Rep. Tokuda leads House floor debate, urges swift passage of disaster aid for farmers

US Rep. Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02) led floor debate for Democrats in support of H.R. 1011, the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act, urging its immediate passage to enhance federal disaster assistance programs for farmers recovering from natural disasters like the devastating Kona Low storms.  

This bipartisan bill would reform the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program to allow disaster-impacted producers to get more of the federal cost-share up front to help them rebuild faster and more efficiently. Tokuda said this is especially important in Hawaiʻi, where many farms are small, family-run operations with limited access to capital for major recovery costs. By increasing access to early assistance and expanding payment eligibility, the bill supports faster recovery for farms following disaster events. 

“Over the past three weeks, I have walked through farms and fields in my district and witnessed the devastation from the Kona Low storms firsthand,” said Tokuda. “From Waialua to the North Shore and through Koʻolauloa, Wailuku, and upcountry Maui, across Molokaʻi, Kona, and in Waiʻanae, I saw flooded fields, washed-up topsoil, collapsed roads, culverts completely blown apart by flooding, ruined farm equipment, crops dying in the fields, and animals stuck in mud. Farmers have lost entire seasons of crops and they don’t know when their next harvest will be.” 

“The Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act would take important steps to ensure disaster assistance programs are responsive to the needs of our producers by providing more flexible, upfront cost-sharing payments,” Tokuda continued. “This gets farmers and foresters rebuilding immediately after a disaster rather than paying unaffordable costs upfront and waiting for reimbursement.” 

According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, as of April 15, the Kona Low storms have caused over $40 million in damage to more than 1,600 farms across the state.  

The Hawai‘i Farm Service Agency is accepting Emergency Conservation Program applications from April 1 – June 1, 2026. Producers may contact their local FSA Service Center to sign up.  

• County of Maui, 808-871-5500 Ext. 2 
• County of Hawaiʻi, 808-933-8334 
• City and County of Honolulu, 808-861-8538 Ext. 2 
• County of Kauaʻi, 808-245-9014 Ext. 2 

The US House of Representatives passed H.R. 1011 by a bipartisan vote of 395 to 10. The measure now moves to the US Senate. 

Tokuda’s full floor speech is available for media use, here.