TEMP Act
Introduced February 11, 2026 · Last action February 11, 2026
Plain English Summary
This bill directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) to research and develop a new frost and cold weather insurance product for crops like tomatoes, peppers, citrus, strawberries, and others. The FCIC can conduct this research directly or contract with private companies to do so, and must report back to Congress within one year with findings and recommendations for a nationally available index-based insurance policy.
Who benefits
Crop farmers growing temperature-sensitive crops (tomatoes, peppers, sugarcane, strawberries, melons, citrus, peaches, blueberries, and others); agricultural insurance companies and crop insurance carriers who will offer or administer the new product; agricultural research firms and universities contracted to develop the insurance product; the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation's existing portfolio expansion.
Who pays / loses
Federal taxpayers fund the FCIC's research and development costs and the eventual insurance subsidy program if implemented; crop insurance premium payers may see revised pricing once a new product is introduced; competing insurance products or risk management tools may face reduced market share if farmers adopt the new frost insurance.
Funding & Lobbying Interests
Agricultural insurers and crop insurance companies (such as Nationwide, State Farm, Syngenta, and other FCIC-approved insurers) benefit from new product development that expands their revenue streams. Agricultural commodity groups representing tomato, citrus, strawberry, melon, and other frost-vulnerable crop growers lobby for expanded crop insurance. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation itself is the implementing agency and has institutional interest in expanding its insurance offerings. No sponsor finance data was provided in the legislative materials.
Political Impact
Affected Groups
Farmers in frost-prone regions growing temperature-sensitive crops (primarily in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southwest for citrus and berries; nationwide for other crops). The bill does not specify acreage or farmer counts, but frost-sensitive crops represent a significant portion of U.S. specialty crop production, affecting tens of thousands of small and mid-sized agricultural operations.
Political Subtext
Proponents argue this bill addresses a gap in crop insurance coverage for frost and cold weather events, which cause significant, recurring losses to specialty crop growers without adequate insurance tools, particularly in regions facing climate variability. Critics might argue the bill creates federal expense for research that private insurers could conduct independently, or question whether index-based insurance (which pays based on a weather index rather than actual individual farm losses) is sufficiently precise to prevent basis risk for farmers. No independent cost analysis or civil rights assessment is provided in the bill text. Policy research on index insurance effectiveness is mixed—some studies show it reduces adverse selection, while others show basis risk can leave farmers inadequately protected when farm-level losses diverge from index levels.
Real-World Stakes
If passed, the FCIC will spend money on R&D and one year later report back with a product design. If the recommended frost insurance is implemented at scale, specialty crop farmers in cold-prone areas gain a new tool to manage catastrophic losses, though the product's effectiveness depends on index design accuracy. Similar index-based insurance pilots in the U.S. (FCIC's Rainfall Index Insurance in 2006–2010 and subsequent Pasture Rangeland Forage insurance) showed mixed results: reduced moral hazard but revealed problems with basis risk when farm-level losses did not match the index. The bill does not mandate implementation, only research and a report, so actual rollout remains discretionary. Cost to federal budget is limited to R&D and administrative expenses, not yet quantified.
Sponsor
Sponsor information not available.
Vote Record
No recorded votes.
Campaign Finance — Primary Sponsor
No campaign finance data available yet.
501(c)(4) disclosure: Contributions from 501(c)(4) "dark money" organizations are not required to be publicly disclosed and are not reflected in the figures above. Data sourced from FEC public disclosure filings.
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