Bill > HR5610

This bill extends and improves the United States Drought Monitor program by first amending the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to extend the program's authorization from 2023 to 2030. The bill establishes a new interagency working group composed of representatives from multiple federal agencies and state mesonet programs to enhance drought monitoring capabilities. This working group will develop strategies to improve data collection and analysis, including identifying ways to incorporate additional in-situ (on-site) data, addressing data access barriers, creating transparent methodologies for evaluating data products, and potentially including data with shorter historical records. The working group is required to submit a report within one year to several key government officials and congressional committees, recommending changes to policies and regulations. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Farm Service Agency and Forest Service create a memorandum of understanding to align their drought response activities, ensuring more consistent approaches to determining drought severity and providing uniform information to stakeholders like grazing permittees. The working group will automatically terminate 90 days after submitting its report, making it a time-limited initiative designed to drive specific improvements in drought monitoring and response.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5610/all-info