Sponsors (2)
The bill lets states, localities, and tribes get credit for some emergency work and adds predictable procedures for requesting eligibility, but it shifts financial and administrative risk onto those sponsors if the federal government later denies, limits, or delays credit or agreements.
State, local governments, and Indian Tribes can count eligible preagreement emergency project costs toward their required project contribution if a later federal agreement is reached, lowering their net outlays for emergency work.
Establishes a clear 180-day deadline for the Secretary to publish eligible measures and a State-level request procedure, improving predictability and planning for sponsors undertaking emergency measures.
Clarifies that 'sponsor' includes States, local governments, and Indian Tribes, making explicit who may undertake and seek credit for preagreement measures.
States, localities, and Tribes bear the financial risk that preagreement work will not be reimbursed if the Secretary declines to enter into an agreement, potentially leaving sponsors with significant unreimbursed costs.
If the Secretary approves only later or limits which measures are eligible, some incurred preagreement costs might not count toward the sponsor's required contribution, creating budgetary uncertainty for governments and tribes.
New State-level procedures and deadlines could impose administrative burdens and timing pressure on sponsors, possibly delaying urgent response actions or increasing compliance costs for governments and tribes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: Amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 with respect to preagreement costs of emergency watershed protection measures, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 25, 2025 by John R. Curtis · Last progress March 25, 2025
Establishes rules allowing States, local governments, and Indian Tribes to incur certain preagreement costs for emergency watershed protection measures and have those costs count toward their required contribution if the federal government later enters into an agreement. Requires the Secretary to publish a list of eligible measures and create a State-level procedure for requesting additional eligible measures within 180 days of enactment, while clarifying that sponsors assume the financial risk and that the Secretary is not compelled to enter into agreements.
Requires publication of eligible emergency watershed measures and lets certain preagreement costs count toward sponsors' required contributions if a later federal agreement is made.