Fischer sponsors bipartisan bill to improve federal emergency relief for producers

Bipartisan legislation recently proposed by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) would cut the bureaucratic red tape throttling the federal Emergency Conservation Program and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program to make them more easily accessible to America’s producers following a natural disaster.

“Family farmers and ranchers impacted by wildfires and other horrific natural disasters deserve our help to get back on their feet,” Sen. Fischer said in an Oct. 13 statement. “Federal relief programs, however, are riddled with long delays and complex bureaucratic paperwork that make it difficult for producers to get aid in a timely fashion.”

The Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2022, S. 5007, which Sen. Fischer sponsored on Sept. 29 with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), would expedite producers’ access to federal disaster relief and reform both the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to provide producers impacted by disasters with the option to receive an up-front cost-share, based on existing USDA estimates, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Fischer’s staff.

“Our bill would give producers the ability to access some emergency assistance up-front so they can begin the recovery process more quickly,” said Sen. Fischer.

Additionally, S. 5007 would adjust eligibility for relief to include any wildfire caused or spread due to natural causes, as well as wildfires caused by the federal government, the summary says. 

“I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation that will quickly deliver emergency funds to New Mexico producers impacted by wildfires and other extreme conditions,” Sen. Lujan said. “As our state’s agricultural community continues to recover from wildfires, this legislation will help our farmers and ranchers get back on their feet and continue their recovery.”

S. 5007, which is supported by the Nebraska Cattlemen and the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, has been referred to the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee for consideration.