Bill Summary
The "RTCP Revitalization Act" is designed to amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, specifically to ensure mandatory funding for reimbursement payments to geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The key provisions of the bill include:
1. **Mandatory Funding**: It establishes a mandatory funding stream from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) for supporting eligible farmers and ranchers, with specified funding amounts increasing annually from $10 million in fiscal year 2026 to $15 million in fiscal year 2031 and beyond.
2. **Removal of Payment Limitations**: The bill removes previous restrictions on the amount of payments that geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers can receive annually, provided that sufficient funds are available.
3. **Direct Authorization**: It allows the Secretary of Agriculture to allocate these funds without depending on the availability of other funds, ensuring a more straightforward and reliable source of financial support for these farmers and ranchers.
Overall, this legislation aims to enhance financial assistance for farmers and ranchers facing geographical disadvantages, helping to promote sustainability and equity within the agricultural sector.
Possible Impacts
Here are three examples of how the "RTCP Revitalization Act" could affect people, particularly geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers:
1. **Increased Financial Support**: The mandatory funding allocated for reimbursement payments (starting at $10 million in 2026 and increasing annually) provides a consistent financial resource for geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. This can help them cover operational costs, invest in improvements, or recover from losses, significantly improving their financial stability and ability to sustain their agricultural activities.
2. **Elimination of Payment Limitations**: By removing the limitations on the amounts that geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers can receive in reimbursement payments, the legislation allows these farmers to access the full amount of support they need without being capped. This could lead to more equitable support, enabling farmers to invest in their farms and ranches more effectively and potentially leading to increased productivity and economic viability.
3. **Encouragement of Agricultural Development**: The provision of guaranteed funding over multiple fiscal years signals long-term support for geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. This assurance may encourage more individuals in these regions to pursue farming or ranching, knowing that there is a safety net in place. It could also stimulate local economies by promoting agricultural development and sustainability in areas that have historically faced challenges.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5241 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5241
To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to provide
mandatory funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation for
reimbursement payments to geographically disadvantaged farmers and
ranchers, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 9, 2025
Ms. Tokuda (for herself, Mr. Begich, Ms. King-Hinds, Mrs. Radewagen,
Mr. Moylan, Mr. Hernandez, and Ms. Plaskett) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to provide
mandatory funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation for
reimbursement payments to geographically disadvantaged farmers and
ranchers, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``RTCP Revitalization Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION FUNDING FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY
DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS.
Section 1621 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 8792) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ``Subject to the
availability of funds under subsection (d), the Secretary'' and
inserting ``The Secretary'';
(2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking subparagraph (B) and
inserting the following:
``(B) Payment limitations.--The Secretary may not
impose a limitation on the amount of payments received
by a geographically disadvantaged farmer or rancher
under this section for any fiscal year in which the
amount made available for payments under this section
is equal to or greater than the amount that may be
provided in accordance with this section with respect
to applications received by the Secretary for that
fiscal year.''; and
(3) in subsection (d), by striking the subsection
designation and heading and all that follows through ``There
are'' and inserting the following:
``(d) Funding.--
``(1) Mandatory funding.--Of the funds of the Commodity
Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this
section--
``(A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
``(B) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2027;
``(C) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2028;
``(D) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2029;
``(E) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2030; and
``(F) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2031 and each
fiscal year thereafter.
``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are''.
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