Committee refines draft disaster‑relief payments for farms and forestry, drops income‑modifier for next draft

A legislative committee discussed revisions to a draft bill that would create a "security special fund" to make payments to farms and forestry operations after weather‑related disaster events.

The committee's legislative staff said they had reviewed the existing statute for language on fire events and therefore proposed using both the terms "forest fire" and "wildfire" in the bill. "I wasn't able to get in contact with anybody from FPR, but I looked at the statute. And forest fire or wildfire is used in statute, so I just use both terms," the legislative staff said.

Why it matters: the bill would establish a state fund intended to provide relief payments to agricultural and forestry operators after qualifying weather or fire events. Committee members debated eligibility rules, how awards would be calculated, and administrative triggers that would limit when applications are processed — matters that affect how many applicants the program could reasonably serve and how quickly aid would be distributed.

Key provisions discussed

- Eligible events and wording: Committee staff recommended that the bill explicitly cover both "forest fire" and "wildfire" to match statutory language and encompass fire incidents that occur in meadows, pastures or open areas as well as in forests.

- Award cap and funding rule: The draft retains a cap that limits the annual award…