# 119-hr-5610: Improving Drought Monitoring Act

119-hr-5610, Improving Drought Monitoring Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2] (R-OH); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5610
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5610
- Congress: 119
- Title: Improving Drought Monitoring Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2] (R-OH)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Strengthen and standardize drought data and governance.** This bill would extend improvements to the U.S. Drought Monitor and create an interagency framework to make drought data more consistent and usable across agencies. - Would extend the period for Drought Monitor improvements to 2030 and require methods to include more in‑situ and remote sensing data. The working group would publish recommendations within one year. - Would create a Drought Monitor Interagency Working Group that includes USDA and NOAA representatives, a National Drought Mitigation Center rep, an academic Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology rep, and three state mesonet representatives from qualifying drought‑prone frontier states. The group would identify data gaps, address barriers to using datasets, and develop transparent vetting methods for modeled and remote sensing products. - Would require a memorandum of understanding between the Farm Service Agency and the Forest Service to align regional drought severity practices, harmonize determinations when agencies disagree, and ensure consistent information for grazing permittees, operators, and other stakeholders.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Drought Monitor improvements through 2030: benefit, low. This bill would extend the current authority to improve the U.S. Drought Monitor from 2023 to 2030. It would keep improvement efforts authorized through 2030. It would not by itself add new funding or payments.
- Farm Service and Forest Service align drought calls: benefit, low. This bill would require the Farm Service Agency and the Forest Service to sign an agreement within 60 days after the working group’s report. They would align how they rate regional drought and provide a way to fix inconsistent calls at the same map scale. They would use the U.S. Drought Monitor whe…
- New group to improve drought data: benefit, low. This bill would set up an interagency working group within 180 days to improve the data used for the U.S. Drought Monitor. USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist would chair it, with members from USDA, NOAA, Interior, the National Drought Mitigation Center, a university hydrology institute, and three…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3898: PERMIT Act
- 119-hr-1163: Prove It Act
- 119-hr-9535: Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5610 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5610)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-3898: PERMIT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3898)
- [119-hr-1163: Prove It Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1163)
- [119-hr-9535: Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9535)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5610 (as of 2026-04-21).