Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act
The Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act establishes a new federal payment program to help timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses reproduce revenue lost due to major disasters (including insect infestations). Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program pays eligible entities an amount equal to 10% of their gross revenue for a qualifying period (a 30-day window or a calendar quarter) when that period’s revenue drops by at least 10% compared to the same period in the prior year. Payments may only be used for operating expenses. The act authorizes $50 million per year from 2025 through 2029 to fund these payments and requires annual reporting on recipients and payments, with regulations to be issued promptly and with limited standard-rulemaking procedures. Key details: - Eligible entities are timber harvesting or timber hauling businesses that profited from unrefined timber in the previous year. - A major disaster includes events under the Stafford Act, and also insect infestations declared major disasters. - The secretary must publish regulations within 30 days and prepare annual reports to Congress on who received payments and how much.
Key Points
- 1Eligibility and trigger: Only timber harvesting/hauling businesses that operated in the previous year can qualify; a major disaster must cause at least a 10% revenue loss in a 30-day period or a calendar quarter, compared to the same period the prior year.
- 2Payment amount and use: Each eligible entity receives a sum equal to 10% of its gross revenue for the affected period; funds may be used only for operating expenses.
- 3Reporting and transparency: The Secretary must report, within 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter, the recipients and amounts of payments to Congress.
- 4Regulation and implementation: Regulations must be issued within 30 days of enactment; the process bypasses typical notice-and-comment rulemaking and the Paperwork Reduction Act.
- 5Funding: The program is financed at $50 million per fiscal year from 2025 through 2029.