This bill would make it easier for farmers in counties with extreme drought to receive insurance payments if they are unable to plant crops. It reduces the number of years they need to have previously planted a crop to qualify for these 'prevented planting' payments.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill would make it easier for farmers in counties with extreme drought to receive insurance payments if they are unable to plant crops. It reduces the number of years they need to have previously planted a crop to qualify for these 'prevented planting' payments.
Last updated: 12/29/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>Protecting Farmers from Drought Act of 2023</strong></p><p>This bill modifies insurance coverage for prevented planting under the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) to create a special rule for counties experiencing extreme drought. (The FCIP provides coverage for prevented planting due to insured causes of loss, such as adverse weather conditions, drought, floods, and other natural events. <em>Prevented planting</em> is the inability to plant an insured crop by the final planting date or during the late planting period.)</p><p>Under this bill, the FCIP must modify eligibility requirements for prevented planting coverage for a county that experienced extreme drought (per the U.S. Drought Monitor) at any time during the normal planting period over the course of three consecutive years. For counties experiencing an extreme drought, the bill requires the planting of a crop once in the five most recent crop years (i.e., the 1 in 5 rule). Currently, in order to be eligible for prevented planting payments, the insured acres must have been planted, insured, and harvested at least once in the previous four crop years (i.e., the 1 in 4 rule). </p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Modifies the Federal Crop Insurance Program to create a special rule for counties experiencing extreme drought, reducing the planting history requirement from 1 in 4 years to 1 in 5 years.
Aims to provide more financial assistance to farmers who are unable to plant crops due to severe drought conditions that have persisted for multiple consecutive years.
Helps protect farmers' incomes and ability to continue operations when faced with extreme weather events outside of their control.
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would primarily impact farmers and agricultural communities in counties that have experienced extreme drought for multiple years in a row. By making it easier for these farmers to qualify for prevented planting insurance payments, it could help stabilize their incomes and allow them to recover more quickly from the financial impacts of extreme weather.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Agriculture and Food
Related Subjects
Agricultural insurance
Disaster relief and insurance
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
5992, 119th Congress (2025). "Stuck On Hold Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5992
