Bridge the Gap for Rural Communities Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5710 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5710

 To suspend certain payment limitations relating to agricultural risk 
coverage and price loss coverage for crop year 2025 and to make advance 
       partial payments under such coverages for such crop year.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2025

  Mr. Crawford (for himself and Ms. Letlow) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

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                                 A BILL


 
 To suspend certain payment limitations relating to agricultural risk 
coverage and price loss coverage for crop year 2025 and to make advance 
       partial payments under such coverages for such crop year.

    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 ``Bridge the Gap for Rural Communities 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SUSPENSION OF PAYMENT LIMITATIONS FOR CROP YEAR 2025.

    Section 1001(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308(f)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) Suspension of payment limitations for crop year 
        2025.--Subsections (b) and (c) shall not apply to a person or 
        legal entity for crop year 2025.''.

SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF ADVANCE PARTIAL PAYMENTS FOR CROP YEAR 2025.

    Section 1115 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9015) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Availability of Advance Partial Payments for Crop Year 
2025.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than December 31, 2025, the 
        Secretary shall provide to producers on a farm that make an 
        election under paragraph (2) a partial payment with respect to 
        each payment to such producer for the payment acres for each 
        covered commodity on the farm under subsection (i).
            ``(2) Option to receive partial payments.--Not later than 
        December 1, 2025, a producer may opt to receive partial 
        payments under this subsection by notifying the Administrator 
        of the Farm Service Agency in such manner as the Administrator 
        determines appropriate.
            ``(3) Amount.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), a partial 
        payment under this subsection shall be equal to 50 percent of 
        the projected payment for the covered commodity for the 2025 
        crop year under subsection (i), as determined by the Secretary.
            ``(4) Determination of projected price.--For purposes of 
        determining the amount of the projected payment under paragraph 
        (3), the Secretary shall use--
                    ``(A) the projected average farm price for the 
                applicable eligible commodity for the 2025-2026 
                marketing year contained in the most recent World 
                Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates published 
                before the date of enactment of this Act by the World 
                Agricultural Outlook Board; or
                    ``(B) if such projected average farm price is not 
                available with respect to a covered commodity, a 
                comparable projected price per acre for such covered 
                commodity, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(k) Subsequent Payment for Crop Year 2025.--
            ``(1) In general.--In the case of a producer on a farm that 
        opts to receive a partial payment under subsection (j) for a 
        covered commodity for the 2025 crop year with respect to 
        payment acres for the covered commodity on the farm, the 
        Secretary shall, beginning October 1, or as soon as practicable 
        thereafter, after the end of the applicable marketing year for 
        the covered commodity, provide a subsequent payment to the 
        producer in an amount equal to--
                    ``(A) the payment amount for such payment acres for 
                the covered commodity determined under subsection (i) 
                for the 2025 crop year; minus
                    ``(B) the amount provided for such payment acres 
                for the covered commodity under subsection (j) for the 
                2025 crop year.
            ``(2) Overpayment.--In the case of a producer described in 
        paragraph (1) that receives in the aggregate with respect to a 
        covered commodity for crop year 2025 an amount that is greater 
        than the amount described in subparagraph (A) of such 
        paragraph, the producer shall repay the Secretary such excess 
        amount, without interest.
    ``(l) Clarification Relating to Assignment of Partial and 
Subsequent Payments.--A payment made under subsections (j) and (k) may 
be assigned in accordance with part 1404 of title 7, Code of Federal 
Regulations.''.
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