Sponsor
Chellie Pingree
Representative · D-ME
Representative · D-ME
The bill expands and funds outreach, technical assistance, and insurer coordination to help producers adopt risk-management and climate-resilient practices, but it raises mandatory spending and creates risks of reduced per-recipient funding, concentrated benefits, and new administrative burdens.
Farmers and rural communities gain a predictable funding stream (new $20M indefinite annual appropriation plus a $30M cap line) to expand outreach and services.
Farmers and agricultural producers (including non-English speakers) gain expanded technical assistance and education, including language translation, improving enrollment and use of risk-management tools.
Producers and rural communities receive guidance on climate resilience and soil health practices (e.g., perennial crops, sustainable water/irrigation), supporting longer-term farm sustainability.
Taxpayers face higher mandatory spending because of a new indefinite $20M annual appropriation and an expanded program scope.
Farmers and small producers may see reduced per-recipient grant amounts if eligible activities and recipients expand without proportional increases in total funding.
Farmers and small businesses could experience concentration of benefits among repeat recipients because changing payment limitations to a per-5-year cap may allow larger cumulative payments over time than an annual cap.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Expands the USDA risk management education grant program to include crop insurance providers, language translation, conservation/diversification activities, adjusts payment limits, and authorizes $20M/year starting FY2026.
Official title: To amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to improve education and risk management assistance, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 16, 2026 by Chellie Pingree · Last progress March 16, 2026
Expands an existing USDA risk management education grant program to reach more farmers and related partners, adds approved crop insurance providers as eligible recipients of education and technical assistance, broadens allowable activities to include language translation, conservation and climate-resilience practices, and diversification assistance, and adjusts payment limits and funding rules. Authorizes a new indefinite annual appropriation of $20,000,000 beginning FY2026 and specifies program funding language including a $30,000,000 line item in one clause.