To establish a payment program for unexpected loss of markets and revenues to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses due to major disasters, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Collins (for herself, Mr. King, Mr. Welch, and Mrs. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act creates a new federal disaster relief program specifically for the timber industry. When logging or timber hauling businesses lose at least 10% of their revenue during a 30-day period or quarter due to a federally declared disaster (including wildfires, hurricanes, or insect infestations), they can receive direct payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help cover operating expenses.
Who Benefits and How
Timber harvesting companies and timber trucking businesses are the primary beneficiaries. If they qualify, they receive a grant equal to 10% of their gross revenue during the disaster-affected period. This provides immediate cash flow to help them maintain operations, pay workers, and cover fixed costs like equipment payments even when they cannot harvest or transport timber. The program is administered by the Farm Service Agency, giving rural timber businesses access to relief through an agency they already work with.
Who Bears the Burden and How
American taxpayers fund this program through $50 million in annual appropriations for each year from 2025 through 2029, totaling $250 million. The USDA Farm Service Agency takes on new administrative responsibilities to verify losses, calculate payments, and report annually to Congress on all recipients and payment amounts. Additionally, public interest groups and environmental organizations lose their typical opportunity to comment on the program's regulations, since the bill allows USDA to bypass normal public notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures.
Key Provisions
- Creates direct payment grants equal to 10% of gross revenue during disaster-affected periods for qualifying timber businesses
- Requires at least a 10% revenue loss in a 30-day period or quarter compared to the same period the previous year
- Authorizes $50 million per year from 2025-2029 ($250 million total)
- Limits payments to operating expenses only (recipients must certify this)
- Mandates annual public reports to Congress listing all payment recipients and amounts
- Allows USDA to issue regulations without following normal public comment requirements
- Expands the definition of "major disaster" to explicitly include insect infestations (like bark beetle outbreaks)
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes a federal payment program to compensate timber harvesting and hauling businesses for revenue losses caused by major disasters
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Provide direct disaster relief payments to timber industry businesses experiencing revenue losses, streamlining eligibility and payment calculations"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Timber harvesting companies
- Timber hauling/trucking businesses
- Logging contractors
- Timber industry workers (indirect)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Taxpayers (funding M over 5 years)
- USDA Farm Service Agency (new administrative burden)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Any timber harvesting business or timber hauling business that harvested or hauled unrefined timber products in the previous calendar year
Gross revenue generated from timber harvesting or hauling services within normal operating range, as determined by Secretary
Has meaning from Stafford Act section 102(2) and includes insect infestations declared as major disasters
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