Rep. Cairns files bill in North Carolina House to aid corn farmers

A new bill filed by State Rep. Cairns in the North Carolina House seeks to offer financial assistance to corn farmers who suffered losses due to agricultural disasters in 2024., according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 296 on March 5 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Corn Farmer Recovery Act – Phase I.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill establishes the Corn Farmers Recovery Act to provide financial assistance to North Carolina corn farmers who experienced losses due to agricultural disasters in 2024. The program will allocate $89.5 million from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund to assist farmers with verified corn crop losses. To be eligible, farmers must have unharvested corn planted on or before the disaster eligibility date in an affected area. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will administer the program, using criteria based on acreage and county-level loss estimates. Farmers must submit documentation within 45 days, with a possible extension for unknown survival levels. The program allows up to 1% of funds for administrative purposes and requires periodic reporting. It will expire 30 months after becoming effective, with unspent funds reverting to the original emergency fund. The act is effective upon becoming law.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Brenden H. Jones proposed the most bills (13) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Cairns graduated from the University of Georgia with a BBA.

Cairns, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 13th House district, replacing previous state representative Patricia McElraft.