Sponsors (3)
The bill expands protection for farmers and stability for rural areas via a national index‑based frost/cold‑weather insurance product, but does so with risks of higher public or producer costs, imperfect individual coverage (basis risk), and potential shortcomings from a fast one‑year development timeline.
Farmers and agricultural workers gain access to a national index‑based frost/cold‑weather insurance product that protects production or revenue for specified high‑value crops.
Rural communities experience reduced financial volatility and greater resilience when farmers face low‑frequency catastrophic cold events.
Congress and taxpayers receive timely technical findings and policy recommendations within one year to inform legislative or program decisions.
Taxpayers and some producers could face higher costs if developing and implementing the new index‑based program raises program expenses or leads to higher premiums.
Farmers may be under‑compensated if the index does not match local conditions, creating basis risk where individual losses diverge from the index.
The one‑year deadline for technical findings may limit thorough testing and stakeholder input, increasing risk of an incomplete design that requires follow‑up fixes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs the FCIC to research and develop an index‑based national frost/cold‑weather crop insurance policy for specified specialty crops and report to agriculture committees within one year.
Official title: Amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to direct the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to conduct research and development on frost or cold weather insurance, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 11, 2026 by Ashley Brooke Moody · Last progress February 11, 2026
Requires the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to research and develop (or contract for) an index‑based national frost/cold‑weather crop insurance policy for specified crops, evaluate index approaches for rare but severe cold events, and report findings and recommendations to the House and Senate agriculture committees within one year. It also sets the Act's official short title as the "Temperature Event Mitigation Policy Act" (TEMP Act).