Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act

This bill creates a new aid program for logging and timber-hauling businesses that lose sales because of a major disaster. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Farm Service Agency, would make payments to eligible businesses that saw at least a 10% drop in gross revenue over a 30‑day period or a calendar quarter compared with the same time the year before. Payments would equal 10% of the business’s gross revenue for the affected period, and the money could be used only for operating costs like wages, fuel, and equipment expenses.

The department would have to issue quick rules to run the program and publish annual reports listing who received payments and how much. The bill also allows up to $50 million per year for 2026 through 2029 to fund the program.

• Who is affected: Timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that operated in the prior year.
• What changes: New disaster payments if revenue falls by 10% or more in a 30‑day period or a quarter; each payment equals 10% of gross revenue for that period; funds can be used only for operating expenses.
• Oversight: Annual public reporting of recipients and amounts; rapid program rules required.
• When: First report due within 180 days after enactment; funding authorized for fiscal years 2026–2029.