Who it affects
- Agricultural producers
- Private, nonindustrial forest landowners
Became lawAgricultureDisaster reliefForests
Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025
S. 629 · Senate bill · Introduced Feb. 19, 2025
The Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 would expand disaster payment eligibility and advance payments for agricultural producers and private forest landowners.
At a glance
Where it stands
Passed the House 368 to 19 on June 23.
How South Carolina voted
Lobbying and money
No lobbying reported yet
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
What it would do
- Farmers could receive advance payments covering 75% of urgent farmland or conservation structure replacement costs.
- Advance payments could cover 50% of repair or restoration costs.
- Private, nonindustrial forest landowners could receive advances covering up to 75% of emergency work costs after natural disasters.
- Recipients in both programs would have 180 days to use funds after receiving them.
- Eligible emergency work would include addressing damage from human-caused wildfires spread by natural causes.
- Emergency work addressing damage from wildfires caused by the federal government would also qualify for payments.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
House vote coverage is incomplete for 2025–2026. Vote and flagged-bill counts reflect imported records only; missing votes don't mean a member didn't vote.
House vote
Vote to pass
Fast-track vote that needs two-thirds
June 23, 2026 · Passed 368 to 19
- Clyburn (D)Yes
- Wilson (R)Didn't vote
- Mace (R)Didn't vote
- Norman (R)No
- Fry (R)Yes
- Biggs (R)No
- Timmons (R)Yes
- Republicans
- 178 yes
- 19 no
- Democrats
- 189 yes
- 0 no
- Independents
- 1 yes
- 0 no
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
No lobbying reported yet. Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- A bill to amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to remove barriers to agricultural producers in accessing funds to carry out emergency measures under the emergency conservation program, and for other purposes.
- Sponsor
- Sen. Fischer, Deb (R-NE)
- Introduced
- Feb. 19, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 2
- Committees
- Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Latest action
- July 12, 2026 · Became Public Law No: 119-102.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 This act revises the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to expand eligibility for payments to agricultural producers and owners of forest land impacted by natural disasters. The act also provides additional options to receive an advance on cost-sharing payments before carrying out emergency measures. The act expands advance ECP payments to include the replacement, repair, or restoration of farmland or conservation structures requiring an immediate response. Producers may receive an advance on cost-sharing payments for 75% of the cost of the replacement and 50% of the cost of the repair or restoration. Current law limits advance payments to 25% of the cost of the repair or replacement of fencing. Under EFRP, the act allows owners of nonindustrial private forest land impacted by a natural disaster to receive an advance on cost-sharing payments for up to 75% of the cost of the emergency measures. Currently, advance payments are not available under the program. ECP and EFRP recipients must use the funds within 180 days after the funds are disbursed. This provides additional time to ECP recipients who currently must use the funds within 60 days. The act also expands eligibility for payments under the programs to include emergency measures to address damages caused by (1) a wildfire that is not caused naturally, if the damage is caused by the spread of the wildfire due to natural causes; and (2) a wildfire that is caused by the federal government.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (0 groups)
No lobbying report we have loaded names this bill. That doesn't mean no lobbying took place.
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published. Reports for October through December 2026 are due January 20, 2027.