
- USDA Farm Service Agency payment administrators
- Federal taxpayers
- Timber payment applicants
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Golden of Maine (for himself, Mr. Stauber, and Ms. …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Timber harvesting businesses, Timber hauling businesses, Timber payment applicants
Positive-direction: Timber harvesting businesses, Timber hauling businesses
Negative-direction: Timber payment applicants
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "committee"
- → House and Senate agriculture committees
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture acting through the Farm Service Agency Administrator
- "eligible_entity"
- → Timber harvesting or timber hauling business
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A timber harvesting business or timber hauling business that harvested or hauled unrefined timber products in the previous calendar year.
A Stafford Act major disaster, including an insect infestation declared a major disaster.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology