H.R. 7195: Timber Harvesters, Haulers, and Landowners Market Disruptions Relief Act

Introduced Jan 22, 20260 cosponsors

Sponsor

Rick Allen

Republican · GA-12

Bill Progress

IntroducedJan 22

Committee

Pass House

Pass Senate

Signed

Law

Latest Action · Jan 22, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Canadian lumber duties would bankroll relief for U.S. loggers

5 min readLast updated June 23, 2026

Why it matters

A logging or hauling business hit by a market collapse could get up to $20,000 from the federal government within 14 days of approval — and the money comes from the duties the U.S. already collects on Canadian softwood lumber, not from taxpayers. The Secretary of Agriculture would have just 14 days to rule on a disruption petition.

H.R. 7195, the Timber Harvesters, Haulers, and Landowners Market Disruptions Relief Act, doesn't create a permanent subsidy. It builds an on-demand relief switch that a governor or the Chief of the Forest Service can flip when a region's timber market collapses.

Here's the trigger: an official petitions the USDA, and the Secretary has 14 days to either declare a market disruption or explain why one doesn't exist. Once declared, the agency posts a funding notice, takes applications, and reviews them — then cuts an initial check of up to $20,000 within 14 days of approving you.

The payments are built to track losses over time, not just hand out one check. A second payment lands the following September 30, covering the gap between that first check and 30% of how much revenue you lost versus the year before. If the official who petitioned says conditions still haven't improved, the program can keep paying for up to 5 more years, each year worth 50% of what you've already received.

The money is yours to spend on payroll, fuel, equipment repairs, debt service tied to harvesting or hauling, or breaking into a new forest-product market. The whole thing is funded by the anti-dumping and countervailing duties the U.S. collects on Canadian softwood lumber that year. There's no fixed budget — if the duties collected fall short, every payment gets prorated down.

H.R. 7195 Bill Summary

What H.R. 7195 actually does.

USDA gets 14 days to say yes or no

A governor or the Chief of the Forest Service petitions the Secretary of Agriculture to declare a market disruption. Within 14 days, the Secretary must either make the declaration or notify the petitioner with an explanation for the denial.

An approved business sees up to $20,000 in 14 days

After a disruption is declared, USDA posts a funding notice within 30 days, applicants get 30 days to apply, and the agency has 30 days to approve, deny, or ask for more information. Once approved, the business receives an initial payment of up to $20,000 within 14 days.

A second check covers deeper revenue losses

The following September 30, a business can receive a second payment covering the difference between its initial check and 30% of how much its revenue dropped during the disruption year compared with the year before.

Relief can stretch up to 5 more years

In each of the 5 years after a declaration, the official who petitioned can ask USDA to keep paying. If the Secretary finds conditions still haven't improved, each year's payment equals 50% of the initial and second payments the business already received.

You need $35,000 in timber income and 75% of revenue from the woods

To qualify, a harvesting business, hauling business, or landowner must have lost revenue to the disruption, earned at least $35,000 in federal taxable income the prior year selling, harvesting, or hauling unrefined forest products, and draw at least 75% of gross revenue from forest-product harvesting or hauling.

Landowners face a 4-of-5-year volume test

A landowner qualifies only by clearing a sales bar in at least 4 of the previous 5 years: 1,000,000 board feet of sawtimber, 2,000 cords of pulpwood, or 5,000 green tons of timber.

Funded entirely by duties on Canadian lumber

There's no dollar cap and no separate appropriation. Each year the program is funded by the total anti-dumping and countervailing duties the U.S. collects on Canadian softwood lumber imports. If that pot is too small, the Secretary prorates every payment.

Who benefits from H.R. 7195?

Logging and harvesting crews

Forest-product harvesting businesses that lost revenue to a declared disruption can receive an initial payment of up to $20,000, a larger follow-up payment tied to 30% of their revenue loss, and continuing payments for up to 5 years if conditions don't improve.

Timber haulers

Hauling businesses that earned at least $35,000 in federal taxable income last year and draw at least 75% of revenue from hauling can put the money toward payroll, fuel, equipment repairs, debt service, or reaching a new market.

High-volume timber landowners

Landowners who profit from timber on their land count as eligible entities — but only the larger operations that clear the 4-of-5-year sales test of 1,000,000 board feet of sawtimber, 2,000 cords of pulpwood, or 5,000 green tons.

Timber regions hit by closures or price crashes

A region gets a formal path to relief when a mill closure cuts at least 20% of local processing capacity, stumpage or delivered prices fall at least 50% over two years, a foreign trade barrier slashes export receipts by half, or 20% of the area loses market access.

Who is affected by H.R. 7195?

USDA and the Farm Service Agency

The Secretary, acting through the Farm Service Agency, runs the whole program on tight clocks: 14 days to rule on a petition, 30 days to post a funding notice, 30 days to review each application, 14 days to pay after approval, and 60 days after enactment to build the application form.

Governors and the Chief of the Forest Service

Only these officials can start the process. They alone petition for a disruption declaration and request the continuing payments in each of the 5 years that follow, which makes them the gatekeepers for whether a region's businesses see any money.

Businesses denied aid

An applicant turned down can appeal to USDA's National Appeals Division within 30 days, and that office must decide within 30 days of receiving the appeal.

Applicants who submit false information

A business that files fraudulent information gets no funds and faces fines set by the Secretary.

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Tracking floor activity — no debate on H.R. 7195 yet. Updates when a legislator speaks on the record.

HR7195 Legislative Journey

1 actions

House: Committee Action

Jan 22, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

About the Sponsor

Rick Allen

Republican, Georgia's 12th congressional district · 11 years in Congress

Committees: Education and Workforce, Energy and Commerce

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Committee Sponsors

Agriculture Committee

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H.R. 7195 Quick Facts

Cosponsors

Committee: Agriculture
Chamber: House
Policy: Agriculture and Food
Introduced: Jan 22, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Jan 22, 2026

Constituent Resources

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Official Sources

H.R. 7195 on Congress.gov

Official Congress.gov page for the Timber Harvesters, Haulers, and Landowners Market Disruptions Relief Act.

USDA Farm Service Agency

The bill has the Secretary of Agriculture act through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency to run the relief program.

U.S. Forest Service

The Chief of the Forest Service may petition for a market disruption declaration and request continuing payments under the bill.

Commerce ITA: Softwood Lumber from Canada Countervailing Duty Review

The program is funded by the countervailing duties Commerce collects on Canadian softwood lumber imports; this review sets the duty rates.

Commerce ITA: Softwood Lumber from Canada Antidumping Duty Review

The relief is also funded by the anti-dumping duties Commerce collects on Canadian softwood lumber imports; this review sets those rates.

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H.R. 7195 Common Questions

How much money would a logging business get under H.R. 7195?

An approved business can get an initial payment of up to $20,000 within 14 days. A second payment follows the next September 30 to cover deeper revenue losses, and continuing payments can run for up to 5 more years if conditions don't improve.

Where does the money for H.R. 7195 come from?

Not from taxpayers directly. The program is funded each year by the anti-dumping and countervailing duties the U.S. already collects on Canadian softwood lumber. There's no fixed budget, so if that pot is small, every payment gets prorated down.

Who qualifies for timber market disruption payments?

A harvesting business, hauling business, or landowner that lost revenue to a declared disruption, earned at least $35,000 in federal taxable income last year from timber work, and draws at least 75% of its gross revenue from forest-product harvesting or hauling.

Can landowners qualify if they only sold timber some years?

Landowners qualify only by clearing a volume bar in at least 4 of the previous 5 years: 1,000,000 board feet of sawtimber, 2,000 cords of pulpwood, or 5,000 green tons of timber. Smaller landowners won't meet it.

What counts as a market disruption under H.R. 7195?

Any of several triggers: a mill closure cutting at least 20% of regional processing capacity, a foreign trade barrier dropping export receipts 50%, a 50% fall in stumpage or delivered prices over two years, or 20% of a region losing market access.

How fast does USDA have to act on a relief petition?

The Secretary of Agriculture has 14 days after getting a petition to either declare a market disruption or notify the petitioner why one doesn't exist. Approved businesses then see their initial payment within 14 days of approval.

What can a business spend the relief money on?

Operating costs tied to the business — payroll, fuel, equipment repairs, and debt service related to harvesting or hauling — or expanding into another forest-product market.

Who decides whether a region gets relief at all?

Only a state's governor or the Chief of the Forest Service can petition USDA to declare a disruption, and only they can request the continuing payments each year. Without one of them filing, no business in the region can apply.

Based on H.R. 7195 bill text

H.R. 7195 Bill Text

PDF

“To provide financial assistance to forest product harvesting and hauling businesses impacted by a significant market disruption, and for other purposes.”

Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office