S 1669 — CRAWDAD Act (Crawfish Recovery Assistance from Weather Disasters And Droughts Act)

What this bill is

• Full title: This Act may be cited as the Crawfish Recovery Assistance from Weather Disasters And Droughts Act or the CRAWDAD Act.
• Status: Introduced in the U.S. Senate.
• Introduced: May 7, 2025.
• Legislative actions to date: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; introduced on May 7, 2025.

Sponsors

• Primary sponsor: Senator John Kennedy
• Cosponsor: Senator Bill Cassidy

Purpose and intent

• Based on the title, the bill is designed to provide recovery assistance for the crawfish (crayfish) industry in the face of weather-related disasters and droughts. The exact mechanisms, programs, and funding levels are not specified in the information provided.

Key provisions (note on text availability)

• The specific statutory provisions, programs, funding, eligibility criteria, and administration are not included in the summary you provided.
• The introduced text typically would outline: how disaster relief or resilience support is delivered, who administers the programs (likely a department within Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry), the scope of assistance for crawfish producers, duration, reporting requirements, and any matching funds or compliance standards. However, those details cannot be stated definitively without the bill’s full text.

Who would be affected

• Crawfish producers and processors facing damage or losses from weather disasters and droughts.
• Industry associations and affected segments of the crawfish supply chain (harvesters, processors, distributors).
• Potentially state or local governments and agencies involved in relief or resilience efforts.
• Implementing agency: given the committee of referral (Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry), the U.S. Department of Agriculture would typically be the lead administrator for any enacted disaster relief or resilience programs.

Procedural and timeline considerations

• Next steps if advanced: The bill would proceed through committee consideration (markup, hearings, amendments), followed by floor debate and votes in the Senate, potential reconciliation with any House measures, and, if enacted, signature by the President.
• Timing: No additional dates are provided beyond the initial introduction and referral. If amendments are adopted, program details (funding, duration, and eligibility) would be clarified in committee or floor managers’ amendments.

Potential impact (high-level)

• If enacted, the CRAWDAD Act could establish or authorize disaster relief and resilience measures specifically targeted to the crawfish industry, aiming to reduce vulnerability to and recover from extreme weather events and droughts. The magnitude of impact (funding amounts, eligible activities, and program design) depends on the final text approved by Congress.