II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5335 

To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs 

of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2029, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2024 

Ms. STABENOW introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural 

and other programs of the Department of Agriculture 

through fiscal year 2029, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definition of Secretary. 

TITLE I—COMMODITIES 


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Subtitle A—Commodity Policy 

Sec. 1101. Definitions. 

Sec. 1102. Base acres. 

Sec. 1103. Payment yields. 

Sec. 1104. Payment acres. 

Sec. 1105. Producer election. 

Sec. 1106. Price loss coverage. 

Sec. 1107. Agriculture risk coverage. 

Subtitle B—Marketing Loans 

Sec. 1201. Loan rates. 

Sec. 1202. Textile mills. 

Sec. 1203. Extensions. 

Subtitle C—Sugar 

Sec. 1301. Sugar policy. 

Subtitle D—Dairy 

Sec. 1401. Dairy Margin Coverage. 

Sec. 1402. Dairy products donation program. 

Sec. 1403. Reauthorizations. 

Sec. 1404. Related provisions. 

Subtitle E—Supplemental and Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance 

Programs 

Sec. 1501. Definitions; conforming amendments. 

Sec. 1502. Supplemental agricultural disaster assistance. 

Sec. 1503. Emergency relief program. 

Subtitle F—Noninsured Crop Assistance 

Sec. 1601. Noninsured crop assistance program. 

Subtitle G—Administration 

Sec. 1701. Regulations. 

Sec. 1702. Suspension of permanent price support authority. 

Sec. 1703. Ineligibility of land owned by foreign persons for program benefits. 

Sec. 1704. Adjusted gross income limitation. 

Sec. 1705. Farm program implementation coordination. 

Sec. 1706. Legal entities. 

Sec. 1707. Geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

Sec. 1708. Limitation on Commodity Credit Corporation authority. 

Subtitle H—Emergency Assistance 

Sec. 1801. Emergency assistance. 

TITLE II—CONSERVATION 

Sec. 2001. Definitions. 

Subtitle A—Wetland Conservation 

Sec. 2101. Mitigation banking. 


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Subtitle B—Conservation Reserve Program (including Farmable Wetland 

Program) 

Sec. 2201. Conservation reserve. 

Sec. 2202. Conservation reserve enhancement program. 

Sec. 2203. Farmable wetland program. 

Sec. 2204. Special programs. 

Sec. 2205. Conservation reserve easements. 

Sec. 2206. Duties of the Secretary. 

Sec. 2207. Payments. 

Sec. 2208. Contracts. 

Subtitle C—Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation 

Stewardship Program 

PART I—ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM

Sec. 2301. Purposes. 

Sec. 2302. Definitions. 

Sec. 2303. Establishment and administration. 

Sec. 2304. Environmental quality incentives program plan. 

Sec. 2305. Limitation on payments. 

Sec. 2306. Conservation innovation grants and payments. 

PART II—CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM

Sec. 2311. Definitions. 

Sec. 2312. Stewardship contracts. 

Sec. 2313. Duties of the Secretary. 

Sec. 2314. On-farm conservation stewardship innovation grants. 

Subtitle D—Other Conservation Programs 

Sec. 2401. Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act. 

Sec. 2402. Soil and water resources conservation. 

Sec. 2403. Emergency conservation programs. 

Sec. 2404. Conservation of private grazing land. 

Sec. 2405. Grassroots source water protection program. 

Sec. 2406. Voluntary public access and habitat incentive program. 

Sec. 2407. Feral swine eradication and control program. 

Sec. 2408. Report on small wetlands. 

Sec. 2409. Terminal lakes assistance. 

Sec. 2410. Colorado salinity control units. 

Sec. 2411. Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnership Initiative. 

Sec. 2412. Driftless area landscape conservation initiative. 

Sec. 2413. Expansion of NRCS snow survey and water supply forecasting. 

Subtitle E—Funding and Administration 

Sec. 2501. Commodity Credit Corporation. 

Sec. 2502. Delivery of technical assistance. 

Sec. 2503. Administrative requirements for conservation programs. 

Sec. 2504. Best practices guidance for solar energy land management. 

Subtitle F—Agricultural Conservation Easement Program 

Sec. 2601. Definitions. 

Sec. 2602. Agricultural land easements. 


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Sec. 2603. Wetland reserve easements. 

Sec. 2604. Administration. 

Subtitle G—Regional Conservation Partnership Program 

Sec. 2701. Establishment and purposes. 

Sec. 2702. Definitions. 

Sec. 2703. Regional conservation partnerships. 

Sec. 2704. Assistance to producers. 

Sec. 2705. Funding. 

Sec. 2706. Administration. 

Sec. 2707. Critical conservation areas. 

TITLE III—TRADE 

Subtitle A—Food for Peace Act 

Sec. 3101. United States policy. 

Sec. 3102. Provision of agricultural commodities. 

Sec. 3103. Levels of assistance. 

Sec. 3104. Food Aid Consultative Group. 

Sec. 3105. Issuance of regulations. 

Sec. 3106. Oversight, monitoring, and evaluation. 

Sec. 3107. Assistance for stockpiling and rapid transportation, delivery, and 

distribution of shelf-stable prepackaged foods. 

Sec. 3108. Definitions. 

Sec. 3109. Use of Commodity Credit Corporation. 

Sec. 3110. Administrative provisions. 

Sec. 3111. Deadline for agreements to finance sales or to provide other assistance. 

Sec. 3112. Funds for emergency and nonemergency food assistance. 

Sec. 3113. Micronutrient fortification programs. 

Sec. 3114. John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program. 

Sec. 3115. Technical corrections. 

Subtitle B—Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

Sec. 3201. Preserving foreign markets for goods using common names. 

Sec. 3202. Technical assistance to improve infrastructure in foreign markets 

for United States agricultural commodities. 

Sec. 3203. Report on competitiveness of United States exports of specialty 

crops. 

Sec. 3204. Agricultural trade promotion and facilitation. 

Sec. 3205. Interagency seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetable working 

group. 

Subtitle C—Other Agricultural Trade Laws 

Sec. 3301. Food for Progress Act of 1985. 

Sec. 3302. Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act. 

Sec. 3303. Promotion of agricultural exports to emerging markets. 

Sec. 3304. Growing American food exports. 

Sec. 3305. International food security technical assistance. 

Sec. 3306. McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. 

Sec. 3307. Global Crop Diversity Trust. 

Sec. 3308. Local and regional food aid procurement projects. 


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Sec. 3309. International agricultural education fellowship program. 

TITLE IV—NUTRITION 

Subtitle A—Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

Sec. 4101. Ensuring transparency and accountability in thrifty food plan. 

Sec. 4102. Food distribution program on Indian reservations. 

Sec. 4103. Income exclusion for military basic allowance for housing. 

Sec. 4104. SNAP materials for health care professionals. 

Sec. 4105. College students. 

Sec. 4106. Improvements to SNAP employment and training. 

Sec. 4107. Ensuring EBT integrity. 

Sec. 4108. Retail food stores. 

Sec. 4109. Improving customer service to retail food stores. 

Sec. 4110. Restoring SNAP benefits for drug-related convictions. 

Sec. 4111. Streamlining SNAP applications. 

Sec. 4112. Improving State administration and quality control. 

Sec. 4113. Process and technology innovation grants. 

Sec. 4114. Elderly simplified application option. 

Sec. 4115. Hot foods. 

Sec. 4116. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 4117. Inclusion of Puerto Rico in supplemental nutrition assistance program. 

Sec. 4118. Assistance for community food projects. 

Sec. 4119. Nutrition education and obesity prevention grant program. 

Sec. 4120. Retail food store and recipient trafficking. 

Subtitle B—Emergency Food Assistance Program 

Sec. 4201. TEFAP farm-to-food bank projects. 

Sec. 4202. Kosher, Halal, and culturally relevant foods projects. 

Sec. 4203. Flexibilities for geographically isolated States and Indian tribes. 

Sec. 4204. Fresh produce procurement option. 

Sec. 4205. Emergency food assistance for Indian tribes. 

Sec. 4206. Emergency food assistance. 

Subtitle C—Commodity Distribution Programs 

Sec. 4301. Commodity distribution program. 

Sec. 4302. Commodity supplemental food program. 

Sec. 4303. Distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects. 

Subtitle D—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 4401. Senior farmers’ market nutrition program. 

Sec. 4402. Purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to schools 

and service institutions. 

Sec. 4403. Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program. 

Sec. 4404. Healthy dairy nutrition incentives projects. 

Sec. 4405. Healthy food financing initiative. 

Sec. 4406. Microgrants for food security. 

Sec. 4407. Study and report on nutrition programs in geographically isolated 

States. 

Sec. 4408. Streamlining application process for direct marketing farmers in nutrition programs. 

Sec. 4409. Nutrition security report. 


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Sec. 4410. Senior nutrition task force. 

Sec. 4411. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 4412. Effective date. 

TITLE V—CREDIT 

Subtitle A—Farm Ownership Loans 

Sec. 5101. Modification of experience eligibility requirement for farm ownership 

loans. 

Sec. 5102. Conservation and Precision Agriculture Loan and Loan Guarantee 

Program. 

Sec. 5103. Limitations on amount of farm ownership loans. 

Sec. 5104. Refinancing of guaranteed loans into direct loans. 

Sec. 5105. Down payment loan program. 

Sec. 5106. Support for resolving ownership and succession issues relating to 

farmland. 

Subtitle B—Operating Loans 

Sec. 5201. Limitation on amount of operating loans. 

Sec. 5202. Eligibility for operating loans. 

Sec. 5203. Microloans. 

Subtitle C—Emergency Loans 

Sec. 5301. Emergency loan determination factors. 

Sec. 5302. Eligibility for assistance based on production loss. 

Subtitle D—Administrative Provisions 

Sec. 5401. Distressed borrowers. 

Sec. 5402. Beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot 

program. 

Sec. 5403. Loan authorization levels. 

Sec. 5404. Definition of qualified beginning farmer or rancher. 

Sec. 5405. Loan fund set-asides. 

Sec. 5406. Temporary prohibition of loans to borrowers that have received debt 

forgiveness. 

Sec. 5407. Guaranteed farmer program loan applications. 

Subtitle E—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 5501. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 5502. Qualifying agricultural mediation programs. 

Sec. 5503. Financing for essential rural community facilities. 

Sec. 5504. Qualified loan definition. 

Sec. 5505. Eligibility for water and wastewater disposal facility loans. 

TITLE VI—RURAL DEVELOPMENT 

Subtitle A—Rural Healthcare and Childcare 

Sec. 6101. Improving rural healthcare. 

Sec. 6102. Improving rural childcare. 

Sec. 6103. Access to credit for rural healthcare and childcare. 

Subtitle B—Rural Partnerships and Prosperity 


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Sec. 6201. Definitions. 

Sec. 6202. Rural partnership program grants. 

Sec. 6203. Rural partnership technical assistance grants. 

Sec. 6204. Rural Partners Network. 

Sec. 6205. Funding. 

Subtitle C—Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

PART I—RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS

Sec. 6301. ReConnect Program. 

Sec. 6302. Expansion of middle mile infrastructure into rural areas. 

Sec. 6303. Innovative Broadband Advancement Program. 

Sec. 6304. Community Connect Grant Program. 

PART II—ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS

Sec. 6311. Guarantees for bonds and notes issued for electrification or telephone purposes. 

Sec. 6312. Rural development loans and grants. 

Sec. 6313. Expansion of 911 access. 

Subtitle D—Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 

Sec. 6401. Water, waste disposal, and wastewater facility grants. 

Sec. 6402. SEARCH grants. 

Sec. 6403. Rural water and wastewater technical assistance and training programs. 

Sec. 6404. Rural water and wastewater circuit rider program. 

Sec. 6405. Rural water and wastewater cybersecurity circuit rider program. 

Sec. 6406. Tribal college and university essential community facilities. 

Sec. 6407. Essential community facilities technical assistance and training. 

Sec. 6408. Emergency preparedness and response technical assistance program. 

Sec. 6409. Assistance to provide water and wastewater services in financially 

distressed rural areas. 

Sec. 6410. Emergency and imminent community water assistance grant program. 

Sec. 6411. Additional assistance for rural water systems. 

Sec. 6412. Water systems for rural and native villages in Alaska. 

Sec. 6413. Rural decentralized water systems. 

Sec. 6414. Healthy drinking water affordability assistance program. 

Sec. 6415. Rural business and industry guaranteed loans. 

Sec. 6416. Solid waste management grants. 

Sec. 6417. Rural business development grants. 

Sec. 6418. Rural cooperative development grants. 

Sec. 6419. Locally or regionally produced agricultural food products. 

Sec. 6420. Appropriate technology transfer for rural areas program. 

Sec. 6421. Rural economic area partnership zones. 

Sec. 6422. Intermediary relending program. 

Sec. 6423. Rural Business-Cooperative Service programs technical assistance 

and training. 

Sec. 6424. National Rural Development Partnership. 

Sec. 6425. Grants for NOAA weather radio transmitters. 

Sec. 6426. Rural microentrepreneur assistance program. 

Sec. 6427. Health care services. 

Sec. 6428. Strategic community investment plans. 

Sec. 6429. Rural innovation stronger economy grant program. 


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Sec. 6430. Rural business investment program. 

Sec. 6431. Investments in rural infrastructure. 

Subtitle E—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 6501. Distance learning and telemedicine. 

Sec. 6502. Last acre projects. 

Sec. 6503. Food supply chain guaranteed loan and grant program. 

Sec. 6504. Agriculture Innovation Center Demonstration Program. 

Sec. 6505. Rural energy savings program. 

Sec. 6506. Technical corrections. 

TITLE VII—RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND RELATED MATTERS 

Subtitle A—National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

Act of 1977 

Sec. 7101. National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. 

Sec. 7102. Specialty crop committee. 

Sec. 7103. Grants and fellowships for food and agriculture sciences education. 

Sec. 7104. Agricultural and food policy research centers. 

Sec. 7105. Education grants to Alaska Native serving institutions and Native 

Hawaiian serving institutions. 

Sec. 7106. Nutrition education program. 

Sec. 7107. Continuing animal health and disease research programs. 

Sec. 7108. Extension at 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University. 

Sec. 7109. Agricultural research at 1890 land-grant colleges, including 

Tuskegee University. 

Sec. 7110. Scholarships for students at 1890 Institutions. 

Sec. 7111. Grants to upgrade agricultural and food sciences facilities at 1890 

land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University. 

Sec. 7112. Grants to upgrade agriculture and food sciences facilities and equipment at insular area land-grant institutions. 

Sec. 7113. Research and extension activities at 1890 Institutions. 

Sec. 7114. New beginning for Tribal students. 

Sec. 7115. Hispanic-serving institutions. 

Sec. 7116. International agriculture partnerships and grants program. 

Sec. 7117. Research equipment grants. 

Sec. 7118. University research. 

Sec. 7119. Cooperative extension service. 

Sec. 7120. Supplemental and alternative crops. 

Sec. 7121. New Era Rural Technology Program. 

Sec. 7122. Capacity building grants for NLGCA institutions. 

Sec. 7123. Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority. 

Sec. 7124. Capacity building grants for community college agricultural programs. 

Sec. 7125. Agricultural Innovation Corridors. 

Sec. 7126. National agroforestry survey. 

Sec. 7127. Aquaculture assistance programs. 

Sec. 7128. Rangeland research programs. 

Sec. 7129. Special authorization for biosecurity planning and response. 

Sec. 7130. Distance education and resident instruction grants program for insular area institutions of higher education. 


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Subtitle B—Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 

Sec. 7201. Best utilization of biological applications. 

Sec. 7202. Integrated management systems. 

Sec. 7203. Sustainable agriculture technology development and transfer program. 

Sec. 7204. National training program. 

Sec. 7205. National Genetics Resources Program. 

Sec. 7206. National Agricultural Weather Information System. 

Sec. 7207. Agricultural genome to phenome initiative. 

Sec. 7208. High-priority research and extension initiatives. 

Sec. 7209. Organic agriculture research and extension initiative. 

Sec. 7210. Enhanced coordination of organic agriculture research. 

Sec. 7211. Farm business management. 

Sec. 7212. Urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production research, 

education, and extension initiative. 

Sec. 7213. Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions. 

Sec. 7214. Assistive technology program for farmers with disabilities. 

Sec. 7215. National Rural Information Center Clearinghouse. 

Subtitle C—Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 

1998 

Sec. 7301. National food safety training, education, extension, outreach, and 

technical assistance program. 

Sec. 7302. Integrated research, education, and extension competitive grants 

program. 

Sec. 7303. Support for research regarding diseases of wheat, triticale, and barley caused by Fusarium graminearum or by Tilletia indica. 

Sec. 7304. Grants for youth organizations. 

Sec. 7305. Specialty crop research initiative. 

Sec. 7306. Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database program. 

Sec. 7307. Office of Pest Management Policy. 

Sec. 7308. Forestry products advanced utilization research. 

Subtitle D—Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 

PART I—AGRICULTURAL SECURITY

Sec. 7401. Agricultural biosecurity communication center. 

Sec. 7402. Assistance to build local capacity in agricultural biosecurity planning, preparation, and response. 

Sec. 7403. Research and development of agricultural countermeasures. 

Sec. 7404. Agricultural biosecurity grant program. 

PART II—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 7411. Grazinglands research laboratory. 

Sec. 7412. Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. 

Sec. 7413. Natural products research program. 

Sec. 7414. Sun grant program. 

Subtitle E—Other Matters 

Sec. 7501. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. 

Sec. 7502. Heirs property and fractionated land legal clinics. 

Sec. 7503. Critical Agricultural Materials Act. 


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Sec. 7504. Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. 

Sec. 7505. Report on the extension service needs of Tribal lands and populations. 

Sec. 7506. Restoration of 4-H name and emblem authority. 

Sec. 7507. Amendments to the Hatch Act. 

Sec. 7508. Research Facilities Act. 

Sec. 7509. Public cultivar development. 

Sec. 7510. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. 

Sec. 7511. Extension Design and Demonstration Initiative. 

Sec. 7512. Biomass research and development. 

Sec. 7513. Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978. 

Sec. 7514. National Aquaculture Act of 1980. 

Sec. 7515. Federal agriculture research facilities. 

Sec. 7516. Enhanced use lease authority program. 

Sec. 7517. Agrivoltaic systems. 

Sec. 7518. Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, and National 

Science Foundation joint research and development activities. 

Sec. 7519. National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Economic Development Administration partnership on cooperative extension activities. 

TITLE VIII—FORESTRY 

Subtitle A—Forest Data Modernization 

Sec. 8101. Forest inventory and analysis. 

Sec. 8102. Data on forest management projects. 

Sec. 8103. Forest and wood products carbon provision. 

Subtitle B—Forest Health and Management 

Sec. 8201. Definition of National Forest System. 

PART I—FOREST SERVICE MANAGEMENT

Sec. 8211. Hazardous fuel reduction on Federal land. 

Sec. 8212. Insect infestations and related diseases. 

Sec. 8213. Insect and disease treatment areas. 

Sec. 8214. Study on protection of forests from invasive species. 

Sec. 8215. Forest Service participation in ACES Program. 

Sec. 8216. Tribal consultation in land use plans. 

Sec. 8217. Prescribed fire centers. 

Sec. 8218. Cost-share waiver for rehabilitation from wildland fires. 

Sec. 8219. Utility infrastructure rights-of-way vegetation management pilot 

program. 

Sec. 8220. Permits and agreements with electric utilities. 

PART II—STATE, PRIVATE, AND TRIBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Sec. 8231. Support for State assessments and strategies for forest resources. 

Sec. 8232. State and private forest landscape-scale restoration program. 

Sec. 8233. Promoting cross-boundary wildfire mitigation. 

Sec. 8234. Water Source Protection Program. 

Sec. 8235. Watershed condition framework. 

Sec. 8236. Tribal forest protection management activities and projects. 

Sec. 8237. Incorporation of Tribal management plans. 

Sec. 8238. Healthy forests reserve program. 


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Sec. 8239. Authorization for lease of Forest Service sites. 

Sec. 8240. Modification of good neighbor authority. 

Sec. 8241. GAO reports on good neighbor authority. 

Sec. 8242. Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. 

Sec. 8243. Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership program. 

Sec. 8244. Emergency forest watershed program. 

Sec. 8245. Emergency Forest Restoration Program. 

Sec. 8246. Nursery and seed orchard support. 

Sec. 8247. Contracts, grants, and agreements to carry out certain ecosystem 

restoration activities. 

PART III—TIMBER INNOVATION

Sec. 8261. Wood Innovations Grant Program. 

Sec. 8262. Community Wood Facilities Grant Program. 

Sec. 8263. Report on use of mass timber in construction of Federal facilities. 

Subtitle C—Forest Conservation 

Sec. 8301. National and Regional Agroforestry Centers. 

Sec. 8302. American forest farming association. 

Sec. 8303. Rural Forest Market Investment Program. 

Sec. 8304. Forest Service Legacy Road and Trail Remediation Program. 

Subtitle D—Land Designations 

Sec. 8401. Chester County reversionary and mineral interests release. 

Sec. 8402. Rough Mountain Wilderness and Rich Hole Wilderness designations. 

Sec. 8403. Benjamin Harrison National Recreation Area and Wilderness. 

Sec. 8404. Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. 

Sec. 8405. Flatside-Bethune Wilderness. 

Sec. 8406. Shawnee National Forest designations. 

Sec. 8407. Patrick Leahy Wilderness. 

Sec. 8408. Black River State Forest release of reversionary interest. 

Sec. 8409. Benton Mackaye National Scenic Trail feasibility study. 

Subtitle E—Other Matters 

Sec. 8501. Urban and Community Forestry. 

Sec. 8502. National Forest Foundation Act. 

Sec. 8503. Conveyance of Forest Service administrative sites. 

Sec. 8504. Rural revitalization technologies. 

Sec. 8505. Resource Advisory Committees. 

Sec. 8506. Rapid Ohia Death. 

Sec. 8507. Civilian Conservation Centers. 

Sec. 8508. Special use authorization rental fee waivers. 

Sec. 8509. Special forest products program. 

Sec. 8510. Technical corrections. 

TITLE IX—ENERGY 

Sec. 9001. Definitions. 

Sec. 9002. Biobased markets program. 

Sec. 9003. Biorefinery, renewable chemical, and biobased product manufacturing assistance. 

Sec. 9004. Bioenergy program for advanced biofuels. 

Sec. 9005. Biodiesel fuel education program. 


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Sec. 9006. Rural Energy for America Program. 

Sec. 9007. Feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers. 

Sec. 9008. Biomass crop assistance program. 

Sec. 9009. Carbon utilization and biogas education program. 

Sec. 9010. Agrivoltaic system projects. 

Sec. 9011. Industrial heat pump program. 

TITLE X—HORTICULTURE 

Sec. 10001. Specialty crops market news allocation. 

Sec. 10002. Food loss and waste process verification. 

Sec. 10003. Local Agriculture Market Program. 

Sec. 10004. Local food purchase assistance cooperative agreements. 

Sec. 10005. Organic market development grant. 

Sec. 10006. Organic production and market data initiatives. 

Sec. 10007. National organic program. 

Sec. 10008. Assessment of national organic program enforcement authority. 

Sec. 10009. National organic certification cost-share program. 

Sec. 10010. Food safety education initiatives. 

Sec. 10011. Specialty crop block grants. 

Sec. 10012. Multiple crop and pesticide use survey. 

Sec. 10013. Defining plant biostimulants. 

Sec. 10014. Soil health study. 

Sec. 10015. Report on plant-incorporated protectants. 

Sec. 10016. Hemp production. 

Sec. 10017. FIFRA interagency working group. 

Sec. 10018. Interstate movement outside of the continental United States. 

Sec. 10019. Plant pest and disease management and disaster prevention. 

Sec. 10020. Agriculture quarantine and inspection program reserve fee. 

TITLE XI—CROP INSURANCE 

Subtitle A—Producer Affordability 

Sec. 11101. Enhancing subsidies for beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers. 

Sec. 11102. Higher area-based premium subsidy option. 

Sec. 11103. Expansion of performance-based discount. 

Sec. 11104. Higher premium subsidy rates. 

Subtitle B—Producer Accessibility and Representation 

Sec. 11201. Composition of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board. 

Sec. 11202. Ensuring access for producers. 

Sec. 11203. Improvements to whole farm and micro farm insurance plans. 

Sec. 11204. Research and development of new crops and coverages. 

Sec. 11205. Risk management education and outreach. 

Sec. 11206. Underserved producers report. 

Sec. 11207. Voluntary good farming practices. 

Sec. 11208. State cover crop and soil health matching payments. 

Sec. 11209. Enterprise units for fallow and continuous practices. 

Sec. 11210. Eligibility for prevented planting insurance under certain drought 

conditions. 

Subtitle C—Agent Incentives and Options 

Sec. 11301. Option for Corporation to underwrite policies. 


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Sec. 11302. Updates to administrative and operating subsidies. 

Subtitle D—Specialty Crops 

Sec. 11401. Specialty Crop Insurance Advisory Committee. 

Sec. 11402. Addition and expansion of specialty crop policies. 

Sec. 11403. Priorities for private development of new policies and expansion of 

existing policies. 

Sec. 11404. Advance payments for specialty crop insurance policies in development. 

Sec. 11405. Priorities for internal development of new policies and expansion 

of existing policies. 

Subtitle E—Program Integrity 

Sec. 11501. Actuarial soundness of Federal crop insurance program. 

Sec. 11502. Rating methodology and data reporting updates. 

Sec. 11503. Data analytics and improvement. 

Sec. 11504. Reimbursement of privately developed plans. 

Sec. 11505. Standard reinsurance agreement negotiation. 

Sec. 11506. Protection against retaliation. 

Subtitle F—Other Matters 

Sec. 11601. Native sod. 

Sec. 11602. Technical amendments. 

TITLE XII—MISCELLANEOUS 

Subtitle A—Livestock 

Sec. 12101. Animal disease prevention and management. 

Sec. 12102. Sheep production and marketing grant program. 

Sec. 12103. Resources and grant program for small and medium poultry and 

meat establishments. 

Sec. 12104. Exemption for meat processors of livestock market ownership 

under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921. 

Sec. 12105. Prompt payment. 

Sec. 12106. Animal disease regional export ban agreements. 

Sec. 12107. Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters. 

Sec. 12108. Product of USA label. 

Sec. 12109. Cattle contracts library. 

Sec. 12110. Livestock consolidation research. 

Subtitle B—Historically Underserved Producers 

Sec. 12201. Farming opportunities training and outreach. 

Sec. 12202. Strengthening the transparency and accountability report. 

Sec. 12203. USDA Ombudsperson. 

Sec. 12204. Farmland ownership. 

Sec. 12205. Civil rights accountability for USDA employees. 

Sec. 12206. Equitable relief recommendations by the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights. 

Sec. 12207. Advisory committee improvements and transparency. 

Sec. 12208. Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. 

Sec. 12209. Office of Small Farms. 

Sec. 12210. Strengthening the farm and food system workforce. 

Sec. 12211. Grocery, farm, and food worker stabilization grant program. 


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Sec. 12212. Tribal Advisory Committee; Tribal self-determination pilot projects. 

Sec. 12213. Tribal promise zones. 

Subtitle C—Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 

Amendments 

Sec. 12301. Cost-benefit analyses. 

Sec. 12302. Offices of Customer Experience and Digital Service. 

Sec. 12303. Food loss and waste. 

Sec. 12304. Housing and Urban Development Liaison. 

Sec. 12305. Hubs for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. 

Sec. 12306. Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

Sec. 12307. Office of the Chief Scientist. 

Sec. 12308. Regional food business centers. 

Sec. 12309. Aquaculture Liaison. 

Sec. 12310. Termination of authority. 

Subtitle D—Agriculture and Food Defense 

Sec. 12401. Amendments to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure 

Act of 1978. 

Sec. 12402. National plant diagnostic network. 

Sec. 12403. Office of Homeland Security. 

Sec. 12404. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 12405. Risk assessment on cybersecurity-related threats to agriculture and 

food systems. 

Subtitle E—Other Miscellaneous Provisions 

Sec. 12501. Maple Research and Market Promotion Program. 

Sec. 12502. Protecting animals with shelter. 

Sec. 12503. Beagle Brigade. 

Sec. 12504. Importation of dogs into the United States. 

Sec. 12505. Veterinary medicine loan repayment program and veterinary services grant program. 

Sec. 12506. Report on animal depopulation. 

Sec. 12507. Retirement of research animals. 

Sec. 12508. Strengthening enforcement of Animal Welfare Act. 

Sec. 12509. Dairy business innovation initiatives. 

Sec. 12510. Marketing orders. 

Sec. 12511. Farmer Seed Liaison. 

Sec. 12512. Procurement study and report. 

Sec. 12513. Promotion of food and agricultural workplace accountability. 

Sec. 12514. Relief for farmers. 

Sec. 12515. Improvements to the United States Drought Monitor. 

Sec. 12516. Program data protection and access. 

Sec. 12517. Measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification of greenhouse 

gas emissions and carbon sequestration. 

Sec. 12518. Report on personnel. 

Sec. 12519. Conversion authority. 

Sec. 12520. Department of Agriculture recruitment and retention authorities. 

Sec. 12521. Authorization of protection operations for the Secretary of Agriculture and others. 

Sec. 12522. Commission on Farm Transitions. 

Sec. 12523. Notifications and reports from USDA. 

Sec. 12524. Standards for precision agriculture. 


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Sec. 12525. Pima Agriculture Cotton Trust Fund. 

Sec. 12526. Agriculture Wool Apparel Manufacturers Trust Fund. 

Sec. 12527. Wool research and promotion. 

Sec. 12528. Emergency citrus disease research and development trust fund. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY. 

2 In this Act, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec3 retary of Agriculture. 

4 TITLE I—COMMODITIES 

5 Subtitle A—Commodity Policy 

6 SEC. 1101. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 1111 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

8 U.S.C. 9011) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (8)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (B), by redesignating 

11 clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), 

12 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

13 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

14 and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and 

15 indenting appropriately; 

16 (C) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

17 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The term ‘effec18 tive reference price’, with respect to a covered 

19 commodity for a crop year,’’ and inserting the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(A) 2019 THROUGH 2024 CROP YEARS.— 

22 The term ‘effective reference price’, with reVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 spect to a covered commodity for any of the 

2 2019 through 2024 crop years,’’; and 

3 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(B) 2025 THROUGH 2029 CROP YEARS.— 

5 The term ‘effective reference price’, with re6 spect to a covered commodity for any of the 

7 2025 through 2029 crop years, means the less8 er of the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) An amount equal to 115 percent 

10 of the reference price for such covered 

11 commodity. 

12 ‘‘(ii) An amount equal to the greater 

13 of— 

14 ‘‘(I) the reference price for such 

15 covered commodity; or 

16 ‘‘(II) 85 percent of the average of 

17 the marketing year average price of 

18 the covered commodity for the most 

19 recent 5 crop years.’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (19)— 

21 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

22 through (O) as clauses (i) through (xv), respec23 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

24 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

25 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The term’’ and 


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1 all that follows through ‘‘the following:’’ and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) 2019 THROUGH 2023 CROP YEARS.— 

4 The term ‘reference price’, with respect to a 

5 covered commodity for each of crop years 2019 

6 through 2023, means the following:’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(B) 2024 THROUGH 2029 CROP YEARS.— 

9 The term ‘reference price’, with respect to a 

10 covered commodity for each of crop years 2024 

11 through 2029, means the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) For wheat, $5.78 per bushel. 

13 ‘‘(ii) For corn, $3.89 per bushel. 

14 ‘‘(iii) For grain sorghum, $4.15 per 

15 bushel. 

16 ‘‘(iv) For barley, $5.20 per bushel. 

17 ‘‘(v) For oats, $2.52 per bushel. 

18 ‘‘(vi) For long grain rice, $14.70 per 

19 hundredweight. 

20 ‘‘(vii) For medium grain rice, $14.70 

21 per hundredweight. 

22 ‘‘(viii) For soybeans, $8.82 per bush23 el. 

24 ‘‘(ix) For other oilseeds, $21.16 per 

25 hundredweight. 


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1 ‘‘(x) For peanuts, $561.75 per ton. 

2 ‘‘(xi) For dry peas, $11.55 per hun3 dredweight. 

4 ‘‘(xii) For lentils, $20.97 per hundred5 weight. 

6 ‘‘(xiii) For small chickpeas, $19.99 

7 per hundredweight. 

8 ‘‘(xiv) For large chickpeas, $22.62 per 

9 hundredweight. 

10 ‘‘(xv) For seed cotton, $0.385 per 

11 pound.’’. 

12 SEC. 1102. BASE ACRES. 

13 Section 1112 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

14 U.S.C. 9012) is amended— 

15 (1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (d) 

16 as subsections (c) through (e), respectively; 

17 (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(b) BASE ACRE INCREASE FOR UNDERSERVED

20 FARMERS OF COVERED COMMODITIES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF UNDERSERVED FARMER

22 OF COVERED COMMODITIES.—In this subsection, the 

23 term ‘underserved farmer of covered commodities’ 

24 means an underserved producer (as defined in sec25 tion 508(a)(7)(A) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 


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1 (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(7)(A))) or a limited resource or 

2 economically distressed farmer (as determined by the 

3 Secretary) of 1 or more covered commodities. 

4 ‘‘(2) OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE BASE

5 ACRES.—As soon as practicable after the date of en6 actment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

7 Act of 2024, the Secretary shall provide a 1-time op8 portunity for an underserved farmer of covered com9 modities to increase base acres on a farm if— 

10 ‘‘(A) the underserved farmer of covered 

11 commodities— 

12 ‘‘(i) is an operator on the farm and 

13 provides a significant contribution of active 

14 personal labor on the farm, as determined 

15 by the Secretary; or 

16 ‘‘(ii) has a significant ownership share 

17 of the farm or a business producing cov18 ered commodities on the farm, as deter19 mined by the Secretary; and 

20 ‘‘(B) the average number of acres on the 

21 farm planted or prevented from planting as de22 scribed in subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, 

23 of paragraph (3)(A)(i) to covered commodities 

24 during the 2018 through 2022 crop years is 


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1 greater than the number of base acres on the 

2 farm. 

3 ‘‘(3) BASE ACRE INCREASE.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara5 graph (B), the number of base acres added to 

6 a farm under paragraph (2) shall be equal to 

7 the difference between— 

8 ‘‘(i) the sum obtained by adding— 

9 ‘‘(I) the 5-year average of the 

10 acreage planted on the farm to all 

11 covered commodities for harvest, graz12 ing, haying, silage, or other similar 

13 purposes for the 2018 through 2022 

14 crop years, according to records sub15 mitted to the Farm Service Agency or 

16 the Risk Management Agency; and 

17 ‘‘(II) the 5-year average of any 

18 acreage on the farm that was pre19 vented from planting to 1 or more 

20 covered commodities during the 2018 

21 through 2022 crop years because of 

22 drought, flood, or other natural dis23 aster, or other condition beyond the 

24 control of the producers, as deter25 mined by the Secretary, according to 


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1 records submitted to the Farm Serv2 ice Agency or the Risk Management 

3 Agency; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the number of base acres for cov5 ered commodities on the farm. 

6 ‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) MAXIMUM.—Not more than 160 

8 base acres shall be added to any farm 

9 under paragraph (2). 

10 ‘‘(ii) PROHIBITION ON RECONSTITU11 TION OF FARM.—The Secretary shall en12 sure that producers on a farm do not re13 constitute the farm for the purpose of in14 creasing the number of base acres added to 

15 the farm under paragraph (2). 

16 ‘‘(C) DISTRIBUTION.—Base acres added to 

17 a farm under paragraph (2) shall be added to 

18 the base acreage of each covered commodity on 

19 the farm in the proportion that— 

20 ‘‘(i) the acreage planted or prevented 

21 from planting to the covered commodity on 

22 the farm; bears to 

23 ‘‘(ii) the acreage planted or prevented 

24 from planting to all covered commodities 

25 on the farm. 


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1 ‘‘(4) REDUCTION OF BASE ACRES.—If an un2 derserved farmer of covered commodities on a farm 

3 for which base acres have been increased under 

4 paragraph (2) does not own or operate the farm for 

5 any of the 2025 through 2029 crop years, the Sec6 retary shall reduce the number of base acres on the 

7 farm eligible for payment for that crop year by the 

8 number of base acres added to the farm under para9 graph (2), in the same proportion among covered 

10 commodities on the farm described in paragraph 

11 (3)(C).’’; 

12 (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), in 

13 paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subpara14 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘and any addition of base 

15 acres under subsection (b)’’ after ‘‘subsection (a)’’; 

16 (4) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and 

18 any addition of base acres under subsection 

19 (b)’’ after ‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 

20 (B) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘sub21 section (b)(1)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

22 (c)(1)(C)’’; and 

23 (5) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), in 

24 paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 1103. PAYMENT YIELDS. 

2 Section 1113 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

3 U.S.C. 9013) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection 

5 designation and heading and all that follows through 

6 ‘‘In the case’’ in paragraph (4) and inserting the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(b) OILSEEDS DESIGNATED AFTER CERTAIN

9 DATE.—In the case’’; and 

10 (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(c) EFFECT OF LACK OF PAYMENT YIELD.—In the 

13 case of a covered commodity on a farm for which base 

14 acres have been established, if no payment yield is other15 wise established for the covered commodity on the farm, 

16 the payment yield shall be equal to the greater of— 

17 ‘‘(1) 90 percent of the average of the yield per 

18 planted acre for the crop of covered commodities on 

19 the farm for the most recent 5 crop years, as deter20 mined by the Secretary, excluding any crop year in 

21 which the acreage planted to the covered commodity 

22 was zero; and 

23 ‘‘(2) the payment yields applicable to that cov24 ered commodity for similarly situated farms, as de25 termined by the Secretary.’’. 


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1 SEC. 1104. PAYMENT ACRES. 

2 Section 1114 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

3 U.S.C. 9014) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘In the 

6 case’’ and inserting ‘‘Effective for the 2014 

7 through 2018 crop years, in the case’’; 

8 (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre9 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘With re10 spect to’’ and inserting ‘‘Effective for the 2014 

11 through 2018 crop years, with respect to’’; and 

12 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘When 

13 generic base acres’’ and inserting ‘‘Effective for 

14 the 2014 through 2018 crop years, when ge15 neric base acres’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (e)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, fava 

18 beans,’’ after ‘‘mung beans’’; and 

19 (B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, fava 

20 beans,’’ after ‘‘mung beans’’. 

21 SEC. 1105. PRODUCER ELECTION. 

22 Section 1115 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

23 U.S.C. 9015) is amended by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 

25 ‘‘(i) CONTINUITY OF ELECTED COVERAGE.—For the 

26 2025 crop year and each crop year thereafter, the elected 


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1 coverage in effect under this section for the previous crop 

2 year shall apply to a farm until a crop year for which an 

3 election change is made with respect to the farm under 

4 subsection (h). 

5 ‘‘(j) SPECIAL RULE FOR 2023 AND 2024 CROP

6 YEARS.—If the producers on the farm elected price loss 

7 coverage under section 1116 or agriculture risk coverage 

8 under section 1117(b)(1), or were deemed to have elected 

9 such coverage, for the 2023 and 2024 crops years, not10 withstanding such election, the producers on the farm 

11 shall be deemed to have elected the coverage with the high12 er payment rate for each of the 2023 and 2024 crop 

13 years.’’. 

14 SEC. 1106. PRICE LOSS COVERAGE. 

15 Section 1116 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

16 U.S.C. 9016) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

19 by striking ‘‘make the election’’ and all that fol20 lows through ‘‘subsection (c)(2) of such sec21 tion,’’ and inserting ‘‘have elected or have been 

22 deemed to have elected price loss coverage 

23 under section 1115,’’; and 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre2 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

4 (2) in subsection (c)(1)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

6 (i) in the subparagraph heading, by 

7 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2024’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘2024’’; and 

10 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) 2025 THROUGH 2029 CROP YEARS.— 

12 For the 2025 through 2029 crop years, the 

13 payment rate shall be equal to the lesser of— 

14 ‘‘(i) the difference between— 

15 ‘‘(I) the effective reference price 

16 for the covered commodity; and 

17 ‘‘(II) the effective price deter18 mined under subsection (b) for the 

19 covered commodity; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) 15 percent of the effective ref21 erence price.’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (d)— 

23 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

24 through (3) as subparagraphs (A) through (C), 

25 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 


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1 (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

2 (A) (as so redesignated)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘2029’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘If price loss cov6 erage’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If price loss coverage’’; and 

8 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENT FOR 2024 THROUGH 2029

10 CROP YEARS.—For the 2024 through 2029 crop 

11 years, the Secretary shall make an appropriate ad12 justment in the price loss coverage payment amount 

13 determined under paragraph (1) by subtracting from 

14 the payment amount any portion of the payment 

15 amount that would have been included in subpara16 graph (A)(i)(II)(cc), (B)(i)(II)(cc), 

17 (C)(i)(I)(bb)(BB), or (C)(ii)(I)(bb) of section 

18 1503(e)(1) but for the timing of the price loss cov19 erage payment.’’; and 

20 (4) in subsection (e)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘If the Secretary’’ and in22 serting the following: 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

24 if the Secretary’’; and 

25 (B) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF PARTIAL PAYMENTS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If, before the end of 

3 the 12-month marketing year for a covered 

4 commodity for any of the 2024 through 2029 

5 crop years, the Secretary projects that price 

6 loss coverage payments will be required for the 

7 crop of the covered commodity, the Secretary 

8 shall give producers on a farm the option to re9 ceive partial payments of the price loss coverage 

10 payments to be made for that crop of the cov11 ered commodity. 

12 ‘‘(B) TIME FOR PARTIAL PAYMENTS.— 

13 When the Secretary makes partial payments 

14 available under subparagraph (A) for a covered 

15 commodity, the partial payment shall be made 

16 beginning February 1, or as soon as practicable 

17 thereafter, after the beginning of the applicable 

18 marketing year for the covered commodity. 

19 ‘‘(C) AMOUNT OF PARTIAL PAYMENTS.— 

20 The partial payments under subparagraph (A) 

21 to the producers on a farm may not exceed 50 

22 percent of the projected price loss coverage pay23 ment for the covered commodity for the crop 

24 year, as determined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(D) REPAYMENT.—The producers on a 

2 farm that receive a partial payment under sub3 paragraph (A) for a crop year shall repay to the 

4 Secretary the amount, if any, by which the par5 tial payments received by the producers on a 

6 farm exceed the actual price loss coverage pay7 ments to be made for the covered commodity 

8 for that crop year.’’. 

9 SEC. 1107. AGRICULTURE RISK COVERAGE. 

10 Section 1117 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

11 U.S.C. 9017) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

13 paragraph (1)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘make the election under 

15 section 1115(a) to obtain agriculture risk cov16 erage,’’ and inserting ‘‘have elected or have 

17 been deemed to have elected agriculture risk 

18 coverage under section 1115,’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘years or the 2019 through 

20 2023 crop years,’’ and inserting ‘‘years, the 

21 2019 through 2023 crop years, or the 2024 

22 through 2029 crop years,’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (c)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘The agriculture’’ and 

2 inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) 2014 THROUGH 2023 CROP YEARS.— 

4 For the 2014 through 2023 crop years, the ag5 riculture’’; and 

6 (ii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(B) 2024 THROUGH 2029 CROP YEARS.— 

9 For the 2024 through 2029 crop years, the ag10 riculture risk coverage guarantee for a crop 

11 year for a covered commodity shall equal 88 

12 percent of the benchmark revenue.’’; 

13 (B) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking 

14 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

15 (C) in paragraph (4)(B)— 

16 (i) in the subparagraph heading, by 

17 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

18 (ii) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘2029’’; and 

20 (D) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking 

21 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (d)(1), by striking subpara23 graph (B) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B)(i) for the 2014 through 2023 crop 

2 years, 10 percent of the benchmark revenue for 

3 the applicable crop year; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) for the 2024 and subsequent crop 

5 years, 12.5 percent of the benchmark revenue 

6 for the applicable crop year.’’; 

7 (4) in subsection (e)— 

8 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

9 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, 

10 and indenting appropriately; 

11 (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

12 (A) (as so redesignated)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2029’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘If agriculture risk 

16 coverage’’ and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If agriculture risk cov18 erage’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENT FOR 2024 THROUGH 2029

21 CROP YEARS.—For the 2024 through 2029 crop 

22 years, the Secretary shall make an appropriate ad23 justment in the agriculture risk coverage payment 

24 amount determined under paragraph (1) by sub25 tracting from the payment amount any portion of 


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1 the payment amount that would have been included 

2 in subparagraph (A)(i)(II)(cc), (B)(i)(II)(cc), 

3 (C)(i)(I)(bb)(BB), or (C)(ii)(I)(bb) of section 

4 1503(e)(1) but for the timing of the agriculture risk 

5 coverage payment.’’; 

6 (5) in subsection (f)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘If the Secretary’’ and in8 serting the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

10 if the Secretary’’; and 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF PARTIAL PAYMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If, before the end of 

14 the 12-month marketing year for a covered 

15 commodity for any of the 2024 through 2029 

16 crop years, the Secretary projects that agri17 culture risk coverage payments will be required 

18 for the crop of the covered commodity, the Sec19 retary shall give producers on a farm the option 

20 to receive partial payments of the agriculture 

21 risk coverage payments to be made for that 

22 crop of the covered commodity. 

23 ‘‘(B) TIME FOR PARTIAL PAYMENTS.— 

24 When the Secretary makes partial payments 

25 available under subparagraph (A) for a covered 


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1 commodity, the partial payment shall be made 

2 beginning February 1, or as soon as practicable 

3 thereafter, after the beginning of the applicable 

4 marketing year for the covered commodity. 

5 ‘‘(C) AMOUNT OF PARTIAL PAYMENTS.— 

6 The partial payments under subparagraph (A) 

7 to the producers on a farm may not exceed 50 

8 percent of the projected agriculture risk cov9 erage payment for the covered commodity for 

10 the crop year, as determined by the Secretary. 

11 ‘‘(D) REPAYMENT.—The producers on a 

12 farm that receive a partial payment under sub13 paragraph (A) for a crop year shall repay to the 

14 Secretary the amount, if any, by which the par15 tial payments received by the producers on a 

16 farm exceed the actual agriculture risk coverage 

17 payments to be made for the covered com18 modity for that crop year.’’; 

19 (6) in subsection (g)(5), in the matter pre20 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

22 (7) in subsection (i)(5), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 Subtitle B—Marketing Loans 

2 SEC. 1201. LOAN RATES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1202 of the Agricultural 

4 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9032) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

7 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2024’’; and 

8 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

9 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2024’’; 

10 (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

11 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 

12 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(c) 2025 AND SUBSEQUENT CROP YEARS.—Begin15 ning with the 2025 crop year, the Secretary shall establish 

16 a loan rate for a marketing assistance loan under section 

17 1201 for a loan commodity equal to the lesser of— 

18 ‘‘(1) an amount equal to 110 percent of the 

19 loan rate for the loan commodity described in sub20 section (b); and 

21 ‘‘(2) an amount equal to the greater of— 

22 ‘‘(A) the loan rate for the loan commodity 

23 described in subsection (b); and 

24 ‘‘(B) the sum obtained by adding— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the loan rate for the loan com2 modity described in subsection (b); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) the product obtained by multi4 plying— 

5 ‘‘(I) the loan rate for the loan 

6 commodity described in subsection 

7 (b); and 

8 ‘‘(II) using data calculated and 

9 published by the Economic Research 

10 Service in the annual Farm Sector In11 come Forecast as first released for the 

12 applicable crop year, the quotient ob13 tained by dividing— 

14 ‘‘(aa) the difference be15 tween— 

16 ‘‘(AA) the forecasted 

17 crop input expenses (includ18 ing interest, labor, property 

19 taxes, seed, fertilizer and 

20 lime, fuel, oil, electricity, 

21 pesticides, and net rent to 

22 landowners) for the applica23 ble crop year; and 

24 ‘‘(BB) the average of 

25 the crop input expenses for 


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1 the 5-year period imme2 diately preceding the appli3 cable crop year; by 

4 ‘‘(bb) the average of the 

5 crop input expenses described in 

6 item (aa)(AA) for the 5-year pe7 riod immediately preceding the 

8 applicable crop year.’’. 

9 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1204(h)(1) 

10 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9034(h)(1)) is 

11 amended by striking ‘‘(a)(20) or (b)(20),’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘(a)(20), (b)(20), or (c),’’. 

13 SEC. 1202. TEXTILE MILLS. 

14 Section 1207(c)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

15 (7 U.S.C. 9037(c)(2)) is amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘Effective beginning on August 

17 1, 2013,’’ and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) AUGUST 2013 THROUGH JULY 2025.— 

19 Effective during the period beginning on Au20 gust 1, 2013, and ending on July 31, 2025,’’; 

21 and 

22 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(B) BEGINNING AUGUST 2025.—Effective 

24 beginning on August 1, 2025, the value of the 


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1 assistance provided under paragraph (1) shall 

2 be 4 cents per pound.’’. 

3 SEC. 1203. EXTENSIONS. 

4 (a) NONRECOURSE MARKETING ASSISTANCE

5 LOANS.—Section 1201(b)(1) of the Agricultural Act of 

6 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9031(b)(1)) is amended by striking 

7 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 (b) REPAYMENT.—Section 1204 of the Agricultural 

9 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9034) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (e)(2)(B), in the matter pre11 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘2030’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 (c) LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS.— 

16 (1) EXTENSION.—Section 1205(a)(2)(B) of the 

17 Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9035(a)(2)(B)) 

18 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘2029’’. 

20 (2) PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF LDPS.—Section 

21 1206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

22 9036) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it 

23 appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

24 (d) SPECIAL COMPETITIVENESS PROVISIONS OF

25 EXTRA LONG STAPLE COTTON.—Section 1208(a) of the 


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1 Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9038(a)) is amended, 

2 in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2024’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

4 (e) AVAILABILITY OF RECOURSE LOANS.—Section 

5 1209 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9039) is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears and 

7 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 Subtitle C—Sugar 

9 SEC. 1301. SUGAR POLICY. 

10 (a) SUGAR PROGRAM.— 

11 (1) SUGARCANE.—Section 156(a) of the Fed12 eral Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 

13 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(a)) is amended— 

14 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘2023 

17 crop years.’’ and inserting ‘‘2024 crop years; 

18 and’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(6) 24.0 cents per pound for raw cane sugar 

21 for each of the 2025 through 2029 crop years.’’. 

22 (2) SUGAR BEETS.—Section 156(b) of the Fed23 eral Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 

24 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(b)) is amended— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

2 the end; 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023 

4 crop years.’’ and inserting ‘‘2024 crop years; 

5 and’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) a rate that is equal to 136.5 percent of the 

8 loan rate per pound of raw cane sugar for the appli9 cable crop year under subsection (a) for each of the 

10 2025 through 2029 crop years.’’. 

11 (3) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—Section 156(i) of the 

12 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 

13 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(i)) is amended by striking 

14 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 (b) ADJUSTMENTS TO COMMODITY CREDIT COR16 PORATION STORAGE PAYMENT RATES.—Section 167 of 

17 the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 

18 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7287) is amended— 

19 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro22 vision of law, for the 2025 crop year and each crop year 

23 thereafter, the Commodity Credit Corporation shall estab24 lish rates for the storage of forfeited sugar in an amount 

25 that is not less than— 


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1 ‘‘(1) in the case of refined sugar, 34 cents per 

2 hundredweight per month; and 

3 ‘‘(2) in the case of raw cane sugar, 27 cents per 

4 hundredweight per month.’’; and 

5 (2) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

7 ‘‘SUBSEQUENT’’ and inserting ‘‘PRIOR’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘and subsequent’’ and in9 serting ‘‘through 2024’’. 

10 (c) FLEXIBLE MARKETING ALLOTMENTS FOR

11 SUGAR.— 

12 (1) SUGAR ESTIMATES.—Section 359b(a)(1) of 

13 the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 

14 1359bb(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 (2) ADJUSTMENT OF MARKETING ALLOT17 MENTS.—Section 359c(g)(2) of the Agricultural Ad18 justment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359cc(g)(2)) is 

19 amended— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

23 subparagraph (B), in the case’’; and 

24 (B) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—If the Secretary makes 

2 an upward adjustment under paragraph (1)(A), 

3 in adjusting allocations among beet sugar proc4 essors, the Secretary shall give priority to beet 

5 sugar processors with available sugar.’’. 

6 (3) REASSIGNMENT OF DEFICITS.—Section 

7 359e(b)(2) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 

8 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359ee(b)(2)) is amended— 

9 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

10 through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respec11 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

12 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

13 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘If the Secretary’’ 

14 and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary’’; and 

16 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) TIMING.—In carrying out subpara18 graph (A), the Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) make an initial determination fol20 lowing publication of the World Agricul21 tural Supply and Demand Estimates ap22 proved by the World Agricultural Outlook 

23 Board for January that shall be applicable 

24 to the crop year for which allotments are 

25 required; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) provide for any reassignment 

2 under subparagraph (A)(i) not later than 

3 30 days after the date on which the World 

4 Agricultural Supply and Demand Esti5 mates described in clause (i) is released.’’. 

6 (4) ADMINISTRATION OF TARIFF RATE

7 QUOTAS.—Section 359k of the Agricultural Adjust8 ment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359kk) is amended— 

9 (A) in subsection (b)(1)— 

10 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

11 (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec12 tively, and indenting appropriately; and 

13 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) 

14 (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘Before 

15 April 1’’ and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

17 subparagraph (B), notwithstanding any other 

18 provision of law, the Secretary shall not in19 crease the tariff-rate quota for raw cane sugar 

20 before April 1 of each fiscal year. 

21 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Before April 1’’; and 

22 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(c) REALLOCATION.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

25 before March 1 of each fiscal year, the Secretary 


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1 shall reallocate any forecasted shortfall in the fulfill2 ment of the tariff-rate quotas for raw cane sugar es3 tablished under subsection (a)(1) for the fiscal year. 

4 ‘‘(2) CESSATION OF EFFECTIVENESS.—Para5 graph (1) shall cease to be in effect if— 

6 ‘‘(A) the Agreement Suspending the Coun7 tervailing Duty Investigation on Sugar from 

8 Mexico, signed December 19, 2014, is termi9 nated; and 

10 ‘‘(B) no countervailing duty order under 

11 subtitle A of title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 

12 (19 U.S.C. 1671 et seq.) is in effect with re13 spect to sugar from Mexico.’’. 

14 (5) EFFECTIVE PERIOD.—Section 359l(a) of 

15 the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 

16 1359ll(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in17 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 Subtitle D—Dairy 

19 SEC. 1401. DAIRY MARGIN COVERAGE. 

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1401 of the Agricultural 

21 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘premium 

23 and supreme’’ before ‘‘alfalfa’’; 


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1 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through 

2 (10) as paragraphs (5) through (11), respectively; 

3 and 

4 (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(4) COVERED PRODUCTION.—The term ‘cov7 ered production’ means the covered production elect8 ed by a participating dairy operation under section 

9 1406(a)(2).’’. 

10 (b) CALCULATION OF AVERAGE FEED COST AND AC11 TUAL DAIRY PRODUCTION MARGINS.—Section 1402(a)(3) 

12 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9052(a)(3)) is 

13 amended by inserting ‘‘premium and supreme’’ before ‘‘al14 falfa’’ each place it appears. 

15 (c) PARTICIPATION OF DAIRY OPERATIONS IN DAIRY

16 MARGIN COVERAGE.—Section 1404(b) of the Agricultural 

17 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9054(b)) is amended— 

18 (1) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and in19 serting the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) ELECTION PERIOD FOR 2025 CALENDAR

21 YEAR.—For the 2025 calendar year, the Secretary 

22 shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) open the election period not later 

24 than March 2, 2025; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) hold that election period open for not 

2 less than 90 days.’’; and 

3 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 

4 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively. 

5 (d) PRODUCTION HISTORY OF PARTICIPATING DAIRY

6 OPERATIONS.—Section 1405 of the Agricultural Act of 

7 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9055) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsections (c) and 

11 (d), with respect to a dairy operation that was in operation 

12 for at least 1 of the full 2021, 2022, and 2023 calendar 

13 years, the production history of the dairy operation for 

14 dairy margin coverage shall be equal to the highest annual 

15 milk marketings of the participating dairy operation dur16 ing any 1 of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 calendar years.’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (b)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter pre19 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘In the 

20 case’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to subsections (c) 

21 and (d), in the case’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and in24 serting ‘‘Subject to subsections (c) and (d), 

25 in the case’’; 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘prior to January 1, 

2 2014,’’ and inserting ‘‘for at least 1 of the 

3 full 2021, 2022, and 2023 calendar 

4 years,’’; and 

5 (iii) by inserting ‘‘beginning after De6 cember 31, 2023,’’ after ‘‘1 calendar 

7 year’’; and 

8 (C) by striking paragraph (3); 

9 (3) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

10 subsections (e) and (f), respectively; and 

11 (4) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(c) ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary shall adjust the 

14 production history of a participating dairy operation deter15 mined under subsection (a) or (b) to reflect any increase 

16 in the national average milk production relative to the cal17 endar year used to establish the production history of the 

18 participating dairy operation. 

19 ‘‘(d) CONTINUED APPLICABILITY OF BASE PRODUC20 TION HISTORY.—A production history established for a 

21 dairy operation under subsection (a) or (b) shall be the 

22 base production history for the dairy operation in subse23 quent years (as adjusted under subsection (c)).’’. 


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1 (e) DAIRY MARGIN COVERAGE PAYMENTS.—Section 

2 1406(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

3 9056(a)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

6 ‘‘under paragraph (2)’’; and 

7 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

8 ‘‘5,000,000’’ each place it appears and inserting 

9 ‘‘6,000,000’’; and 

10 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘annually 

11 elect’’ and inserting ‘‘establish the covered produc12 tion by annually electing’’. 

13 (f) PREMIUMS FOR DAIRY MARGIN COVERAGE.—Sec14 tion 1407 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9057) 

15 is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

18 ‘‘5,000,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCTION’’ and in19 serting ‘‘6,000,000 POUNDS OF COVERED PRO20 DUCTION’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘5,000,000’’ and in23 serting ‘‘6,000,000’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘production history’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘covered production’’; and 


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1 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub2 section (g)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

5 ‘‘PRODUCTION IN EXCESS OF 5,000,000’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘COVERED PRODUCTION IN EXCESS

7 OF 6,000,000’’; 

8 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘5,000,000’’ and in10 serting ‘‘6,000,000’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘production history’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘covered production’’; and 

13 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub14 section (g)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 

15 (3) by striking subsection (f); 

16 (4) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub17 section (f); and 

18 (5) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘2019.’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘2025.’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

25 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 (g) DURATION.—Section 1409 of the Agricultural 

2 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9059) is amended by striking 

3 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

4 (h) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

5 this section shall take effect on January 1, 2025. 

6 SEC. 1402. DAIRY PRODUCTS DONATION PROGRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1431 of the Agricultural 

8 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9071) is amended— 

9 (1) in the section heading by striking ‘‘MILK’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘DAIRY PRODUCTS’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (a)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara13 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(B) incurs expenses in donating eligible 

15 dairy products.’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘milk’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘dairy products to recipient indi18 viduals and families’’; 

19 (C) striking paragraph (3) and inserting 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE DAIRY PRODUCT.—The term ‘el22 igible dairy product’ means a product primarily 

23 made from milk, including fluid milk, that is pro24 duced and processed in the United States.’’; 


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1 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

2 (3) as paragraphs (3) and (2), respectively, and 

3 moving the paragraphs so as to appear in nu4 merical order; and 

5 (E) by striking paragraph (5); 

6 (3) in subsection (b)— 

7 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

8 (1)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘Agriculture Improve10 ment Act of 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘Rural 

11 Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

12 2024’’; and 

13 (ii) by striking ‘‘milk’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘dairy products’’; and 

15 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘milk’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘dairy products’’; 

17 (4) in subsection (c)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

20 ‘‘milk;’’ and inserting ‘‘dairy products; 

21 and’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and 

23 (C) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) describes whether an emergency or 

2 disaster was a substantial factor in the submis3 sion, including— 

4 ‘‘(i) a declared or renewed public 

5 health emergency under section 319 of the 

6 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 247d); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) a disaster designated by the Sec9 retary.’’; and 

10 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert11 ing the following: 

12 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPROVAL.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 

14 days after receiving a donation and distribution 

15 plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 

16 ‘‘(i) review the donation and distribu17 tion plan; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) issue an approval or disapproval 

19 of the donation and distribution plan. 

20 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In approving and dis21 approving donation and distribution plans 

22 under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall 

23 give priority to plans for which an emergency or 

24 disaster was a substantial factor in the submis25 sion, as described under paragraph (1)(B).’’; 


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1 (5) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘a participating part4 nership’’ and inserting ‘‘an eligible part5 nership for which the Secretary has ap6 proved a donation and distribution plan 

7 under subsection (c)(2)(A)(ii)’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘qualified expenses de9 scribed in subsection (e)’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘expenses incurred in donating eligible 

11 dairy products’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘to 

13 demonstrate’’ and all that follows through the 

14 period at the end and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘to demonstrate— 

16 ‘‘(i) the production of the eligible 

17 dairy products; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the donation of the eligible dairy 

19 products to an eligible distributor.’’; 

20 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

21 paragraph (4); 

22 (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(3) REIMBURSEMENT PRICE.—The Sec25 retary— 


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1 ‘‘(A) shall set the price for a reimburse2 ment under paragraph (1) at a value that— 

3 ‘‘(i) is representative of the cost of the 

4 milk required to produce the eligible dairy 

5 product; 

6 ‘‘(ii) is between the lowest and highest 

7 of the classes I, II, III, and IV milk prices 

8 on the date of the production of the eligi9 ble dairy product; 

10 ‘‘(iii) is sufficient to reduce food 

11 waste; and 

12 ‘‘(iv) will not interfere with the com13 mercial marketing of milk or dairy prod14 ucts; and 

15 ‘‘(B) may set appropriate reimbursement 

16 prices under subparagraph (A) for different eli17 gible dairy products by class and region for the 

18 purpose of— 

19 ‘‘(i) encouraging the donation of sur20 plus eligible dairy products; 

21 ‘‘(ii) facilitating the orderly marketing 

22 of milk; 

23 ‘‘(iii) reducing volatility relating to 

24 significant market disruptions; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) maintaining traditional price re2 lationships between classes of milk; or 

3 ‘‘(v) stabilizing on-farm milk prices.’’; 

4 and 

5 (E) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), 

6 by striking ‘‘participating partnership’’ and in7 serting ‘‘eligible partnership described in para8 graph (1)’’; 

9 (6) by striking subsections (e) and (f); 

10 (7) by redesignating subsections (g), (h), (i), 

11 and (j) as subsections (e), (f), (g), and (i), respec12 tively; 

13 (8) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), in 

14 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘milk’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘dairy products’’; and 

16 (9) by inserting after subsection (g) (as so re17 designated) the following: 

18 ‘‘(h) PUBLICATION OF DONATION ACTIVITY.—The 

19 Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agri20 cultural Marketing Service, shall publish on the publicly 

21 accessible website of the Agricultural Marketing Service 

22 periodic reports describing donation activity under this 

23 section.’’. 

24 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading for 

25 part III of subtitle D of title I of the Agricultural Act 


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1 of 2014 (Public Law 113–79; 128 Stat. 695; 132 Stat. 

2 4519) is amended by striking ‘‘MILK’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘DAIRY PRODUCTS’’. 

4 SEC. 1403. REAUTHORIZATIONS. 

5 (a) FORWARD PRICING.—Section 1502(e) of the 

6 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

7 8772(e)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘September 

9 30, 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2029’’; and 

10 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘September 

11 30, 2027’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2034’’. 

12 (b) INDEMNITY PROGRAM.—Section 3 of Public Law 

13 90–484 (7 U.S.C. 4553) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 (c) PROMOTION AND RESEARCH.—Section 113(e)(2) 

16 of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 

17 U.S.C. 4504(e)(2)) is amended, in the second sentence, 

18 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

19 SEC. 1404. RELATED PROVISIONS. 

20 (a) IMPROVED DATA COLLECTION FOR ORGANIC

21 DAIRY.—Section 7407(b) of the Farm Security and Rural 

22 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5925c(b)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

24 end; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

2 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(4) with respect to the collection and reporting 

5 of data on the production and marketing of organic 

6 dairy products— 

7 ‘‘(A) collect and publish cost-of-production 

8 data for organic milk, through support from re9 gional and national programs, including regu10 larly reported data relating to— 

11 ‘‘(i) the costs of major organic 

12 feedstuffs, including— 

13 ‘‘(I) the prices for major organic 

14 feedstuffs produced domestically; and 

15 ‘‘(II) the prices for imported 

16 major organic feedstuffs; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) all other costs relating to the 

18 production of organic milk; 

19 ‘‘(B) establish an Organic All Milk Prices 

20 Survey conducted by the National Agricultural 

21 Statistics Service for the purpose of gathering 

22 and reporting monthly data relating to the 

23 prices organic dairy farmers are paid for or24 ganic milk and prices received for organic dairy 

25 cows, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) national data; and 

2 ‘‘(ii) data relating to, at a minimum, 

3 the 6 regions with the greatest quantity of 

4 organic dairy production; and 

5 ‘‘(C) periodically report on organic milk, 

6 under which the Secretary, using data collected 

7 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

8 the Economic Research Service, or the Agricul9 tural Marketing Service, shall publish periodic 

10 reports relating to data for organic milk, which 

11 shall be equivalent to data reported for conven12 tionally produced milk.’’. 

13 (b) MANDATORY REPORTING FOR DAIRY PROD14 UCTS.—Section 273 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

15 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1637b) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

19 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

20 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

21 and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(C) for each manufacturer required to re24 port under subparagraph (A) for any product, 

25 require that manufacturer to report production 


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1 cost and product yield information, as deter2 mined by the Secretary, for all products proc3 essed in the same facility or facilities; and 

4 ‘‘(D) require any manufacturer of such 

5 other dairy products as determined by the Sec6 retary to report production cost and product 

7 yield information in the same manner as under 

8 subparagraph (C), for the purpose of providing 

9 information for the regulatory or administrative 

10 establishment of pricing rules.’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (d)— 

12 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

13 ‘‘ELECTRONIC REPORTING’’ and inserting ‘‘RE14 PORTING’’; 

15 (B) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking 

16 ‘‘this section’’ each place it appears and insert17 ing ‘‘subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection 

18 (b)(1)’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(3) DAIRY PRODUCT PROCESSING COSTS.—Not 

21 later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 

22 this paragraph, and every 2 years thereafter, the 

23 Secretary shall publish a report containing the infor24 mation obtained under subparagraphs (C) and (D) 

25 of subsection (b)(1).’’. 


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1 Subtitle E—Supplemental and 

2 Emergency Agricultural Dis3 aster Assistance Programs 

4 SEC. 1501. DEFINITIONS; CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1501 of the Agricultural 

6 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

9 (i) by redesignating clauses (iii) 

10 through (v) as clauses (iv) through (vi), re11 spectively; and 

12 (ii) by inserting after clause (ii) the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(iii) an alien who has applied for em15 ployment authorization and is authorized 

16 to accept employment pursuant to section 

17 274a.12(c)(33) of title 8, Code of Federal 

18 Regulations (or a successor regulation);’’; 

19 and 

20 (B) in paragraph (4)(G), by striking ‘‘live21 stock,’’ and inserting ‘‘livestock (including 

22 unweaned livestock),’’; 

23 (2) by striking the section designation and 

24 heading and all that follows through ‘‘section:’’ in 


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1 the matter preceding paragraph (1) of subsection (a) 

2 and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 1501. DEFINITIONS. 

4 ‘‘In this subtitle:’’; and 

5 (3) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection 

6 designation and heading and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 1502. SUPPLEMENTAL AGRICULTURAL DISASTER AS8 SISTANCE. 

9 ‘‘(a) LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PAYMENTS.—’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

11 (1) Subtitle E of title I of the Agricultural Act 

12 of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081 et seq.) is amended, in the 

13 subtitle heading, by inserting ‘‘and Emergency’’ 

14 after ‘‘Supplemental’’. 

15 (2) Section 1502 of the Agricultural Act of 

16 2014 (as designated by subsection (a)(3)) is amend17 ed— 

18 (A) by redesignating subsections (c) 

19 through (f) as subsections (b) through (e), re20 spectively; 

21 (B) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), 

22 in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (b) or 

23 (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a) or (b)’’; and 


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1 (C) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), 

2 in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘subsection (c)’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’. 

4 (3) Section 12512(b) of the Agriculture Im5 provement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 5856(b)) is 

6 amended— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘1501(c)’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘1502(b)’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘(7 U.S.C. 9081(c))’’. 

10 SEC. 1502. SUPPLEMENTAL AGRICULTURAL DISASTER AS11 SISTANCE. 

12 (a) LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM.—Section 

13 1502(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (as designated 

14 by section 1501(a)(3)) is amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding 

16 subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘during the time of 

17 the year that the livestock death losses occurred’’ 

18 after ‘‘normal mortality’’; 

19 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT RATES.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Indemnity payments 

23 to an eligible producer on a farm under para24 graph (1) shall be made at a rate of the appli25 cable percentage described in subparagraph (B) 


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1 of the market value of the affected livestock, as 

2 determined under subparagraph (C), on, as ap3 plicable— 

4 ‘‘(i) the day before the date of death 

5 of the livestock; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) the day before the date of the 

7 event that caused the harm to the livestock 

8 that resulted in a reduced sale price. 

9 ‘‘(B) PERCENTAGES.—The percentage re10 ferred to in subparagraph (A) is— 

11 ‘‘(i) in the case of a payment under 

12 paragraph (1)(A), 100 percent; or 

13 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a payment under 

14 subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (1), 

15 75 percent. 

16 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF MARKET VAL17 UES.—The Secretary shall determine the mar18 ket value of the affected livestock under sub19 paragraph (A)— 

20 ‘‘(i) in consultation with the Agricul21 tural Marketing Service; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) based on quarterly estimates of 

23 market values.’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) WEIGHT CATEGORIES.—For the purposes 

2 of establishing weight categories to carry out para3 graph (1), the Secretary shall establish categories 

4 with weights not less than those described in section 

5 1416.302 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as 

6 in effect on the date of enactment of this para7 graph), with respect to livestock described in section 

8 1501(4)(A). 

9 ‘‘(6) NORMAL MORTALITY FOR HONEY BEES.— 

10 In determining honey bee normal mortality, the Sec11 retary shall not include losses caused by colony col12 lapse disorder.’’. 

13 (b) EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR LIVESTOCK, 

14 HONEY BEES, AND FARM-RAISED FISH.—Section 

15 1502(c)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (as designated 

16 by section 1501(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘reduce 

17 losses’’ and all that follows through the period at the end 

18 and inserting the following: ‘‘reduce— 

19 ‘‘(A) losses caused by feed or water short20 ages (including, in the case of drought, trans21 portation costs for feed, water, livestock, and 

22 honey bees), disease, or other factors, as deter23 mined by the Secretary, including inspections of 

24 cattle tick fever; and 

25 ‘‘(B) winter stockpile grazing losses.’’. 


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1 (c) TREE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Section 1502(d) 

2 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (as designated by section 

3 1501(b)(2)(A)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or 

6 biennial’’ after ‘‘annual’’; 

7 (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘or 

8 pest’’ after ‘‘insect’’; and 

9 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

10 ‘‘bush, and vine’’ and inserting ‘‘a bush, a vine, 

11 and any other fruit-producing crop that is not 

12 planted on an annual basis, as determined by 

13 the Secretary’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter 

16 preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘carry out 

17 this subsection and’’ before ‘‘provide’’; and 

18 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘15 

19 percent (adjusted for normal mortality)’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘normal mortality’’; 

21 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

22 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

23 (A), by striking ‘‘(4) and (5)’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘(4), (5), and (6)’’; 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking 

2 ‘‘15 percent mortality (adjusted for normal 

3 mortality)’’ and inserting ‘‘normal mortality’’; 

4 and 

5 (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘15 

6 percent damage or mortality (adjusted for nor7 mal tree damage and mortality)’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘normal tree damage or mortality’’; and 

9 (4) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(5) PAYMENT RATE FOR COVERED PRO12 DUCERS.—Subject to paragraph (4), in the case of 

13 a covered producer, the Secretary shall provide reim14 bursement of 75 percent of the costs under subpara15 graphs (A)(i) and (B) of paragraph (3). 

16 ‘‘(6) TIMING REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible or17 chardist or nursery tree grower shall agree, as a 

18 condition on receipt of assistance under this sub19 section, to carry out any replacement and rehabilita20 tion activities for which such assistance is provided 

21 not later than— 

22 ‘‘(A) 2 years after the receipt of such as23 sistance; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) if the period specified in subpara2 graph (A) is not adequate, such time as is de3 termined by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(7) ALTERNATIVES USED IN REPLANTING.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible orchardist 

6 or nursery tree grower receiving assistance 

7 under this subsection with respect to tree loss 

8 may, with the approval of the Secretary, use 

9 such assistance to replant using— 

10 ‘‘(i) an alternative variety from the 

11 variety used prior to the loss; 

12 ‘‘(ii) an alternative crop from the crop 

13 planted prior to the loss; 

14 ‘‘(iii) an alternative stand density 

15 from the stand density used prior to the 

16 loss; and 

17 ‘‘(iv) an alternative location from the 

18 location used prior to the loss. 

19 ‘‘(B) COST SHARE LIMITATIONS WITH RE20 SPECT TO ALTERNATIVES.—The assistance pro21 vided by the Secretary to eligible orchardists 

22 and nursery tree growers— 

23 ‘‘(i) for a use described in subpara24 graph (A)(i) shall be in an amount that is 

25 not greater than the amount the eligible 


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1 orchardist or nursery tree grower would re2 ceive if the eligible orchardist or nursery 

3 tree grower replanted using the variety 

4 lost; 

5 ‘‘(ii) for a use described in subpara6 graph (A)(ii) shall be in an amount that is 

7 not greater than the amount the eligible 

8 orchardist or nursery tree grower would re9 ceive if the eligible orchardist or nursery 

10 tree grower replanted using the crop lost; 

11 ‘‘(iii) for a use described in subpara12 graph (A)(iii) shall be in an amount that 

13 is not greater than the amount the eligible 

14 orchardist or nursery tree grower would re15 ceive if the eligible orchardist or nursery 

16 tree grower replanted using the stand den17 sity lost; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) for a use described in subpara19 graph (A)(iv) shall be in an amount that 

20 is not greater than the amount the eligible 

21 orchardist or nursery tree grower would re22 ceive if the eligible orchardist or nursery 

23 tree grower replanted in the location in 

24 which the loss occurred.’’. 


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1 SEC. 1503. EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM. 

2 Subtitle E of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

3 9081 et seq.) (as amended by section 1501(a)) is amended 

4 by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 1503. EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM. 

6 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 ‘‘(1) COVERED CROP.—The term ‘covered crop’ 

8 means crops, trees, bushes, and vines. 

9 ‘‘(2) DISASTER.—The term ‘disaster’ means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a natural disaster designated by the 

11 Secretary under section 321(a) of the Consoli12 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

13 U.S.C. 1961(a)); 

14 ‘‘(B) a major disaster or emergency des15 ignated by the President under the Robert T. 

16 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist17 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); 

18 ‘‘(C) a quarantine imposed by the Sec19 retary under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 

20 7701 et seq.) or the animal quarantine laws (as 

21 defined in section 2509(f) of the Food, Agri22 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 

23 (21 U.S.C. 136a(f))); 

24 ‘‘(D) a physical loss notification by the Ad25 ministrator of the Farm Service Agency under 


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1 section 759.6(a)(2) of title 7, Code of Federal 

2 Regulations (or a successor regulation); or 

3 ‘‘(E) any other disruption outside of the 

4 control of an eligible producer on a farm that 

5 results in a significant loss of production or rev6 enue, as determined by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(3) EXPECTED CROP REVENUE.—The term 

8 ‘expected crop revenue’ means— 

9 ‘‘(A) in the case of covered crops insured 

10 under Federal Crop Insurance— 

11 ‘‘(i) the revenue used to calculate the 

12 liability for the Federal Crop Insurance; or 

13 ‘‘(ii) a higher amount, as determined 

14 by the Secretary, to reflect costs of produc15 tion that exceed the insured value of the 

16 covered crop; 

17 ‘‘(B) in the case of covered crops covered 

18 under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance 

19 Program— 

20 ‘‘(i) the revenue used to calculate the 

21 liability for the coverage; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) a higher amount, as determined 

23 by the Secretary, to reflect costs of produc24 tion that exceed the coverage for the cov25 ered crop; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) in the case of covered crops that are 

2 neither insured under Federal Crop Insurance 

3 nor covered under the Noninsured Crop Dis4 aster Assistance Program, the expected revenue 

5 for the covered crop, as determined by the Sec6 retary, which the Secretary may adjust to re7 flect costs of production that exceed the ex8 pected revenue for the covered crop. 

9 ‘‘(4) FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE.—The term 

10 ‘Federal Crop Insurance’ means any crop insurance 

11 program, policy, or plan of insurance under the Fed12 eral Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.). 

13 ‘‘(5) NET CROP INSURANCE INDEMNITY.—The 

14 term ‘net crop insurance indemnity’ means the dif15 ference between— 

16 ‘‘(A) the indemnity paid to an eligible pro17 ducer on a farm under Federal Crop Insurance; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(B) the cost to the eligible producer on a 

20 farm for that Federal Crop Insurance. 

21 ‘‘(6) NET NONINSURED CROP DISASTER ASSIST22 ANCE PROGRAM PAYMENT.—The term ‘net non23 insured crop disaster assistance program payment’ 

24 means the difference between— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the payment received by an eligible 

2 producer on a farm for coverage under the 

3 Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(B) the cost to the eligible producer on a 

6 farm for that coverage. 

7 ‘‘(7) NONINSURED CROP DISASTER ASSISTANCE

8 PROGRAM.—The term ‘Noninsured Crop Disaster 

9 Assistance Program’ means the program under sec10 tion 196 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement 

11 and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333). 

12 ‘‘(8) QUALIFIED LOSS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘qualified 

14 loss’ means a production or value loss in a cov15 ered crop incurred by an eligible producer on a 

16 farm as a consequence of a disaster. 

17 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘qualified 

18 loss’ includes— 

19 ‘‘(i) a loss incurred by an eligible pro20 ducer on a farm as a result of being pre21 vented from planting a crop due to a dis22 aster; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a loss in the quality of a crop, 

24 trees, bushes, or vines due to a disaster; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) a loss in the quality of a crop 

2 (including wine grapes), trees, bushes, or 

3 vines due to smoke exposure from a wild4 fire. 

5 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab6 lish a program under which the Secretary shall provide 

7 payments during each crop year to eligible producers on 

8 farms that experienced a qualified loss during the crop 

9 year. 

10 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

12 payment under this section for a crop year, an eligi13 ble producer on a farm shall submit to the Secretary 

14 an application at such time, in such manner, and 

15 containing such information as the Secretary may 

16 require, including a description of each qualified loss 

17 incurred by the eligible producer on a farm during 

18 the crop year. 

19 ‘‘(2) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall approve 

20 an application submitted by an eligible producer on 

21 a farm under paragraph (1) if the application dem22 onstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that 

23 the eligible producer on a farm has incurred a quali24 fied loss during the applicable crop year. 

25 ‘‘(d) PROVISION OF PAYMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

2 to each eligible producer on a farm the application 

3 of whom is approved under subsection (c)(2) a pay4 ment for the applicable crop year, in accordance 

5 with subsection (e). 

6 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT TO PURCHASE INSUR7 ANCE.—As a condition of receiving a payment under 

8 this section, an eligible producer on a farm shall 

9 purchase, for each of the 2 succeeding crop years for 

10 each crop for which the eligible producer on a farm 

11 received a payment— 

12 ‘‘(A) Federal Crop Insurance, if available; 

13 or 

14 ‘‘(B) if Federal Crop Insurance is not 

15 available, coverage under the Noninsured Crop 

16 Disaster Assistance Program. 

17 ‘‘(e) CALCULATION OF PAYMENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) 

19 and subsection (f), the amount of a payment pro20 vided to an eligible producer on a farm under sub21 section (d)(1) shall be equal to— 

22 ‘‘(A) in the case of a covered crop insured 

23 under Federal Crop Insurance, the product ob24 tained by multiplying— 

25 ‘‘(i) the difference between— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the share of the eligible pro2 ducer on a farm of 95 percent of the 

3 expected crop revenue for the covered 

4 crop for the crop year; and 

5 ‘‘(II) the sum obtained by add6 ing— 

7 ‘‘(aa) the share of the eligi8 ble producer on a farm of the ac9 tual revenue for the covered crop 

10 for the crop year; 

11 ‘‘(bb) the net crop insurance 

12 indemnity; 

13 ‘‘(cc) any payments made to 

14 the eligible producer on a farm 

15 under subtitle A with respect to 

16 the base acres on which the cov17 ered crop was planted or pre18 vented from being planted; 

19 ‘‘(dd) any payments made to 

20 the eligible producer on a farm or 

21 on behalf of the eligible producer 

22 on a farm under subtitle B with 

23 respect to the covered crop for 

24 the crop year; and 


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1 ‘‘(ee) any payments made to 

2 the eligible producer on a farm 

3 under section 1502 for the crop 

4 for the crop year; by 

5 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a Federal Crop In6 surance coverage level purchased by the el7 igible producer on a farm that is— 

8 ‘‘(I) catastrophic coverage, 75 

9 percent; 

10 ‘‘(II) more than catastrophic cov11 erage and less than 55 percent cov12 erage, 80 percent; 

13 ‘‘(III) not less than 55 percent 

14 coverage and less than 60 percent cov15 erage, 82.5 percent; 

16 ‘‘(IV) not less than 60 percent 

17 coverage and less than 65 percent cov18 erage, 85 percent; 

19 ‘‘(V) not less than 65 percent 

20 coverage and less than 70 percent cov21 erage, 87.5 percent; 

22 ‘‘(VI) not less than 70 percent 

23 coverage and less than 75 percent cov24 erage, 90 percent; 


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1 ‘‘(VII) not less than 75 percent 

2 coverage and less than 80 percent cov3 erage, 92.5 percent; or 

4 ‘‘(VIII) not less than 80 percent 

5 coverage, 95 percent; 

6 ‘‘(B) in the case of a covered crop covered 

7 under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance 

8 Program, the product obtained by multi9 plying— 

10 ‘‘(i) the difference between— 

11 ‘‘(I) the share of the eligible pro12 ducer on a farm of 95 percent of the 

13 expected crop revenue for the covered 

14 crop for the crop year; and 

15 ‘‘(II) the sum obtained by add16 ing— 

17 ‘‘(aa) the share of the eligi18 ble producer on a farm of the ac19 tual revenue for the covered crop 

20 for the crop year; 

21 ‘‘(bb) the net noninsured 

22 crop disaster assistance program 

23 payment; 

24 ‘‘(cc) any payments made to 

25 the eligible producer on a farm 


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1 under subtitle A with respect to 

2 the base acres on which the cov3 ered crop was planted or pre4 vented from being planted; 

5 ‘‘(dd) any payments made to 

6 the eligible producer on a farm or 

7 on behalf of the eligible producer 

8 on a farm under subtitle B with 

9 respect to the covered crop for 

10 the crop year; and 

11 ‘‘(ee) any payments made to 

12 the eligible producer on a farm 

13 under section 1502 for the crop 

14 for the crop year; by 

15 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a Noninsured Crop 

16 Disaster Assistance Program coverage level 

17 purchased by the eligible producer on a 

18 farm that is— 

19 ‘‘(I) catastrophic coverage, 75 

20 percent; 

21 ‘‘(II) more than catastrophic cov22 erage and less than 60 percent cov23 erage, 80 percent; 


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1 ‘‘(III) not less than 60 percent 

2 coverage and less than 70 percent cov3 erage, 85 percent; 

4 ‘‘(IV) not less than 70 percent 

5 coverage and less than 75 percent cov6 erage, 90 percent; or 

7 ‘‘(V) not less than 75 percent 

8 coverage, 95 percent; or 

9 ‘‘(C) in the case of a covered crop that is 

10 neither insured under Federal Crop Insurance 

11 nor covered under the Noninsured Crop Dis12 aster Assistance Program— 

13 ‘‘(i) subject to clause (ii), the product 

14 obtained by multiplying— 

15 ‘‘(I) the difference between— 

16 ‘‘(aa) the share of the eligi17 ble producer on a farm of 95 per18 cent of the expected crop revenue 

19 for the covered crop for the crop 

20 year; and 

21 ‘‘(bb) the sum obtained by 

22 adding— 

23 ‘‘(AA) the share of the 

24 eligible producer on a farm 

25 of the actual revenue for the 


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1 covered crop for the crop 

2 year; 

3 ‘‘(BB) any payments 

4 made to the eligible pro5 ducer on a farm under sub6 title A with respect to the 

7 base acres on which the cov8 ered commodity was planted 

9 or prevented from being 

10 planted; 

11 ‘‘(CC) any payments 

12 made to the eligible pro13 ducer on a farm or on behalf 

14 of the eligible producer on a 

15 farm under subtitle B with 

16 respect to the covered crop 

17 for the crop year; and 

18 ‘‘(DD) any payments 

19 made to the eligible pro20 ducer on a farm under sec21 tion 1502 for the crop for 

22 the crop year; by 

23 ‘‘(II) 70 percent; or 

24 ‘‘(ii) if the eligible producer on a farm 

25 is in an area that is not adequately served 


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1 (as defined in section 508(a)(7)(A) of the 

2 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

3 1508(a)(7)(A))) or is an underserved pro4 ducer (as defined in that section), the 

5 product obtained by multiplying— 

6 ‘‘(I) the sum obtained by add7 ing— 

8 ‘‘(aa) the share of the eligi9 ble producer on a farm of the ac10 tual revenue for the covered crop 

11 for the crop year; 

12 ‘‘(bb) any payments made to 

13 the eligible producer on a farm 

14 under subtitle A with respect to 

15 the base acres on which the cov16 ered crop was planted or pre17 vented from being planted; 

18 ‘‘(cc) any payments made to 

19 the eligible producer on a farm or 

20 on behalf of the eligible producer 

21 on a farm under subtitle B with 

22 respect to the covered crop for 

23 the crop year; and 

24 ‘‘(dd) any payments made to 

25 the eligible producer on a farm 


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1 under section 1502 for the crop 

2 for the crop year; by 

3 ‘‘(II) 75 percent. 

4 ‘‘(2) VERTICAL INTEGRATION FOR PRODUCERS

5 OF WINE GRAPES.—In the case of a producer of 

6 wine grapes that uses not less than 75 percent of 

7 the grapes to produce wine at a facility owned by the 

8 producer, the amount of a payment provided to the 

9 producer under subsection (d)(1) shall be calculated 

10 under paragraph (1) based on the market rate for 

11 wine grapes at the time of calculation, in lieu of the 

12 revenue of the producer. 

13 ‘‘(f) LIMITATIONS.—For each crop year— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

15 an eligible producer on a farm may receive payments 

16 under subsection (d)(1) in an amount equal to not 

17 more than— 

18 ‘‘(A) $500,000 for the specialty covered 

19 crops and high-value covered crops of the eligi20 ble producer on a farm, as determined by the 

21 Secretary; and 

22 ‘‘(B) $250,000 for the covered crops of the 

23 eligible producer on a farm not described in 

24 subparagraph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(2) REDUCED LIMITATIONS.—If the amount 

2 made available to make payments under subsection 

3 (d)(1) for a crop year is insufficient to pay all eligi4 ble producers on farms that are eligible for pay5 ments under that subsection the amount calculated 

6 under subsection (e), as limited by paragraph (1), 

7 the Secretary shall reduce the limitations described 

8 in that paragraph in a manner such that the max9 imum number of those eligible producers on farms 

10 receive 100 percent of the amount calculated under 

11 subsection (e). 

12 ‘‘(g) TIMING.—The Secretary shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) estimate the percentage of qualified losses 

14 that will be paid from the amount made available to 

15 make payments under subsection (d)(1) for a crop 

16 year; 

17 ‘‘(2) using the estimate under paragraph (1), 

18 provide partial payments as soon as practicable after 

19 receipt and approval of an application under sub20 section (c); and 

21 ‘‘(3) make final payments under subsection 

22 (d)(1) for the crop year as soon as practicable after 

23 all applications submitted under subsection (c) have 

24 been approved, modified, or rejected. 

25 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

2 appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are nec3 essary to carry out this section for each of fiscal 

4 years 2025 through 2029. 

5 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the amount 

6 made available under paragraph (1) for each fiscal 

7 year, the Secretary may use not more than 1 percent 

8 to pay the administrative costs of the Secretary.’’. 

9 Subtitle F—Noninsured Crop 

10 Assistance 

11 SEC. 1601. NONINSURED CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 196 of the Federal Agri13 culture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 

14 7333) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

17 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

18 by inserting ‘‘or whole farm revenue in ac19 cordance with clause (ii)’’ before ‘‘equiva20 lent to’’; 

21 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘65’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘75’’; 

23 (iii) by redesignating clauses (i) and 

24 (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, 

25 and indenting appropriately; 


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1 (iv) in the matter preceding subclause 

2 (I) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘In 

3 the case’’ and inserting the following: 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case’’; and 

5 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(ii) OPTION FOR WHOLE FARM REV7 ENUE COVERAGE FOR BEGINNING FARM8 ERS AND RANCHERS.— 

9 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Notwith10 standing any other provision of law, 

11 the Secretary shall provide the option 

12 for a beginning farmer or rancher (as 

13 defined in section 502(b) of the Fed14 eral Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

15 1502(b))), during the first 5 years of 

16 operation of a farm or ranch, to pur17 chase coverage under the program 

18 under this section for the revenue of 

19 the entire farming or ranching oper20 ation, similar to whole farm revenue 

21 protection and micro farm. 

22 ‘‘(II) SOURCES FOR REVENUE

23 GUARANTEE.—Under the coverage 

24 provided under subclause (I), the Sec25 retary— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) shall prioritize the use 

2 of farm or ranch revenue projec3 tions from a business plan ac4 ceptable to the lender of the be5 ginning farmer or rancher; and 

6 ‘‘(bb) may use to establish a 

7 revenue guarantee alternative 

8 sources of information that the 

9 Secretary determines to be suffi10 cient for establishing a revenue 

11 guarantee under a whole farm 

12 revenue or micro farm plan of in13 surance in accordance with sub14 section (b)(4)(C), such as— 

15 ‘‘(AA) financial records 

16 of the prior operator; 

17 ‘‘(BB) production con18 tracts and records; and 

19 ‘‘(CC) other sources, as 

20 determined by the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(III) INELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER

22 POLICIES.—A producer that obtains 

23 coverage provided under subclause (I) 

24 shall be ineligible to purchase a whole 

25 farm revenue protection or micro farm 


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1 policy through the Federal crop insur2 ance program to cover the same 

3 risk.’’; and 

4 (B) in subparagraph (C)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘program that—’’ in 

6 the matter preceding clause (i) and all that 

7 follows through ‘‘best facilitates’’ in clause 

8 (i) and inserting the following: ‘‘program— 

9 ‘‘(i) to best facilitate’’; 

10 (ii) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

11 the end; 

12 (iii) by redesignating clause (ii) as 

13 clause (iv); 

14 (iv) by inserting after clause (i) the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(ii) to ensure that the data are 

17 transferred by the Farm Service Agency 

18 and processed by the Risk Management 

19 Agency for the purpose of facilitating the 

20 use of historical production records for 

21 Federal crop insurance policies; 

22 ‘‘(iii) to ensure that the data are 

23 available in a non-personally-identifiable 

24 format consistent with section 502(c) of 

25 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 


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1 1502(c)) to private developers of Federal 

2 crop insurance policies for the purpose of 

3 creating new Federal crop insurance poli4 cies or endorsements or expanding the 

5 availability of an existing Federal crop in6 surance policy or endorsement; and’’; and 

7 (v) in clause (iv) (as so redesignated), 

8 by striking ‘‘ensures’’ and inserting ‘‘to en9 sure’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b)(4)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in12 serting the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

14 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.— 

16 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION OF UNDERSERVED

17 PRODUCER.—In this subparagraph, the 

18 term ‘underserved producer’ means— 

19 ‘‘(I) a limited resource farmer or 

20 rancher, as defined by the Secretary; 

21 ‘‘(II) a beginning farmer or 

22 rancher, as defined by the Secretary; 

23 ‘‘(III) a veteran farmer or ranch24 er, as defined by the Secretary; and 


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1 ‘‘(IV) a socially disadvantaged 

2 farmer or rancher, as defined by the 

3 Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary 

5 shall ensure that an underserved producer 

6 is automatically offered an opportunity to 

7 enroll in catastrophic coverage under sub8 section (a)(1)(A)(i)(I) by completing an 

9 application unless the underserved pro10 ducer opts out— 

11 ‘‘(I) at the time that the pro12 ducer is identified as an underserved 

13 producer; or 

14 ‘‘(II) as part of an application 

15 for another program administered by 

16 the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(C) WHOLE FARM REVENUE AND MICRO

18 FARM PLANS OF INSURANCE.—In the case of 

19 diverse production systems that are eligible 

20 under the plans described in paragraphs (7) 

21 and (18) of section 522(c) of the Federal Crop 

22 Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)), the Sec23 retary shall establish a streamlined process for 

24 submission of records or acreage reports under 

25 paragraphs (2) and (3) specifically designed to 


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1 assist producers to graduate on a voluntary 

2 basis to the whole farm revenue or micro farm 

3 plan of insurance by establishing the requisite 

4 actual production history through participation 

5 in the program under this section.’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (c)(2), by adding at the end 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(C) COMMUNITY DITCHES.— 

9 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY

10 DITCH.—In this subparagraph, the term 

11 ‘community ditch’ means a private, unin12 corporated or cooperative irrigation ditch 

13 system, including an acequia or an unin14 corporated mutual ditch company. 

15 ‘‘(ii) CAUSES OF LOSS.—On making a 

16 determination described in subsection 

17 (a)(3) for producers that rely on a commu18 nity ditch, the Secretary shall provide as19 sistance under this section to those pro20 ducers from all losses suffered as a result 

21 of the causes described in subsection 

22 (a)(3).’’; 

23 (4) in subsection (i)(2)(B), by striking 

24 ‘‘$300,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,000,000’’; and 

25 (5) in subsection (l)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)(I), by striking 

2 ‘‘65’’ and inserting ‘‘75’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara4 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(B) in the case of additional coverage 

6 that is— 

7 ‘‘(i) not less than 50 percent and not 

8 more than 65 percent, the lesser of— 

9 ‘‘(I) the sum of the premiums for 

10 each eligible crop, with the premium 

11 for each eligible crop obtained by mul12 tiplying— 

13 ‘‘(aa) the number of acres 

14 devoted to the eligible crop; 

15 ‘‘(bb) the yield, as deter16 mined by the Secretary under 

17 subsection (e); 

18 ‘‘(cc) the coverage level 

19 elected by the producer; 

20 ‘‘(dd) the average market 

21 price, as determined by the Sec22 retary; 

23 ‘‘(ee) a 5.25-percent pre24 mium fee; and 


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1 ‘‘(ff) the producer’s share of 

2 the crop; and 

3 ‘‘(II) the product obtained by 

4 multiplying— 

5 ‘‘(aa) a 5.25-percent pre6 mium fee; and 

7 ‘‘(bb) the applicable pay8 ment limit; 

9 ‘‘(ii) not less than 65 percent but not 

10 more than 70 percent, the lesser of— 

11 ‘‘(I) the sum of the premiums for 

12 each eligible crop, with the premium 

13 for each eligible crop obtained by mul14 tiplying— 

15 ‘‘(aa) the number of acres 

16 devoted to the eligible crop; 

17 ‘‘(bb) the yield, as deter18 mined by the Secretary under 

19 subsection (e); 

20 ‘‘(cc) the coverage level 

21 elected by the producer; 

22 ‘‘(dd) the average market 

23 price, as determined by the Sec24 retary; 


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1 ‘‘(ee) a 6.43-percent pre2 mium fee; and 

3 ‘‘(ff) the producer’s share of 

4 the crop; and 

5 ‘‘(II) the product obtained by 

6 multiplying— 

7 ‘‘(aa) a 6.43-percent pre8 mium fee; and 

9 ‘‘(bb) the applicable pay10 ment limit; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) not less than 70 percent but not 

12 more than 75 percent, the lesser of— 

13 ‘‘(I) the sum of the premiums for 

14 each eligible crop, with the premium 

15 for each eligible crop obtained by mul16 tiplying— 

17 ‘‘(aa) the number of acres 

18 devoted to the eligible crop; 

19 ‘‘(bb) the yield, as deter20 mined by the secretary under 

21 subsection (e); 

22 ‘‘(cc) the coverage level 

23 elected by the producer; 


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1 ‘‘(dd) the average market 

2 price, as determined by the Sec3 retary; 

4 ‘‘(ee) a 6.64-percent pre5 mium fee; and 

6 ‘‘(ff) the producer’s share of 

7 the crop; and 

8 ‘‘(II) the product obtained by 

9 multiplying— 

10 ‘‘(aa) a 6.64-percent pre11 mium fee; and 

12 ‘‘(bb) the applicable pay13 ment limit.’’; 

14 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

15 paragraph (4); and 

16 (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(3) PREMIUM REDUCTION.—The premium 

19 amount determined for a producer under paragraph 

20 (2) shall be reduced by the same percentage as the 

21 percentage reduction in payments for the crop year 

22 under a sequestration order issued under the Bal23 anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 

24 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) or the Statutory Pay25 As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 931 et seq.).’’. 


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1 Subtitle G—Administration 

2 SEC. 1701. REGULATIONS. 

3 Section 1601(c)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

4 (7 U.S.C. 9091(c)(2)) is amended, in the matter preceding 

5 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and section 10109 of that 

6 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘section 10109 of that Act, and title 

7 I of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024 

8 and the amendments made by that title’’. 

9 SEC. 1702. SUSPENSION OF PERMANENT PRICE SUPPORT 

10 AUTHORITY. 

11 Section 1602 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

12 U.S.C. 9092) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place 

13 it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 1703. INELIGIBILITY OF LAND OWNED BY FOREIGN 

15 PERSONS FOR PROGRAM BENEFITS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1001C of the Food Secu17 rity Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘United States or’’ and in20 serting ‘‘United States,’’; 

21 (B) by inserting ‘‘, or an alien who has ap22 plied for employment authorization and is au23 thorized to accept employment pursuant to sec24 tion 274a.12(c)(33) of title 8, Code of Federal 


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1 Regulations (or a successor regulation),’’ after 

2 ‘‘(8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.)’’; and 

3 (C) by striking ‘‘, unless such person is an 

4 individual who is providing land, capital, and a 

5 substantial amount of personal labor in the pro6 duction of crops on such farm’’; and 

7 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(d) LAND OWNED BY FOREIGN PERSONS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A person or legal entity 

10 shall not be eligible to receive any payment under 

11 section 1116 or 1117 of the Agricultural Act of 

12 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9016, 9017) with respect to land 

13 that is owned by— 

14 ‘‘(A) any person who is not— 

15 ‘‘(i) a citizen of the United States; 

16 ‘‘(ii) an alien lawfully admitted into 

17 the United States for permanent residence 

18 under the Immigration and Nationality Act 

19 (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.); or 

20 ‘‘(iii) an alien who has applied for em21 ployment authorization and is authorized 

22 to accept employment pursuant to section 

23 274a.12(c)(33) of title 8, Code of Federal 

24 Regulations (or a successor regulation); or 


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1 ‘‘(B) a corporation or other entity more 

2 than 10 percent of the beneficial ownership of 

3 which is held by persons described in subpara4 graph (A). 

5 ‘‘(2) PROPORTIONATE OWNERSHIP.—Notwith6 standing paragraph (1), with respect to land deter7 mined to be ineligible for payments under that para8 graph, the Secretary may make payments under sec9 tions 1116 and 1117 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

10 (7 U.S.C. 9016, 9017) in an amount determined by 

11 the Secretary to be representative of the percentage 

12 interests of the land that is owned by— 

13 ‘‘(A) citizens of the United States; 

14 ‘‘(B) aliens lawfully admitted into the 

15 United States for permanent residence under 

16 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

17 1101 et seq.); or 

18 ‘‘(C) aliens who have applied for employ19 ment authorization and are authorized to accept 

20 employment pursuant to section 274a.12(c)(33) 

21 of title 8, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

22 successor regulation).’’. 

23 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 

24 section shall apply beginning with the 2025 crop, fiscal, 

25 or marketing year, as appropriate. 


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1 SEC. 1704. ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME LIMITATION. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1001D of the Food Secu3 rity Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3a) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘In this 

6 section,’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as otherwise 

7 provided in this subsection, in this section,’’; 

8 and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(4) ADJUSTMENT.—Any income received by a 

11 person or legal entity that is a landowner of eligible 

12 land (as defined in section 1265A) as compensation 

13 for the purchase of an agricultural land easement or 

14 a wetland reserve easement on that eligible land 

15 under subtitle H of title XII shall be excluded from 

16 adjusted gross income for purposes of this section 

17 for the taxable year for which the person or legal en18 tity receives such compensation.’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (b), by striking paragraphs 

20 (1) through (3) and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) COMMODITY POLICY.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

23 other provision of law, a person or legal entity 

24 shall not be eligible to receive a payment or 

25 benefit under subtitle A of title I of the Agricul26 tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9011 et seq.) for 


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1 a crop year if the average adjusted gross in2 come of the person or legal entity exceeds 

3 $700,000. 

4 ‘‘(B) LAND.—Notwithstanding any other 

5 provision of law, a person or legal entity (except 

6 an underserved farmer of covered commodities 

7 (as defined in subsection (b)(1) of section 1112 

8 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

9 9012))) shall not be eligible to receive a pay10 ment or benefit under subtitle A of title I of 

11 that Act (7 U.S.C. 9011 et seq.) for a crop year 

12 with respect to land that is owned by a person 

13 or legal entity the average adjusted gross in14 come of which exceeds $700,000. 

15 ‘‘(2) MARKETING ASSISTANCE LOAN BENE16 FITS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

17 a person or legal entity shall not be eligible to re18 ceive a marketing loan gain, a loan deficiency pay19 ment, or a certificate in lieu of a cash payment 

20 under subtitle B of title I of the Agricultural Act of 

21 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9031 et seq.) for a crop or mar22 keting year, as appropriate, if the average adjusted 

23 gross income of the person or legal entity exceeds 

24 $700,000. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SUPPLEMENTAL AGRICULTURAL DISASTER

2 ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

4 subparagraphs (B) and (C), notwithstanding 

5 any other provision of law, a person or legal en6 tity shall not be eligible to receive a payment or 

7 benefit under subtitle E of title I of the Agri8 cultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081) for a fis9 cal year if the average adjusted gross income of 

10 the person or legal entity exceeds $700,000. 

11 ‘‘(B) SPECIALTY AND HIGH-VALUE

12 CROPS.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

13 of law, a person or legal entity that produces 

14 specialty or high-value crops, as determined by 

15 the Secretary, shall not be eligible for a pay16 ment or benefit under subtitle E of title I of the 

17 Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081) for a 

18 fiscal year if the average adjusted gross income 

19 of the person or legal entity exceeds 

20 $1,500,000. 

21 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

22 the limitation established by subparagraph (A) 

23 or (B) with respect to a person or legal entity 

24 that is an economically distressed producer, as 

25 determined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(4) CONSERVATION BENEFITS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

3 subparagraphs (B) and (C), notwithstanding 

4 any other provision of law, if the average ad5 justed gross income of a person or legal entity 

6 exceeds $700,000, the person or legal entity 

7 shall not be eligible to receive a payment or 

8 benefit for a fiscal year under— 

9 ‘‘(i) title II of the Agriculture Im10 provement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115– 

11 334; 132 Stat. 4530); 

12 ‘‘(ii) title II of the Agricultural Act of 

13 2014 (Public Law 113–79; 128 Stat. 713); 

14 ‘‘(iii) title II of the Food, Conserva15 tion, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 

16 110–246; 122 Stat. 1753); 

17 ‘‘(iv) title II of the Farm Security and 

18 Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Public Law 

19 107–171; 116 Stat. 223); or 

20 ‘‘(v) title XII of this Act. 

21 ‘‘(B) SPECIALTY AND HIGH-VALUE

22 CROPS.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

23 of law, a person or legal entity that produces 

24 specialty or high-value crops, as determined by 

25 the Secretary, shall not be eligible to receive a 


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1 payment or benefit under any provision of law 

2 described in clauses (i) through (v) of subpara3 graph (A) for a fiscal year if the average ad4 justed gross income of the person or legal entity 

5 exceeds $1,500,000. 

6 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

7 the limitation established by subparagraph (A) 

8 or (B), on a case-by-case basis, if the Secretary 

9 determines that environmentally sensitive land 

10 of special significance would be protected as a 

11 result of such waiver. 

12 ‘‘(5) AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT ASSIST13 ANCE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

14 a person or legal entity shall not be eligible to re15 ceive a payment or benefit under section 524(b) of 

16 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(b)) 

17 for a fiscal year if the average adjusted gross income 

18 of the person or legal entity exceeds $700,000.’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (c)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

22 (I) by striking ‘‘Secretary that 

23 the average’’ and inserting the fol24 lowing: ‘‘Secretary that— 

25 ‘‘(i) the average’’; and 


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1 (II) by striking ‘‘subsection; or’’ 

2 in clause (i) (as so designated) and in3 serting the following: ‘‘subsection; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) in the case of payments received 

5 by the person or legal entity under subtitle 

6 A of title I of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

7 (7 U.S.C. 9011 et seq.), the average ad8 justed gross income of the person or legal 

9 entity that owns the land with respect to 

10 which the payments are provided does not 

11 exceed the limitation specified in sub12 section (b)(1)(B); or’’; and 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

14 ‘‘described in clause (i) or (ii), as applica15 ble, of subparagraph (A)’’ after ‘‘person or 

16 legal entity’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub18 section (b)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; 

19 and 

20 (4) in subsection (d)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

2 striking ‘‘subsection (b)(2) made in’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘subsection (b) made for’’; and 

4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) APPLICABILITY TO LAND LIMITATION.—In 

6 the case of a payment or benefit described in sub7 section (b)(1)(B) made for a crop year to a person 

8 or legal entity, in addition to any reduction under 

9 paragraph (1), the amount of the payment shall be 

10 reduced by an amount that is commensurate with 

11 the direct and indirect ownership interest in the ap12 plicable land of each person or legal entity that has 

13 an average adjusted gross income in excess of the 

14 limitation specified in that subsection.’’. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

16 (1) Section 1001(e)(1) of the Food Security Act 

17 of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308(e)(1)) is amended by strik18 ing ‘‘paragraphs (1)(C) and (2)(B) of section 

19 1001D(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1001D(b)’’. 

20 (2) Section 1240H(c)(3)(B)(i) of the Food Se21 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(c)(3)(B)(i)) 

22 is amended, in the matter preceding subclause (I), 

23 by striking ‘‘1001D(b)(1)’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘1001D(b)(4)’’. 


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1 (3) Section 1241(i)(2)(C) of the Food Security 

2 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(i)(2)(C)) is amended 

3 by striking ‘‘1001D(b)(3)’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘1001D(b)(4)(B)’’. 

5 (4) Section 1271B(f) of the Food Security Act 

6 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871b(f)) is amended by strik7 ing ‘‘1001D(b)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘1001D(b)(4)’’. 

8 (5) Section 1271C(c)(3) of the Food Security 

9 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871c(c)(3)) is amended by 

10 striking ‘‘1001D(b)(2)’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘1001D(b)(4)’’. 

12 (6) Section 196(i) of the Federal Agriculture 

13 Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 

14 7333(i)) is amended— 

15 (A) by striking paragraph (4); 

16 (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as 

17 paragraph (4); and 

18 (C) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), 

19 in subparagraph (B)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘through 1001D’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘through 1001C’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘1308 et seq.’’ and in23 serting ‘‘1308 through 1308–3’’. 


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1 (7) Section 2507(c)(2)(E) of the Farm Security 

2 and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (16 U.S.C. 

3 3839bb–6(c)(2)(E)) is amended— 

4 (A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

5 end; 

6 (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at 

7 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(iv) benefits under section 196 of the 

10 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Re11 form Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333).’’. 

12 (c) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 

13 section shall apply beginning with the 2025 crop, fiscal, 

14 or marketing year, as appropriate. 

15 SEC. 1705. FARM PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION COORDINA16 TION. 

17 Section 1614 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

18 U.S.C. 9097) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘as adjusted 

20 pursuant to sections 1112 and 1113’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘as adjusted, increased, or reduced pursuant to sec22 tions 1112 and 1113’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

25 the end; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking pe2 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(5) direct the Farm Service Agency to engage 

5 with the Office of Customer Service and the Office 

6 of Digital Services to facilitate efforts under this 

7 subsection.’’; 

8 (3) in subsection (d)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘pursuant 2 U.S.C. 

11 901(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘pursuant to section 

12 251(a) of the Balanced Budget and Emer13 gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 

14 U.S.C. 901(a))’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘such sums as’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘such sums as are’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘repayment provisions 

19 of subtitles B or C’’ and inserting ‘‘provi20 sions of subtitles B and C relating to re21 payment’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘under subtitles B or 

23 C’’ and inserting ‘‘under subtitle B or C’’; 

24 and 


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1 (4) in subsection (f), in the matter preceding 

2 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘2029’’. 

4 SEC. 1706. LEGAL ENTITIES. 

5 Section 1001(a)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

6 (7 U.S.C. 1308(a)(3)) is amended, in the matter preceding 

7 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Federal or State law’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘Federal, State, or Tribal law’’. 

9 SEC. 1707. GEOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS 

10 AND RANCHERS. 

11 Section 1621(c)(3)(B) of the Food, Conservation, 

12 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8792(c)(3)(B)) is 

13 amended by striking ‘‘$15,000,000’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘$20,000,000’’. 

15 SEC. 1708. LIMITATION ON COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORA16 TION AUTHORITY. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 5 of the 

18 Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 

19 714c), during fiscal years 2025 through 2030, the Com20 modity Credit Corporation is authorized to use its general 

21 powers only to carry out operations as Congress may spe22 cifically authorize or provide for. 

23 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in sub24 section (a) shall be construed to impact funds obligated 


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1 or transferred to the Secretary before the date of enact2 ment of this Act. 

3 (c) SCORING.—For purposes of preparing a cost esti4 mate of this section, the Director of the Congressional 

5 Budget Office shall assume that the discretionary spend6 ing under section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation 

7 Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714c) for each of fiscal years 2024 

8 through 2033 shall be equal to $6,700,000,000. 

9 Subtitle H—Emergency Assistance 

10 SEC. 1801. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 

11 (a) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred12 it Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this 

13 section $2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 to reimburse 

14 producers for not more than $20,000 of— 

15 (1) premiums paid by a producer under a policy 

16 or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insur17 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) for the 2024 rein18 surance year; 

19 (2) fees paid by a producer under the non20 insured crop disaster assistance program established 

21 by section 196 of the Federal Agriculture Improve22 ment and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333) for 

23 the 2024 crop year; or 

24 (3) a combination thereof. 


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1 (b) SPECIAL RULE FOR PROGRAM INTERACTION.— 

2 The Secretary shall include any amounts received by a 

3 producer under subsection (a) in determining the net crop 

4 insurance indemnity or the net noninsured crop disaster 

5 assistance program payment for emergency relief program 

6 payments under section 1503 of the Agricultural Act of 

7 2014 for the 2024 crop year. 

8 TITLE II—CONSERVATION 

9 SEC. 2001. DEFINITIONS. 

10 Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

11 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (15), (16), 

13 (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), 

14 (26), and (27) as paragraphs (16), (17), (18), (20), 

15 (21), (24), (25), (26), (27), (28), (29), (31), and 

16 (32), respectively; 

17 (2) by striking paragraph (14) and inserting 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(14) INDIAN LAND; TRIBAL LAND.—The terms 

20 ‘Indian land’ and ‘Tribal land’ mean land that is— 

21 ‘‘(A) held in trust by the United States for 

22 the benefit of an Indian Tribe or one or more 

23 individual members of an Indian Tribe; 

24 ‘‘(B) held by an Indian Tribe or one or 

25 more individual members of an Indian Tribe, 


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1 subject to a restriction against alienation or en2 cumbrance by operation of Federal law; 

3 ‘‘(C) held in fee by an Indian Tribe or one 

4 or more individual members of an Indian Tribe; 

5 ‘‘(D) Hawaiian Home Lands (as defined in 

6 section 801 of the Native American Housing 

7 Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 

8 (25 U.S.C. 4221)); 

9 ‘‘(E) held by a majority-owned Tribal enti10 ty or corporation that provides services con11 sistent with the purposes of a program estab12 lished under this title; or 

13 ‘‘(F) any combination of the types of land 

14 described in subparagraphs (A) through (E). 

15 ‘‘(15) INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms ‘Indian tribe’ 

16 and ‘Indian Tribe’ mean any Indian or Alaska Na17 tive tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, 

18 component band, or component reservation, individ19 ually identified (including parenthetically) in the list 

20 published pursuant to section 104 of the Federally 

21 Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 

22 U.S.C. 5131).’’; 

23 (3) by inserting after paragraph (18) (as so re24 designated) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(19) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

2 term ‘Native Hawaiian organization’ has the mean3 ing given the term in section 6207 of the Elemen4 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

5 U.S.C. 7517).’’; 

6 (4) by inserting after paragraph (21) (as so re7 designated) the following: 

8 ‘‘(22) PRECISION AGRICULTURE.—The term 

9 ‘precision agriculture’ means managing, tracking, or 

10 reducing crop or livestock production inputs, includ11 ing seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time, 

12 at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granu13 larity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and 

14 maintain environmental quality. 

15 ‘‘(23) PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECH16 NOLOGY.—The term ‘precision agriculture tech17 nology’ means any technology (including equipment 

18 that is necessary for the deployment of such tech19 nology) that directly contributes to a reduction in, or 

20 improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or live21 stock production, which may include seed, feed, fer22 tilizer, chemicals, water, and time.’’; and 

23 (5) by inserting after paragraph (29) (as so re24 designated) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(30) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Trib2 al organization’ has the meaning given the term in 

3 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu4 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).’’. 

5 Subtitle A—Wetland Conservation 

6 SEC. 2101. MITIGATION BANKING. 

7 Section 1222(k)(1)(B) of the Food Security Act of 

8 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3822(k)(1)(B)) is amended by striking 

9 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘fiscal year 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter’’. 

11 Subtitle B—Conservation Reserve 

12 Program (including Farmable 

13 Wetland Program) 

14 SEC. 2201. CONSERVATION RESERVE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1231(a) of the Food Se16 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(a)) is amended by 

17 striking ‘‘Through the 2023 fiscal year, the’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘The’’. 

19 (b) ELIGIBLE LAND.—Section 1231(b) of the Food 

20 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(b)) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘the Agri22 culture Improvement Act of 2018’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

24 2024’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘rangeland 

2 and pastureland)’’ and inserting ‘‘rangeland, 

3 pastureland, and pastureland devoted to 

4 silvopasture, as determined by the Secretary)’’; 

5 (3) in paragraph (5)(B)(ii), by inserting ‘‘, 

6 prairie strip, or filterstrip’’ after ‘‘contour grass sod 

7 strip’’; 

8 (4) in paragraph (6)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

9 the end; 

10 (5) in paragraph (7)(C), by striking the period 

11 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

12 (6) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(8) cropland, marginal pastureland, grass14 lands, and other rural land that will— 

15 ‘‘(A) have a positive impact on water qual16 ity in furtherance of the goals of the Conserva17 tion Reserve Enhancement Program established 

18 by the Secretary under section 1231A; and 

19 ‘‘(B) be devoted to a riparian buffer; or 

20 ‘‘(9) land that is otherwise eligible for enroll21 ment and for which a Tribal, State, or local govern22 ment law, ordinance, or regulation requires any re23 source-conserving or environmental protection meas24 ure or practice, unless the requirement to implement 

25 such a measure or practice has been imposed by an 


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1 administrative order or a court order, in which case 

2 that land shall not be eligible for enrollment.’’. 

3 (c) ENROLLMENT.—Section 1231(d) of the Food Se4 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraphs 

6 (A) through (E) and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) fiscal years 2025 through 2027, not 

8 more than 27,500,000 acres; 

9 ‘‘(B) fiscal year 2028, not more than 

10 28,000,000 acres; and 

11 ‘‘(C) fiscal year 2029 and each fiscal year 

12 thereafter, not more than 29,000,000 acres.’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (i) in clause (i)— 

16 (I) by striking ‘‘2,000,000’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘10,000,000’’; and 

18 (II) by striking ‘‘2023; and’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2029;’’; and 

20 (ii) by striking clause (ii) and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(ii) in carrying out clause (i), to the 

23 maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 

24 shall maintain in the conservation reserve 

25 at any one time during— 


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1 ‘‘(I) fiscal year 2025, 7,000,000 

2 acres; 

3 ‘‘(II) fiscal year 2026, 8,500,000 

4 acres; and 

5 ‘‘(III) fiscal year 2027 and each 

6 fiscal year thereafter, 10,000,000 

7 acres; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) in carrying out clause (i), the 

9 Secretary may maintain in the conserva10 tion reserve at any time during fiscal year 

11 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter not 

12 more than 12,000,000 acres.’’; and 

13 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

14 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

15 by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’; 

16 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

17 the end; 

18 (iii) in clause (iii)(III), by striking the 

19 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

20 (iv) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(iv) that comprises native grass23 lands.’’; 

24 (3) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘es2 tablish a Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers 

3 (CLEAR) Initiative to’’ after ‘‘Secretary shall’’; 

4 and 

5 (B) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking 

6 ‘‘40 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘45 percent’’; 

7 (4) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘each of fiscal 

8 years 2019 through 2023’’ each place it appears and 

9 inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2019 and each fiscal year 

10 thereafter’’; and 

11 (5) in paragraph (6)— 

12 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

13 (i) in clause (i)— 

14 (I) in subclause (II), by striking 

15 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

16 (II) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(IV) land that will be enrolled 

19 under the State acres for wildlife en20 hancement practice established by the 

21 Secretary;’’; 

22 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking the pe23 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

24 and 


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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(iii) the farmable wetland program 

4 under section 1231B; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) the CLEAR 30 and soil health 

6 and income protection programs under 

7 subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of 

8 section 1231C.’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

10 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

12 (ii) in clause (ii)(IV), by striking ‘‘fis13 cal years 2022 and 2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘fiscal year 2022 and each fiscal year 

15 thereafter’’. 

16 (d) DURATION OF CONTRACT.—Section 1231(e)(2) 

17 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(e)(2)) 

18 is amended by inserting ‘‘riparian buffers, forest farm19 ing,’’ after ‘‘windbreaks,’’. 

20 (e) MULTI-YEAR GRASSES AND LEGUMES.—Section 

21 1231(g)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

22 3831(g)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and other multi23 year grasses and legumes’’ after ‘‘Alfalfa’’. 


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1 (f) ELIGIBILITY FOR CONSIDERATION.—Section 

2 1231(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

3 3831(h)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (2)(B)(iii), by inserting ‘‘and 

5 windbreaks’’ after ‘‘shelterbelts’’; and 

6 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) LAND WITH GRAZING INFRASTRUCTURE.— 

8 On the expiration of a contract entered into under 

9 this subchapter that covers land that includes graz10 ing infrastructure established with cost sharing as11 sistance under section 1234(b)(1)(B)— 

12 ‘‘(A) the Secretary shall consider that land 

13 to be planted for purposes of subsection 

14 (b)(1)(B); and 

15 ‘‘(B) that land shall be eligible for reenroll16 ment in the conservation reserve, subject to the 

17 requirements of this subchapter.’’. 

18 (g) BALANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCE PURPOSES.— 

19 Section 1231(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

20 U.S.C. 3831(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘and wildlife habi21 tat’’ and inserting ‘‘drought resilience, wildlife habitat, 

22 and climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resil23 ience’’. 


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1 SEC. 2202. CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 Section 1231A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

4 U.S.C. 3831a) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (3)— 

7 (i) by redesignating subparagraph (D) 

8 as subparagraph (E); and 

9 (ii) by striking subparagraph (C) and 

10 inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) an Indian Tribe or a Tribal organiza12 tion; 

13 ‘‘(D) a Native Hawaiian organization; or’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (4), in the matter pre15 ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘(other 

16 than an agreement described in subsection (e))’’ 

17 after ‘‘this subchapter’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (b)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (2)(A)(vi), by inserting 

20 ‘‘or other appropriate practices, such as dryland 

21 agricultural uses and grazing,’’ after ‘‘conserva22 tion practices’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

24 the following: 

25 ‘‘(C) UPDATES TO EXISTING AGREE26 MENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

2 shall provide an option to signatories to an 

3 agreement under this subsection to update 

4 the agreement, without renegotiating other 

5 provisions of the agreement, to include new 

6 incentives made available under this sub7 chapter beginning on January 1, 2018, 

8 such as riparian forest buffer management 

9 payments. 

10 ‘‘(ii) MATCHING FUNDS.—Require11 ments for matching funds described in 

12 paragraph (2)(B) shall not apply to the 

13 updates to an agreement described in 

14 clause (i).’’; 

15 (3) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(5) DROUGHT AND WATER CONSERVATION

18 AGREEMENTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) RETIREMENT OF WATER RIGHTS.—In 

20 the case of an agreement described in sub21 section (e) that includes a permanent retire22 ment of water rights, the payment rates for an23 nual payments shall be equal to the irrigated 

24 acre payment rates determined by the Sec25 retary. 


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1 ‘‘(B) DRYLAND AGRICULTURAL USES.—In 

2 the case of an agreement described in sub3 section (e) that permits dryland agricultural 

4 uses pursuant to paragraph (2) of that sub5 section, the payment rates for annual payments 

6 shall be equal to the difference between— 

7 ‘‘(i) the irrigated acre payment rates 

8 determined by the Secretary; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) the dryland acre payment rates 

10 determined by the Secretary.’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (e)— 

12 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

13 (1)— 

14 (i) by inserting ‘‘through the long15 term reduction of consumptive water use, 

16 as measured by an evapotranspiration data 

17 program or other monitoring tools’’ after 

18 ‘‘regional drought concerns’’; and 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘shall’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(in22 cluding agricultural land on which a continuous 

23 crop or crop rotation is maintained)’’ after ‘‘ag24 ricultural land’’; 

25 (C) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘with the adoption of 

2 best management practices on’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘in accordance with a conservation 

4 plan adopted with respect to’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

6 (D) in paragraph (3)— 

7 (i) by inserting ‘‘subject to subsection 

8 (c)(5),’’ before ‘‘calculate’’; and 

9 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

10 and inserting a semicolon; and 

11 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(4) provide financial support for an eligible 

13 partner to develop and deploy monitoring tools for 

14 measuring the reduction in consumptive water use, 

15 at the discretion of the Secretary; 

16 ‘‘(5) notwithstanding section 1234(b)(5), con17 sider funds contributed by another Federal agency 

18 as part of a matching contribution required from an 

19 eligible partner under subsection (b)(2)(B) and de20 scribed in subsection (c)(1); 

21 ‘‘(6) accept, in lieu of the conservation plan of 

22 the Secretary, the conservation plan of an eligible 

23 partner with an owner or operator with respect to 

24 land enrolled under a CREP, at the discretion of the 

25 Secretary; and 


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1 ‘‘(7) limit the number of acres added as en2 rolled under this subsection to not more than 

3 100,000 acres for the period of fiscal years 2025 

4 through 2029.’’; and 

5 (5) in subsection (f)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

7 the end; 

8 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the pe9 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(5) any activity under subsection (e), includ12 ing— 

13 ‘‘(A) any obstacles to finalizing an agree14 ment in accordance with that subsection and 

15 any recommendations to address those obsta16 cles; and 

17 ‘‘(B) any innovations from a CREP that 

18 advance the purposes of subsection (e).’’. 

19 SEC. 2203. FARMABLE WETLAND PROGRAM. 

20 Section 1231B(a)(1) of the Food Security Act of 

21 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831b(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘the 

22 2008 through 2023 fiscal years’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 

23 2008 and each fiscal year thereafter’’. 


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1 SEC. 2204. SPECIAL PROGRAMS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1231C of the Food Secu3 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831c) is amended by striking 

4 the section heading and inserting ‘‘SPECIAL PRO5 GRAMS.’’. 

6 (b) CLEAR 30.—Section 1231C(a) of the Food Se7 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831c(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘pilot’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘Agri12 culture Improvement Act of 2018’’ and in13 serting ‘‘Rural Prosperity and Food Secu14 rity Act of 2024’’; and 

15 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘priority 

16 described in section 1231(d)(3) (or the 

17 predecessor practices that constitute the 

18 priority’’ and inserting ‘‘initiative described 

19 in section 1231(d)(3) (or predecessor prac20 tices that provided similar priority’’; and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(C) TRANSFER.—Prior to the expiration 

23 of a covered contract, an owner or operator 

24 party to the covered contract may elect to ter25 minate the contract and to enroll that land 


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1 through a CLEAR 30 contract under this sub2 section.’’; 

3 (3) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE LAND.—Eligible land for enroll6 ment through a CLEAR 30 contract is— 

7 ‘‘(A) land under a covered contract; or 

8 ‘‘(B) any eligible land described in section 

9 1231(d)(3).’’; 

10 (4) in paragraph (8)(B), by striking ‘‘or Indian 

11 Tribe’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian Tribe, or Tribal orga12 nization’’; and 

13 (5) in paragraph (9)(B)(i)— 

14 (A) in the clause heading, by inserting 

15 ‘‘TRIBAL,’’ after ‘‘STATE,’’; and 

16 (B) by inserting ‘‘Tribal,’’ after ‘‘State,’’. 

17 (c) SOIL HEALTH AND INCOME PROTECTION PRO18 GRAM.—Section 1231C(b) of the Food Security Act of 

19 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831c(b)) is amended— 

20 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking 

21 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

22 (2) by striking ‘‘pilot’’ each place it appears; 

23 (3) in paragraph (1)(A)(ii)— 

24 (A) by striking subclause (I) and inserting 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(I) is in a location in which the 

2 program established under this sub3 section can be carried out in a man4 ner such that the amount of rental 

5 payments made under a contract en6 tered into under this subsection is less 

7 than the total amount of commodity 

8 payments, crop insurance indemnities, 

9 and crop insurance subsidies that 

10 would otherwise be provided with re11 spect to the acres to be enrolled in the 

12 program;’’; and 

13 (B) in subclause (III)— 

14 (i) by striking ‘‘verified to be’’; and 

15 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, as determined by 

16 the owner or operator’’ before the period at 

17 the end; 

18 (4) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (A) by striking the paragraph designation 

20 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘The 

21 Secretary’’ in subparagraph (A) and inserting 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary’’; and 

24 (B) by striking subparagraph (B); 

25 (5) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— 

2 (i) by striking subclause (II) and in3 serting the following: 

4 ‘‘(II) except as provided in sub5 paragraph (E), of the actual cost of 

6 establishment of the conserving use 

7 cover crop under subclause (I)— 

8 ‘‘(aa) using the funds of the 

9 Commodity Credit Corporation, 

10 the Secretary shall pay 50 per11 cent; and 

12 ‘‘(bb) the owner or operator 

13 of the eligible land shall pay 50 

14 percent;’’; 

15 (ii) in subclause (III), by striking 

16 ‘‘seed, hayed,’’ and inserting ‘‘seed’’; and 

17 (iii) in subclause (V), by striking ‘‘a 

18 nonprofit wildlife organization’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘a nonprofit conservation organization, 

20 State agency, or other non-Federal entity’’; 

21 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (E) 

23 and’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ and in25 serting ‘‘75 percent’’; 


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1 (C) in subparagraph (E)— 

2 (i) by striking ‘‘the Secretary—’’ in 

3 the matter preceding clause (i) and all that 

4 follows through ‘‘a contract’’ in the matter 

5 preceding subclause (I) of clause (i) and 

6 inserting ‘‘the Secretary, a contract’’; 

7 (ii) by striking clause (ii); 

8 (iii) by redesignating subclauses (I) 

9 and (II) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec10 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

11 (iv) in clause (i) (as so redesignated), 

12 by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘75 

13 percent’’; and 

14 (v) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated), 

15 by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘25 

16 percent’’; and 

17 (D) in subparagraph (F)— 

18 (i) in the subparagraph heading, by 

19 striking ‘‘HARVESTING, HAYING, AND’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘HARVESTING AND’’; 

21 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

22 by striking ‘‘seed, haying, or’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘seed or’’; and 

24 (iii) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘hayed 

25 or’’; 


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1 (6) by striking paragraph (4); and 

2 (7) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para3 graph (4). 

4 (d) AGROFORESTY PILOT PROGRAM.—Section 1231C 

5 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831c) is 

6 amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(c) AGROFORESTRY PILOT PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE LAND.—In this 

9 subsection, the term ‘eligible land’ means cropland— 

10 ‘‘(A) that is selected by the owner or oper11 ator of the land for proposed enrollment in the 

12 pilot program under this subsection; 

13 ‘‘(B) that— 

14 ‘‘(i) is located within 1 or more of the 

15 States of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wis16 consin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and 

17 Pennsylvania; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) is in a location selected by the 

19 Secretary based on consultation with State 

20 Committees of the Farm Service Agency 

21 and State technical committees established 

22 under section 1261(a); 

23 ‘‘(C) that had a cropping history or was 

24 considered to be planted at least 3 of the 10 


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1 crop years preceding enrollment, as determined 

2 by the Secretary; 

3 ‘‘(D) that is located in an area that his4 torically maintained trees, as determined by the 

5 Secretary; and 

6 ‘‘(E) on which trees and shrubs are to be 

7 planted as part of an agroforestry system. 

8 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

10 establish a voluntary agroforestry pilot program 

11 (referred to in this subsection as the ‘pilot pro12 gram’) under which eligible land is enrolled 

13 through the use of contracts to assist owners 

14 and operators of eligible land in implementing 

15 and maintaining agroforestry systems to con16 serve and improve the soil, water, or wildlife re17 sources of the eligible land. 

18 ‘‘(B) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—Under 

19 a contract entered into with an owner or oper20 ator under the pilot program, the Secretary 

21 shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) make payments to the owner or 

23 operator based on rental rates for the eligi24 ble land enrolled in the pilot program; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) provide assistance to the owner 

2 or operator in accordance with sections 

3 1233 and 1234 and this subsection. 

4 ‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—In entering into con5 tracts under the pilot program, the Secretary 

6 shall give priority to contracts focused on the 

7 planting of native trees and shrubs. 

8 ‘‘(D) INCLUSION OF ACREAGE LIMITA9 TION.—For purposes of applying the limitations 

10 in section 1231(d)(6)(B), the Secretary shall in11 clude acres of land enrolled under this sub12 section. 

13 ‘‘(3) CONTRACTS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) REQUIREMENTS.—A contract entered 

15 into under the pilot program shall— 

16 ‘‘(i) be entered into by the Secretary, 

17 the owner of the eligible land, and (if ap18 plicable) the operator of the eligible land; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) provide that, during the term of 

21 the contract— 

22 ‘‘(I) the most cost-effective con23 servation cover that produces non-tim24 ber forest products for the eligible 

25 land, as determined by the applicable 


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1 State conservationist after considering 

2 the advice of the applicable State 

3 technical committee established under 

4 section 1261(a), shall be planted on 

5 the eligible land; 

6 ‘‘(II) except as provided in sub7 paragraph (E), the owner or operator 

8 of the eligible land shall pay the cost 

9 of planting the conservation cover 

10 under subclause (I); 

11 ‘‘(III) subject to subparagraph 

12 (F), the eligible land may be har13 vested or grazed outside the primary 

14 nesting season established for the ap15 plicable county; and 

16 ‘‘(IV) on notification to the Sec17 retary, a nonprofit wildlife organiza18 tion may provide to the owner or op19 erator of the eligible land a payment 

20 in exchange for an agreement by the 

21 owner or operator not to harvest the 

22 conservation cover. 

23 ‘‘(B) PAYMENTS.—Except as provided in 

24 subparagraphs (E) and (F)(iv), the annual 

25 rental rate for a payment under a contract enVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00132 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tered into under the pilot program shall be 

2 equal to 90 percent of the average rental rate 

3 for the applicable county under section 1234(d), 

4 as determined by the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION ON ENROLLED LAND.— 

6 Not more than 20 percent of the eligible land 

7 on an agricultural operation may be enrolled in 

8 the pilot program under this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(D) TERM.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro11 vided in clause (ii), each contract entered 

12 into under the pilot program shall be for a 

13 term of 10 or 15 years, as determined by 

14 the parties to the contract. 

15 ‘‘(ii) EARLY TERMINATION.— 

16 ‘‘(I) SECRETARY.—The Secretary 

17 may terminate a contract entered into 

18 under the pilot program before the 

19 end of the term described in clause (i) 

20 if the Secretary determines that the 

21 early termination of the contract is 

22 necessary. 

23 ‘‘(II) OWNERS AND OPERA24 TORS.—An owner and (if applicable) 

25 an operator of eligible land enrolled in 


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1 the pilot program may terminate a 

2 contract entered into under the pilot 

3 program before the end of the term 

4 described in clause (i) if the owner 

5 and (if applicable) the operator pay to 

6 the Secretary an amount equal to the 

7 amount of rental payments received 

8 under the contract. 

9 ‘‘(E) COST-SHARE AND RENTAL RATE.— 

10 With respect to a contract entered into under 

11 the pilot program with an owner or operator de12 scribed in subsection (b)(3)(E), as determined 

13 by the Secretary— 

14 ‘‘(i) the contract shall provide that, 

15 during the term of the contract, of the ac16 tual cost of establishment of the conserva17 tion cover under subparagraph (A)(ii)(I)— 

18 ‘‘(I) using the funds of the Com19 modity Credit Corporation, the Sec20 retary shall pay 50 percent; and 

21 ‘‘(II) the owner or operator shall 

22 pay 50 percent; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) the annual rental rate for a pay24 ment under the contract shall be equal to 

25 100 percent of the average rental rate for 


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1 the applicable county under section 

2 1234(d), as determined by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(F) HARVESTING AND GRAZING.—The 

4 harvesting or grazing of eligible land under sub5 paragraph (A)(ii)(III) outside of the primary 

6 nesting season established for the applicable 

7 county shall be subject to the conditions that— 

8 ‘‘(i) any harvesting shall not damage 

9 the conservation cover or other conserva10 tion benefits of the enrollment of the eligi11 ble land in the pilot program; 

12 ‘‘(ii) any harvesting does not include 

13 the production of wood products; 

14 ‘‘(iii) any grazing is consistent with 

15 the long-term protection and enhancement 

16 of the conservation resources of the eligible 

17 land; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) the owner or operator shall be 

19 subject to a reduction in the rental rate of 

20 50 percent, unless the Secretary deter21 mines that the harvesting or grazing will 

22 cause no reduction in the environmental 

23 benefits of the established conservation 

24 cover on the eligible land. 


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1 ‘‘(4) ACREAGE LIMITATION.—Of the number of 

2 acres available for enrollment in the conservation re3 serve under section 1231(d)(1), not more than 

4 50,000 total acres of eligible land may be enrolled 

5 under the pilot program. 

6 ‘‘(5) COORDINATION.—For the purpose of en7 rolling acres under the pilot program, the Adminis8 trator of the Farm Service Agency shall coordinate 

9 with the Chief of the Natural Resources Conserva10 tion Service, the Chief of the Forest Service, the Di11 rector of the National Agroforestry Center, regional 

12 agroforestry working groups, State technical com13 mittees established under section 1261(a), applicable 

14 State forestry agencies, and nongovernmental orga15 nizations with demonstrated expertise. 

16 ‘‘(6) TRANSITION.—The Secretary shall provide 

17 an opportunity to enroll in the pilot program land 

18 described in section 1231(b)(5) that is enrolled in 

19 the conservation reserve on the date of enactment of 

20 this subsection. 

21 ‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 

22 date of enactment of this subsection, and not less 

23 frequently than once every 5 years thereafter, the 

24 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agri25 culture of the House of Representatives and the 


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1 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

2 of the Senate a report describing the viability of 

3 transitioning eligible land enrolled in the pilot pro4 gram to agroforestry systems, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) the estimated conservation value of 

6 the eligible land enrolled in the pilot program; 

7 ‘‘(B) the estimated economic value of the 

8 trees and shrubs planted as part of the pilot 

9 program; and 

10 ‘‘(C) estimated savings for the Federal 

11 Government, including savings from reduced 

12 commodity payments, crop insurance indem13 nities, and crop insurance premium subsidies.’’. 

14 SEC. 2205. CONSERVATION RESERVE EASEMENTS. 

15 Subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII 

16 of the Food Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting 

17 after section 1231C (16 U.S.C. 3831c) the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 1231D. CONSERVATION RESERVE EASEMENTS. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

20 ‘‘(1) ENROLLMENT.—The Secretary shall offer 

21 to enroll land in the conservation reserve program 

22 through a conservation reserve easement in accord23 ance with this section. 

24 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSION OF ACREAGE LIMITATION.— 

25 For purposes of applying the limitations in section 


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1 1231(d)(1), the Secretary shall not count acres of 

2 land enrolled under this section. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE LAND.—Only land subject to an ex4 pired covered contract (as defined in section 1235(i)(1)) 

5 shall be eligible for enrollment through a conservation re6 serve easement under this section. 

7 ‘‘(c) TERM.—The term of a conservation reserve 

8 easement shall be— 

9 ‘‘(1) permanent; or 

10 ‘‘(2) the maximum period allowed by State law. 

11 ‘‘(d) AGREEMENTS.—To be eligible to enroll land in 

12 the conservation reserve program through a conservation 

13 reserve easement, the owner of the land shall enter into 

14 an agreement with the Secretary— 

15 ‘‘(1) to grant an easement on the land to the 

16 Secretary; 

17 ‘‘(2) to implement a conservation reserve ease18 ment plan developed for the land under subsection 

19 (h)(1); 

20 ‘‘(3) to create and record an appropriate deed 

21 restriction in accordance with applicable State law to 

22 reflect the easement; 

23 ‘‘(4) to provide a written statement of consent 

24 to the easement signed by any person holding a se25 curity interest in the land; 


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1 ‘‘(5) to comply with the terms and conditions of 

2 the easement and any related agreements; and 

3 ‘‘(6) to permanently retire any existing base 

4 acres (as defined in section 1111 of the Agricultural 

5 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9011)) history for the land 

6 covered by the easement. 

7 ‘‘(e) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EASEMENTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A conservation reserve 

9 easement shall include terms and conditions that— 

10 ‘‘(A) permit— 

11 ‘‘(i) repairs, improvements, and in12 spections on the land that are necessary to 

13 maintain existing public drainage systems; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(ii) owners to control public access 

16 on the land while identifying access routes 

17 to be used for restoration activities and 

18 management and easement monitoring; 

19 ‘‘(B) prohibit— 

20 ‘‘(i) the alteration of wildlife habitat 

21 and other natural features of the land, un22 less specifically authorized by the Secretary 

23 as part of the conservation reserve ease24 ment plan under subsection (h)(1); 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the spraying of the land with 

2 chemicals or the mowing of the land, ex3 cept where the spraying or mowing is au4 thorized by the Secretary or is necessary— 

5 ‘‘(I) to comply with Federal or 

6 State noxious weed control laws; 

7 ‘‘(II) to comply with a Federal or 

8 State emergency pest treatment pro9 gram; or 

10 ‘‘(III) to meet habitat needs of 

11 specific wildlife species; 

12 ‘‘(iii) any activity to be carried out on 

13 the land of the owner or successor that is 

14 immediately adjacent to, and functionally 

15 related to, the land that is subject to the 

16 easement if the activity will alter, degrade, 

17 or otherwise diminish the functional value 

18 of the land; and 

19 ‘‘(iv) the adoption of any other prac20 tice that would tend to defeat the purposes 

21 of the conservation reserve program, as de22 termined by the Secretary; and 

23 ‘‘(C) include any additional provision that 

24 the Secretary determines is appropriate to carry 


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1 out this section or facilitate the practical ad2 ministration of this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) VIOLATION.—On the violation of a term or 

4 condition of a conservation reserve easement— 

5 ‘‘(A) the conservation reserve easement 

6 shall remain in force; and 

7 ‘‘(B) the Secretary may require the owner 

8 to refund all or part of any payments received 

9 by the owner under the program, with interest 

10 on payments, as determined appropriate by the 

11 Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(3) COMPATIBLE USES.—Land subject to a 

13 conservation reserve easement may be used for com14 patible economic uses, including hunting and fishing, 

15 managed timber harvest, periodic haying outside of 

16 the primary nesting season, or periodic grazing, if 

17 the use— 

18 ‘‘(A) is specifically permitted by the con19 servation reserve easement plan developed for 

20 the land under subsection (h)(1); and 

21 ‘‘(B) is consistent with the long-term pro22 tection and enhancement of the conservation re23 sources for which the easement was established. 

24 ‘‘(f) COMPENSATION.— 

25 ‘‘(1) DETERMINATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PERMANENT EASEMENTS.—The Sec2 retary shall pay as compensation for a perma3 nent conservation reserve easement acquired 

4 under this section an amount necessary to en5 courage enrollment of land in such a conserva6 tion reserve easement, based on the lowest of— 

7 ‘‘(i) the fair market value of the land, 

8 as determined by the Secretary, using the 

9 Uniform Standards of Professional Ap10 praisal Practice or an areawide market 

11 analysis or survey; 

12 ‘‘(ii) the amount corresponding to a 

13 geographical limitation, as determined by 

14 the Secretary in regulations prescribed by 

15 the Secretary; or 

16 ‘‘(iii) the offer made by the land17 owner. 

18 ‘‘(B) OTHER.—Compensation for a con19 servation reserve easement that is not perma20 nent due to a restriction in applicable State law 

21 shall be not less than 50 percent, but not more 

22 than 75 percent, of the compensation that 

23 would be paid for a permanent conservation re24 serve easement. 


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1 ‘‘(2) FORM OF PAYMENT.—Compensation for a 

2 conservation reserve easement shall be provided by 

3 the Secretary in the form of a cash payment, in an 

4 amount determined under paragraph (1). 

5 ‘‘(3) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary may provide 

6 payment under this subsection to a landowner 

7 using— 

8 ‘‘(A) 10 annual payments; or 

9 ‘‘(B) 1 payment. 

10 ‘‘(4) TIMING.—The Secretary shall provide any 

11 annual easement payment obligation under para12 graph (3)(A) as early as practicable in each fiscal 

13 year. 

14 ‘‘(5) PAYMENTS TO OTHERS.—The Secretary 

15 shall make a payment, in accordance with regula16 tions prescribed by the Secretary, in a manner as 

17 the Secretary determines is fair and reasonable 

18 under the circumstances, if an owner who is entitled 

19 to a payment under this section— 

20 ‘‘(A) dies; 

21 ‘‘(B) becomes incompetent; 

22 ‘‘(C) is succeeded by another person or en23 tity who renders or completes the required per24 formance; or 


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1 ‘‘(D) is otherwise unable to receive the 

2 payment. 

3 ‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall assist 

5 owners in complying with the terms and conditions 

6 of a conservation reserve easement. 

7 ‘‘(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Sec8 retary may enter into 1 or more contracts with pri9 vate entities or agreements with a State, nongovern10 mental organization, Indian Tribe, or Tribal organi11 zation to carry out necessary restoration, mainte12 nance, repair, assessment, or monitoring of a con13 servation reserve easement if the Secretary deter14 mines that the contract or agreement will advance 

15 the purposes of the conservation reserve program. 

16 ‘‘(h) ADMINISTRATION.— 

17 ‘‘(1) CONSERVATION RESERVE EASEMENT

18 PLAN.—The Secretary shall develop a conservation 

19 reserve easement plan for any land subject to a con20 servation reserve easement, which shall include prac21 tices and activities necessary to maintain, protect, 

22 and enhance the conservation value of the enrolled 

23 land. 

24 ‘‘(2) DELEGATION OF EASEMENT ADMINISTRA25 TION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) FEDERAL, STATE, TRIBAL, OR LOCAL

2 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.—The Secretary may 

3 delegate any of the management, monitoring, 

4 and enforcement responsibilities of the Sec5 retary under this section to other Federal, 

6 State, Tribal, or local government agencies that 

7 have the appropriate authority, expertise, and 

8 resources necessary to carry out those delegated 

9 responsibilities. 

10 ‘‘(B) CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS.— 

11 The Secretary may delegate any management 

12 responsibilities of the Secretary under this sec13 tion to conservation organizations, including 

14 Tribal organizations dedicated to conservation 

15 and natural resource management, if the Sec16 retary determines the conservation organization 

17 has similar expertise and resources.’’. 

18 SEC. 2206. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

19 (a) SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES PERMITTED.—Section 

20 1233(b)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

21 3833(b)(1)) is amended— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by inserting ‘‘sub23 ject to clause (i)(III), and subclauses (I) and (II) of 

24 clause (ii), of subparagraph (B),’’ before ‘‘are sub25 ject to’’; and 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

2 (A) by striking subclause (III); 

3 (B) by redesignating subclauses (I) and 

4 (II) as subclauses (II) and (III), respectively; 

5 (C) by inserting before subclause (II) (as 

6 so redesignated) the following: 

7 ‘‘(I) emergency haying in re8 sponse to a localized or regional 

9 drought, flooding, wildfire, or other 

10 emergency, on certain practices, out11 side the primary nesting season on 

12 not more than 50 percent of contract 

13 acres, as identified in the site-specific 

14 plan, when— 

15 ‘‘(aa) the county is des16 ignated as D2 (severe drought) 

17 or greater according to the 

18 United States Drought Monitor 

19 during the primary nesting sea20 son; 

21 ‘‘(bb) there is at least a 40 

22 percent loss in forage production 

23 in the county; or 

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1 nical committee, determines that 

2 the program can assist in the re3 sponse to a natural disaster event 

4 without permanent damage to 

5 the established cover;’’; 

6 (D) in subclause (II) (as so redesig7 nated)— 

8 (i) by striking the matter preceding 

9 item (aa) and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(II) emergency grazing on all 

11 practices, outside the primary nesting 

12 season, on not more than 50 percent 

13 of contract acres or subject to a 50 

14 percent reduction in the stocking rate, 

15 as identified in the site-specific plan, 

16 in response to a localized or regional 

17 drought, flooding, wildfire, or other 

18 emergency, when—’’; and 

19 (ii) in item (aa), by striking ‘‘Mon20 itor;’’ and inserting ‘‘Monitor during the 

21 primary nesting season;’’; and 

22 (E) in subclause (III) (as so redesignated), 

23 by striking ‘‘payments are authorized for a 

24 county under the livestock forage disaster pro25 gram under clause (ii) of section 1501(c)(3)(D) 


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1 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

2 9081(c)(3)(D))’’ and inserting ‘‘the county is 

3 designated as D3 (extreme drought) or greater 

4 according to the United States Drought Mon5 itor during the primary nesting season’’. 

6 (b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES ON GRASSLANDS.— 

7 Section 1233(c)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

8 U.S.C. 3833(c)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘‘restoration 

9 of native plant species, prescribed burning (in consultation 

10 with the applicable State technical committee established 

11 under section 1261(a)),’’ before ‘‘and construction’’. 

12 (c) CONSERVATION OUTCOMES MONITORING.—Sec13 tion 1233 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

14 3833) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(f) CONSERVATION OUTCOMES MONITORING.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab17 lish long-term monitoring of conservation outcomes 

18 of program enrollments, including pilot projects, to 

19 determine program results with respect to— 

20 ‘‘(A) soil conservation, soil health, and car21 bon sequestration; 

22 ‘‘(B) water quality and quantity; and 

23 ‘‘(C) biodiversity and wildlife habitat. 

24 ‘‘(2) REPORT ON OUTCOMES.—Not later than 2 

25 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, 


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1 and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary shall 

2 submit to Congress, and make publicly available, a 

3 report that includes— 

4 ‘‘(A) a description of conservation out5 comes achieved; 

6 ‘‘(B) a description of the approaches, tools, 

7 and methods used to measure or model the con8 servation outcomes reported; and 

9 ‘‘(C) recommendations and guidance to im10 prove conservation outcomes.’’. 

11 SEC. 2207. PAYMENTS. 

12 (a) COST SHARING PAYMENTS.—Section 1234(b) of 

13 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘a portion’’; and 

18 (B) by inserting ‘‘, including seed cost,’’ 

19 after ‘‘conservation measures and practices’’; 

20 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

21 (4) as paragraphs (4) through (6), respectively; 

22 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(2) RATE FOR CERTAIN MEASURES AND PRAC25 TICES.—The portion of the establishment cost deVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00149 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 scribed in paragraph (1) that the Secretary shall pay 

2 shall be— 

3 ‘‘(A) in the case of water quality and con4 servation measures and practices that focus on 

5 establishing non-native habitat, 35 percent; and 

6 ‘‘(B) notwithstanding paragraph (5) and 

7 subject to paragraph (3), in the case of all 

8 other water quality and conservation measures 

9 and practices, 50 percent. 

10 ‘‘(3) STATE HIGH-PRIORITY CONSERVATION

11 PRACTICES.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each State technical 

13 committee established under section 1261(a) 

14 may select up to 3 conservation practices de15 scribed in subparagraph (B) that shall be eligi16 ble for payment by the Secretary of 65 percent 

17 of the establishment cost described in para18 graph (1). 

19 ‘‘(B) CONSERVATION PRACTICES DE20 SCRIBED.—A conservation practice referred to 

21 in subparagraph (A) is a conservation practice 

22 described in paragraph (2)(B) that provides 1 

23 or more of the following benefits: 


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1 ‘‘(i) Incentivizing restoration of early 

2 successional habitat and grasslands with 

3 native plant materials. 

4 ‘‘(ii) Establishing rare or declining 

5 habitat. 

6 ‘‘(iii) Addressing water quality con7 cerns relating to impingement of nearby 

8 waterways. 

9 ‘‘(iv) Supporting the goals of the 

10 State climate adaptation, mitigation, or re11 silience plan.’’; 

12 (4) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by 

13 striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(B) MANAGEMENT PAYMENTS.—The Sec16 retary shall make cost sharing payments to an 

17 owner or operator under this subchapter for 

18 any management activity described in section 

19 1232(a)(5) in accordance with subsection (c), 

20 except for those management activities relating 

21 to haying or grazing.’’; and 

22 (5) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated)— 

23 (A) by inserting ‘‘not less than 40 percent 

24 and’’ before ‘‘not to exceed 50 percent’’; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘In addition’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition’’; and 

4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM PAYMENT FOR CERTAIN

6 CONTRACTS.—In the case of a contract updated 

7 under section 1231A(b)(3)(C)(i), the incentive 

8 payment under subparagraph (A) shall be in an 

9 amount that is not less than 40 percent of the 

10 actual costs described in that subparagraph.’’. 

11 (b) SUPPLEMENTAL PRACTICE PAYMENTS.—Section 

12 1234 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834) 

13 is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(c) SUPPLEMENTAL PRACTICE PAYMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Using funds made available 

17 under section 1241(a)(2), the Secretary may make 

18 available— 

19 ‘‘(A) additional incentive payments to an 

20 owner or operator of eligible land in an amount 

21 sufficient to encourage— 

22 ‘‘(i) proper thinning and other prac23 tices to improve the condition of resources, 

24 promote forest management, or enhance 

25 wildlife habitat on the land; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) establishment of grazing infra2 structure, including interior cross fencing, 

3 perimeter fencing, and water infrastructure 

4 (such as rural water connections, water 

5 wells, pipelines, and water tanks), under 

6 each contract, for all practices, if grazing 

7 is included in the conservation plan and 

8 addresses a resource concern; 

9 ‘‘(iii) prescribed burning, including for 

10 the cost of liability insurance, necessary to 

11 promote the quality and resiliency of native 

12 habitat established on enrolled land; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) any management activity de14 scribed in section 1232(a)(5), except for 

15 those management activities relating to 

16 emergency haying or grazing; and 

17 ‘‘(B) funds to carry out section 1235(f) to 

18 facilitate the transfer of land subject to con19 tracts from contract holders to covered farmers 

20 or ranchers (as defined in section 1235(f)(1)), 

21 including to provide outreach and technical as22 sistance to facilitate such transfers. 

23 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—A payment described in 

24 paragraph (1)(A) may not exceed 100 percent of the 


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1 total cost of practices conducted by the owner or op2 erator.’’. 

3 (c) ANNUAL RENTAL PAYMENTS.—Section 1234(d) 

4 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(d)) 

5 is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

8 through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respec9 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

10 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

11 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘In determining’’ 

12 and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) DETERMINATION.—In determining’’; 

14 and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary shall 

17 adjust the annual rental payment determined 

18 under subparagraph (A) based on an analysis 

19 of local rental rate trends such that— 

20 ‘‘(i) the annual rental payment re21 flects the likely changes in market rental 

22 rates over the term of the contract; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) the inflation adjustment does not 

24 increase the annual rental payment by 

25 more than 10 percent.’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2)(B)(i)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘85 percent’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘95 percent’’; and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘90 percent’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘100 percent’’; and 

6 (3) in paragraph (4)(E)— 

7 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘85 percent’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘95 percent’’; and 

9 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘90 percent’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘100 percent’’. 

11 (d) PAYMENT LIMITATION FOR RENTAL PAY12 MENTS.—Section 1234(g)(1) of the Food Security Act of 

13 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(g)(1)) is amended by striking 

14 ‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$125,000’’. 

15 SEC. 2208. CONTRACTS. 

16 Section 1235 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

17 U.S.C. 3835) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (c)(1)(B)(iii), by inserting ‘‘, 

19 including agroforestry and other productive peren20 nial systems’’ after ‘‘methods’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (f)(1)(A)(i), by inserting ‘‘or 

22 establishing agroforestry and other productive peren23 nial systems’’ after ‘‘crop’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) OWNER OR OPERATOR ELECTION RELATING TO

2 CONSERVATION RESERVE EASEMENTS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF COVERED CONTRACT.—In 

4 this subsection, the term ‘covered contract’ means a 

5 contract entered into under this subchapter— 

6 ‘‘(A) during the period beginning on the 

7 date of enactment of this subsection and ending 

8 on September 30, 2029; and 

9 ‘‘(B) that covers land enrolled in the con10 servation reserve program— 

11 ‘‘(i) under the Clean Lakes, Estu12 aries, and Rivers (CLEAR) Initiative es13 tablished under section 1231(d)(3); or 

14 ‘‘(ii) that is located in a State acres 

15 for wildlife enhancement area established 

16 by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(2) ELECTION.—On the expiration of a cov18 ered contract, an owner or operator party to the cov19 ered contract shall elect— 

20 ‘‘(A) not to reenroll the land under the 

21 contract; 

22 ‘‘(B) to reenroll the land under the con23 tract, subject to the conditions that— 

24 ‘‘(i) the annual rental payment shall 

25 be decreased by 40 percent; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) no incentive payments shall be 

2 provided under the contract; or 

3 ‘‘(C) not to reenroll the land under the 

4 contract and to enroll the land under the con5 tract in a conservation reserve easement under 

6 section 1231D. 

7 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTION.—On the expiration of a cov8 ered contract, if land enrolled in the conservation re9 serve program under that contract is determined by 

10 the Secretary to not be suitable for permanent pro11 tection through a conservation reserve easement 

12 under section 1231D, notwithstanding paragraph 

13 (2)(B), the Secretary shall allow the land to be re14 enrolled under the terms of the conservation reserve 

15 program in effect on the date of expiration. 

16 ‘‘(j) ENROLLMENT IN OTHER CONSERVATION PRO17 GRAMS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

19 an owner or operator party to a contract entered 

20 into under this subchapter may— 

21 ‘‘(A) subject to section 1240B(d)(6), enroll 

22 the land enrolled under the contract in the envi23 ronmental quality incentives program estab24 lished under subchapter A of chapter 4; 


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1 ‘‘(B) subject to section 1271B(g), receive 

2 cost-share assistance under the regional con3 servation partnership program established 

4 under subtitle I with respect to the land en5 rolled under the contract; or 

6 ‘‘(C) both enroll land in accordance with 

7 subparagraph (A) and receive cost-share assist8 ance in accordance with subparagraph (B). 

9 ‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

10 this subsection shall be construed to prevent an 

11 owner or operator party to a contract entered into 

12 under this subchapter from simultaneously receiving 

13 a rental payment under the terms of that contract 

14 and cost-share assistance under the environmental 

15 quality incentives program established under sub16 chapter A of chapter 4 or the regional conservation 

17 partnership program established under subtitle I. 

18 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—An owner or operator party 

19 to a contract entered into under this subchapter 

20 shall not be eligible to receive a cost-share payment 

21 under more than 1 program established under this 

22 title for the same activity carried out on the same 

23 land.’’. 


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1 Subtitle C—Environmental Quality 

2 Incentives Program and Con3 servation Stewardship Program 

4 PART I—ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES 

5 PROGRAM 

6 SEC. 2301. PURPOSES. 

7 Section 1240 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

8 U.S.C. 3839aa) is amended— 

9 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

10 striking ‘‘and environmental quality’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘environmental quality, and climate change adapta12 tion and mitigation’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

15 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

16 (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 

17 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(D) climate change adaptation, mitiga20 tion, and resilience;’’; 

21 (3) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘seques22 tering carbon, increasing drought resilience, reduc23 ing greenhouse gas emissions, and’’ before ‘‘con24 serving energy’’; and 


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1 (4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘climate 

2 change and’’ before ‘‘increasing weather volatility’’. 

3 SEC. 2302. DEFINITIONS. 

4 Section 1240A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

5 U.S.C. 3839aa–1) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘a practice’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘a management practice, including a 

8 land or livestock management practice,’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (6)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (i) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘or live12 stock’’ before ‘‘management’’; 

13 (ii) by redesignating clauses (v) 

14 through (vii) as clauses (vi) through (viii), 

15 respectively; and 

16 (iii) by inserting after clause (iv) the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(v) native habitat restoration;’’; and 

19 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

20 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘plan21 ning;’’ and inserting ‘‘planning that, where 

22 practicable, incorporates planning for re23 ductions in greenhouse gas emissions;’’; 

24 (ii) in clause (v)— 


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1 (I) by inserting ‘‘(including plan2 ning for the adoption of precision ag3 riculture practices and precision agri4 culture technology)’’ after ‘‘planning’’; 

5 and 

6 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

7 (iii) by redesignating clause (vi) as 

8 clause (vii); and 

9 (iv) by inserting after clause (v) the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(vi) greenhouse gas emissions reduc12 tion planning; and’’; and 

13 (3) in paragraph (7)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

15 ‘‘Tribal,’’ before ‘‘or local’’; and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

17 ‘‘State or region’’ and inserting ‘‘State, at a re18 gional scale, or on Indian land’’. 

19 SEC. 2303. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 

20 (a) PAYMENTS.—Section 1240B(d) of the Food Se21 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking paragraph (6) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(6) OTHER PAYMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ENROLLMENT IN OTHER CONSERVA2 TION PROGRAMS.—Subject to subparagraph 

3 (B), a producer party to a contract entered into 

4 under this subchapter may— 

5 ‘‘(i) subject to section 1235(j), enroll 

6 the eligible land enrolled under the con7 tract in the conservation reserve program 

8 established under subchapter B of chapter 

9 1; 

10 ‘‘(ii) subject to section 1271B(g), re11 ceive cost-share assistance under the re12 gional conservation partnership program 

13 established under subtitle I with respect to 

14 the eligible land enrolled under the con15 tract; or 

16 ‘‘(iii) both enroll land in accordance 

17 with clause (i) and receive cost-share as18 sistance in accordance with clause (ii). 

19 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A producer shall not 

20 be eligible for payments for practices on eligible 

21 land under the program if the producer receives 

22 payments or other benefits for the same prac23 tice on the same land under another program 

24 under this subtitle. 


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1 ‘‘(C) CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN

2 GUARANTEE PROGRAM PAYMENTS.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A producer receiv4 ing payments for practices on eligible land 

5 under the program may also receive a loan 

6 or loan guarantee under section 304 of the 

7 Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop8 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1924) to cover costs 

9 for the same practices on the same land. 

10 ‘‘(ii) NOTICE TO PRODUCERS.—The 

11 Secretary shall inform a producer partici12 pating in the program in writing of the 

13 availability of a loan or loan guarantee 

14 under section 304 of the Consolidated 

15 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

16 U.S.C. 1924) as it relates to the costs of 

17 implementing practices under the pro18 gram.’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (7)(A)— 

20 (A) in the matter preceding clause (i)— 

21 (i) by striking ‘‘Each State’’ and in22 serting ‘‘The designee of the Secretary in 

23 each State’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘the State,’’ and in25 serting ‘‘the State and, in the case of InVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00163 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 dian land, the applicable Tribal conserva2 tion advisory council,’’; 

3 (B) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 

4 inserting a semicolon; 

5 (C) in clause (iv), by striking the period at 

6 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(v) provides a reduction of green9 house gas emissions, including enteric 

10 methane emissions from livestock, or se11 questers carbon; or 

12 ‘‘(vi) furthers efforts to implement the 

13 climate adaptation and resilience plan of a 

14 State, Indian Tribe, or local government.’’; 

15 and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(8) ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS REDUCING

18 PRACTICES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), in the 

19 case of a practice relating to the management of 

20 livestock to reduce enteric methane emissions, the 

21 Secretary shall increase the amount that would oth22 erwise be provided for a practice under this sub23 section to not more than 75 percent of the costs as24 sociated with that management, including the cost of 

25 methane-inhibiting products for livestock.’’. 


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1 (b) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Section 1240B(f) of 

2 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(f)) 

3 is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘each of fiscal 

5 years 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 

6 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter’’; 

7 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the paragraph 

8 designation and heading and all that follows through 

9 ‘‘For each of fiscal years 2019 through 2031’’ in 

10 subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) WILDLIFE HABITAT.—For fiscal year 

12 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) SMALL FARMS.—For fiscal year 2025 and 

15 each fiscal year thereafter, at least 10 percent of the 

16 funds made available for payments under the pro17 gram shall be targeted at practices implemented on 

18 small farms, as determined by the Secretary.’’. 

19 (c) WATER CONSERVATION OR IRRIGATION EFFI20 CIENCY PRACTICE.—Section 1240B(h)(2) of the Food Se21 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(h)(2)) is amend22 ed by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D) and inserting 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(C) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 

25 shall waive the applicability of the limitations in 


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1 sections 1001D(b) and 1240G for a payment 

2 made under a contract entered into under this 

3 paragraph if the total amount of payments re4 ceived by the person or legal entity under the 

5 contract during either of the period of fiscal 

6 years 2025 through 2029 or the period of fiscal 

7 years 2030 and 2031 does not exceed— 

8 ‘‘(i) the product obtained by multi9 plying— 

10 ‘‘(I) the maximum payment for 

11 the applicable period under section 

12 1240G; and 

13 ‘‘(II) the number of producers 

14 served by the contract through the en15 tity that is party to the contract; less 

16 ‘‘(ii) the sum of any other payments 

17 received under the program during either 

18 of the period of fiscal years 2025 through 

19 2029 or the period of fiscal years 2030 

20 and 2031 by— 

21 ‘‘(I) producers served by the con22 tract; and 

23 ‘‘(II) the entity that is party to 

24 the contract, limited to the proportion 


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1 of those payments that benefit those 

2 producers served by the contract.’’. 

3 (d) PAYMENTS FOR CONSERVATION PRACTICES RE4 LATED TO ORGANIC PRODUCTION.—Section 

5 1240B(i)(3)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

6 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(i)(3)(A)) is amended— 

7 (1) in clause (i)(II), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

8 end; 

9 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the 

10 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(iii) during the period of fiscal years 

13 2025 through 2029, $450,000; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) during each 5-fiscal-year period 

15 thereafter, $450,000.’’. 

16 (e) CONSERVATION INCENTIVE CONTRACTS.—Sec17 tion 1240B(j) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

18 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(j)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘concerns’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘concerns, which may include emis21 sions of nitrous oxide or methane (referred to in this 

22 subsection as ‘greenhouse gas emissions’) or storage 

23 of carbon in plants or soil (referred to in this sub24 section as ‘carbon storage’),’’; and 

25 (2) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (A)(ii)(I), by striking 

2 ‘‘conservation’’ and inserting ‘‘conservation, re3 ductions of greenhouse gas emissions, or in4 creased levels of carbon storage’’; and 

5 (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in6 serting the following: 

7 ‘‘(B) TERM.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

9 (ii), a contract under this subsection shall 

10 have a term of not less than 5, and not 

11 more than 10, years. 

12 ‘‘(ii) GRADUATION OPTION.—The Sec13 retary may reduce the term of a contract 

14 under this subsection if the producer en15 ters into a conservation stewardship con16 tract under section 1240K with respect to 

17 the eligible land that is subject to the con18 tract under this subsection.’’. 

19 (f) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Section 1240B 

20 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2) 

21 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(k) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not less fre23 quently than once each year, the Secretary shall submit 

24 to Congress a report describing— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the amount obligated under the program 

2 with respect to each category of practice, with infor3 mation categorized by fiscal year and State; and 

4 ‘‘(2) the amount obligated under the program 

5 in each State, with information categorized by fiscal 

6 year and the size of the operation of each pro7 ducer.’’. 

8 (g) STREAMLINING AND COORDINATION.—Section 

9 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

10 3839aa–2) (as amended by subsection (f)) is amended by 

11 adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(l) STREAMLINING AND COORDINATION.—To the 

13 maximum extent feasible, the Secretary shall provide for 

14 streamlined and coordinated procedures for the program 

15 and the conservation stewardship program under sub16 chapter B, including applications, contracting, conserva17 tion planning, conservation practices, and related adminis18 trative procedures.’’. 

19 SEC. 2304. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PRO20 GRAM PLAN. 

21 Section 1240E(a)(3) of the Food Security Act of 

22 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–5(a)(3)) is amended by inserting 

23 ‘‘, and a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan’’ after 

24 ‘‘if applicable’’. 


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1 SEC. 2305. LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS. 

2 Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

3 U.S.C. 3839aa–7) is amended by striking ‘‘exceed’’ and 

4 all that follows through the period at the end and inserting 

5 the following: ‘‘for all contracts entered into under this 

6 subchapter by the person or legal entity (regardless of the 

7 number of such contracts entered into by such person or 

8 legal entity), exceed $450,000 during— 

9 ‘‘(1) the period of fiscal years 2014 through 

10 2018; 

11 ‘‘(2) the period of fiscal years 2019 through 

12 2023; 

13 ‘‘(3) the period of fiscal years 2025 through 

14 2029; or 

15 ‘‘(4) each 5-fiscal-year period thereafter.’’. 

16 SEC. 2306. CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS AND PAY17 MENTS. 

18 (a) COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE CON19 SERVATION APPROACHES.—Section 1240H(a)(1) of the 

20 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(a)(1)) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘pay the cost of’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘award’’; 

24 (2) by inserting ‘‘the development and evalua25 tion of new and’’ before ‘‘innovative approaches’’; 

26 and 


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1 (3) by inserting ‘‘, including for the purpose of 

2 incorporating innovation and new technologies into 

3 existing conservation practice standards or estab4 lishing new conservation practice standards’’ before 

5 the period at the end. 

6 (b) ON-FARM CONSERVATION INNOVATION

7 TRIALS.—Section 1240H(c) of the Food Security Act of 

8 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(c)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)— 

10 (A) in subclause (II), by inserting ‘‘on11 farm nutrient recycling,’’ after ‘‘plans,’’; 

12 (B) in each of subclauses (VI) and (VII), 

13 by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(VII) perennial production sys16 tems, including agroforestry and pe17 rennial forages and grain crops; and 

18 ‘‘(VIII) livestock-related practices 

19 that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 

20 including enteric methane emissions; 

21 and’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

24 and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and 

25 indenting appropriately; 


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1 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

2 so redesignated)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2031, 

4 the Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘2019 

5 through 2024 and $50,000,000 of the 

6 funds made available to carry out this sub7 chapter for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal 

8 year thereafter, the Secretary’’; and 

9 (ii) by striking ‘‘Using’’ and inserting 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Using’’; and 

12 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(B) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Of the 

14 funds made available under subparagraph (A) 

15 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year there16 after, the Secretary shall use 50 percent to pro17 vide grants for soil health demonstration trials 

18 established under paragraph (7).’’; and 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(8) ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS STUD21 IES.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

23 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

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1 sible, economic outcomes, generated as a result 

2 of livestock-related practices that reduce green3 house gas emissions, including enteric methane 

4 emissions. 

5 ‘‘(B) REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years 

6 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

7 and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 

8 submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri9 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Com10 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep11 resentatives a report on the progress and re12 sults under subparagraph (A).’’. 

13 (c) REPORTING AND DATABASE.—Section 1240H(d) 

14 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa– 

15 8(d)) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘including, 

17 if feasible’’ and inserting ‘‘including any barriers to 

18 or best practices for the adoption of new and innova19 tive conservation approaches identified through the 

20 activities, opportunities for future research, and, if 

21 feasible’’; 

22 (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para23 graph (3); 

24 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC-FACING REPORTS.—Not later than 

2 1 year after the completion of a project funded 

3 under this section, the Secretary shall publish a pub4 lic-facing report, submitted by the grant recipient 

5 following the completion of the grant period, that in6 cludes an assessment of— 

7 ‘‘(A) the acreage of the area where the 

8 project was implemented; 

9 ‘‘(B) in the case of a trial conducted under 

10 subsection (c)(2), the types of crops produced 

11 using the new or innovative conservation ap12 proach either directly by a producer or through 

13 an eligible entity; 

14 ‘‘(C) any results on the efficacy of the new 

15 or innovative conservation approach in achiev16 ing its intended conservation purpose; 

17 ‘‘(D) the regional applicability of the new 

18 or innovative conservation approach, including 

19 any geographic characteristics associated with 

20 the increased efficacy of the innovative con21 servation approach; 

22 ‘‘(E) any barriers that prevented the 

23 project from achieving the conservation benefits 

24 identified at the outset of the project; 


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1 ‘‘(F) any support needed to encourage 

2 adoption of the new or innovative conservation 

3 approach by producers, including the level of 

4 technical assistance required to adopt the new 

5 or innovative conservation approach; and 

6 ‘‘(G) as appropriate, other outcomes of the 

7 project and lessons learned through the imple8 mentation of the project.’’; and 

9 (4) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), in 

10 subparagraph (A)— 

11 (A) in clause (i)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘practices’’ and insert13 ing ‘‘practices, including both management 

14 and structural practices,’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

16 (B) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause 

17 (iii); 

18 (C) by inserting after clause (i) the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(ii) evaluation data for new and 

21 emerging technology and recommendations 

22 for State and regional applications; and’’; 

23 and 

24 (D) in clause (iii) (as so redesignated), by 

25 striking ‘‘practices.’’ and inserting ‘‘practices 


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1 for consideration through the process estab2 lished under section 1242(h)(3).’’. 

3 PART II—CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP 

4 PROGRAM 

5 SEC. 2311. DEFINITIONS. 

6 Section 1240I of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

7 U.S.C. 3839aa–21) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘en10 hancements,’’ after ‘‘practices,’’; and 

11 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

12 (i) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

13 the end; 

14 (ii) in clause (v), by striking the pe15 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

16 (iii) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(vi) activities that will assist a pro19 ducer in mitigating greenhouse gas emis20 sions, including enteric methane emis21 sions.’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (4)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘tribal 

23 land’’ and inserting ‘‘Tribal land’’; and 

24 (3) in paragraph (5)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

2 ‘‘State, or local level as a priority for a par3 ticular area of a State’’ and inserting ‘‘State, 

4 Tribal, or local level as a priority for a par5 ticular area’’; and 

6 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

7 ‘‘State or region’’ and inserting ‘‘State, at a re8 gional scale, or on Indian land’’. 

9 SEC. 2312. STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTS. 

10 Section 1240K(b)(1)(A) of the Food Security Act of 

11 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–23(b)(1)(A)) is amended by 

12 striking clause (iii) and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(iii) other consistent criteria that the 

14 Secretary determines are necessary to en15 sure that the program effectively— 

16 ‘‘(I) targets improvements to soil 

17 health, increases carbon sequestration, 

18 and reduces greenhouse gas emissions; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(II) addresses other national, 

21 State, Tribal, and local priority re22 source concerns.’’. 


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1 SEC. 2313. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

2 (a) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PAYMENTS.—Sec3 tion 1240L(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

4 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘on 1 or 

6 more types of eligible land covered by the contract’’ 

7 after ‘‘activities’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

10 through (G) as clauses (i) through (vii), respec11 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

12 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

13 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The amount’’ and 

14 inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount’’; 

16 (C) in subparagraph (A) (as so redesig17 nated), by striking clause (ii) (as so redesig18 nated) and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(ii) Income forgone by the producer, 

20 including amounts that reflect— 

21 ‘‘(I) increased economic risk; and 

22 ‘‘(II) loss in revenue due to— 

23 ‘‘(aa) production changes; 

24 ‘‘(bb) anticipated reductions 

25 in yield; 


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1 ‘‘(cc) transitioning to an or2 ganic, resource-conserving crop3 ping or grazing, or perennial pro4 duction system; or 

5 ‘‘(dd) acreage converted to 

6 conservation uses.’’; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM PAYMENT.—In carrying 

9 out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall es10 tablish a minimum payment of not less than 

11 $4,000, to be reviewed regularly and increased 

12 at the discretion of the Secretary.’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(6) PAYMENTS FOR CONSERVATION ACTIVI15 TIES RELATED TO ORGANIC PRODUCTION SYS16 TEMS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

18 provide payments under this subsection for con19 servation activities relating to— 

20 ‘‘(i) organic production; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) transitioning to organic produc22 tion. 

23 ‘‘(B) CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES.—Con24 servation activities described in subparagraph 

25 (A) may include— 


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1 ‘‘(i) generally available and specifically 

2 tailored conservation activities; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) individual conservation activities 

4 and bundles of conservation activities.’’. 

5 (b) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS FOR RESOURCE6 CONSERVING CROP ROTATIONS, ADVANCED GRAZING

7 MANAGEMENT, AND LIVESTOCK FEED MANAGEMENT.— 

8 Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

9 U.S.C. 3839aa-24(d)) is amended— 

10 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘RO11 TATIONS AND ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘ROTATIONS, ADVANCED GRAZING

13 MANAGEMENT, AND LIVESTOCK FEED MANAGE14 MENT’’; 

15 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

17 and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec18 tively; and 

19 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(B) LIVESTOCK FEED MANAGEMENT.— 

22 The term ‘livestock feed management’ means 

23 providing livestock with forage and feed that— 

24 ‘‘(i) manipulates and controls the 

25 quantity and quality of available nutrients, 


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1 feedstuffs, ingredients, or additives fed to 

2 livestock; 

3 ‘‘(ii) minimizes excess nutrients in 

4 surface water and groundwater by reduc5 ing the quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus, 

6 sulfur, salts, or other nutrients excreted in 

7 manure; or 

8 ‘‘(iii) reduces emissions of ammonia, 

9 odors, greenhouse gases, volatile organic 

10 components, or dust from animal feeding 

11 operations.’’; 

12 (3) in paragraph (2)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

14 at the end; 

15 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

16 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(C) livestock feed management.’’; and 

19 (4) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘rotations or 

20 advanced’’ and inserting ‘‘rotations, livestock feed 

21 management, or advanced’’. 

22 (c) PAYMENT FOR COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION

23 PLAN.—Section 1240L(e)(1) of the Food Security Act of 

24 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(e)(1)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking the period at the end and insert2 ing the following: ‘‘; and 

3 ‘‘(B) with respect to an organic production 

4 system— 

5 ‘‘(i) is integrated with an organic sys6 tem plan approved under the national or7 ganic program established under the Or8 ganic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 

9 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.); or 

10 ‘‘(ii) allows a producer to transition to 

11 organic production systems and pursue 

12 certification under that Act.’’; and 

13 (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (B) 

14 (as added by paragraph (1)), by striking ‘‘plan that 

15 meets’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘plan that— 

16 ‘‘(A) meets’’. 

17 (d) PAYMENT LIMITATIONS.—Section 1240L(f) of 

18 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(f)) 

19 is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘the period of fiscal years 2025 through 

21 2029 and each 5-fiscal-year period thereafter’’. 

22 (e) SPECIALTY CROP AND ORGANIC PRODUCERS.— 

23 Section 1240L(g) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

24 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(g)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and proVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00182 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ducers transitioning to organic production systems,’’ after 

2 ‘‘organic producers’’. 

3 (f) ORGANIC CERTIFICATION.—Section 

4 1240L(h)(2)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

5 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(h)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, 

6 including by providing payments for conservation activities 

7 relating to organic production and transitioning to organic 

8 production under subsection (c)(6)’’ before the period at 

9 the end. 

10 (g) SOIL HEALTH.—Section 1240L(k) of the Food 

11 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(k)) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘To the maximum’’ and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the maximum’’; and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(2) SOIL TESTING.—Soil testing (as defined in 

18 section 1240A) shall be eligible as a conservation ac19 tivity on its own under a conservation stewardship 

20 contract under this subchapter, if the results of the 

21 soil testing are intended to be used to develop speci22 fications or design elements required for imple23 menting another conservation activity under the con24 tract. 


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1 ‘‘(3) NATIONWIDE SOIL TESTING.—The Sec2 retary shall prioritize nationwide collection of data to 

3 make possible site-specific interpretations of soil 

4 health test results for producers at the local level.’’. 

5 SEC. 2314. ON-FARM CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP INNO6 VATION GRANTS. 

7 Subchapter B of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII 

8 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–21 

9 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 1240L–2. PASTURELAND CONSERVATION AND GULF 

11 HYPOXIA REDUCTION INITIATIVE. 

12 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE LAND.—Notwithstanding section 

14 1240I(4), the term ‘eligible land’ means private land 

15 or Indian land that— 

16 ‘‘(A) is in use for livestock grazing and 

17 production purposes as of the date of enactment 

18 of this section; 

19 ‘‘(B)(i) is native or improved pastureland 

20 with permanent vegetative cover; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) is planted to a crop planted specifi22 cally for the purpose of providing grazing for 

23 livestock, such as forage sorghum, small grains, 

24 annual planted ryegrass, or annual planted 

25 crabgrass; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) is located within 1 or more States in 

2 the Lower Mississippi River Valley that encom3 pass the Ouachita, Yazoo, or Atchafalaya River 

4 drainage basins. 

5 ‘‘(2) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘initiative’ means 

6 the voluntary pastureland conservation and gulf hy7 poxia reduction initiative established under sub8 section (b). 

9 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Sec10 retary shall establish within the program a voluntary 

11 pastureland conservation and hypoxia reduction initiative 

12 for the purposes of, by conserving eligible land through 

13 pastureland conservation contracts under subsection (e)— 

14 ‘‘(1) assisting livestock producers in conserving 

15 and protecting soil, water, and wildlife resources; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(2) reducing nutrient loading into the Gulf of 

18 Mexico. 

19 ‘‘(c) ELECTION.—Beginning in fiscal year 2024, the 

20 Secretary shall provide a 1-time election to enroll eligible 

21 land in the initiative under a contract described in sub22 section (e). 

23 ‘‘(d) METHOD OF ENROLLMENT.—Subject to sub24 section (h), the Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) notwithstanding subsection (b) of section 

2 1240K, determine under subsection (c) of that sec3 tion that eligible land ranks sufficiently high under 

4 the evaluation criteria described in subsection (b) of 

5 that section; and 

6 ‘‘(2) enroll the eligible land in the initiative 

7 under a contract described in subsection (e). 

8 ‘‘(e) PASTURELAND CONSERVATION CONTRACT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 

10 1240K(a)(1), to enroll eligible land in the initiative 

11 under a pastureland conservation contract, a live12 stock producer shall agree— 

13 ‘‘(A) to meet or exceed the stewardship 

14 threshold for not less than 2 priority resource 

15 concerns by the date on which the contract ex16 pires; and 

17 ‘‘(B) to comply with the terms and condi18 tions of the contract. 

19 ‘‘(2) TERMS.—A pastureland conservation con20 tract shall be for a single 5-year term. 

21 ‘‘(f) PAYMENTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning in fiscal year 

23 2024, of the funds made available for this sub24 chapter under section 1241(a)(3)(B), and notwith25 standing any payment under section 1240L(c), the 


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1 Secretary shall make annual pastureland conserva2 tion contract payments to the livestock producer of 

3 any eligible land that is the subject of a pastureland 

4 conservation contract under this section. 

5 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT NONELIGIBILITY.—A 

6 pastureland conservation contract under this section 

7 shall not be subject to the payment limitations under 

8 this subchapter. 

9 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT.—The amount of an annual pay10 ment under this subsection shall be $20 per acre. 

11 ‘‘(g) ACREAGE LIMITATION.—Not more than 

12 500,000 total acres of eligible land may be enrolled in the 

13 initiative. 

14 ‘‘(h) EVALUATION OF CONTRACT OFFERS.—Notwith15 standing subsection (d), the Secretary may rank applica16 tions relating to contract offers to enroll eligible land in 

17 the initiative based on the degree to which the proposed 

18 conservation activities increase natural resource conserva19 tion and environmental benefits if— 

20 ‘‘(1) contract offers are submitted to enroll 

21 more than 400,000 acres of eligible land; and 

22 ‘‘(2) the Secretary determines such ranking of 

23 applications to be necessary to comply with the acre24 age limitation established by subsection (g).’’. 


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1 Subtitle D—Other Conservation 

2 Programs 

3 SEC. 2401. WATERSHED PROTECTION AND FLOOD PREVEN4 TION ACT. 

5 (a) SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS; DECLARATION OF POL6 ICY.—The first section of the Watershed Protection and 

7 Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001) is amended to 

8 read as follows: 

9 ‘‘SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS; DECLARATION OF 

10 POLICY. 

11 ‘‘(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

12 ‘Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act’. 

13 ‘‘(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that erosion, flood14 water, drought, and sediment damages in the watersheds 

15 of the rivers and streams of the United States cause loss 

16 of life, declines in agricultural production, harm to fish, 

17 birds, wildlife, and recreation opportunities, and damage 

18 to property, thereby constituting a menace to the national 

19 welfare. 

20 ‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con21 gress that the Federal Government should cooperate with 

22 local organizations for the purposes of— 

23 ‘‘(1) preventing the damages described in sub24 section (b); 


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1 ‘‘(2) furthering the conservation, management, 

2 development, utilization, and disposal of water, and 

3 the conservation and utilization of land; and 

4 ‘‘(3) thereby preserving, protecting, and improv5 ing land and water resources and the quality of the 

6 environment.’’. 

7 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Watershed Pro8 tection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1002) is 

9 amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

11 ‘‘In this Act: 

12 ‘‘(1) CONSERVATION OF WATER.—The term 

13 ‘conservation of water’ means a reduction in total 

14 annual consumptive water use, as compared to total 

15 annual consumptive water use before a work of im16 provement is carried out under this Act. 

17 ‘‘(2) LOCAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘local 

18 organization’ means— 

19 ‘‘(A)(i) any State, political subdivision of a 

20 State, soil or water conservation district, flood 

21 prevention or control district, or combination 

22 thereof; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) any other governmental agency having 

24 authority under State law to carry out, main25 tain, and operate a work of improvement; 


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1 ‘‘(B) any irrigation district or reservoir 

2 company, water users’ association, canal com3 pany, ditch association, acequia, or similar enti4 ty, or nongovernmental organization that is not 

5 being operated for profit, with— 

6 ‘‘(i) the capacity to engage in the 

7 planning or implementation of land treat8 ment and related conservation measures; 

9 or 

10 ‘‘(ii) the authority to construct and 

11 maintain structural measures; or 

12 ‘‘(C) any Indian Tribe or Tribal organiza13 tion (as those terms are defined in section 4 of 

14 the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

15 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) having au16 thority under Federal, State, or Indian Tribal 

17 law to carry out, maintain, and operate a work 

18 of improvement. 

19 ‘‘(3) MANAGEMENT OF WATER.—The term 

20 ‘management of water’ means any project or activity 

21 carried out to increase the efficiency of water use, 

22 transfer, diversion, or conveyance. 

23 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

24 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

25 ‘‘(5) WORK OF IMPROVEMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘work of im2 provement’ means any undertaking carried out 

3 in a watershed or subwatershed area not ex4 ceeding 250,000 acres (including on Federal 

5 land necessary to accomplish the purposes of 

6 the undertaking) for— 

7 ‘‘(i) flood prevention (including struc8 tural and land treatment measures); 

9 ‘‘(ii) the conservation, management, 

10 development, utilization, and disposal of 

11 water; or 

12 ‘‘(iii) the conservation and proper uti13 lization of land. 

14 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘work of im15 provement’ does not include any single struc16 ture that provides— 

17 ‘‘(i) more than 12,500 acre-feet of 

18 floodwater detention capacity; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) more than 25,000 acre-feet of 

20 total capacity. 

21 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENT FOR AGRICULTURE

22 BENEFITS.—Each undertaking described in 

23 subparagraph (A) shall contain benefits directly 

24 related to agriculture, including communities in 

25 rural areas (as defined in section 343(a) of the 


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1 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 

2 (7 U.S.C. 1991(a))), that account for at least 

3 20 percent of the total benefits of the under4 taking. 

5 ‘‘(D) CONSOLIDATED PLANNING.—1 or 

6 more subwatersheds, when the subwatersheds 

7 are components of a larger watershed, may be 

8 planned together at the discretion of the local 

9 organization sponsoring the applicable under10 taking. 

11 ‘‘(E) MULTIBENEFIT INCLUSION.—A work 

12 of improvement may provide 2 or more public 

13 benefits or ecosystem services in addition to a 

14 purpose described in subparagraph (A).’’. 

15 (c) ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.—Sec16 tion 3 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention 

17 Act (16 U.S.C. 1003) is amended— 

18 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub19 section (f); 

20 (2) in subsection (a)(6), in the first sentence, 

21 by striking ‘‘occupiers, individually’’ and inserting 

22 the following: ‘‘occupiers in accordance with sub23 section (b). 

24 ‘‘(b) AGREEMENTS WITH LANDOWNERS, OPERA25 TORS, AND OCCUPIERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

2 into agreements under subsection (a)(6) with land3 owners, operators, and occupiers, individually’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (b) (as so designated)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘supplemented. Applica6 tions’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘supple7 mented. 

8 ‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS.—Applications’’; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2) (as so designated)— 

10 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 

11 ‘‘such conservation plans’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘conservation plans described in paragraph 

13 (1)’’; and 

14 (ii) by striking ‘‘such district. In re15 turn’’ and all that follows through ‘‘inter16 est. The portion’’ and inserting the fol17 lowing: ‘‘that district. 

18 ‘‘(3) COST SHARING.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

20 agree to share the costs of carrying out a work 

21 of improvement, or specific practices and meas22 ures described in such an agreement, if the Sec23 retary determines that cost sharing is appro24 priate and in the public interest.’’; 


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1 ‘‘(B) PORTION OF COSTS.—The portion’’; 

2 and 

3 (iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so des4 ignated)— 

5 (I) by striking ‘‘programs. The 

6 Secretary’’ and inserting the fol7 lowing: ‘‘programs. 

8 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION; MODIFICATIONS.—The Sec9 retary’’; 

10 (C) in paragraph (4) (as so designated)— 

11 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 

12 ‘‘hereunder, as he’’ and inserting ‘‘under 

13 this subsection, as the Secretary’’; and 

14 (ii) by striking ‘‘herein. Notwith15 standing’’ and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘under this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(5) PRESERVATION OR SURRENDER OF HIS18 TORY.—Notwithstanding’’; and 

19 (D) in paragraph (5) (as so designated)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

21 Secretary’’; 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘paragraph’’ and in23 serting ‘‘subsection’’; 


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1 (iii) by striking ‘‘hereunder for (1) 

2 preservation’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘under this paragraph for— 

4 ‘‘(A) preservation’’; and 

5 (iv) in subparagraph (A) (as so des6 ignated), by striking ‘‘crop; or (2) sur7 render’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘crop; 

8 or 

9 ‘‘(B) surrender’’; and 

10 (4) by inserting after subsection (b) (as so des11 ignated) the following: 

12 ‘‘(c) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITIES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) FINAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall 

14 provide a State Conservationist final authority to ap15 prove watershed plans for works of improvement 

16 within the State. 

17 ‘‘(2) APPROVAL OF OUTSOURCING PRELIMINARY

18 ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary and a State Conserva19 tionist shall, on the approval of the State Conserva20 tionist, allow a local organization sponsoring a work 

21 of improvement to use funds made available under 

22 this Act to pay a third party to conduct preliminary 

23 investigations and pre-planning activities relating to 

24 the work of improvement. 


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1 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES.—The Sec2 retary may provide authority to a State Conserva3 tionist to support a streamlined process. 

4 ‘‘(d) DEADLINE FOR APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

6 not later than 45 days after the date on which an 

7 application for a work of improvement is submitted 

8 to the Secretary, the Secretary shall approve or dis9 approve the application. 

10 ‘‘(2) EXTENSIONS.—The Secretary may extend 

11 the deadline described in paragraph (1) by 45 days, 

12 if necessary. 

13 ‘‘(e) APPROVED WATERSHED PLAN REQUIRED.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

15 the Secretary may not provide funds under this Act 

16 for the costs of designing or constructing a work of 

17 improvement without an approved watershed plan. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not 

19 apply if— 

20 ‘‘(A) the Secretary determines that the cir21 cumstances are so exigent that not providing 

22 funds is against the public interest; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the Secretary has waived the require24 ment for a watershed plan under subsection 

25 (f).’’. 


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1 (d) COST SHARE ASSISTANCE.—Section 3A of the 

2 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 

3 U.S.C. 1003a) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, as deter5 mined by the Secretary,’’ after ‘‘assistance’’; and 

6 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(c) TREATMENT OF OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS FOR

8 WORKS OF IMPROVEMENT.—Any funds provided for a 

9 work of improvement through any Federal department or 

10 agency other than the Department of Agriculture shall be 

11 considered to be part of the non-Federal share of the cost 

12 of the work of improvement provided by the sponsor of 

13 the work of improvement.’’. 

14 (e) CONDITIONS FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.—Sec15 tion 4(2) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Preven16 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 1004(2)) is amended by inserting 

17 ‘‘management,’’ after ‘‘conservation,’’ 

18 (f) LIMITATION.—The Watershed Protection and 

19 Flood Prevention Act is amended by inserting after section 

20 4 (16 U.S.C. 1004) the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 4A. NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—No amounts shall be provided 

23 under this Act for any plan for a work of improvement 

24 involving an estimated Federal contribution to construc25 tion costs in excess of $50,000,000, or that includes any 


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1 structure that provides more than 2,500 acre-feet of total 

2 capacity, unless, not less than 90 days before amounts are 

3 provided for the plan, the Secretary submits to the appro4 priate committees of Congress described in subsection (b) 

5 a notice of the approval of the plan, including a description 

6 of the justification for the approval and a copy of the plan. 

7 ‘‘(b) COMMITTEES DESCRIBED.—The appropriate 

8 committees of Congress referred to in subsection (a) are— 

9 ‘‘(1) in the case of a plan involving no single 

10 structure providing more than 4,000 acre-feet of 

11 total capacity, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri12 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

13 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and 

14 ‘‘(2) in the case of a plan involving any single 

15 structure providing more than 4,000 acre-feet of 

16 total capacity, the Committee on Environment and 

17 Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on 

18 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

19 Representatives.’’. 

20 (g) CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS.—The Watershed 

21 Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001 et 

22 seq.) is amended by inserting after section 4A (as added 

23 by subsection (f)) the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 4B. CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the requirements of 

3 this Act, the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) review and update as necessary the engi5 neering standards and requirements to be used for 

6 works of improvement under this Act; and 

7 ‘‘(2) in collaboration with each State Conserva8 tionist and State technical committee established 

9 under section 1261(a) of the Food Security Act of 

10 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3861(a)), review and update as 

11 necessary the acceptable variances from national en12 gineering standards that are appropriate alternatives 

13 suited to the geomorphology of, and purpose for 

14 which works of improvement are established within, 

15 each State. 

16 ‘‘(b) LOCAL CONSULTATION.—A State Conserva17 tionist and State technical committee engaged in collabo18 ration pursuant to subsection (a)(2) may consult with 

19 local municipalities undertaking works of improvement 

20 within that State under this Act.’’. 

21 (h) MONETIZATION.—Section 5(1) of the Watershed 

22 Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1005(1)) 

23 is amended— 

24 (1) by inserting ‘‘, in consultation with the 

25 State Conservationist,’’ after ‘‘and the Secretary’’; 

26 and 


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1 (2) by inserting ‘‘: Provided further, That if in2 sufficient data exists to monetize the benefits of 

3 wildlife habitat or water quality improvement 

4 against the costs, these benefits shall be quantified 

5 to the extent practicable and described in sufficient 

6 detail to be considered against the cost’’ before the 

7 period at the end. 

8 (i) CERTAIN AUTHORITIES.—Section 7 of the Water9 shed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (68 Stat. 668, 

10 chapter 656; 74 Stat. 131; 76 Stat. 610) is amended, in 

11 the last proviso, by inserting ‘‘management,’’ after ‘‘con12 servation,’’. 

13 (j) LOAN AND ADVANCEMENT AMOUNTS.—Section 8 

14 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 

15 U.S.C. 1006a) is amended, in the last sentence, by strik16 ing ‘‘five million dollars’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000’’. 

17 (k) DATA.—Section 13 of the Watershed Protection 

18 and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1010) is amended— 

19 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

20 striking ‘‘collect and maintain’’ and inserting ‘‘col21 lect, maintain, and publish on the website of the De22 partment of Agriculture’’; and 

23 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘control and 

24 conservation’’ and inserting ‘‘control, conservation, 

25 and drought resilience’’. 


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1 (l) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 11 of the 

2 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 

3 U.S.C. 1001 note; 68 Stat. 668; 70 Stat. 1090) is re4 pealed. 

5 SEC. 2402. SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Soil and Water Resources 

7 Conservation Act of 1977 (16 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in section 5(e) (16 U.S.C. 2004(e)), by 

10 striking ‘‘and December 31, 2022’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2028, and 

12 every 5 years thereafter’’; 

13 (2) in section 6(d) (16 U.S.C. 2005(d)), by in14 serting ‘‘, and December 31, 2029, and every 5 

15 years thereafter’’ after ‘‘2023’’; and 

16 (3) in section 7 (16 U.S.C. 2006)— 

17 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and 

18 2022’’ and inserting ‘‘2022, 2028, and every 5 

19 years thereafter’’; and 

20 (B) in subsection (b), in the matter pre21 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and 2023’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘2023, 2029, and every 5 years 

23 thereafter’’. 


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1 (b) REPEAL OF TERMINATION.—Section 10 of the 

2 Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (16 

3 U.S.C. 2009) is repealed. 

4 SEC. 2403. EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. 

5 (a) EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM.—Section 

6 401 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

7 2201) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (b)— 

9 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

10 ‘‘AND OTHER EMERGENCY CONSERVATION

11 MEASURES’’ after ‘‘FENCING’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (i) by inserting ‘‘or other emergency 

14 measures to restore farmland or replace 

15 conservation structures requiring an imme16 diate response (as determined by the Sec17 retary),’’ after ‘‘replacement of fencing,’’; 

18 and 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘option of receiving’’ 

20 and all that follows through the period at 

21 the end and inserting the following: ‘‘op22 tion of receiving, before the agricultural 

23 producer carries out the repair, replace24 ment, or restoration— 


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1 ‘‘(A) with respect to a payment to the agri2 cultural producer for a replacement, 75 percent 

3 of the cost of the replacement, as determined by 

4 the Secretary based on the fair market value of 

5 the cost of the replacement using the estimated 

6 cost of the applicable practice published in the 

7 Field Office Technical Guide of each State by 

8 the Natural Resources Conservation Service or 

9 other appropriate and comparable guidance doc10 ument, as determined by the Secretary; and 

11 ‘‘(B) with respect to a payment to the ag12 ricultural producer for a repair or restoration, 

13 50 percent of the cost of the repair or restora14 tion, as determined by the Secretary based on 

15 the fair market value of the cost of the repair 

16 or restoration using the estimated cost of the 

17 applicable practice published in the Field Office 

18 Technical Guide of each State by the Natural 

19 Resources Conservation Service or other appro20 priate and comparable guidance document, as 

21 determined by the Secretary.’’; and 

22 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘60-day’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘180-day’’; and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(c) WILDFIRE DETERMINATION.—A wildfire that 

2 causes damage eligible for a payment under subsection (a) 

3 includes— 

4 ‘‘(1) a wildfire that is not caused naturally if 

5 the damage is caused by the spread of the wildfire 

6 due to natural causes; and 

7 ‘‘(2) a wildfire that is caused by an action di8 rectly performed by the Federal Government.’’. 

9 (b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EMER10 GENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM.—Title IV of the Agri11 cultural Credit Act of 1978 is amended by inserting after 

12 section 402B (16 U.S.C. 2202b) the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 402C. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EMER14 GENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM. 

15 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL

16 LAND USERS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An agricultural producer 

18 eligible to receive payments under sections 401 and 

19 402 includes a person that— 

20 ‘‘(A) holds a permit or lease from the Fed21 eral Government to conduct agricultural pro22 duction or grazing on Federal land; or 

23 ‘‘(B) holds a permit or leases land from a 

24 State or unit of local government to conduct ag25 ricultural production or grazing on that land. 


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1 ‘‘(2) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection au2 thorizes the Secretary to make a payment under sec3 tion 401 or 402 to the Federal Government, a State, 

4 or a unit of local government. 

5 ‘‘(b) PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY IMPROVE6 MENTS.—Emergency measures eligible for payments 

7 under sections 401 and 402 include— 

8 ‘‘(1) new permanent or temporary measures, in9 cluding permanent water wells and permanent or 

10 temporary surface or aboveground pipelines and wa11 tering facilities; and 

12 ‘‘(2) replacement or restoration of existing 

13 emergency measures with permanent or temporary 

14 measures, including permanent water wells and per15 manent or temporary surface or aboveground pipe16 lines and watering facilities.’’. 

17 (c) EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROGRAM.—Section 

18 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

19 2203) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by striking the subsection designation 

22 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘The 

23 Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATIONS.— 

25 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 


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1 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE PURPOSES OF FLOODPLAIN

3 EASEMENTS.—A floodplain easement acquired by the 

4 Secretary under this section may be used— 

5 ‘‘(A) to restore, protect, maintain, and en6 hance the hydrologic and other functions of 

7 wetlands and associated land, riparian areas, 

8 and stream channels; 

9 ‘‘(B) to conserve natural values, including 

10 fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, flood 

11 water retention, and groundwater recharge; and 

12 ‘‘(C) to safeguard lives and property from 

13 floods, drought, and the products of erosion. 

14 ‘‘(3) EASEMENT RESTORATION.—The Secretary 

15 may restore the hydrologic and other functions and 

16 values of wetlands on floodplain easements acquired 

17 by the Secretary under this section. 

18 ‘‘(4) EASEMENT MANAGEMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

20 restore, protect, manage, maintain, enhance, 

21 and monitor floodplain easements acquired by 

22 the Secretary under this section. 

23 ‘‘(B) ALLOWABLE USES.—The Secretary 

24 may authorize, in writing and subject to such 

25 terms and conditions as the Secretary may preVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00206 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 scribe in the sole discretion of the Secretary, 

2 the use by the landowner for compatible uses of 

3 the area of a floodplain easement acquired by 

4 the Secretary under this section, if the Sec5 retary determines that the use is consistent 

6 with the long-term protection and enhancement 

7 of the floodplain, riparian, wetland, and associ8 ated land, and other natural values of the ease9 ment area. 

10 ‘‘(5) DEADLINES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except in the case of 

12 a floodplain easement acquired by the Secretary 

13 under this section and as provided in subpara14 graph (B), not later than 1 year after the date 

15 on which funds are obligated to a State Con16 servationist for emergency watershed protection 

17 measures under this section, construction of the 

18 emergency watershed protection measures shall 

19 be completed. 

20 ‘‘(B) EXIGENT SITUATIONS.—If the Sec21 retary determines that an exigent situation ex22 ists, subparagraph (A) shall be applied by sub23 stituting ‘30 days’ for ‘1 year’.’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection 

25 designation and heading and all that follows through 


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1 the ‘‘The Secretary’’ in the matter preceding sub2 paragraph (A) of paragraph (1) and inserting the 

3 following: 

4 ‘‘(b) MODIFICATION AND TERMINATION OF FLOOD5 PLAIN EASEMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

7 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(c) PREAGREEMENT COSTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF SPONSOR.—In this sub10 section, the term ‘sponsor’ means— 

11 ‘‘(A) a State or local government; and 

12 ‘‘(B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 

13 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu14 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)). 

15 ‘‘(2) PREAGREEMENT PROJECT COSTS.—Not 

16 later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

17 this subsection, the Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) identify a list of emergency watershed 

19 protection measures the cost of which may be 

20 incurred by a sponsor prior to entering into an 

21 agreement with the Secretary under this sec22 tion; and 

23 ‘‘(B) develop a procedure, including appro24 priate deadlines, to be implemented at the State 

25 level, through which a sponsor may request, for 


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1 a specified natural disaster, additional emer2 gency watershed protection measures the cost of 

3 which may be incurred by a sponsor prior to en4 tering into an agreement with the Secretary 

5 under this section. 

6 ‘‘(3) AGREEMENT CONTRIBUTION.—If the Sec7 retary and a sponsor enter into an agreement under 

8 this section, the Secretary shall consider any appli9 cable preagreement costs incurred by the sponsor for 

10 undertaking emergency watershed protection meas11 ures identified under paragraph (2) as meeting part 

12 of the contribution of the sponsor toward the cost of 

13 the project. 

14 ‘‘(4) ASSUMPTION OF RISK.—A sponsor that 

15 undertakes emergency watershed protection meas16 ures prior to entering into an agreement with the 

17 Secretary under this section shall assume the risk of 

18 incurring any cost of undertaking those measures. 

19 ‘‘(5) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection re20 quires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with 

21 a sponsor.’’. 

22 (d) EMERGENCY FOREST RESTORATION PRO23 GRAM.—Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 

24 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

2 through (3) as paragraphs (3) through (5), re3 spectively; 

4 (B) by inserting before paragraph (3) (as 

5 so redesignated) the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en7 tity’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) with respect to nonindustrial private 

9 forest land or industrial private forest land— 

10 ‘‘(i) an owner of the nonindustrial pri11 vate forest land or industrial private forest 

12 land; or 

13 ‘‘(ii) a person that— 

14 ‘‘(I) receives concurrence from 

15 the landowner to carry out emergency 

16 measures in lieu of the owner; and 

17 ‘‘(II) holds a lease on the land 

18 for a minimum of 10 years; 

19 ‘‘(B) with respect to Federal forest land, a 

20 person that holds a permit or lease from the 

21 Federal Government to conduct livestock graz22 ing on the Federal forest land; and 

23 ‘‘(C) with respect to forest land owned by 

24 a State or a unit of local government, a person 

25 that holds a permit or leases land from the 


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1 State or unit of local government to conduct 

2 livestock grazing on that forest land. 

3 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ 

4 means— 

5 ‘‘(A) nonindustrial private forest land or 

6 industrial private forest land; 

7 ‘‘(B) Federal forest land on which livestock 

8 grazing is authorized through a permit or lease; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(C) forest land owned by a State or unit 

11 of local government on which livestock grazing 

12 is authorized through a permit or lease.’’; 

13 (C) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), 

14 in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding 

15 clause (i), by striking ‘‘nonindustrial private 

16 forest land’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible land’’; and 

17 (D) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), 

18 by striking ‘‘wildfires,’’ and inserting ‘‘wildfires 

19 (including a wildfire that is not caused natu20 rally if the damage is caused by the spread of 

21 the wildfire due to natural causes and a wildfire 

22 that is caused by the Federal Government),’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘an owner of nonindustrial 

2 private forest land who’’ and inserting ‘‘an eli3 gible entity that’’; and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘restore the land’’ and in5 serting ‘‘restore eligible land’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘owner must’’ and insert8 ing ‘‘eligible entity shall’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘nonindustrial private for10 est land’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible land’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘an owner of 

12 nonindustrial private forest land’’ and inserting ‘‘an 

13 eligible entity’’; 

14 (5) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub15 section (g); and 

16 (6) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(e) ADVANCE PAYMENTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall give an 

20 eligible entity the option of receiving, before the eli21 gible entity carries out emergency measures under 

22 this section, not more than 75 percent of the cost of 

23 the emergency measures, as determined by the Sec24 retary based on the fair market value of the cost of 

25 the emergency measures using the estimated cost of 


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1 the applicable practice published in the Field Office 

2 Technical Guide of each State by the Natural Re3 sources Conservation Service or other appropriate 

4 and comparable guidance document, as determined 

5 by the Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(2) RETURN OF FUNDS.—If the funds pro7 vided under paragraph (1) are not expended by the 

8 end of the 2-year period beginning on the date on 

9 which the eligible entity receives those funds, the 

10 funds shall be returned within a reasonable time11 frame, as determined by the Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(f) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section authorizes the 

13 Secretary to make a payment under this section to the 

14 Federal Government, a State, or a unit of local govern15 ment.’’. 

16 SEC. 2404. CONSERVATION OF PRIVATE GRAZING LAND. 

17 Section 1240M of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

18 U.S.C. 3839bb) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (c)(1)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

21 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (B) in subparagraph (I), by striking the 

23 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(J) supporting planning, management, 

2 and coordination of grazing in agrivoltaic sys3 tems.’’; and 

4 (2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘each of fiscal 

5 years 2002 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 

6 2002 and each fiscal year thereafter’’. 

7 SEC. 2405. GRASSROOTS SOURCE WATER PROTECTION 

8 PROGRAM. 

9 Section 1240O(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

10 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb–2(b)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘each of fiscal 

12 years 2008 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 

13 2008 and each fiscal year thereafter’’; and 

14 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

16 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

18 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(C) $5,000,000 beginning in fiscal year 

21 2025 and every 5 fiscal years thereafter, to re22 main available until expended.’’. 


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1 SEC. 2406. VOLUNTARY PUBLIC ACCESS AND HABITAT IN2 CENTIVE PROGRAM. 

3 Section 1240R(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

4 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb–5(f)(1)) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘2023,’’; and 

7 (B) by inserting ‘‘, and $50,000,000 for 

8 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’ before 

9 the period at the end; and 

10 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and 

11 $3,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2025 

12 through 2029’’ after ‘‘2023’’. 

13 SEC. 2407. FERAL SWINE ERADICATION AND CONTROL PRO14 GRAM. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2408 of the Agriculture 

16 Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8351 note; Public 

17 Law 115–334) is amended— 

18 (1) in the section heading, by striking 

19 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘pilot pro21 gram’’ and inserting ‘‘program (referred to in this 

22 section as the ‘program’)’’; 

23 (3) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

25 by striking ‘‘pilot’’; 


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1 (B) in each of paragraphs (1) and (2), by 

2 striking ‘‘the pilot areas’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible 

3 areas’’; 

4 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘pilot’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘eligible’’; 

6 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

7 (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and 

8 (E) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(3) after the Secretary determines that feral 

11 swine have been eradicated from an eligible area, en12 sure that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

13 Service and the Natural Resources Conservation 

14 Service continue monitoring that area for the reoc15 currence of feral swine for a period of 1 year;’’; 

16 (4) in each of subsections (c), (e), (f), and (g), 

17 by striking ‘‘pilot program’’ each place it appears 

18 and inserting ‘‘program’’; 

19 (5) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘the pilot 

20 areas’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible areas’’; 

21 (6) in subsection (e), in the subsection heading, 

22 by striking ‘‘PILOT’’ and inserting ‘‘ELIGIBLE’’; 

23 (7) in subsection (g)(1)— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘2023 and’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘2023,’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘, and $75,000,000 for 

2 the period of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’ 

3 before the period at the end; and 

4 (8) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(h) REPORTS.—Not less than 2 years, and not later 

6 than 4 years and 6 months, after the date of enactment 

7 of this subsection, the Administrator of the Animal and 

8 Plant Health Inspection Service and the Chief of the Nat9 ural Resources Conservation Service, acting jointly, shall 

10 submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

11 Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture 

12 of the House of Representatives and make publicly avail13 able on the website of the Department of Agriculture a 

14 report that— 

15 ‘‘(1) describes, for the period beginning on the 

16 date of the establishment of the program and ending 

17 on the date of the submission of the report— 

18 ‘‘(A) activities carried out under the pro19 gram, including— 

20 ‘‘(i) the number of counties in which 

21 feral swine are no longer present; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) estimated reductions in agri23 culture and natural resource damage, and 

24 improvements to human and livestock 


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1 health and safety, as a result of feral swine 

2 removal; 

3 ‘‘(B) the use of funding made available 

4 under this section, including the number of 

5 counties in each State provided funding; and 

6 ‘‘(C) the roles of the Animal and Plant 

7 Health Inspection Service and the Natural Re8 sources Conservation Service and agricultural 

9 producers provided financial assistance under 

10 this section in carrying out activities under the 

11 program; and 

12 ‘‘(2) includes— 

13 ‘‘(A) a determination by the Administrator 

14 of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

15 Service and the Chief of the Natural Resources 

16 Conservation Service as to the extent to which 

17 the program has been successful; and 

18 ‘‘(B) any recommendations for improve19 ments to the program.’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con21 tents for the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public 

22 Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4491) is amended by striking 

23 the item relating to section 2408 and inserting the fol24 lowing: 

‘‘Sec. 2408. Feral swine eradication and control program.’’. 


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1 SEC. 2408. REPORT ON SMALL WETLANDS. 

2 Section 2409(a) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

3 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4575) is amend4 ed by striking ‘‘2014 through 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2019 

5 through 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2409. TERMINAL LAKES ASSISTANCE. 

7 Section 2507 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest8 ment Act of 2002 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb–6) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (e), by striking paragraph (2) 

10 and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL FUNDS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA13 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

14 to carry out this section $10,000,000 for fiscal 

15 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, to re16 main available until expended. 

17 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Any 

18 funds made available to carry out this section 

19 before December 20, 2018, may remain avail20 able until expended.’’; and 

21 (2) by striking subsection (f). 

22 SEC. 2410. COLORADO SALINITY CONTROL UNITS. 

23 Section 205 of the Colorado River Basin Salinity 

24 Control Act (43 U.S.C. 1595) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking the section designation and all 

2 that follows through ‘‘(a) The Secretary’’ and insert3 ing the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 205. SALINITY CONTROL UNITS; AUTHORITY AND 

5 FUNCTIONS OF THE SECRETARY OF THE IN6 TERIOR. 

7 ‘‘(a) ALLOCATION OF COSTS.—The Secretary’’; 

8 (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(1) NONREIMBURSABLE COSTS; REIMBURS11 ABLE COSTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) NONREIMBURSABLE COSTS.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In recognition of 

14 Federal responsibility for the Colorado 

15 River as an interstate stream and for 

16 international comity with Mexico, Federal 

17 ownership of the land of the Colorado 

18 River Basin from which most of the dis19 solved salts originate, and the policy estab20 lished in the Federal Water Pollution Con21 trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) and ex22 cept as provided in clause (ii), the fol23 lowing shall be nonreimbursable: 

24 ‘‘(I) 75 percent of the total costs 

25 of construction and replacement of 


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1 each unit or separable feature of a 

2 unit authorized by section 202(a)(1), 

3 including 90 percent of— 

4 ‘‘(aa) the costs of operation 

5 and maintenance of each unit or 

6 separable feature of a unit au7 thorized by that section; and 

8 ‘‘(bb) the total costs of con9 struction, operation, and mainte10 nance of the associated measures 

11 to replace incidental fish and 

12 wildlife values foregone. 

13 ‘‘(II) 75 percent of the total costs 

14 of construction and replacement of 

15 each unit or separable feature of a 

16 unit authorized by section 202(a)(2), 

17 including 100 percent of— 

18 ‘‘(aa) the costs of operation 

19 and maintenance of each unit or 

20 separable feature of a unit au21 thorized by that section; and 

22 ‘‘(bb) the total costs of con23 struction, operation, and mainte24 nance of the associated measures 


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1 to replace incidental fish and 

2 wildlife values foregone. 

3 ‘‘(III) 75 percent of the total 

4 costs of construction, operation, main5 tenance, and replacement of each unit 

6 or separable feature of a unit author7 ized by section 202(a)(3), including 

8 75 percent of the total costs of con9 struction, operation, and maintenance 

10 of the associated measures to replace 

11 incidental fish and wildlife values fore12 gone. 

13 ‘‘(IV) 70 percent of the total 

14 costs of construction, operation, main15 tenance, and replacement of each unit 

16 or separable feature of a unit author17 ized by paragraphs (4) and (6) of sec18 tion 202(a), including 70 percent of 

19 the total costs of construction, oper20 ation, and maintenance of the associ21 ated measures to replace incidental 

22 fish and wildlife values foregone. 

23 ‘‘(V) 70 percent of the total costs 

24 of construction and replacement of 

25 each unit or separable feature of a 


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1 unit authorized by section 202(a)(5), 

2 including 100 percent of— 

3 ‘‘(aa) the costs of operation 

4 and maintenance of each unit or 

5 separable feature of a unit au6 thorized by that section; and 

7 ‘‘(bb) the total costs of con8 struction, operation, and mainte9 nance of the associated measures 

10 to replace incidental fish and 

11 wildlife values foregone. 

12 ‘‘(VI) 85 percent of the total 

13 costs of implementation of the on14 farm measures authorized by section 

15 202(c), including 85 percent of the 

16 total costs of the associated measures 

17 to replace incidental fish and wildlife 

18 values foregone. 

19 ‘‘(ii) SPECIAL RULE FOR NONREIM20 BURSABLE COSTS FOR FISCAL YEARS 2024

21 AND 2025.—Notwithstanding clause (i), for 

22 each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025, the 

23 following shall be nonreimbursable: 

24 ‘‘(I) 75 percent of all costs de25 scribed in clause (i)(I). 


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1 ‘‘(II) 75 percent of all costs de2 scribed in clause (i)(II). 

3 ‘‘(III) 70 percent of all costs de4 scribed in clause (i)(V). 

5 ‘‘(IV) The percentages of all 

6 costs described in subclauses (III), 

7 (IV), and (VI) of clause (i). 

8 ‘‘(B) REIMBURSABLE COSTS.—The total 

9 costs remaining after the allocations under 

10 clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) shall be 

11 reimbursable as provided for in paragraphs (2), 

12 (3), (4), and (5).’’; 

13 (3) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection 

14 designation and all that follows through ‘‘Costs of 

15 construction’’ in paragraph (1) and inserting the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(b) COSTS PAYABLE FROM LOWER COLORADO

18 RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT FUND.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Costs of construction’’; 

20 (4) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘(c) Costs of 

21 construction’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(c) COSTS PAYABLE FROM UPPER COLORADO

23 RIVER BASIN FUND.—Costs of construction’’; and 

24 (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘(e) The Sec25 retary is’’ and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(e) UPWARD ADJUSTMENT OF RATES FOR ELEC2 TRICAL ENERGY.—The Secretary is’’. 

3 SEC. 2411. CHESAPEAKE BAY STATES’ PARTNERSHIP INI4 TIATIVE. 

5 Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Secu6 rity Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 

7 1240O (16 U.S.C. 3939bb–2) the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 1240Q. CHESAPEAKE BAY STATES’ PARTNERSHIP INI9 TIATIVE. 

10 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED.—the term 

12 ‘Chesapeake Bay watershed’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) the portions of the States of Dela14 ware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Vir15 ginia, and West Virginia that contain the tribu16 taries, backwaters, and side channels, including 

17 their watersheds, that drain into the Chesa18 peake Bay; and 

19 ‘‘(B) the District of Columbia. 

20 ‘‘(2) MOST EFFECTIVE BASINS.—The term 

21 ‘most effective basins’ means the local rivers and 

22 streams located within the Chesapeake Bay water23 shed that are identified by the Administrator of the 

24 Environmental Protection Agency as being most 


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1 beneficial to the downstream Chesapeake Bay if 

2 prioritized for water quality improvement. 

3 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Sec4 retary shall carry out a Chesapeake Bay States’ Partner5 ship Initiative (referred to in this section as the ‘Initia6 tive’) to assist producers in implementing conservation ac7 tivities on agricultural land in the Chesapeake Bay water8 shed for the purposes of— 

9 ‘‘(1) improving water quality and quantity in 

10 the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

11 ‘‘(2) restoring, enhancing, and preserving soil, 

12 air, and related resources in the Chesapeake Bay 

13 watershed; and 

14 ‘‘(3) increasing the resilience of agricultural 

15 production in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to 

16 withstand the impacts of climate change. 

17 ‘‘(c) CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 

18 shall deliver the funds made available to carry out this 

19 section through applicable programs under this subtitle, 

20 including by providing enrollment opportunities that are 

21 targeted to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to assist pro22 ducers in enhancing land and water resources— 

23 ‘‘(1) by controlling erosion and reducing sedi24 ment and nutrient levels in ground and surface 

25 water; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) by planning, designing, implementing, and 

2 evaluating habitat conservation, restoration, and en3 hancement measures where there is significant eco4 logical value if the land is— 

5 ‘‘(A) retained in its current use; or 

6 ‘‘(B) restored to its natural condition. 

7 ‘‘(d) CONSIDERATIONS.—In delivering the funds 

8 made available to carry out this section, the Secretary 

9 shall give special consideration to applications— 

10 ‘‘(1) submitted by producers in the most effec11 tive basins; or 

12 ‘‘(2) to carry out conservation activities that re13 duce nitrogen and sediment, improve management of 

14 livestock and waste, and conserve wetlands. 

15 ‘‘(e) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—In carrying out 

16 this section, the Secretary shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) where available, use existing plans, models, 

18 and assessments to assist producers in implementing 

19 conservation activities; and 

20 ‘‘(2) proceed expeditiously to deliver funding to 

21 a producer to implement conservation activities that 

22 are consistent with State strategies for the restora23 tion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

24 ‘‘(f) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—The Sec25 retary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) in consultation with appropriate Federal 

2 agencies, ensure conservation activities carried out 

3 under this section complement Federal, State, and 

4 local programs, including programs that address 

5 water quality, in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(2) in carrying out this section, coordinate 

8 with the Farm Service Agency to identify needs and 

9 opportunities for buffer management on land subject 

10 to a contract under the conservation reserve pro11 gram under subchapter B of chapter 1 that may be 

12 expiring soon. 

13 ‘‘(g) TASK FORCE.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Ad15 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

16 shall jointly establish a Federal task force, to be 

17 known as the ‘Task Force on Crediting Chesapeake 

18 Bay Conservation Investments’ (referred to in this 

19 subsection as the ‘task force’). 

20 ‘‘(2) ACTION PLAN.—The task force shall de21 velop an action plan that— 

22 ‘‘(A) identifies improvements to the proc23 esses of analyzing, reporting, and quantifying 

24 nutrient reductions from the conservation ac25 tivities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 


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1 ‘‘(B) is responsive to the needs of States in 

2 the Chesapeake Bay watershed (including the 

3 District of Columbia) and the agricultural com4 munity; 

5 ‘‘(C) maintains the scientific integrity of 

6 the decision-making process and accounting 

7 tools under the Initiative and the Chesapeake 

8 Bay Program (as defined in section 117(a) of 

9 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 

10 U.S.C. 1267(a))); and 

11 ‘‘(D) ensures producer privacy is protected. 

12 ‘‘(3) IDENTIFICATION OF OPPORTUNITIES.— 

13 The task force shall leverage findings from success14 ful data sharing pilots to identify opportunities to 

15 integrate time-saving technologies for the implemen16 tation of conservation activities under this section. 

17 ‘‘(h) FUNDING.— 

18 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of amounts in 

19 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

20 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec21 tion $375,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, to remain 

22 available until expended. 

23 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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1 retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this 

2 section for each fiscal year. 

3 ‘‘(3) UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—The Secretary 

4 may use to carry out this section amounts made 

5 available for the programs described in paragraphs 

6 (3) through (6) of section 1241(a) for any fiscal 

7 year that remain unobligated at the end of that fis8 cal year.’’. 

9 SEC. 2412. DRIFTLESS AREA LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION 

10 INITIATIVE. 

11 Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Secu12 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb et seq.) is amended 

13 by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 1240S. DRIFTLESS AREA LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION 

15 INITIATIVE. 

16 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab17 lish a Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative to 

18 reduce erosion and restore cold water stream corridors in 

19 the Driftless Area of the Midwestern United States, with 

20 a focus on climate-smart agriculture, carbon sequestra21 tion, soil health, and ecological restoration. 

22 ‘‘(b) INITIATIVE ELEMENTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the initia24 tive established under this section, the Secretary 


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1 shall provide assistance to producers to implement 

2 practices— 

3 ‘‘(A) to manage working land for year4 round ground cover to rebuild soil, sequester 

5 carbon, improve water quality, increase water 

6 holding capacity of soil, reduce soil erosion, and 

7 mitigate flooding and other climate impacts; 

8 ‘‘(B) to manage woodland for increased 

9 biodiversity to improve the health of the wood10 land to provide habitat and sequester carbon; 

11 ‘‘(C) to restore prairies and manage grass12 land, oak savannas, and barrens to expand 

13 habitat and sequester carbon; and 

14 ‘‘(D) to restore cold water streams by re15 ducing stream bank erosion and threats of 

16 flooding while improving trout habitat. 

17 ‘‘(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out the ini18 tiative established under this section, the Secretary 

19 shall provide assistance to partnerships to educate 

20 landowners and operators on the benefits of climate21 smart agriculture, soil health, and holistic grazing, 

22 with a focus on equity. 

23 ‘‘(3) TYPES OF ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

24 may provide assistance under this section in the 

25 form of financial assistance, technical assistance, 


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1 and payments for the conveyance of easements to 

2 the Secretary, under such terms as the Secretary 

3 may establish. 

4 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.— 

5 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec7 retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this 

8 section for each fiscal year. 

9 ‘‘(2) UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—The Secretary 

10 may use to carry out this section amounts made 

11 available for the programs described in paragraphs 

12 (3) through (6) of section 1241(a) for any fiscal 

13 year that remain unobligated at the end of that fis14 cal year.’’. 

15 SEC. 2413. EXPANSION OF NRCS SNOW SURVEY AND WATER 

16 SUPPLY FORECASTING. 

17 (a) DEFINITION OF NORTHEASTERN UNITED

18 STATES.—In this section, the term ‘‘Northeastern United 

19 States’’ means the States of Maine, New Hampshire, 

20 Vermont, New York, and any other States determined by 

21 the Secretary. 

22 (b) EXPANSION.—The Secretary, acting through the 

23 Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall 

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1 gram carried out by the Natural Resources Conservation 

2 Service to serve the Northeastern United States. 

3 Subtitle E—Funding and 

4 Administration 

5 SEC. 2501. COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1241 of the Food Security 

7 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL FUNDING.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use the 

12 funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity 

13 Credit Corporation to carry out the programs de14 scribed in this subsection, including the provision of 

15 technical assistance. 

16 ‘‘(2) CONSERVATION RESERVE.—For fiscal year 

17 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, using the funds 

18 of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

19 shall carry out the conservation reserve program 

20 under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D, to 

21 the maximum extent practicable, including using 

22 $60,000,000 to provide payments under section 

23 1234(c). 

24 ‘‘(3) AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION EASEMENT

25 PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Com2 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 

3 use to carry out the agricultural conservation 

4 easement program under subtitle H, to the 

5 maximum extent practicable— 

6 ‘‘(i) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 

7 2024; 

8 ‘‘(ii) $540,000,000 for fiscal year 

9 2025; 

10 ‘‘(iii) $540,000,000 for fiscal year 

11 2026; 

12 ‘‘(iv) $570,000,000 for fiscal year 

13 2027; 

14 ‘‘(v) $570,000,000 for fiscal year 

15 2028; 

16 ‘‘(vi) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 

17 2029; 

18 ‘‘(vii) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 

19 2030; 

20 ‘‘(viii) $675,000,000 for fiscal year 

21 2031; 

22 ‘‘(ix) $675,000,000 for fiscal year 

23 2032; and 

24 ‘‘(x) $750,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2033 and each fiscal year thereafter. 


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1 ‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made 

2 available by subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 

3 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec4 retary shall use not less than 80 percent to 

5 carry out the purposes described in section 

6 21001(a)(3) of Public Law 117–169 (136 Stat. 

7 2016). 

8 ‘‘(4) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES

9 PROGRAM.— 

10 ‘‘(A) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Com11 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 

12 use to carry out the environmental quality in13 centives program under subchapter A of chap14 ter 4 of subtitle D, to the maximum extent 

15 practicable— 

16 ‘‘(i) $2,025,000,000 for fiscal year 

17 2024; 

18 ‘‘(ii) $2,575,000,000 for fiscal year 

19 2025; 

20 ‘‘(iii) $2,575,000,000 for fiscal year 

21 2026; 

22 ‘‘(iv) $2,675,000,000 for fiscal year 

23 2027; 

24 ‘‘(v) $2,675,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2028; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) $2,775,000,000 for fiscal year 

2 2029; 

3 ‘‘(vii) $2,775,000,000 for fiscal year 

4 2030; 

5 ‘‘(viii) $2,975,000,000 for fiscal year 

6 2031; 

7 ‘‘(ix) $2,975,000,000 for fiscal year 

8 2032; and 

9 ‘‘(x) $3,225,000,000 for fiscal year 

10 2033 and each fiscal year thereafter. 

11 ‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made 

12 available by subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 

13 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec14 retary shall use not less than 60 percent to 

15 carry out the purposes described in section 

16 21001(a)(1) of Public Law 117–169 (136 Stat. 

17 2015). 

18 ‘‘(C) CONDITIONS.—The use of amounts 

19 described in subparagraph (B) shall be subject 

20 to the conditions described in section 

21 21001(a)(1)(B) of Public Law 117–169 (136 

22 Stat. 2015). 

23 ‘‘(5) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PRO24 GRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Com2 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 

3 use to carry out the conservation stewardship 

4 program under subchapter B of chapter 4 of 

5 subtitle D, to the maximum extent prac6 ticable— 

7 ‘‘(i) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 

8 2024; 

9 ‘‘(ii) $1,200,000,000 for fiscal year 

10 2025; 

11 ‘‘(iii) $1,200,000,000 for fiscal year 

12 2026; 

13 ‘‘(iv) $1,250,000,000 for fiscal year 

14 2027; 

15 ‘‘(v) $1,250,000,000 for fiscal year 

16 2028; 

17 ‘‘(vi) $1,325,000,000 for fiscal year 

18 2029; 

19 ‘‘(vii) $1,325,000,000 for fiscal year 

20 2030; 

21 ‘‘(viii) $1,450,000,000 for fiscal year 

22 2031; 

23 ‘‘(ix) $1,450,000,000 for fiscal year 

24 2032; and 


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1 ‘‘(x) $1,550,000,000 for fiscal year 

2 2033 and each fiscal year thereafter. 

3 ‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made 

4 available by subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 

5 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec6 retary shall use not less than 50 percent to 

7 carry out the purposes described in section 

8 21001(a)(2) of Public Law 117–169 (136 Stat. 

9 2016). 

10 ‘‘(C) CONDITIONS.—The use of amounts 

11 described in subparagraph (B) shall be subject 

12 to the conditions described in section 

13 21001(a)(2)(B) of Public Law 117–169 (136 

14 Stat. 2016). 

15 ‘‘(D) CONTRACTS PREVIOUSLY ENTERED

16 INTO.—Of the funds of the Commodity Credit 

17 Corporation, the Secretary shall use such sums 

18 as are necessary to administer contracts entered 

19 into before December 20, 2018, under the con20 servation stewardship program under sub21 chapter B of chapter 2 of subtitle D (as in ef22 fect on December 19, 2018). 

23 ‘‘(6) REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP

24 PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Com2 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 

3 use to carry out the regional conservation part4 nership program under subtitle I, to the max5 imum extent practicable— 

6 ‘‘(i) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 

7 2024; 

8 ‘‘(ii) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 

9 2025; 

10 ‘‘(iii) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 

11 2026; 

12 ‘‘(iv) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 

13 2027; 

14 ‘‘(v) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 

15 2028; 

16 ‘‘(vi) $800,000,000 for fiscal year 

17 2029; 

18 ‘‘(vii) $800,000,000 for fiscal year 

19 2030; 

20 ‘‘(viii) $900,000,000 for fiscal year 

21 2031; 

22 ‘‘(ix) $900,000,000 for fiscal year 

23 2032; and 

24 ‘‘(x) $1,050,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2033 and each fiscal year thereafter. 


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1 ‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made 

2 available by subparagraph (A) for fiscal year 

3 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec4 retary shall use not less than 80 percent to 

5 carry out the purposes described in section 

6 21001(a)(4) of Public Law 117–169 (136 Stat. 

7 2016). 

8 ‘‘(C) CONDITIONS.—The use of amounts 

9 described in subparagraph (B) shall be subject 

10 to the conditions described in section 

11 21001(a)(4)(B) of Public Law 117–169 (136 

12 Stat. 2016).’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘fiscal years 

14 2014 through 2031’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2014 

15 and each fiscal year thereafter’’. 

16 (b) RESCISSION.—The unobligated balances of 

17 amounts appropriated by section 21001(a) of Public Law 

18 117–169 (136 Stat. 2015) are rescinded. 

19 (c) ASSISTANCE TO CERTAIN FARMERS OR RANCH20 ERS FOR CONSERVATION ACCESS.—Section 1241(h) of 

21 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(h)) is 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)— 


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1 (A) in the subparagraph heading, by strik2 ing ‘‘FISCAL YEARS 2019 THROUGH 2031’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEARS’’; and 

4 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

5 striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 through 

6 2031’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2019 and each 

7 fiscal year thereafter’’; and 

8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and, in the 

9 case of fiscal years 2019 through 2031,’’ and insert10 ing ‘‘and’’. 

11 (d) REPORT ON PROGRAM ENROLLMENTS AND AS12 SISTANCE.—Section 1241(i) of the Food Security Act of 

13 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(i)) is amended, in the matter pre14 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘each of calendar years 

15 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘calendar year 2019 

16 and each calendar year thereafter’’. 

17 (e) CONSERVATION STANDARDS AND REQUIRE18 MENTS.—Section 1241(j)(1) of the Food Security Act of 

19 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(j)(1)) is amended— 

20 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

21 the end; 

22 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 

23 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(D) a schedule for the revision of exist2 ing, and establishment of new, conservation 

3 practice standards under section 1242(h).’’. 

4 SEC. 2502. DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

5 Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

6 U.S.C. 3842) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

9 (2) as paragraphs (2) and (4), respectively; 

10 (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as 

11 so redesignated) the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) APPROVED NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING EN13 TITY.—The term ‘approved non-Federal certifying 

14 entity’ means a non-Federal entity approved by the 

15 Secretary under subsection (e)(5)(C)(ii) to perform 

16 certifications of third-party providers under this sec17 tion.’’; and 

18 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) (as so 

19 redesignated) the following: 

20 ‘‘(3) FARMER-TO-FARMER NETWORK.—The 

21 term ‘farmer-to-farmer network’ means any affili22 ation or association of farmers that share informa23 tion, technical assistance, or any other type of mutu24 ally beneficial support.’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘science2 based, site-specific practices designed’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘timely, science-based, and site-specific practice de4 sign and implementation assistance’’; 

5 (3) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘(including 

6 private sector entities)’’ after ‘‘non-Federal entities’’; 

7 (4) in subsection (e)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Food, 

9 Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008’’ and in10 serting ‘‘Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

11 Act of 2024’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘en13 sure’’ and all that follows through ‘‘engineer14 ing,’’ and inserting ‘‘ensure that third-party 

15 providers with expertise in the technical aspects 

16 of conservation planning, watershed planning, 

17 environmental engineering, conservation prac18 tice design, implementation, and evaluation, or 

19 other technical skills, as determined by the Sec20 retary,’’; and 

21 (C) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5) and 

22 inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(4) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall cer24 tify a third-party provider through— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a certification process administered 

2 by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of 

3 the Natural Resources Conservation Service; 

4 ‘‘(B) a non-Federal entity (other than a 

5 State agency) approved by the Secretary to per6 form the certification; or 

7 ‘‘(C) a State agency with State statutory 

8 authority to certify, administer, or license pro9 fessionals in one or more fields of natural re10 sources, agriculture, or engineering approved by 

11 the Secretary to perform the certification. 

12 ‘‘(5) NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING ENTITY PROC13 ESS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 

15 180 days after the date of enactment of the 

16 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

17 2024, the Secretary shall establish a process for 

18 the certification of third-party providers 

19 through approved non-Federal certifying enti20 ties, with the goal of increasing third-party pro21 vider capacity, including the certification of 

22 qualified agricultural retailers, cooperatives, 

23 professional societies, service providers, and or24 ganizations described in section 1265A(3)(B)(i). 


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1 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY OF NON-FEDERAL ENTI2 TIES.—In determining the eligibility of an enti3 ty described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of 

4 paragraph (4) (referred to in this paragraph as 

5 a ‘non-Federal entity’) to perform certifications, 

6 the Secretary shall consider— 

7 ‘‘(i) the ability and capacity of the 

8 non-Federal entity to assess qualifications 

9 of a third-party provider and certify third10 party providers at scale; 

11 ‘‘(ii) the experience of the non-Federal 

12 entity in working with third-party pro13 viders and eligible participants; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the expertise of the non-Federal 

15 entity in the technical and science-based 

16 aspects of conservation delivery described 

17 in paragraph (3)(A); 

18 ‘‘(iv) the history of the non-Federal 

19 entity in working with agricultural pro20 ducers; and 

21 ‘‘(v) such other qualifications as the 

22 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

23 ‘‘(C) APPROVAL.—Not later than 40 busi24 ness days after the date on which the Secretary 

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1 eral entity to perform certifications of third2 party providers under this section, the Sec3 retary shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) determine if the non-Federal enti5 ty meets the eligibility requirements estab6 lished under subparagraph (B); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) if the Secretary makes a positive 

8 determination under clause (i), approve the 

9 non-Federal entity to perform certifications 

10 of third-party providers under this section. 

11 ‘‘(D) TIMELY DECISIONS.—Not later than 

12 10 business days after the date on which the 

13 Secretary receives a notification submitted by a 

14 third-party provider that the third-party pro15 vider has been certified by an approved non16 Federal certifying entity to provide technical as17 sistance for specified practices and conservation 

18 activities, the Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) review the certification; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) if the certification is satisfactory 

21 to the Secretary, include the name of the 

22 third-party provider on the registry of cer23 tified third-party providers maintained by 

24 the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(E) DUTIES OF APPROVED NON-FEDERAL

2 CERTIFYING ENTITIES.—An approved non-Fed3 eral certifying entity shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) assess the ability of a third-party 

5 provider to appropriately provide technical 

6 assistance to eligible participants for speci7 fied practices and conservation activities; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(ii) provide to third-party providers 

10 certified by the approved non-Federal cer11 tifying entity— 

12 ‘‘(I) training to ensure that the 

13 third-party providers are qualified to 

14 provide the technical assistance de15 scribed in clause (i); and 

16 ‘‘(II) continuing education, as 

17 appropriate, to ensure that the third18 party providers are educated in the 

19 most recent technical- and science20 based aspects of conservation delivery. 

21 ‘‘(6) STREAMLINED CERTIFICATION.—Not later 

22 than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 

23 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, 

24 the Secretary shall provide a streamlined certifi25 cation process for a third-party provider that has an 


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1 appropriate specialty certification, including a cer2 tified crop advisor certified by the American Society 

3 of Agronomy, a professional engineer, or a holder of 

4 a technical certification approved by the Secretary.’’; 

5 (5) in subsection (f)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and for 

7 the purpose of carrying out subsection (k)’’ be8 fore the period at the end; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre10 ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or an 

11 approved non-Federal certifying entity’’ after 

12 ‘‘third-party provider’’; 

13 (C) by striking paragraph (3) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the 

16 date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food 

17 Security Act of 2024, and additionally thereafter at 

18 the discretion of the Secretary, the Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) review certification requirements for 

20 third-party providers; 

21 ‘‘(B) make any adjustments considered 

22 necessary by the Secretary to improve participa23 tion and the quality and effectiveness of con24 servation practices implemented and adopted 


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1 with support from technical service providers; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(C) conduct outreach to and receive input 

4 from third-party providers, both that currently 

5 participate in the program under this section 

6 and those that no longer participate in the pro7 gram, and entities, organizations, and associa8 tions providing or supporting consultative serv9 ices to agriculture, livestock, and forest pro10 ducers to assess barriers and opportunities for 

11 the use of third-party provider assistance for 

12 improved conservation program delivery.’’; 

13 (D) in paragraph (4)(A)(i), by inserting 

14 ‘‘maintenance,’’ after ‘‘outreach,’’; and 

15 (E) by striking paragraph (5) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(5) PAYMENT AMOUNTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

19 establish fair and reasonable amounts of pay20 ments for technical services provided by third21 party providers at rates equivalent to, but that 

22 do not exceed, technical assistance provided by 

23 the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

25 fair and reasonable payment amounts under 


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1 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider 

2 specialized equipment, frequency of site visits, 

3 training, travel and transportation, and such 

4 other factors as the Secretary determines to be 

5 appropriate. 

6 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSION.—A payment provided 

7 under another Federal program directly to an 

8 eligible participant for technical assistance pro9 vided by a third-party provider certified under 

10 this section shall be— 

11 ‘‘(i) excluded from cost-sharing re12 quirements under the program under 

13 which the payment was provided; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) equal to not more than 100 per15 cent of the fair and reasonable payment 

16 amount for the applicable technical assist17 ance determined under subparagraph (B). 

18 ‘‘(6) TRANSPARENCY.—Not later than 1 year 

19 after the date of establishment of the processes 

20 under paragraphs (5)(A) and (6) of subsection (e), 

21 and routinely thereafter, the Secretary shall provide 

22 accessible public information on— 

23 ‘‘(A) funds obligated to third-party pro24 viders through— 


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1 ‘‘(i) contracts entered into between el2 igible participants and individual third3 party providers; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) agreements with public and pri5 vate sector entities to secure third-party 

6 technical assistance; 

7 ‘‘(B) certification results, including— 

8 ‘‘(i) the number of third-party pro9 viders certified by the Secretary; 

10 ‘‘(ii) the number of approved non11 Federal certifying entities; 

12 ‘‘(iii) the number of third-party pro13 viders certified through approved non-Fed14 eral certifying entities; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) the number of third-party pro16 viders certified based on State agency or 

17 professional association credentialing; and 

18 ‘‘(C) the estimated number of staff hours 

19 or full-time equivalents saved through work ac20 complished by third-party providers.’’; 

21 (6) in subsection (h)— 

22 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

23 ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT AND’’ before ‘‘REVIEW’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

25 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘not later than 1 

2 year after the date of enactment of 

3 the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

4 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘not less fre5 quently than once every 5 years’’; 

6 (II) by inserting ‘‘on a rolling 

7 basis,’’ after ‘‘standard,’’; and 

8 (III) by striking ‘‘that Act’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘the Rural Prosperity and 

10 Food Security Act of 2024’’; 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

12 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

13 (iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

14 the period at the end and inserting a semi15 colon; and 

16 (iv) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(E) provide an opportunity for public 

19 input on each conservation practice standard 

20 under review; 

21 ‘‘(F) publicly post a summary of comments 

22 received under subparagraph (E) and decisions 

23 made or not made due to those comments; and 

24 ‘‘(G) publish each revised conservation 

25 practice standard.’’; 


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1 (C) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘Indian 

2 Tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian 

3 organizations,’’ after ‘‘nongovernmental organi4 zations,’’; 

5 (D) by striking paragraph (3) and insert6 ing the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) ESTABLISHMENT OF CONSERVATION PRAC8 TICE STANDARDS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

10 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros11 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Sec12 retary shall— 

13 ‘‘(i) develop, for the programs under 

14 this title, a streamlined, publicly accessible, 

15 administrative process for establishing, in16 cluding proposing, reviewing, and adopting, 

17 interim conservation practice standards 

18 and conservation practice standards; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) publish a detailed description of 

20 the process developed under clause (i), in21 cluding— 

22 ‘‘(I) specific thresholds appro23 priate for expedited review; and 

24 ‘‘(II) an associated timeline for 

25 the implementation of the review. 


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1 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—Under the process 

2 established under subparagraph (A), the Sec3 retary shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) consider conservation innovations, 

5 scientific and technological advancements, 

6 and traditional ecological knowledge, in7 cluding from projects developed under sec8 tion 1240H; 

9 ‘‘(ii) allow State, local, and Tribal 

10 flexibility in the creation of— 

11 ‘‘(I) interim conservation practice 

12 standards and supplements to existing 

13 conservation practice standards to ad14 dress the considerations described in 

15 clause (i); and 

16 ‘‘(II) partnership-led proposals 

17 for new and innovative techniques to 

18 facilitate implementing agreements 

19 and grants under this title; 

20 ‘‘(iii) solicit regular input from State 

21 technical committees established under sec22 tion 1261(a) for recommendations that 

23 identify innovations or advancements de24 scribed in clause (i); and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) allow for public submission of 

2 proposals for consideration as interim con3 servation practice standards. 

4 ‘‘(C) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—Under the 

5 process established under subparagraph (A), 

6 the Secretary shall make publicly available in7 formation describing— 

8 ‘‘(i) what constitutes— 

9 ‘‘(I) a conservation practice 

10 standard; and 

11 ‘‘(II) an interim conservation 

12 practice standard; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the process by which the public 

14 can submit to the Secretary proposals for 

15 consideration as interim conservation prac16 tice standards, including a template and 

17 written instructions for how to submit a 

18 conservation practice for consideration; 

19 ‘‘(iii) the data, metrics, third-party or 

20 scientific information, and other relevant 

21 information that the Secretary needs to 

22 consider in the establishment of interim 

23 conservation practice standards; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the process by which an interim 

2 conservation practice standard becomes a 

3 conservation practice standard; 

4 ‘‘(v) the means by which the public 

5 can engage State technical committees es6 tablished under section 1261(a) to consider 

7 interim conservation practice standards al8 ready in effect in other States; and 

9 ‘‘(vi) such other information as the 

10 Secretary determines to be appropriate.’’; 

11 (E) in paragraph (4)— 

12 (i) in the matter preceding subpara13 graph (A)— 

14 (I) by striking ‘‘Agriculture Im15 provement Act of 2018’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

17 Act of 2024’’; and 

18 (II) by striking ‘‘Congress a re19 port on—’’ and inserting ‘‘Congress 

20 and make publicly available on a 

21 website of the Department of Agri22 culture a report describing—’’; 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

24 ‘‘a detailed description of’’ before ‘‘the ad25 ministrative’’; 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (B)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘or revised’’; and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

4 (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

5 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

6 and’’; and 

7 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(D) such other information as the Sec9 retary determines to be appropriate with re10 spect to improving the process for reviewing 

11 and establishing conservation practice stand12 ards.’’; and 

13 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(5) ENTERIC METHANE EMISSIONS.—Not later 

15 than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 

16 paragraph, the Secretary shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) complete a review of conservation 

18 practice standards in effect on the day before 

19 the date of enactment of this paragraph to con20 sider any revisions to conservation practice 

21 standards, including for feed management, or 

22 new conservation practice standards that would 

23 be appropriate to assist in reducing enteric 

24 methane emissions; 


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1 ‘‘(B) revise appropriate conservation prac2 tice standards in effect on the day before the 

3 date of enactment of this paragraph as nec4 essary to assist in reducing enteric methane 

5 emissions; and 

6 ‘‘(C) establish any appropriate new con7 servation practice standards to assist in reduc8 ing enteric methane emissions.’’; and 

9 (7) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(j) NATIVE TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWL11 EDGE.— 

12 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF NATIVE ENTITY.—In this 

13 subsection, the term ‘Native entity’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) an Indian Tribe; and 

15 ‘‘(B) a conservation-focused Native Hawai16 ian organization. 

17 ‘‘(2) INCORPORATING NATIVE TRADITIONAL EC18 OLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE.—The Secretary shall, to the 

19 maximum extent practicable, fully incorporate Na20 tive traditional ecological knowledge into the con21 servation practice standards, including the Native 

22 conservation practice standards developed under 

23 paragraph (3). 

24 ‘‘(3) NATIVE CONSERVATION PRACTICE STAND25 ARDS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) WORKING GROUPS.—Not later than 1 

2 year after the date of enactment of this sub3 section, the Secretary shall establish in each 

4 service area office of the Natural Resources 

5 Conservation Service a working group con6 sisting of— 

7 ‘‘(i) a representative from the applica8 ble State technical committee established 

9 under section 1261(a); 

10 ‘‘(ii) the applicable State Conserva11 tionist of the Natural Resources Conserva12 tion Service; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) a designated representative from 

14 each Native entity within the service area 

15 that elects to participate. 

16 ‘‘(B) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.— 

17 Each working group established under subpara18 graph (A) shall develop technical standards 

19 based on Native traditional ecological knowl20 edge to be— 

21 ‘‘(i) recognized as Native conservation 

22 practice standards for the applicable serv23 ice area; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) incorporated into the Natural 

25 Resources Conservation Service field office 


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1 technical guide for the applicable service 

2 area. 

3 ‘‘(k) PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE TO FARMER-TO4 FARMER NETWORKS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this sub6 section are— 

7 ‘‘(A) to build capacity for farmer-to-farmer 

8 networks, connect farmers with mentors or 

9 group learning opportunities, and support goal 

10 setting to increase long-term adoption of con11 sistent, science-based, site-specific practices de12 signed to achieve conservation objectives on 

13 land active in agricultural, forestry, or related 

14 uses; 

15 ‘‘(B) to increase the provision of technical 

16 assistance that meets the specific needs of, and 

17 is accessible to, farmers, ranchers, and forest 

18 owners using different farming models, prac19 tices, and scales; and 

20 ‘‘(C) to establish and steward farmer-to21 farmer networks. 

22 ‘‘(2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

24 enter into cooperative agreements with eligible 


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1 entities to carry out the purposes described in 

2 paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligi4 ble to enter into a cooperative agreement with 

5 the Secretary under subparagraph (A) is— 

6 ‘‘(i) a nonprofit entity described in 

7 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

8 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 

9 under section 501(a) of that Code; 

10 ‘‘(ii) a farmer-to-farmer network; 

11 ‘‘(iii) an Indian Tribe; 

12 ‘‘(iv) a Tribal organization; 

13 ‘‘(v) a Native Hawaiian organization, 

14 including the Department of Hawaiian 

15 Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian 

16 Affairs; 

17 ‘‘(vi) a unit of local government (in18 cluding a conservation district and a con19 servation district association); 

20 ‘‘(vii) an institution of higher edu21 cation; 

22 ‘‘(viii) a State; and 

23 ‘‘(ix) any other entity designated by 

24 the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(C) PRIORITIZATION.—In selecting eligi2 ble entities with which to enter into cooperative 

3 agreements under subparagraph (A), the Sec4 retary shall give priority to eligible entities that 

5 seek to meet the specific needs of, and are ac6 cessible to— 

7 ‘‘(i) historically underserved farmers, 

8 ranchers, and forest owners, including lim9 ited-resource farmers, ranchers, and forest 

10 owners; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) farmers, ranchers, and forest 

12 owners operating in high-poverty areas. 

13 ‘‘(3) RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROVIDERS OF AS14 SISTANCE TO FARMER-TO-FARMER NETWORKS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If an eligible entity 

16 provides assistance to establish a farmer-to17 farmer network using assistance provided 

18 through a cooperative agreement under para19 graph (2), the eligible entity shall be responsible 

20 for not less than 2 of the following actions: 

21 ‘‘(i) Facilitating and increasing farm22 er access to farmer-to-farmer networks. 

23 ‘‘(ii) Facilitating mentor and mentee 

24 matchmaking among farmers. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Coordinating training and re2 sources to build the skills of farmer-to3 farmer network leaders and participants 

4 for effective education, grassroots-based 

5 learning, and cross-training with respect to 

6 the facilitation of, information about, and 

7 other skills with respect to building effec8 tive farmer-to-farmer networks. 

9 ‘‘(iv) Maintaining and promulgating a 

10 list of relevant entities, associations, and 

11 individuals that are supporting, or have an 

12 interest in supporting, farmer-to-farmer 

13 networks. 

14 ‘‘(v) Administering subawards to in15 crease farmer access to farmer-to-farmer 

16 assistance in accordance with paragraph 

17 (4). 

18 ‘‘(vi) Other actions determined appro19 priate by the Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(B) LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE.—If an eligi21 ble entity provides assistance described in sub22 paragraph (A) to a non-English speaking farm23 er, rancher, or forest owner, the eligible entity 

24 shall, to the greatest extent practicable, provide 


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1 that assistance in the native language of the 

2 farmer, rancher, or forest owner. 

3 ‘‘(4) SUBAWARDS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If an eligible entity 

5 awards a subaward pursuant to paragraph 

6 (3)(A)(v) to an eligible subawardee described in 

7 subparagraph (B), the eligible subawardee shall 

8 use that award— 

9 ‘‘(i) to plan and conduct events, and 

10 identify and develop innovative activities, 

11 to support building capacity for farmer-to12 farmer networks, connecting farmers with 

13 mentors or group learning opportunities, 

14 and supporting goal setting to increase 

15 long-term adoption of consistent, science16 based, site-specific conservation objectives 

17 on land active in agricultural, forestry, or 

18 related uses; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) to compensate participants in the 

20 events and activities described in clause (i) 

21 at market rates. 

22 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE SUBAWARDEES.—An entity 

23 eligible for a subaward under paragraph 

24 (3)(A)(v) is— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a nonprofit entity described in 

2 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

3 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 

4 under section 501(a) of that Code; 

5 ‘‘(ii) a farmer-to-farmer network; 

6 ‘‘(iii) an Indian Tribe; 

7 ‘‘(iv) a Tribal organization; 

8 ‘‘(v) a Native Hawaiian organization 

9 (as defined in section 6207 of the Native 

10 Hawaiian Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

11 7517)); 

12 ‘‘(vi) a unit of local government (in13 cluding a conservation district and a con14 servation district association); 

15 ‘‘(vii) an institution of higher edu16 cation; 

17 ‘‘(viii) an individual; and 

18 ‘‘(ix) any other entity designated by 

19 the Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary, in 

21 conjunction with the Chief of the Natural Re22 sources Conservation Service, shall establish 

23 any necessary additional requirements for sub24 awards under paragraph (3)(A)(v). 


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1 ‘‘(l) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON AGRIVOLTAICS.—In 

2 carrying out the conservation programs under this title, 

3 the Secretary may provide technical assistance under 

4 those programs to farmers growing crops below or in tan5 dem with solar energy systems.’’. 

6 SEC. 2503. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR CON7 SERVATION PROGRAMS. 

8 Section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

9 U.S.C. 3844) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (f)(4), by adding at the end 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(C) STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE EN13 HANCEMENT.—The limitations established 

14 under paragraph (1) shall not apply to land en15 rolled in the State acres for wildlife enhance16 ment practice under section 

17 1231(d)(6)(A)(i)(IV).’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (m), in the matter preceding 

19 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subtitle D and’’ and all 

20 that follows through ‘‘the Secretary shall’’ and in21 serting ‘‘subtitle D, the environmental quality incen22 tives program under subchapter A of chapter 4 of 

23 subtitle D, and the agricultural conservation ease24 ment program under subtitle H, and in entering into 

25 alternative funding arrangements under the regional 


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1 conservation partnership program under section 

2 1271C(d), the Secretary shall’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(q) ENCOURAGEMENT OF HABITAT CONNECTIVITY

5 AND WILDLIFE MIGRATION CORRIDORS.—In carrying out 

6 any conservation program administered by the Secretary, 

7 the Secretary may, as appropriate, encourage— 

8 ‘‘(1) the conservation of landscape corridors 

9 and hydrologic connectivity, where native fish, wild10 life, and plant species and ecological processes can 

11 transition from one habitat to another, in order to 

12 conserve native biodiversity and ensure resiliency 

13 against impacts from a range of stressors; and 

14 ‘‘(2) the use of conservation practices that sup15 port the development, restoration, and maintenance 

16 of landscape corridors and hydrologic connectivity.’’. 

17 SEC. 2504. BEST PRACTICES GUIDANCE FOR SOLAR EN18 ERGY LAND MANAGEMENT. 

19 Subtitle E of title XII of the Food Security Act of 

20 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

21 the end the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 1248. BEST PRACTICES GUIDANCE FOR SOLAR EN23 ERGY LAND MANAGEMENT. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

25 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting 


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1 through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation 

2 Service (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’), in 

3 collaboration with the Secretary of Energy (including the 

4 Solar Energy Technologies Office) and the Under Sec5 retary of Agriculture for Rural Development, shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) develop both national and regionally rel7 evant guidance on best practices for protection of 

8 soil health and productivity during the siting, con9 struction, operation, and decommissioning of solar 

10 energy systems on agricultural land, which shall in11 clude— 

12 ‘‘(A) guidance for— 

13 ‘‘(i) soil carbon and soil health; 

14 ‘‘(ii) water management; 

15 ‘‘(iii) vegetation management, includ16 ing types of plants best suited for polli17 nators; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) other practices, as determined 

19 appropriate by the Secretary; and 

20 ‘‘(B) regional considerations for each type 

21 of guidance described in clauses (i) through (iv) 

22 of subparagraph (A); and 

23 ‘‘(2) make the guidance developed under para24 graph (1) publicly available on the website of the 

25 Natural Resources Conservation Service. 


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1 ‘‘(b) REVIEW REQUIRED.—The Secretary, in coordi2 nation with the Secretary of Energy, shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) update guidance developed under sub4 section (a)(1) not less frequently than once every 2 

5 years; and 

6 ‘‘(2) ensure, to the maximum extent prac7 ticable, the completeness and relevance of that guid8 ance. 

9 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the review 

10 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall consult with eligi11 ble participants, State technical committees established 

12 under section 1261(a), crop consultants, cooperative ex13 tension and land grant universities, nongovernmental or14 ganizations, industry, and other qualified entities.’’. 

15 Subtitle F—Agricultural 

16 Conservation Easement Program 

17 SEC. 2601. DEFINITIONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1265A of the Food Secu19 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865a) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

21 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

22 (i) in clause (i)— 

23 (I) by striking ‘‘an eligible enti24 ty’’ the first place it appears and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00269 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 serting ‘‘one or more eligible entities’’; 

2 and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘an eligible entity 

4 owns or is’’ and inserting ‘‘one or 

5 more of those eligible entities own or 

6 are’’; 

7 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

8 (I) in the matter preceding sub9 clause (I), by striking ‘‘the eligible en10 tity certifies to the Secretary that 

11 the’’ and inserting ‘‘each eligible enti12 ty certifies to the Secretary that an’’; 

13 (II) in subclause (I)— 

14 (aa) by striking the sub15 clause designation and all that 

16 follows through ‘‘hold’’ in item 

17 (bb) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(I) hold’’; 

19 (bb) by striking ‘‘transfer 

20 ownership of the land’’ and in21 serting ‘‘ownership of the land 

22 will be transferred’’; and 

23 (cc) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

24 end; 


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1 (III) in subclause (II), by insert2 ing ‘‘that owns the land subject to the 

3 agricultural land easement held by an4 other eligible entity’’ after ‘‘eligible 

5 entity’’; and 

6 (IV) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(III) at no time hold both an 

9 agricultural land easement and owner10 ship of the land subject to that agri11 cultural land easement; and’’; and 

12 (iii) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘by the 

13 eligible entity’’ and all that follows through 

14 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘by 

15 one or more eligible entities if such an eli16 gible entity fails to transfer ownership 

17 under clause (ii).’’; and 

18 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

19 ‘‘(A)(ii)(I)(bb)’’ and inserting ‘‘(A)(ii)(I)’’; 

20 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

21 (7) as paragraphs (4) through (8), respectively; 

22 (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol23 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(3) BUY-SELL-PROTECT TRANSACTION.—The 

2 term ‘buy-sell-protect transaction’ means a legal ar3 rangement— 

4 ‘‘(A) between one or more eligible entities 

5 and the Secretary relating to land that one or 

6 more of those eligible entities own or are going 

7 to purchase prior to acquisition of an agricul8 tural land easement; and 

9 ‘‘(B) under which each eligible entity cer10 tifies to the Secretary that an eligible entity 

11 shall hold an agricultural land easement on that 

12 land, but ownership of the land will be trans13 ferred to a farmer or rancher that is not an eli14 gible entity prior to or on acquisition of the ag15 ricultural land easement.’’; and 

16 (4) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated)— 

17 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

18 (A), by striking ‘‘tribal land’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘Tribal land’’; and 

20 (B) in subparagraph (A)(i)— 

21 (i) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

22 at the end; 

23 (ii) in subclause (II), by adding ‘‘or’’ 

24 at the end; and 


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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(III) a buy-sell-protect trans4 action;’’. 

5 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

6 1271A(4)(I) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

7 3871a(4)(I)) is amended by striking ‘‘1265A(3)(B)’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘1265A(4)(B)’’. 

9 SEC. 2602. AGRICULTURAL LAND EASEMENTS. 

10 (a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 

11 1265B(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

12 3865b(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

14 end; 

15 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

16 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(4) buy-sell-protect transactions.’’. 

19 (b) COST-SHARE ASSISTANCE.—Section 1265B(b) of 

20 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)) is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter 

24 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ 


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1 and inserting ‘‘60 percent, except as provided in 

2 subparagraph (B)(ii)(I),’’; and 

3 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

4 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘that is at 

5 least equivalent to that provided by the 

6 Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘of not less than 

7 40 percent, except as provided in clause 

8 (ii)(II), of the fair market value of the ag9 ricultural land easement’’; and 

10 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

11 (I) by striking ‘‘Secretary, the 

12 Secretary’’ and inserting the fol13 lowing: ‘‘Secretary— 

14 ‘‘(I) the Secretary’’; 

15 (II) in subclause (I) (as so des16 ignated)— 

17 (aa) by striking ‘‘75 per18 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘80 per19 cent’’; and 

20 (bb) by striking the period 

21 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

22 and 

23 (III) by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(II) the eligible entity shall pro2 vide a share that is not less than 20 

3 percent of the fair market value of the 

4 agricultural land easement.’’; and 

5 (2) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(5) CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

8 ‘‘(A) CERTIFICATION PURPOSE.—The pur9 pose of the certification of eligible entities 

10 under this paragraph is— 

11 ‘‘(i) to minimize administrative bur12 dens on the Secretary; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) to recognize the ability of experi14 enced eligible entities to carry out the pur15 poses of the program with minimal over16 sight by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION PROCESS.—The Sec18 retary shall establish a process under which the 

19 Secretary— 

20 ‘‘(i) directly certifies eligible entities 

21 that meet established criteria described in 

22 subparagraph (C) or (D); 

23 ‘‘(ii) enters into long-term agreements 

24 with certified eligible entities; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) accepts proposals for cost-share 

2 assistance for the purchase of agricultural 

3 land easements throughout the duration of 

4 such agreements; 

5 ‘‘(iv) allows a certified eligible entity 

6 to use its own terms and conditions, not7 withstanding paragraph (4)(C), as long as 

8 the terms and conditions are consistent 

9 with the purposes of the program; 

10 ‘‘(v) may allow a certified eligible enti11 ty to include the minimum deed terms es12 tablished by the Secretary under para13 graph (4)(C); and 

14 ‘‘(vi) may allow a certified eligible en15 tity to assist a non-certified eligible entity 

16 in the purchase and stewardship of an ag17 ricultural land easement. 

18 ‘‘(C) CERTIFICATION CRITERIA FOR ELIGI19 BLE ENTITIES.—To be certified through the 

20 process established under subparagraph (B), an 

21 eligible entity shall demonstrate to the Sec22 retary that the eligible entity— 

23 ‘‘(i) will maintain, at a minimum, for 

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1 ration of each agricultural land easement 

2 acquired under the agreement— 

3 ‘‘(I) a plan for administering ag4 ricultural land easements that is con5 sistent with the purposes of the pro6 gram; 

7 ‘‘(II) the capacity and resources 

8 to monitor and enforce agricultural 

9 land easements consistent with the 

10 purposes of the program; and 

11 ‘‘(III) policies and procedures to 

12 ensure— 

13 ‘‘(aa) the long-term integrity 

14 of agricultural land easements on 

15 eligible land consistent with the 

16 purposes of the program; 

17 ‘‘(bb) timely completion of 

18 acquisitions of such agricultural 

19 land easements; 

20 ‘‘(cc) timely and complete 

21 evaluation and reporting to the 

22 Secretary on the use of funds 

23 provided under the program; and 

24 ‘‘(dd) compliance with pro25 gram requirements, including 


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1 timely notifications to the Sec2 retary required under the pro3 gram, such as notifications of de 

4 minimis adjustments in accord5 ance with section 

6 1265D(c)(6)(B)(iii); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) has— 

8 ‘‘(I) acquired not fewer than 10 

9 agricultural land easements under the 

10 program; and 

11 ‘‘(II) successfully met the respon12 sibilities of the eligible entity under 

13 the applicable agreements with the 

14 Secretary, as determined by the Sec15 retary, relating to agricultural land 

16 easements that the eligible entity has 

17 acquired under the program or any 

18 predecessor program. 

19 ‘‘(D) EXPEDITED CERTIFICATION OF PUB20 LIC ENTITIES AND ACCREDITED LAND

21 TRUSTS.—The Secretary may certify an eligible 

22 entity using an expedited certification process 

23 under subparagraph (B) if the eligible entity 

24 demonstrates that it— 

25 ‘‘(i) is— 


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1 ‘‘(I) accredited by the Land 

2 Trust Accreditation Commission, or 

3 by an equivalent accrediting body, as 

4 determined by the Secretary; or 

5 ‘‘(II) a public agency with statu6 tory authority for farm and ranchland 

7 protection; 

8 ‘‘(ii) has acquired not fewer than 5 

9 agricultural land easements under the pro10 gram or any predecessor program; 

11 ‘‘(iii) has successfully met the respon12 sibilities of the eligible entity under the ap13 plicable agreements with the Secretary, as 

14 determined by the Secretary, relating to 

15 agricultural land easements that the eligi16 ble entity has acquired under the program 

17 or any predecessor program; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) meets the requirements of sub19 paragraph (C)(i). 

20 ‘‘(E) APPLICABILITY TO REGIONAL CON21 SERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.—The cer22 tification of an eligible entity under this para23 graph, and the authorities under this paragraph 

24 resulting from that certification, shall apply to 

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1 cultural land easements under the regional con2 servation partnership program under subtitle I. 

3 ‘‘(F) REVIEW; REVOCATION.— 

4 ‘‘(i) REVIEW.— 

5 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Sec6 retary shall conduct a review of eligi7 ble entities certified under subpara8 graph (B) every 3 years to ensure 

9 that such certified eligible entities are 

10 meeting the criteria established under 

11 subparagraphs (C) and (D). 

12 ‘‘(II) DE MINIMIS ADJUST13 MENTS.—Each review under subclause 

14 (I) shall include a review of any de 

15 minimis adjustments made by each 

16 certified eligible entity under section 

17 1265D(c)(6)(B), including a review of 

18 whether timely notification of each de 

19 minimis adjustment was made to the 

20 Secretary in accordance with clause 

21 (iii)(I) of that section. 

22 ‘‘(III) NOTIFICATION OF AC23 CREDITATION ENTITY.—If the Sec24 retary determines in a review under 

25 subclause (I) that an eligible entity is 


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1 not in compliance, the Secretary shall 

2 notify the appropriate accrediting or 

3 governing body overseeing the certifi4 cation of the eligible entity under sub5 paragraph (D) of the noncompliance 

6 of the eligible entity. 

7 ‘‘(ii) REVOCATION.— 

8 ‘‘(I) BASED ON ELIGIBILITY CRI9 TERIA.—If the Secretary finds that a 

10 certified eligible entity no longer 

11 meets the criteria established under 

12 subparagraph (C) or (D), as applica13 ble, the Secretary may— 

14 ‘‘(aa) allow the certified eli15 gible entity a specified period of 

16 time, at a minimum 180 days, in 

17 which to take such actions as 

18 may be necessary to meet the cri19 teria; and 

20 ‘‘(bb) revoke the certifi21 cation of the eligible entity, if, 

22 after the specified period of time, 

23 the certified eligible entity does 

24 not meet such criteria. 


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1 ‘‘(II) FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH

2 DE MINIMIS NOTIFICATIONS.—If an 

3 eligible entity fails to comply with no4 tification requirements under section 

5 1265D(c)(6)(B)(iii), the Secretary 

6 may— 

7 ‘‘(aa) immediately revoke 

8 the certification of the eligible en9 tity under this paragraph; and 

10 ‘‘(bb) pursue any other rem11 edies available to the Secretary.’’. 

12 SEC. 2603. WETLAND RESERVE EASEMENTS. 

13 Section 1265C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

14 U.S.C. 3865c) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ each place it 

16 appears and inserting ‘‘subsection (g)’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ‘‘technical 

18 and’’ before ‘‘financial’’; 

19 (3) by redesignating subsections (e) through (g) 

20 as subsections (f) through (h), respectively; 

21 (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(d) EASEMENT STEWARDSHIP.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Using amounts made avail25 able to carry out the program, the Secretary shall, 


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1 with respect to eligible land enrolled under this sec2 tion— 

3 ‘‘(A) regularly assess and monitor the en4 rolled land; 

5 ‘‘(B) provide technical and financial assist6 ance for the repair, necessary maintenance, and 

7 enhancement activities described in the wetland 

8 reserve easement plan developed for the eligible 

9 land under subsection (g)(1); and 

10 ‘‘(C) create and execute a 5-year steward11 ship plan for assessment, capacity, and per12 formance, ensuring the monitoring, repair, 

13 maintenance, and enhancement activities de14 scribed in subparagraphs (A) and (B) are com15 pleted to ensure wetland reserve easements ful16 fill the purposes of— 

17 ‘‘(i) the program; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the wetland reserve easement 

19 plans described in subparagraph (B). 

20 ‘‘(2) PAYMENTS.—In carrying out this sub21 section, the Secretary shall make payments in 

22 amounts that are not more than 100 percent of the 

23 eligible costs, as determined by the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later 2 years after the date 

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1 curity Act of 2024, the Secretary shall submit to the 

2 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep3 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nu4 trition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describ5 ing— 

6 ‘‘(A) an inventory of the existing steward7 ship needs of all wetland reserve easements; 

8 ‘‘(B) a plan to address the stewardship 

9 needs described in that inventory; 

10 ‘‘(C) the amounts the Secretary will allo11 cate to address those stewardship needs; and 

12 ‘‘(D) the planned use of compatible uses 

13 under subsection (b)(5)(C), contracts or agree14 ments under subsection (e)(2), or wetland re15 serve easement plans under subsection (g)(1) to 

16 ensure that each of those stewardship needs is 

17 addressed. 

18 ‘‘(e) ASSISTANCE.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall assist 

20 owners in complying with the terms and conditions 

21 of a wetland reserve easement. 

22 ‘‘(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Sec23 retary may enter into 1 or more contracts or agree24 ments with a Federal, State, or local government 

25 agency, nongovernmental organization, Indian tribe 


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1 or Tribal organization, or private entity to carry out 

2 necessary restoration, enhancement, maintenance, 

3 repair, assessment, or monitoring of a wetland re4 serve easement if the Secretary determines that the 

5 contract or agreement will advance the purposes of 

6 the program.’’; and 

7 (5) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), in 

8 paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘Federal or State’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘Federal, State, or Tribal’’. 

10 SEC. 2604. ADMINISTRATION. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1265D of the Food Secu12 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865d) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(6) DE MINIMIS ADJUSTMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

17 approve and make a de minimis adjustment, as 

18 determined by the Secretary and subject to con19 ditions determined by the Secretary, to any in20 terest in land, or portion of such interest, ad21 ministered by the Secretary, directly or on be22 half of the Commodity Credit Corporation, 

23 under the program if the Secretary determines 

24 that the adjustment— 


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1 ‘‘(i) increases conservation values or 

2 has a neutral or limited negative effect on 

3 conservation values; 

4 ‘‘(ii) is in the public interest or fur5 thers the practical administration of the 

6 program; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) is not a subordination, modifica8 tion, exchange, or termination, as deter9 mined by the Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(B) DE MINIMIS ADJUSTMENTS BY CER11 TIFIED ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

13 may authorize an eligible entity certified 

14 under section 1265B(b)(5) that has dem15 onstrated the ability to make easement 

16 management decisions consistent with the 

17 purposes of the program to approve and 

18 make de minimis adjustments described in 

19 clause (ii) to any interest in eligible land 

20 held by the certified eligible entity if the 

21 certified eligible entity determines that the 

22 adjustment— 

23 ‘‘(I) increases conservation values 

24 or has a neutral or limited negative 

25 effect on conservation values; 


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1 ‘‘(II) is consistent with the pro2 gram purposes for which the interest 

3 was originally acquired and furthers 

4 the practical administration of the 

5 program; 

6 ‘‘(III) is not made to resolve a 

7 violation or a potential violation; and 

8 ‘‘(IV) is not made with respect to 

9 an easement that is co-held by the 

10 United States. 

11 ‘‘(ii) TYPES OF DE MINIMIS ADJUST12 MENTS.—The de minimis adjustments re13 ferred to in clause (i) are limited to— 

14 ‘‘(I) title corrections; 

15 ‘‘(II) corrections to typographical 

16 errors; 

17 ‘‘(III) changes in legal descrip18 tions as a result of minor survey or 

19 mapping errors; 

20 ‘‘(IV) changes to a building enve21 lope boundary that do not increase 

22 the total square footage of the imper23 vious surface of the original building 

24 envelope boundary; and 


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1 ‘‘(V) relocation of easement ac2 cess. 

3 ‘‘(iii) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 

4 30 days after the date on which a certified 

5 eligible entity records a de minimis adjust6 ment under clause (i), the certified eligible 

7 entity shall provide to the Secretary a no8 tice of the de minimis adjustment and a 

9 copy of the recorded instrument. 

10 ‘‘(iv) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.— 

11 Nothing in this subparagraph requires the 

12 Secretary to determine whether each eligi13 ble entity seeking certification under sec14 tion 1265B(b)(5) meets the requirements 

15 to make de minimis adjustments under 

16 this subparagraph.’’; and 

17 (2) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(e) COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN REQUIRE20 MENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) CONSERVATION AND WETLAND PROTEC22 TION REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary may not pro23 vide assistance under this subtitle to an eligible enti24 ty or owner of eligible land unless the owner of the 

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1 ment under this subtitle, is in compliance with appli2 cable requirements under subtitles B and C. 

3 ‘‘(2) EQUITABLE TREATMENT.—The Secretary 

4 shall ensure the equitable treatment of a purchaser 

5 of eligible land under a purchase agreement, an in6 stallment land contract, or a lease-to-own agreement 

7 by— 

8 ‘‘(A) identifying the purchaser of the land 

9 as the owner of the land; 

10 ‘‘(B) appropriately identifying the seller of 

11 the land based on the instrument; and 

12 ‘‘(C) addressing the interests of the parties 

13 described in subparagraphs (A) and (B), as de14 termined necessary by the Secretary, by the 

15 time of acquisition of an easement under this 

16 subtitle.’’. 

17 (b) REPORT ON GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION

18 EASEMENT PROGRAM.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 

20 a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a 

21 groundwater conservation easement program within 

22 the agricultural conservation easement program es23 tablished under subtitle H of title XII of the Food 

24 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865 et seq.). 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—The study conducted under 

2 paragraph (1) shall— 

3 (A) examine the impact of legal regimes 

4 governing water rights on the establishment of 

5 easements across the United States, particu6 larly focused on how water rights under State 

7 laws can be purchased or regulated by the Fed8 eral Government as a property right; 

9 (B) examine the feasibility of establishing 

10 an easement program devoted to purchasing eli11 gible water rights either in perpetuity or for a 

12 term, which may include establishing easements 

13 on eligible land associated with such water 

14 rights, through groundwater conservation ease15 ments; 

16 (C) analyze how the establishment of a 

17 groundwater conservation easement program 

18 would incentivize farmers and ranchers to dis19 continue irrigation practices and to adopt 

20 groundwater conservation management prac21 tices; 

22 (D) consider what potential effects a 

23 groundwater conservation easement program 

24 would have on sustainable groundwater man25 agement, the recharging of declining aquifers, 


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1 and the reduction of reliance on groundwater 

2 water supply; 

3 (E) assess the effectiveness of a ground4 water conservation easement program if the 

5 landowner or eligible entity has the right to 

6 continue agricultural production and other uses 

7 compatible with sustainable groundwater man8 agement while participating in the program; 

9 (F) analyze the elements of the ground10 water conservation easement program that may 

11 not be consistent with the agricultural conserva12 tion easement program, such as— 

13 (i) the length of an easement agree14 ment to restore and enhance groundwater15 dependent ecosystems; and 

16 (ii) geographic scope; and 

17 (G) consider the costs of— 

18 (i) the fair market value of a ground19 water conservation easement; 

20 (ii) technical assistance to implement 

21 the groundwater conservation easement 

22 program; and 

23 (iii) revegetating land with plants that 

24 can survive drought and do not require ir25 rigation. 


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1 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

2 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

3 submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

4 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag5 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 

6 report describing the findings of the study conducted 

7 under paragraph (1), including findings relating to 

8 each of the matters described in paragraph (2). 

9 Subtitle G—Regional Conservation 

10 Partnership Program 

11 SEC. 2701. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES. 

12 Section 1271(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

13 (16 U.S.C. 3871(b)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

15 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

16 through (D) as clauses (i) through (iv), respec17 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

18 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

19 so redesignated)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘eligible activities to’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘projects that’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘programs, as’’ and 

23 inserting the following: ‘‘programs: 

24 ‘‘(A) The following programs, as’’; and 

25 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) The following programs, as in effect 

2 on the day before the date of enactment of the 

3 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

4 2024: 

5 ‘‘(i) The water bank program estab6 lished under the Water Bank Act (16 

7 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.). 

8 ‘‘(ii) The agricultural management as9 sistance program established under section 

10 524(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

11 (7 U.S.C. 1524(b)).’’; 

12 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

13 (5) as paragraphs (4) through (6), respectively; 

14 (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(3) To encourage the reduction of greenhouse 

17 gases, and the adaptation to and mitigation of cli18 mate change, through the coordinated efforts of eli19 gible partners, producers, and Federal, State, local, 

20 and Tribal governments.’’; 

21 (4) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

24 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘affect’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘create conservation benefits across’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

4 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(C) implementing or establishing a soil 

7 health plan or program of a State or Tribal 

8 government.’’; 

9 (5) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), by 

10 striking ‘‘through partnership agreements’’; 

11 (6) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘conservation projects to 

13 achieve’’ and inserting ‘‘innovative methods of 

14 conservation delivery that generate’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘outcomes and’’; and 

16 (7) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(7) To facilitate the conversion from con18 centrated animal feeding operations to climate19 friendly agricultural production systems, including 

20 regenerative grazing, agroforestry, organic, and di21 versified crop and livestock production systems.’’. 

22 SEC. 2702. DEFINITIONS. 

23 Section 1271A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

24 U.S.C. 3871a) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through 

2 (5), (6), and (7) as paragraphs (2) through (6), (8), 

3 and (9), respectively; 

4 (2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so re5 designated) the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) CONSERVATION BENEFIT.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘conserva8 tion benefit’ means, with respect to an eligible 

9 activity, the resulting— 

10 ‘‘(i) improvement of— 

11 ‘‘(I) agricultural or nonindustrial 

12 forest land; 

13 ‘‘(II) water, air, or soil quality; 

14 ‘‘(III) water quantity; or 

15 ‘‘(IV) the condition of habitat for 

16 fish or wildlife; 

17 ‘‘(ii) protection of agricultural or non18 industrial forest land; or 

19 ‘‘(iii) reduction in consumptive water 

20 use. 

21 ‘‘(B) MEASUREMENT.—A conservation 

22 benefit (as defined in subparagraph (A)) may 

23 be measured or modeled by an eligible partner 

24 for the purposes of reporting a verifiable, quan25 tifiable improvement in the natural resource 


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1 concern targeted by the applicable eligible activ2 ity.’’; 

3 (3) by striking paragraph (3) (as so redesig4 nated) and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY.—The term ‘eligible 

6 activity’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) a practice, activity, agreement, ease8 ment, or related conservation measure that is 

9 available under the statutory authority for a 

10 covered program; and 

11 ‘‘(B) a practice, activity, agreement, ease12 ment, or related conservation measure that— 

13 ‘‘(i) is consistent with the purposes of 

14 at least one covered program; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) proposes an innovative— 

16 ‘‘(I) conservation approach; 

17 ‘‘(II) method of conservation 

18 funding delivery; or 

19 ‘‘(III) approach to leveraging the 

20 Federal investment.’’; 

21 (4) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘The term’’ and inserting 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; and 

25 (B) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The term 

2 ‘eligible land’ may include other spaces on 

3 which identified or expected resource concerns 

4 related to agricultural production could be ad5 dressed under the program, as determined by 

6 the Secretary, such as urban agriculture and 

7 other innovative production methods.’’; 

8 (5) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

10 ‘‘tribe’’ and inserting ‘‘Tribe or Tribal organiza11 tion’’; 

12 (B) by striking subparagraph (H); 

13 (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) 

14 through (G) as subparagraphs (E) through (H), 

15 respectively; 

16 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) A Native Hawaiian organization.’’; 

19 and 

20 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(K) A not-for-profit conservation organi22 zation. 

23 ‘‘(L) An agricultural retailer (including an 

24 agrichemical business and a farm retail outlet 

25 or supplier). 


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1 ‘‘(M) Any other entity that the Secretary 

2 determines to be appropriate.’’; and 

3 (6) by inserting after paragraph (6) (as so re4 designated) the following: 

5 ‘‘(7) PERFORMANCE-BASED PAYMENTS.—The 

6 term ‘performance-based payments’ means payments 

7 to a producer by an eligible partner under section 

8 1271C(d) to purchase quantified and verified con9 servation benefits.’’. 

10 SEC. 2703. REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS. 

11 Section 1271B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

12 U.S.C. 3871b) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert15 ing the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A partnership agreement 

17 shall be for a period not to exceed 5 years, subject 

18 to renewal or extension.’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘not 

20 more than one time’’ after ‘‘renewed under sub21 section (e)(5)’’; 

22 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘of a 

23 partnership agreement’’ and all that follows 

24 through ‘‘12 months,’’ and inserting ‘‘thereof, 

25 may each be extended under subsection (e)(6) 


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1 not more than 2 times for a period of not 

2 longer than 24 months each,’’; and 

3 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(4) EFFECT ON EXISTING AGREEMENTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A partnership agree6 ment entered into on or after the date of enact7 ment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Secu8 rity Act of 2024 shall not affect, modify, or 

9 interfere with any partnership agreement in ef10 fect on the day before that date of enactment. 

11 ‘‘(B) MODIFICATION OF EXISTING AGREE12 MENTS.—To implement the amendments made 

13 to this subsection by the Rural Prosperity and 

14 Food Security Act of 2024— 

15 ‘‘(i) the signatories to a partnership 

16 agreement in effect on the day before the 

17 date of enactment of that Act may mutu18 ally agree to a modification of the length 

19 of, and options for renewals and extensions 

20 available for, that partnership agreement; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary shall provide an 

23 opportunity for the signatories to a part24 nership agreement described in clause (i) 

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1 suant to that clause without requiring the 

2 renegotiation of any other provision of the 

3 partnership agreement.’’; 

4 (2) in subsection (c)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik7 ing ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘MANDA8 TORY DUTIES’’; and 

9 (ii) in subparagraph (E)— 

10 (I) in clause (i), by striking 

11 ‘‘each conservation benefit’’ and all 

12 that follows through ‘‘; and’’ and in13 serting ‘‘the conservation benefits of 

14 the partnership agreement;’’; 

15 (II) by redesignating clause (ii) 

16 as clause (iii); 

17 (III) by inserting after clause (i) 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(ii) any barriers that prevented the 

20 project from achieving the conservation 

21 benefits of the partnership agreement; 

22 and’’; and 

23 (IV) in clause (iii) (as so redesig24 nated), by striking ‘‘project’’ and in25 serting ‘‘project and lessons learned 


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1 through the implementation of the 

2 project’’; 

3 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

4 paragraph (3); 

5 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY DUTIES.—Under a part8 nership agreement, the eligible partner may— 

9 ‘‘(A) provide technical and financial assist10 ance to producers to design, implement, and 

11 monitor eligible activities on eligible land; and 

12 ‘‘(B) contract or establish sub-agreements 

13 or grants for financial or technical assistance, 

14 including performance-based payments, with 

15 producers or other entities to carry out the 

16 project.’’; and 

17 (D) in paragraph (3) (as so redesig18 nated)— 

19 (i) by striking subparagraph (A) and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 

22 ‘‘(i) REQUIREMENT.—An eligible part23 ner shall provide a significant contribution 

24 towards the implementation of the project 

25 that is the subject of the agreement enVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00301 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tered into under subsection (a), as deter2 mined by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(ii) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Not4 withstanding any other provision of law, a 

5 contribution of an eligible partner under 

6 this paragraph may be used to meet 

7 matching or cost participation require8 ments under other Federal programs 

9 (other than Department of Agriculture 

10 programs) and non-Federal programs.’’; 

11 and 

12 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

13 (I) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

14 at the end; 

15 (II) by redesignating clause (iii) 

16 as clause (iv); 

17 (III) by inserting after clause (ii) 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(iii) project financing that helps ex20 pedite project implementation; or’’; and 

21 (IV) in clause (iv) (as so redesig22 nated) by striking ‘‘and in-kind sup23 port’’ and inserting ‘‘, in-kind sup24 port, or financing’’; 

25 (3) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara2 graphs (A) through (C) and inserting the fol3 lowing: 

4 ‘‘(A) finalizing the partnership agreement 

5 not later than 180 days after the date on which 

6 the Secretary announces the awarding of the 

7 partnership agreement; 

8 ‘‘(B) finalizing renewal or extension agree9 ments not later than 120 days after the date of 

10 approval of the renewal or extension; 

11 ‘‘(C) reimbursing eligible partners not later 

12 than 30 days after the date of submission of a 

13 complete reimbursement request; 

14 ‘‘(D) in the case of a partnership agree15 ment that is funded through an alternative 

16 funding arrangement or grant agreement under 

17 section 1271C(b), reimbursing eligible partners 

18 not later than 30 days after the date of a com19 plete submission of receipts for the payments 

20 made to producers by the eligible partner for 

21 carrying out eligible activities; 

22 ‘‘(E) in the case of a project focused on 

23 delivering eligible activities described in section 

24 1271A(3)(B), identifying appropriate timelines 

25 to finalize partnership agreements, renewals, 


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1 and extensions based on the innovative nature 

2 of the eligible activities proposed for the project 

3 while ensuring that review of agreements, re4 newals, and extensions takes place as soon as 

5 practicable; 

6 ‘‘(F) providing payments to an eligible 

7 partner for goods and services that support pro8 gram implementation, as identified by the Sec9 retary; and 

10 ‘‘(G) in the case of a cost-share agreement 

11 with an eligible entity (as defined in section 

12 1265A) in an approved project area, provide 

13 payments to the eligible entity to assist with the 

14 purchase of an easement on eligible land with 

15 a producer;’’; 

16 (B) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5); 

17 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

18 paragraph (4); 

19 (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(3) make covered program authorities, such as 

22 entity certification under section 1265B(b)(5), avail23 able, but not required, in the implementation of a 

24 partnership agreement;’’; 


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1 (E) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), 

2 by striking ‘‘guidance’’ and inserting ‘‘guidance, 

3 including suggested quantification models,’’; 

4 and 

5 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(5) make funding available to not-for-profit 

7 entities and land-grant colleges and universities (as 

8 defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural 

9 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

10 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to make assessment tools 

11 more broadly available to eligible partners; and 

12 ‘‘(6) publish public-facing reports submitted by 

13 the eligible partner under subsection (c)(1)(F) not 

14 later than 90 days after the date of expiration of the 

15 term of the partnership agreement.’’; 

16 (4) in subsection (e)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking 

18 ‘‘project’s objectives’’ and inserting ‘‘objectives, 

19 including the conservation benefits, of the 

20 project’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (4)— 

22 (i) by striking subparagraphs (B), 

23 (C), and (E); 


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1 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

2 (D), (F), (G), and (H) as subparagraphs 

3 (B), (D), (E), and (F), respectively; 

4 (iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so redes5 ignated), by inserting ‘‘Tribal,’’ after 

6 ‘‘State,’’; 

7 (iv) by inserting after subparagraph 

8 (B) (as so redesignated) the following: 

9 ‘‘(C) demonstrate that a significant num10 ber of historically underserved producers will 

11 benefit from the project;’’; 

12 (v) in subparagraph (D) (as so redes13 ignated), by striking ‘‘area restoration 

14 plans’’ and inserting ‘‘area-wide plans’’; 

15 and 

16 (vi) in subparagraph (F) (as so redes17 ignated), by inserting ‘‘emerging’’ before 

18 ‘‘factors’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(6) EXTENSIONS.—If the Secretary deter21 mines that a project that is the subject of a partner22 ship agreement has made substantial progress to23 wards meeting the objectives of the project, the Sec24 retary may extend the partnership agreement if the 

25 1 or more eligible partners that are parties to the 


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1 partnership agreement request the extension in 

2 order to continue to implement the project under an 

3 extension of the partnership agreement. 

4 ‘‘(7) NONEXCLUSIVITY OF RENEWALS AND EX5 TENSIONS.—The granting of an extension under 

6 paragraph (6) does not preclude the subsequent 

7 granting of a renewal under paragraph (5), and vice 

8 versa.’’; 

9 (5) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub10 section (h); and 

11 (6) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(f) AMOUNT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in para15 graph (2), the Secretary shall not provide more than 

16 $25,000,000 under a partnership agreement. 

17 ‘‘(2) RENEWALS.—In the case of a partnership 

18 agreement renewed under subsection (e)(5), the Sec19 retary may provide not more than an additional 

20 $25,000,000 under the partnership agreement. 

21 ‘‘(g) ENROLLMENT IN OTHER CONSERVATION PRO22 GRAMS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 

24 producer party to a contract entered into under this 

25 subtitle may— 


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1 ‘‘(A) subject to section 1235(j), enroll the 

2 land enrolled under the contract in the con3 servation reserve program established under 

4 subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D; 

5 ‘‘(B) subject to section 1240B(d)(6), enroll 

6 the land enrolled under the contract in the envi7 ronmental quality incentives program estab8 lished under subchapter A of chapter 4 of sub9 title D; or 

10 ‘‘(C) both enroll land in accordance with 

11 subparagraph (A) and receive a cost-share as12 sistance in accordance with subparagraph (B). 

13 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—A producer shall not be eli14 gible for payments for practices on eligible land 

15 under the program if the producer receives payments 

16 or other benefits for the same practice on the same 

17 land under another program under this title.’’. 

18 SEC. 2704. ASSISTANCE TO PRODUCERS. 

19 Section 1271C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

20 U.S.C. 3871c) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (c)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre23 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘for a pe24 riod of 5 years’’; 


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

2 paragraph (5); and 

3 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(3) ADVANCE PAYMENTS TO PRODUCERS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On an election by a 

7 producer, the Secretary may provide an advance 

8 payment for costs related to purchasing mate9 rials or contracting associated with imple10 menting an eligible activity. 

11 ‘‘(B) RETURN OF FUNDS.—If the funds 

12 provided under subparagraph (A) are not ex13 pended within 120 days, the Secretary may— 

14 ‘‘(i) determine that the producer is in 

15 violation of the program contract; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) require the funds to be returned 

17 within a reasonable period, as determined 

18 by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(4) ADVANCE PAYMENTS TO ELIGIBLE PART20 NERS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On an election by an 

22 eligible partner, the Secretary may provide an 

23 advance payment to the eligible partner related 

24 to project implementation, as provided in the 


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1 partnership agreement, including an alternative 

2 funding arrangement under subsection (d)(1). 

3 ‘‘(B) TIMEFRAME.—If the funds provided 

4 under subparagraph (A) are not expended with5 in the period specified in the partnership agree6 ment, but not more than 120 days, the Sec7 retary shall not provide any additional advance 

8 payment under that paragraph until the eligible 

9 partner demonstrates the ability to expend the 

10 funds within the applicable period. 

11 ‘‘(C) RETURN OF FUNDS.—The Secretary 

12 may determine that an eligible partner is in vio13 lation of the partnership agreement and require 

14 the funds to be returned within a reasonable 

15 period, as determined by the Secretary, if the 

16 eligible partner— 

17 ‘‘(i) fails to expend the funds within 

18 the applicable period; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) otherwise fails to manage any 

20 funds in accordance with the terms of the 

21 partnership agreement.’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (d)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) by striking subparagraph (B); 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘shall—’’ in the mat2 ter preceding subparagraph (A) and all 

3 that follows through ‘‘under a’’ in the mat4 ter preceding clause (i) of subparagraph 

5 (A) and inserting ‘‘shall, under a’’; 

6 (iii) by redesignating clauses (i) and 

7 (ii) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respec8 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

9 (iv) in subparagraph (A) (as so redes10 ignated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

11 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(C) in the case of an agreement with an 

13 Indian Tribe or a Tribal organization, provide 

14 an opportunity for the Indian Tribe or Tribal 

15 organization to develop with the Secretary 

16 projects that— 

17 ‘‘(i) address eligible resource concerns 

18 on Indian land; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) allow for flexibility in conserva20 tion implementation and administration.’’; 

21 and 

22 (B) in paragraph (3)(A)(iii)— 

23 (i) in the matter preceding subclause 

24 (I), by striking ‘‘in conservation with pri25 vate financial mechanisms, in conjunction 


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1 with agricultural production or forest re2 source management, such as’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘, or innovative approaches to deliv4 ering conservation funding to producers, 

5 including’’; 

6 (ii) in subclause (I)— 

7 (I) by striking ‘‘provision of’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘use of innovative con9 tracting or’’; and 

10 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

11 (iii) in subclause (II)— 

12 (I) by striking ‘‘support for’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘supporting’’; and 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end 

15 and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

16 (iv) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(III) accelerating the adoption 

19 and use of agricultural or processing 

20 equipment by producers that achieve 

21 conservation benefits; and’’. 

22 SEC. 2705. FUNDING. 

23 Section 1271D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

24 U.S.C. 3871d) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking subsections (a) through (d) and 

2 inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds made avail5 able for the program under section 1241(a)(6), the 

6 Secretary shall allocate, to the extent practicable in 

7 order to maximize conservation benefits— 

8 ‘‘(A) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

9 2025 through 2029 for projects focused on es10 tablishing groundwater conservation easements 

11 that— 

12 ‘‘(i) are held by an eligible entity (as 

13 defined in section 1265A) participating in 

14 the partnership agreement; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) meet the criteria described in 

16 paragraph (2); and 

17 ‘‘(B) of the remaining funds, for fiscal 

18 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter— 

19 ‘‘(i) 46 percent to projects based on a 

20 State or multistate competitive process ad21 ministered by the Secretary at the local 

22 level with the advice of the applicable State 

23 technical committees established under 

24 subtitle G; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) 50 percent to projects for critical 

2 conservation areas designated under sec3 tion 1271F; 

4 ‘‘(iii) 3 percent to carry out activities 

5 described in section 1271B(d)(5); and 

6 ‘‘(iv) 1 percent to carry out activities 

7 described in subsection (d). 

8 ‘‘(2) GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION EASEMENT

9 CRITERIA.—The criteria referred to in paragraph 

10 (1)(A)(ii) are the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) The terms of the groundwater con12 servation easement shall contain terms that en13 cumber and sufficiently address the manage14 ment, monitoring, and enforcement of surface 

15 water uses and groundwater rights and uses. 

16 ‘‘(B) The eligible partner shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) identify the applicable legal 

18 framework that would allow for a ground19 water conservation easement to be estab20 lished in the applicable jurisdiction; 

21 ‘‘(ii) outline the specific attributes of 

22 the proposed groundwater conservation 

23 easement; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) identify the regulating organiza2 tion that meters or monitors groundwater 

3 in the applicable jurisdiction; and 

4 ‘‘(iv) identify the proposed valuation 

5 methodology. 

6 ‘‘(C) The eligible partner shall provide a 

7 letter of support from the applicable State Con8 servationist and a letter of compatibility from 

9 the appropriate State, local, and Tribal agencies 

10 responsible for oversight of conservation ease11 ments and groundwater use and regulation in 

12 the applicable jurisdiction. 

13 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide 

15 to an eligible partner a payment for indirect costs to 

16 cover administrative expenses of the eligible partner 

17 under a partnership agreement. 

18 ‘‘(2) RATE.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara20 graph (B), the rate of a payment for indirect 

21 costs under paragraph (1) shall be— 

22 ‘‘(i) an indirect cost rate negotiated 

23 by the Secretary and the eligible partner, 

24 which shall not exceed 20 percent of the 

25 total project cost; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) if the eligible partner does not 

2 have a negotiated indirect cost rate de3 scribed in subparagraph (A), 20 percent of 

4 the total project cost. 

5 ‘‘(B) RATE FOR CERTAIN PROJECTS.—In 

6 the case of a partnership agreement that pri7 marily serves historically underserved pro8 ducers, as determined by the Secretary, the rate 

9 of a payment for indirect costs under paragraph 

10 (1) may be up to 30 percent of the total project 

11 cost.’’; 

12 (2) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub13 section (c); 

14 (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— 

15 (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 

16 inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible partner may 

18 provide technical assistance to producers as needed 

19 to support project planning and implementation for 

20 conservation benefits. 

21 ‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

23 limit costs of the Secretary for technical assist24 ance to costs specific and necessary to carry out 

25 the objectives of the program. 


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1 ‘‘(B) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE BY THE

2 SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall not use 

3 amounts provided under a partnership agree4 ment for technical assistance provided by the 

5 Secretary without providing explicit notification 

6 to the eligible partner. 

7 ‘‘(C) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE BY ELIGIBLE

8 PARTNERS.—The Federal share of the cost of 

9 technical assistance provided by an eligible 

10 partner shall be not more than 30 percent of 

11 the total cost of the project.’’; and 

12 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘pursu13 ant to a partnership agreement’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘and producers participating in the program’’; 

15 and 

16 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(d) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND AUTOMATED

18 PROGRAMMATIC TOOLS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

20 the timely development and availability of integrated 

21 information technology and automated pro22 grammatic tools to support program implementation. 

23 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ACCESS.—Subject to section 

24 1244(b) of this Act and section 1619 of the Food, 

25 Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 


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1 8791), the Secretary may develop protocols for eligi2 ble partners to access automatic programmatic tools 

3 of the Department of Agriculture in a manner that 

4 supports the implementation of an approved 

5 project.’’. 

6 SEC. 2706. ADMINISTRATION. 

7 Section 1271E of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

8 U.S.C. 3871e) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

11 by striking ‘‘2019, and every two’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘2025, and not less frequently than once 

13 every 2’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara15 graphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) the characteristics of ongoing 

17 projects; 

18 ‘‘(B) the progress made towards achieving 

19 the conservation goals of completed projects 

20 and renewed projects; 

21 ‘‘(C) any other related outcomes of com22 pleted projects and renewed projects; and 

23 ‘‘(D) conservation benefits purchased 

24 through performance-based payments and the 

25 per-unit prices of those conservation benefits;’’; 


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1 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘ap2 proximate’’ before ‘‘number’’; and 

3 (D) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘admin4 istered’’ in the matter preceding subparagraph 

5 (A) and all that follows through the end of sub6 paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘administered; 

7 and’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding 

9 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Secretary may not’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘Neither an eligible partner nor the 

11 Secretary may’’. 

12 SEC. 2707. CRITICAL CONSERVATION AREAS. 

13 Section 1271F of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

14 U.S.C. 3871f ) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

16 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

17 (A), by inserting ‘‘or substantially affecting’’ 

18 after ‘‘located in’’; and 

19 (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘, 

20 including restoration and enhancement of wild21 life habitat connectivity and wildlife migration 

22 corridors’’ after ‘‘local level’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘In admin24 istering funds under section 1271D(d)(2), the Sec25 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary’’. 


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1 TITLE III—TRADE 

2 Subtitle A—Food for Peace Act 

3 SEC. 3101. UNITED STATES POLICY. 

4 Section 2(1) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1691(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘hunger and malnutri6 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘hunger, malnutrition, child wast7 ing,’’. 

8 SEC. 3102. PROVISION OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 202 of the Food for Peace 

10 Act (7 U.S.C. 1722) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘governments 

12 and public or private agencies, including intergov13 ernmental organizations such as the World Food 

14 Program and other multilateral organizations’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘eligible organizations’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (b)(1)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘agricultural commodities 

18 for nonemergency assistance’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘assistance, including in the form of agricul20 tural commodities, for nonemergency purposes’’; 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘(as described in sub22 section (d))’’; and 

23 (C) by striking ‘‘to use the commodities’’; 

24 (3) by striking subsection (d); 


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1 (4) by redesignating subsections (e) through (h) 

2 as subsections (d) through (g), respectively; 

3 (5) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (i) in the matter preceding subpara6 graph (A), by striking ‘‘Of the funds’’ and 

7 all that follows through ‘‘subsection (d),’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘Using funds made available 

9 under this title, the Administrator may 

10 provide funds to eligible organizations’’; 

11 and 

12 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

13 ‘‘developmental’’ and inserting ‘‘resilience’’; 

14 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

15 through (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), re16 spectively; 

17 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(2) AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.—Using 

20 funds made available under this title, the Adminis21 trator may— 

22 ‘‘(A) acquire and make available to eligible 

23 organizations such agricultural commodities as 

24 are necessary to carry out agreements under 

25 this title; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) pay all associated and incidental costs 

2 of those commodities, including— 

3 ‘‘(i) the cost of acquiring those com4 modities; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the costs associated with pack6 aging, enrichment, preservation, and for7 tification of those commodities, including 

8 the costs of carrying out section 415 with 

9 respect to the commodities; 

10 ‘‘(iii) the cost of processing, milling, 

11 handling, storage, distribution, and pro12 gram implementation to use the commod13 ities; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) the cost of transportation to 

15 move the commodities from the United 

16 States to pre-positioning sites, ports of 

17 entry abroad, and distribution sites within 

18 and between foreign countries, including 

19 ocean and inland freight charges, and the 

20 charges for general average contributions 

21 arising out of ocean transportation of those 

22 commodities.’’; and 

23 (D) in paragraph (3) (as so redesig24 nated)— 


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1 (i) in the paragraph heading, by in2 serting ‘‘OR AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES’’ 

3 after ‘‘FOR FUNDS’’; 

4 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or agricultural com5 modities’’ after ‘‘To receive funds’’; 

6 (iii) by inserting ‘‘or (2)’’ after ‘‘para7 graph (1)’’; and 

8 (iv) by striking ‘‘described in sub9 section (d)’’; and 

10 (6) in paragraph (3) of subsection (g) (as so re11 designated)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘, for fiscal years 2014 

13 through 2023’’; and 

14 (B) by inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year’’ 

15 after ‘‘may be used’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

17 (1) Section 205 of the Food for Peace Act (7 

18 U.S.C. 1725) is amended— 

19 (A) in subsection (a)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘hereinafter’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘described in section 

22 202(d)(1)’’; and 

23 (B) in subsection (d)(2), by striking 

24 ‘‘202(h)’’ and inserting ‘‘202(g)’’. 


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1 (2) Section 207(f)(4)(A) of the Food for Peace 

2 Act (7 U.S.C. 1726a(f)(4)(A)) is amended by strik3 ing ‘‘202(h)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘202(g)(3)’’. 

4 (3) Section 407(f)(2)(I) of the Food for Peace 

5 Act (7 U.S.C. 1736a(f)(2)(I)) is amended by strik6 ing ‘‘section 202(e),’’ and inserting ‘‘sections 

7 202(d),’’. 

8 (4) Section 412(e)(2) of the Food for Peace Act 

9 (7 U.S.C. 1736f(e)(2)) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘202(e)(1)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘202(d)(1)(C)’’. 

11 SEC. 3103. LEVELS OF ASSISTANCE. 

12 Section 204 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

13 1724) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 

16 inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) MINIMUM ASSISTANCE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

19 paragraph (2), the Administrator shall make 

20 agricultural commodities available for food dis21 tribution under this title for emergency assist22 ance under section 202(a) for each fiscal year 

23 in a quantity that results in the amount de24 scribed in subparagraph (B) being not less than 

25 40 percent of the funds made available through 


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1 annual appropriations in that fiscal year for 

2 this title. 

3 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT DESCRIBED.—The amount 

4 referred to in subparagraph (A) is the sum ob5 tained by adding— 

6 ‘‘(i) the value of the agricultural com7 modities made available pursuant to that 

8 subparagraph; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) the cost of ocean shipping for 

10 those agricultural commodities.’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

12 (i) by striking the third sentence; 

13 (ii) in the second sentence, by striking 

14 ‘‘In making a waiver’’ and all that follows 

15 through ‘‘House of Representatives’’ and 

16 inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—If the Administrator pro18 vides a waiver under subparagraph (A), the Ad19 ministrator shall submit to the Committees on 

20 Agriculture, Appropriations, and Foreign Af21 fairs of the House of Representatives’’; and 

22 (iii) by striking the paragraph des23 ignation and heading and all that follows 

24 through the period at the end of the first 

25 sentence and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) WAIVER.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara3 graph (B), the Administrator may waive the re4 quirements of paragraph (1) for any fiscal year 

5 if, after the beginning of the applicable fiscal 

6 year, the Administrator determines that— 

7 ‘‘(i) such quantities of commodities 

8 cannot be used effectively to carry out this 

9 title or in order to meet an emergency; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) the requirements of that para11 graph cannot otherwise be met due to cir12 cumstances beyond the control of the Ad13 ministrator. 

14 ‘‘(B) SUBSEQUENT YEAR MINIMUM ASSIST15 ANCE.—In the first fiscal year beginning after 

16 the date on which a waiver is provided under 

17 subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall 

18 make agricultural commodities available for 

19 food distribution under this title for emergency 

20 assistance under section 202(a) in a quantity 

21 that represents— 

22 ‘‘(i) the quantity of agricultural com23 modities needed to meet the requirement 

24 under paragraph (1)(A); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the quantity of agricultural com2 modities covered by the waiver under sub3 paragraph (A) for the preceding fiscal 

4 year.’’; and 

5 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘subsection 

6 (a)(2) be’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1) is’’. 

7 SEC. 3104. FOOD AID CONSULTATIVE GROUP. 

8 Section 205(f) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

9 1725(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 3105. ISSUANCE OF REGULATIONS. 

12 Section 207(c)(1) of the Food for Peace Act (7 

13 U.S.C. 1726a(c)(1)) is amended, in the second sentence, 

14 by striking ‘‘the enactment of the Agriculture Improve15 ment Act of 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘enactment of the Rural 

16 Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024’’. 

17 SEC. 3106. OVERSIGHT, MONITORING, AND EVALUATION. 

18 Section 207(f)(4) of the Food for Peace Act (7 

19 U.S.C. 1726a(f)(4)) is amended, in subparagraphs (A) 

20 and (B)(i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears and 

21 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 3107. ASSISTANCE FOR STOCKPILING AND RAPID 

2 TRANSPORTATION, DELIVERY, AND DIS3 TRIBUTION OF SHELF-STABLE PRE4 PACKAGED FOODS. 

5 Section 208(f) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

6 1726b(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘2024, and $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

8 through 2029’’. 

9 SEC. 3108. DEFINITIONS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 402 of the Food for Peace 

11 Act (7 U.S.C. 1732) is amended— 

12 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

13 striking ‘‘As used in’’ and inserting ‘‘In’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (A) in the second sentence, by striking 

16 ‘‘Effective’’ and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT.—Effective’’; and 

18 (B) in the first sentence— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘and livestock as well 

20 as’’ and inserting ‘‘livestock, specialized 

21 nutrition products, and’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘The term’’ and in23 serting the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; 

25 (3) by striking paragraph (3); 


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1 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 

2 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and 

3 (5) by inserting after paragraph (4) (as so re4 designated) the following: 

5 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘eli6 gible organization’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) a government of a foreign country; 

8 ‘‘(B) a private voluntary organization or 

9 cooperative; 

10 ‘‘(C) an intergovernmental organization, 

11 such as the World Food Program; and 

12 ‘‘(D) any other organization, as deter13 mined by the Administrator.’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 407(f)(1) 

15 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736a(f)(1)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘appropriate committees of Con17 gress’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee on Agriculture, Nutri18 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committees on 

19 Agriculture and Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep20 resentatives’’. 

21 SEC. 3109. USE OF COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION. 

22 Section 406(b)(6) of the Food for Peace Act (7 

23 U.S.C. 1736(b)(6)) is amended by striking ‘‘in the case 

24 of commodities for urgent and extraordinary relief require25 ments (including pre-positioned commodities)’’. 


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1 SEC. 3110. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 407 of the Food for Peace 

3 Act (7 U.S.C. 1736a) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (c)(4)(A)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘for fiscal years 2001 

6 through 2023’’; 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘for each of fiscal years 

8 2001 through 2013 not more than $10,000,000 

9 of such funds and’’; and 

10 (C) by striking ‘‘of fiscal years 2014 

11 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year’’; and 

12 (2) in subsection (f)(2), by adding at the end 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘(J) An assessment of activities specifi15 cally targeting women and girls and the impact 

16 of those activities in addressing the unique 

17 needs of women and girls.’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL CORRECTION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 216 of the Federal 

20 Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 

21 (Public Law 104–127; 110 Stat. 957) is amended— 

22 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

23 by inserting ‘‘(as amended by section 1011(e) 

24 of Public Law 104–66 (109 Stat. 709))’’ after 

25 ‘‘(7 U.S.C. 1736a)’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre2 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘(c)’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘(b)’’; 

4 (C) in paragraph (3), in the matter pre5 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘(d)’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘(c)’’; 

7 (D) in paragraph (4), in the matter pre8 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘(g)(2)’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘(f)(2)’’; and 

10 (E) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘(h)’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘(g)’’. 

12 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

13 by paragraph (1) shall take effect as if enacted in 

14 the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform 

15 Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–127; 110 Stat. 888). 

16 SEC. 3111. DEADLINE FOR AGREEMENTS TO FINANCE 

17 SALES OR TO PROVIDE OTHER ASSISTANCE. 

18 Section 408 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

19 1736b) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 3112. FUNDS FOR EMERGENCY AND NONEMERGENCY 

22 FOOD ASSISTANCE. 

23 Section 412(e)(1) of the Food for Peace Act (7 

24 U.S.C. 1736f(e)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2019 


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1 through 2023, not less than $365,000,000’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘2025 through 2029, not less than 18 percent’’. 

3 SEC. 3113. MICRONUTRIENT FORTIFICATION PROGRAMS. 

4 Section 415(c) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1736g–2(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 3114. JOHN OGONOWSKI AND DOUG BEREUTER FARM8 ER-TO-FARMER PROGRAM. 

9 Section 501 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

10 1737) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (b)(2)— 

12 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

13 (A), by striking ‘‘18’’ and inserting ‘‘(18)’’; and 

14 (B) in clause (viii) of subparagraph (A), by 

15 adding a semicolon at the end; 

16 (2) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding 

17 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘2029’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (e)(1), in the matter preceding 

20 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘2029’’; and 

22 (4) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 3115. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

2 (a) FOOD FOR PEACE ACT.—Section 414(b) of the 

3 Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736g–1(b)) is amended 

4 by striking ‘‘(as defined’’ and all that follows through 

5 ‘‘1961)’’ and inserting ‘‘(as defined in section 481(e) of 

6 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

7 2291(e)))’’. 

8 (b) PRESIDENT’S EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE

9 ACT OF 1984.—Section 303(c) of the President’s Emer10 gency Food Assistance Act of 1984 (7 U.S.C. 1728a(c)) 

11 is amended by striking ‘‘expanded’’ and inserting ‘‘ex12 pended’’. 

13 Subtitle B—Agricultural Trade Act 

14 of 1978 

15 SEC. 3201. PRESERVING FOREIGN MARKETS FOR GOODS 

16 USING COMMON NAMES. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 102 of the Agricultural 

18 Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602) is amended— 

19 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

20 striking ‘‘As used in this Act—’’ and inserting ‘‘In 

21 this Act:’’; 

22 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

23 (8) as paragraphs (3), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and 

24 (4), respectively, and moving the paragraphs so as 

25 to appear in numerical order; 


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1 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(2) COMMON NAME.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘common 

5 name’ means a name that, as determined by the 

6 Secretary— 

7 ‘‘(i) is ordinarily or customarily used 

8 for an agricultural commodity or food 

9 product; 

10 ‘‘(ii) is typically placed on the pack11 aging and product label of the agricultural 

12 commodity or food product; 

13 ‘‘(iii) with respect to wine— 

14 ‘‘(I) is— 

15 ‘‘(aa) ordinarily or custom16 arily used for a wine grape vari17 etal name; or 

18 ‘‘(bb) a traditional term or 

19 expression that is typically placed 

20 on the packaging and label of the 

21 wine; and 

22 ‘‘(II) does not mean any appella23 tion of origin for wine listed in sub24 part C of part 9 of title 27, Code of 


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1 Federal Regulations (or successor reg2 ulations); and 

3 ‘‘(iv) the use of which is consistent 

4 with standards of the Codex Alimentarius 

5 Commission. 

6 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making a de7 termination under subparagraph (A), the Sec8 retary may take into account— 

9 ‘‘(i) competent sources, such as dic10 tionaries, newspapers, professional journals 

11 and literature, and information posted on 

12 websites that are determined by the Sec13 retary to be reliable in reporting market 

14 information; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the use of the common name in 

16 a domestic, regional, or international prod17 uct standard, including a standard promul18 gated by the Codex Alimentarius Commis19 sion, for the agricultural commodity or 

20 food product; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) the ordinary and customary use 

22 of the common name in the production or 

23 marketing of the agricultural commodity or 

24 food product in the United States or in 

25 other countries.’’; 


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1 (4) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), in 

2 subparagraph (A)— 

3 (A) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

4 end; 

5 (B) in clause (vi), by striking the period at 

6 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(vii) prohibits or disallows the use of 

9 the common name of an agricultural com10 modity or food product of the United 

11 States.’’; and 

12 (5) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (B), by redesignating 

14 clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), 

15 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

16 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

17 and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and 

18 indenting appropriately; 

19 (C) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 

20 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The term’’ and 

21 inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; and 

23 (D) in the undesignated matter at the end, 

24 by striking ‘‘For purposes’’ and inserting the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—For purposes’’. 

2 (b) NEGOTIATIONS TO DEFEND USE OF COMMON

3 NAMES.—Title III of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

4 (7 U.S.C. 5652 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 303. NEGOTIATIONS TO DEFEND USE OF COMMON 

7 NAMES. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall coordinate 

9 efforts with the United States Trade Representative to se10 cure the right of United States agricultural producers, 

11 processors, and exporters to use common names for agri12 cultural commodities or food products in foreign markets 

13 through the negotiation of bilateral, plurilateral, or multi14 lateral agreements, memoranda of understanding, or ex15 changes of letters that assure the current and future use 

16 of each common name identified by the Secretary in con17 nection with United States agricultural commodities or 

18 food products. 

19 ‘‘(b) REPORT.—The Secretary and the United States 

20 Trade Representative shall submit to Congress a report 

21 every 2 years regarding efforts and successes in carrying 

22 out subsection (a).’’. 


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1 SEC. 3202. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE INFRA2 STRUCTURE IN FOREIGN MARKETS FOR 

3 UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL COMMOD4 ITIES. 

5 Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

6 (7 U.S.C. 5623(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE IN9 FRASTRUCTURE IN FOREIGN MARKETS FOR UNITED

10 STATES AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As part of the pro12 gram established under this subsection, the Sec13 retary shall enter into contracts or other agree14 ments with eligible trade organizations to pro15 vide needs assessment, training, and other tech16 nical assistance— 

17 ‘‘(i) to enhance the capabilities of in18 frastructure in new and developing foreign 

19 markets, including infrastructure relating 

20 to cold chain capacity, port improvements, 

21 and other developments; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) to ensure United States agricul23 tural commodities are not damaged or lost 

24 due to deficiencies in the infrastructure de25 scribed in clause (i). 


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1 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA2 TIONS.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—There is author4 ized to be appropriated to carry out this 

5 paragraph $1,000,000 for each of fiscal 

6 years 2025 through 2029. 

7 ‘‘(ii) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Ex8 cept as provided in clause (iii), amounts 

9 authorized to be appropriated under this 

10 subparagraph may be used only to carry 

11 out subparagraph (A). 

12 ‘‘(iii) AVAILABILITY.—If the Secretary 

13 determines that the total amount made 

14 available pursuant to this subparagraph 

15 for a fiscal year is not necessary to carry 

16 out subparagraph (A), any excess amounts 

17 may be used to carry out the program es18 tablished under this subsection.’’. 

19 SEC. 3203. REPORT ON COMPETITIVENESS OF UNITED 

20 STATES EXPORTS OF SPECIALTY CROPS. 

21 Section 203(e) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

22 (7 U.S.C. 5623(e)) is amended by striking paragraph (7) 

23 and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(7) ANNUAL REPORT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each year, the Sec2 retary, in consultation with the United States 

3 Trade Representative, shall submit to the ap4 propriate committees of Congress a report de5 tailing the competitiveness of United States ex6 ports of specialty crops. 

7 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—The report required by 

8 subparagraph (A) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) identify and analyze acts, policies, 

10 or practices of foreign countries that con11 stitute significant barriers to, or distor12 tions of United States exports of specialty 

13 crops, including the imposition of— 

14 ‘‘(I) tariffs (including retaliatory 

15 tariffs) and quotas (including tariff16 rate quotas); and 

17 ‘‘(II) nontariff barriers, including 

18 technical barriers to trade, sanitary 

19 and phytosanitary measures, import 

20 licensing procedures, and subsidies; 

21 ‘‘(ii) in conjunction with the United 

22 States International Trade Commission, 

23 make an estimate of— 

24 ‘‘(I) the impacts on the competi25 tiveness of United States exports of 


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1 specialty crops of any act, policy, or 

2 practice identified under clause (i); 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(II) if feasible, the value of ad5 ditional specialty crops that would, 

6 during the year preceding submission 

7 of the report, have been exported from 

8 the United States to each foreign 

9 country an act, policy, or practice of 

10 which is identified under clause (i) if 

11 each such act, policy, or practice of 

12 that country did not exist; 

13 ‘‘(iii) assess the extent to which each 

14 act, policy, or practice identified under 

15 clause (i) is subject to international agree16 ments to which the United States is a 

17 party; 

18 ‘‘(iv) include information with respect 

19 to any action taken by the executive 

20 branch during the year preceding submis21 sion of the report, or expected to be taken 

22 after submission of the report, to eliminate 

23 any act, policy, or practice identified under 

24 clause (i), including— 


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1 ‘‘(I) any action under section 

2 301; 

3 ‘‘(II) negotiations or consulta4 tions with foreign governments, which 

5 may include engagement through the 

6 standing committee on sanitary and 

7 phytosanitary matters established 

8 under a free trade agreement to which 

9 the United States is a party; and 

10 ‘‘(III) action at the World Trade 

11 Organization, including dispute settle12 ment actions, consultations, or nego13 tiations; and 

14 ‘‘(v) a description of— 

15 ‘‘(I) any funds provided under 

16 subsection (f)(3)(A)(iv) that were not 

17 obligated in the fiscal year preceding 

18 submission of the report; and 

19 ‘‘(II) the reason such funds were 

20 not obligated. 

21 ‘‘(C) COMMENT PERIOD.—The Secretary, 

22 in coordination with the United States Trade 

23 Representative, shall— 

24 ‘‘(i) before preparing the report re25 quired by subparagraph (A), seek comment 


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1 from the public and the Agricultural Tech2 nical Advisory Committee for Trade in 

3 Fruits and Vegetables; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) take such comments into account 

5 in preparing the report. 

6 ‘‘(D) FORM OF REPORT.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The report re8 quired by subparagraph (A) shall be sub9 mitted in unclassified form, but may in10 clude a classified annex. 

11 ‘‘(ii) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The un12 classified portion of the report required by 

13 subparagraph (A) shall be made available 

14 to the public in machine readable format.’’. 

15 SEC. 3204. AGRICULTURAL TRADE PROMOTION AND FA16 CILITATION. 

17 Section 203(f) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

18 (7 U.S.C. 5623(f)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘For each of fiscal years 

21 2019 through 2023, of’’ and inserting ‘‘Of’’; 

22 and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘section’’ and all that fol24 lows through the period at the end and insertVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00343 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ing the following: ‘‘section, to remain available 

2 until expended— 

3 ‘‘(A) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 

4 2027, $255,000,000; and 

5 ‘‘(B) for each of fiscal years 2028 and 

6 2029, $495,500,000.’’; 

7 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

9 (i) in the subparagraph heading, by 

10 striking ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘FISCAL YEARS 2019 THROUGH 2027’’; and 

12 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

13 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2027’’; 

14 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 

15 subparagraph (C); 

16 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(B) FISCAL YEARS 2028 AND 2029.—For 

19 each of fiscal years 2028 and 2029, the Sec20 retary shall allocate funds to carry out this sec21 tion in accordance with the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) MARKET ACCESS PROGRAM.—For 

23 market access activities authorized under 

24 subsection (b), of the funds of, or an equal 

25 value of commodities owned by, the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00344 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 modity Credit Corporation, not less than 

2 $400,000,000 for each fiscal year. 

3 ‘‘(ii) FOREIGN MARKET DEVELOP4 MENT COOPERATOR PROGRAM.—To carry 

5 out subsection (c), of the funds of, or an 

6 equal value of commodities owned by, the 

7 Commodity Credit Corporation, not less 

8 than $69,000,000 for each fiscal year. 

9 ‘‘(iii) E (KIKA) DE LA GARZA EMERG10 ING MARKETS PROGRAM.—To provide as11 sistance under subsection (d), of the funds 

12 of, or an equal value of commodities owned 

13 by, the Commodity Credit Corporation, not 

14 more than $8,000,000 for each fiscal year. 

15 ‘‘(iv) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR

16 SPECIALTY CROPS.—To carry out sub17 section (e), of the funds of, or an equal 

18 value of the commodities owned by, the 

19 Commodity Credit Corporation, 

20 $15,000,000 for each fiscal year. 

21 ‘‘(v) PRIORITY TRADE FUND.— 

22 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—In addition 

23 to the amounts allocated under 

24 clauses (i) through (iv), and notwith25 standing any limitations in those 


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1 clauses, as determined by the Sec2 retary, for 1 or more programs under 

3 this section for authorized activities to 

4 access, develop, maintain, and expand 

5 markets for United States agricultural 

6 commodities, $3,500,000 for each fis7 cal year. 

8 ‘‘(II) CONSIDERATIONS.—In allo9 cating funds made available under 

10 subclause (I), the Secretary may con11 sider providing a greater allocation to 

12 1 or more programs under this section 

13 for which the amounts requested 

14 under applications exceed the funding 

15 for 1 or more programs.’’; and 

16 (D) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesig17 nated)— 

18 (i) in the first sentence— 

19 (I) by inserting ‘‘or (B)’’ after 

20 ‘‘of subparagraph (A)’’; and 

21 (II) by striking ‘‘subparagraph 

22 (A)(v)’’ and inserting ‘‘clause (v) of 

23 subparagraph (A) or (B), as applica24 ble’’; and 


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1 (ii) in the second sentence, by insert2 ing ‘‘or (B), as applicable’’ before the pe3 riod at the end; and 

4 (3) in paragraph (4), by striking the second 

5 sentence. 

6 SEC. 3205. INTERAGENCY SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE 

7 FRUITS AND VEGETABLE WORKING GROUP. 

8 Subtitle B of title IV of the Agricultural Trade Act 

9 of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5671 et seq.) is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 418. INTERAGENCY SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE 

12 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WORKING GROUP. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

14 the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign 

15 Agricultural Affairs, the United States Trade Representa16 tive, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other 

17 Federal agencies or entities, as determined to be appro18 priate by the Secretary, shall jointly establish an inter19 agency working group (referred to in this section as the 

20 ‘working group’) composed of representatives from each 

21 agency to monitor and assess, on an ongoing basis, sea22 sonal and perishable fruits and vegetables trade data and 

23 related information. 

24 ‘‘(b) TRADE ACTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS.—The 

25 working group shall coordinate as appropriate regarding 


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1 potential additional trade actions and investigations with 

2 respect to any seasonal or perishable agricultural prod3 ucts, as determined to be advisable by the working group. 

4 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—The working group shall con5 sult with the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, rel6 evant seasonal or perishable agricultural producers, and 

7 other relevant trade associations to identify threats that 

8 imports pose to domestic producers of seasonal and perish9 able fruits and vegetables. 

10 ‘‘(d) RECOMMENDATIONS TO SECRETARY.—The 

11 working group shall recommend programs or assistance 

12 that the Secretary could provide to producers of seasonal 

13 and perishable fruits and vegetables to address market im14 pacts.’’. 

15 Subtitle C—Other Agricultural 

16 Trade Laws 

17 SEC. 3301. FOOD FOR PROGRESS ACT OF 1985. 

18 The Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o) 

19 is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (f)— 

21 (A) by striking paragraph (3) and insert22 ing the following: 

23 ‘‘(3) COMMODITIES TO PREVENT WASTE.—Un24 less authorized in advance in appropriation Acts, no 

25 funds of the Corporation may be used to carry out 


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1 this section with respect to eligible commodities 

2 made available under section 416(b) of the Agricul3 tural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1431(b)) in excess of 

4 (exclusive of the cost of eligible commodities)— 

5 ‘‘(A) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2023 and 2024; 

7 ‘‘(B) $52,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

8 ‘‘(C) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

9 ‘‘(D) $58,000,000 for fiscal years 2027; 

10 ‘‘(E) $61,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 

11 ‘‘(F) $64,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’; 

12 and 

13 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘eligible 

14 eligible commodities’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible 

15 commodities’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (j), by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(4) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary shall not 

21 enter into any agreement pursuant to this section 

22 under which more than 50 percent of the amounts 

23 made available to carry out the program for a fiscal 

24 year are awarded to a single entity.’’; 


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1 (4) in subsection (k), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

3 (5) in subsection (l)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

5 (6) in subsection (p)— 

6 (A) in paragraphs (1) and (3), by striking 

7 ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears and inserting 

8 ‘‘2029’’; and 

9 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2024’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘2030’’. 

11 SEC. 3302. BILL EMERSON HUMANITARIAN TRUST ACT. 

12 Section 302 of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust 

13 Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f–1) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (d)(2)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (B), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

16 after the semicolon at the end; and 

17 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘; 

18 and’’ at the end and inserting a period; and 

19 (2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘shall not 

20 be—’’ in the matter preceding paragraph (1) and all 

21 that follows through the period at the end of para22 graph (2) and inserting the following: ‘‘shall not be 

23 considered to be a part of the total domestic supply 

24 (including carryover) for the purpose of— 

25 ‘‘(1) subsection (c); or 


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1 ‘‘(2) administering the Food for Peace Act (7 

2 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.).’’. 

3 SEC. 3303. PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS TO 

4 EMERGING MARKETS. 

5 Section 1542(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva6 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5622 note; Public 

7 Law 101–624) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and insert8 ing ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 3304. GROWING AMERICAN FOOD EXPORTS. 

10 Section 1543A(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva11 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5679(d)) is amend12 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 SEC. 3305. INTERNATIONAL FOOD SECURITY TECHNICAL 

14 ASSISTANCE. 

15 Section 1543B(f) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva16 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 1736dd(f)) is 

17 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 SEC. 3306. MCGOVERN-DOLE INTERNATIONAL FOOD FOR 

19 EDUCATION AND CHILD NUTRITION PRO20 GRAM. 

21 Section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest22 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o–1) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (f)(2)(C), by striking ‘‘indige24 nous institutions as well as local’’ and inserting ‘‘inVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00351 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 digenous institutions, women-led and women-owned 

2 organizations, and local’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (l)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

6 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘not 

7 more than 10 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘not less 

8 than 10 percent, but not more than 20 per9 cent,’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(5) CAPACITY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES.—Of the 

12 amounts described in paragraph (4), the Secretary 

13 may provide funds for capacity-building activities to 

14 support the purchase of agricultural commodities de15 scribed in subsection (a)(2)(A).’’. 

16 SEC. 3307. GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST. 

17 Section 3202 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

18 Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 2220a note; Public Law 110–246) 

19 is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

22 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 3308. LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOOD AID PROCURE2 MENT PROJECTS. 

3 Section 3206(e)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and 

4 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1726c(e)(1)) is amended 

5 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 3309. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 

7 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

8 Section 3307(g)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement 

9 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 3295(g)(1)) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 TITLE IV—NUTRITION 

12 Subtitle A—Supplemental 

13 Nutrition Assistance Program 

14 SEC. 4101. ENSURING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNT15 ABILITY IN THRIFTY FOOD PLAN. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(u) of the Food and Nu17 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(u)) is amended, in the 

18 matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting after the sec19 ond sentence the following: ‘‘Those re-evaluations shall in20 clude an external peer review process and be submitted 

21 to Congress and the Comptroller General of the United 

22 States in accordance with section 801 of title 5, United 

23 States Code. To the extent legally allowable, the computer 

24 code and data used for the re-evaluations to generate the 

25 market baskets shall be made publicly available.’’. 

26 (b) HAWAII.— 


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1 (1) INTERIM FINAL RULE.—Notwithstanding 

2 section 273.10(e)(4)(i) of title 7, Code of Federal 

3 Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment 

4 of this Act), not later than January 1, 2025, the 

5 Secretary shall promulgate an interim final rule to 

6 use food price data throughout the State of Hawaii 

7 to calculate the cost of the thrifty food plan (as de8 fined in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

9 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012)) for that State. 

10 (2) COST ADJUSTMENT.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

12 subparagraph (B), on October 1, 2025, and on 

13 October 1 of each fiscal year thereafter, the 

14 Secretary shall apply the cost estimate for the 

15 thrifty food plan (as defined in section 3 of the 

16 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

17 2012)) for the State of Hawaii pursuant to the 

18 interim final rule promulgated under paragraph 

19 (1). 

20 (B) EXCEPTION FOR FISCAL YEARS 2026

21 THROUGH 2030.—For each of fiscal years 2026 

22 through 2030, the Secretary may not apply the 

23 cost estimate described in subparagraph (A) if 

24 that application would result in the cost of the 

25 diet under the thrifty food plan (as so defined) 


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1 being below the amount of the cost of that diet 

2 as calculated using the method of calculating 

3 the cost of the diet under the thrifty food plan 

4 for the State of Hawaii for each of fiscal years 

5 2024 and 2025. 

6 SEC. 4102. FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RES7 ERVATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4(b) of the Food and Nu9 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)) is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph 

11 (C) and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION IN SNAP.—Any 

13 household eligible to participate or participating 

14 in the program established under this sub15 section may simultaneously participate in the 

16 supplemental nutrition assistance program.’’; 

17 (2) in paragraph (4)— 

18 (A) by striking subparagraphs (B) through 

19 (D); and 

20 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking the 

21 designation and heading and all that follows 

22 through ‘‘80 percent’’ and inserting the fol23 lowing: ‘‘The Secretary shall pay 100 percent’’; 

24 (3) in paragraph (6)(E), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 


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1 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(8) TRIBAL PROCUREMENT.— 

3 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

4 ‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE TRIBAL ORGANIZA5 TION.—The term ‘eligible Tribal organiza6 tion’ means a Tribal organization that 

7 meets the requirements for a participating 

8 Tribal organization under clause (ii), ex9 cept that the Tribal organization does not 

10 satisfy the requirement described in sub11 clause (II) of that clause. 

12 ‘‘(ii) PARTICIPATING TRIBAL ORGANI13 ZATION.—The term ‘participating Tribal 

14 organization’ means a Tribal organization 

15 that— 

16 ‘‘(I) is successfully administering 

17 the food distribution program of the 

18 Tribal organization established under 

19 this subsection; 

20 ‘‘(II) has entered into a self-de21 termination contract to procure agri22 cultural commodities for distribution 

23 under that food distribution program 

24 for not less than 12 months of dis25 tribution across the contract period; 


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1 ‘‘(III) has the capacity to pur2 chase agricultural commodities in ac3 cordance with subparagraph (C); and 

4 ‘‘(IV) meets any other criteria 

5 determined by the Secretary, in con6 sultation with Indian tribes. 

7 ‘‘(iii) SELF-DETERMINATION CON8 TRACT.—The term ‘self-determination con9 tract’ means a self-determination contract 

10 (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self11 Determination and Education Assistance 

12 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) as implemented 

13 under the demonstration project estab14 lished under section 4003(b) of the Agri15 culture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 

16 U.S.C. 2013 note; Public Law 115–334), 

17 with modifications as determined by the 

18 Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(B) TRIBAL COMMODITY PURCHASES.— 

20 The Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) subject to the availability of ap22 propriations under subparagraph (E)(i), 

23 enter into self-determination contracts with 

24 eligible Tribal organizations to allow those 

25 eligible Tribal organizations to directly 


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1 purchase agricultural commodities for dis2 tribution under the food distribution pro3 gram of the eligible Tribal organization es4 tablished under this subsection; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) subject to the availability of ap6 propriations under subparagraph (E)(ii), 

7 enter into self-determination contracts with 

8 participating Tribal organizations to allow 

9 those participating Tribal organizations to 

10 directly purchase agricultural commodities 

11 for distribution under the food distribution 

12 program of the participating Tribal organi13 zation established under this subsection. 

14 ‘‘(C) PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS.— 

15 Any agricultural commodity purchased by a 

16 Tribal organization under a self-determination 

17 contract entered into under subparagraph 

18 (B)— 

19 ‘‘(i) shall be domestically produced; 

20 ‘‘(ii) shall supplant, not supplement, 

21 the types of agricultural commodities in ex22 isting food packages for that Tribal organi23 zation; 

24 ‘‘(iii) shall be— 


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1 ‘‘(I) of a similar or higher nutri2 tional value as the types of agricul3 tural commodities that would be sup4 planted in the existing food package 

5 of the Tribal organization; or 

6 ‘‘(II) an agricultural commodity 

7 with Tribal significance to that Indian 

8 Tribe; 

9 ‘‘(iv) shall not result in a material in10 crease in the total amount of food in the 

11 food package of that Tribal organization, 

12 as compared to the amount of food author13 ized under the monthly distribution guide 

14 rates established by the Food and Nutri15 tion Service; and 

16 ‘‘(v) shall meet any other criteria de17 termined by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(D) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec19 retary shall make publicly available on the 

20 website of the Department of Agriculture a list 

21 of each Tribal organization purchasing agricul22 tural commodities in accordance with a self-de23 termination contract entered into under sub24 paragraph (B). 

25 ‘‘(E) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA2 TIONS FOR ELIGIBLE TRIBAL ORGANIZA3 TIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—There is au5 thorized to be appropriated to the 

6 Secretary $10,000,000 for each fiscal 

7 year, to remain available until ex8 pended, to enter into self-determina9 tion contracts under subparagraph 

10 (B)(i) with eligible Tribal organiza11 tions. 

12 ‘‘(II) APPROPRIATIONS IN AD13 VANCE.—Only funds appropriated 

14 pursuant to subclause (I) in advance 

15 specifically to the Secretary to enter 

16 into self-determination contracts 

17 under subparagraph (B)(i) with eligi18 ble Tribal organizations shall be avail19 able for that purpose. 

20 ‘‘(III) OPTION.—If any funds de21 scribed in subclause (II) are remain22 ing in a fiscal year after requests to 

23 enter into self-determination contracts 

24 from eligible Tribal organizations for 

25 that fiscal year have been met, the 


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1 Secretary may use those remaining 

2 funds to enter into self-determination 

3 contracts under subparagraph (B)(ii) 

4 with participating Tribal organiza5 tions. 

6 ‘‘(ii) FUNDING FOR PARTICIPATING

7 TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—Of the funds 

8 made available under section 18(a), not 

9 more than $20,000,000 shall be made 

10 available to the Secretary for each fiscal 

11 year, to remain available for 2 fiscal years, 

12 to enter into self-determination contracts 

13 under subparagraph (B)(ii) with partici14 pating Tribal organizations. 

15 ‘‘(F) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding any 

16 provision of the Indian Self-Determination and 

17 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et 

18 seq.), the Secretary shall not be liable, or use 

19 any amounts made available under subpara20 graph (E)(i) or section 18(a) for purposes of 

21 carrying out this paragraph, for contract sup22 port costs or other costs not expressly author23 ized in this paragraph. 

24 ‘‘(9) EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY PE2 RIOD.—In this paragraph, the term ‘emergency 

3 period’ means a period during which there ex4 ists— 

5 ‘‘(i) a public health emergency de6 clared by the Secretary of Health and 

7 Human Services under section 319 of the 

8 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 247d) or a renewal of such a public health 

10 emergency declaration; 

11 ‘‘(ii) a major disaster declared by the 

12 President under section 401 of the Robert 

13 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

14 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170); or 

15 ‘‘(iii) an emergency declared by the 

16 President under section 501 of that Act 

17 (42 U.S.C. 5191). 

18 ‘‘(B) MODIFICATION OR WAIVER.—Not19 withstanding any other provision of this sub20 section, during an emergency period, the Sec21 retary may modify or waive any regulatory re22 quirement promulgated pursuant to this section 

23 for a Tribal organization or State agency ad24 ministering the program under this section if— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the regulatory requirement can2 not be met by the Tribal organization or 

3 State agency during any portion of the 

4 emergency period under the conditions that 

5 prompted the emergency period; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the modification or waiver of 

7 such a requirement is necessary to provide 

8 assistance to that Tribal organization or 

9 State agency under this subsection. 

10 ‘‘(C) DURATION.—A modification or waiv11 er made under subparagraph (B) may be avail12 able for not more than 2 calendar months after 

13 the end of the applicable emergency period.’’. 

14 (b) RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATION, AND EVALUA15 TIONS.—Section 17(a)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act 

16 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2026(a)(1)) is amended in the first sen17 tence by striking ‘‘program’’ and inserting ‘‘program, the 

18 food distribution program on Indian Reservations carried 

19 out under section 4(b), and the emergency food assistance 

20 program established under the Emergency Food Assist21 ance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.)’’. 

22 (c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR TRIBAL ORGANI23 ZATIONS TERMINATION.—Section 4003(b) of the Agri24 culture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2013 note; 


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1 Public Law 115–334) is amended by adding at the end 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(7) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The dem4 onstration project under this subsection shall termi5 nate on the date on which the Secretary certifies 

6 that paragraph (8) of section 4(b) of the Food and 

7 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)) has been 

8 implemented.’’. 

9 SEC. 4103. INCOME EXCLUSION FOR MILITARY BASIC AL10 LOWANCE FOR HOUSING. 

11 Section 5(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

12 (7 U.S.C. 2014(d)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (18), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

14 end; 

15 (2) in paragraph (19)(B), by striking the period 

16 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(20) the value of an allowance received under 

19 section 403 of title 37, United States Code.’’. 

20 SEC. 4104. SNAP MATERIALS FOR HEALTH CARE PROFES21 SIONALS. 

22 Section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

23 U.S.C. 2014) is amended by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(o) TRAINING MATERIALS FOR HEALTH CARE PRO2 FESSIONALS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF HEALTH CARE PROFES4 SIONAL.—In this subsection, the term ‘health care 

5 professional’ means an individual who is licensed, 

6 registered, or certified under Federal or State law to 

7 provide health care services. 

8 ‘‘(2) TRAINING MATERIALS.—The Secretary, in 

9 coordination with the Secretary of Health and 

10 Human Services, shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) develop and make available materials 

12 designed to train health care professionals to 

13 inform their patients about the availability of 

14 benefits under the supplemental nutrition as15 sistance program and other nutrition assistance 

16 programs administered by the Secretary; and 

17 ‘‘(B) perform outreach to hospitals, univer18 sities, nursing associations, and similar entities 

19 to ensure that health care professionals have 

20 access to those materials and are informed 

21 about the supplemental nutrition assistance 

22 program and other nutrition assistance pro23 grams administered by the Secretary.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4105. COLLEGE STUDENTS. 

2 (a) COLLEGE STUDENTS.—Section 6(e) of the Food 

3 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(e)) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

6 end; 

7 (2) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at 

8 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

9 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(9) is 24 years of age or younger and was in 

11 foster care under the responsibility of a State on the 

12 date of attaining 18 years of age or such higher age 

13 as the State has elected under section 475(8)(B)(iii) 

14 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

15 675(8)(B)(iii)).’’. 

16 (b) ENSURING COORDINATION.—Section 11 of the 

17 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020) is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(y) COORDINATION TO SUPPORT SNAP ACCESS TO

20 COLLEGE STUDENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) GUIDANCE AND OTHER MATERIALS.—The 

22 Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Edu23 cation, shall issue— 

24 ‘‘(A) clear, understandable, and easy-to-use 

25 guidance on eligibility for the supplemental nuVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00366 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 trition assistance program for students at insti2 tutions of higher education; 

3 ‘‘(B) a template for institutions of higher 

4 education to use to provide students with local 

5 food assistance information, including contact 

6 information for— 

7 ‘‘(i) the appropriate State agency ad8 ministering the supplemental nutrition as9 sistance program; 

10 ‘‘(ii) local and campus food pantries; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(iii) any other local food assistance 

13 facilities and services available to students 

14 enrolled in the institution of higher edu15 cation; and 

16 ‘‘(C) any other information or material, as 

17 determined by the Secretary, that would assist 

18 institutions of higher education with ensuring 

19 that students who are likely to be eligible for 

20 benefits under the supplemental nutrition as21 sistance program have access to— 

22 ‘‘(i) those benefits; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) available food assistance facilities 

24 and services. 


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1 ‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall co2 ordinate with the Secretary of Education— 

3 ‘‘(A) to disseminate, not less frequently 

4 than annually, the guidance and other materials 

5 described in paragraph (1) to, as applicable— 

6 ‘‘(i) institutions of higher education; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(ii) low-income students and other 

9 students at risk of experiencing food inse10 curity, as determined by the Secretary, at 

11 institutions of higher education, including 

12 students who— 

13 ‘‘(I) are eligible to participate in 

14 a State or federally financed work 

15 study program during the regular 

16 school year, as determined by the in17 stitution of higher education; or 

18 ‘‘(II) for the current academic 

19 year, have an expected family con20 tribution or student aid index of $0 or 

21 less, as determined in accordance with 

22 part F of title IV of the Higher Edu23 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087kk 

24 et seq.); and 


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1 ‘‘(B) to make the guidance and other ma2 terials described in paragraph (1) publicly avail3 able on the websites of the Department of Agri4 culture and the Department of Education.’’. 

5 SEC. 4106. IMPROVEMENTS TO SNAP EMPLOYMENT AND 

6 TRAINING. 

7 (a) EXCLUSIONS FROM INCOME.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5 of the Food and 

9 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014) is amend10 ed— 

11 (A) in subsection (d) (as amended by sec12 tion 4103)— 

13 (i) in paragraph (19)(B), by striking 

14 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the end; 

15 (ii) in paragraph (20), by striking the 

16 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

17 and 

18 (iii) by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(21) any payment, income, allowance, or earn21 ings made to household members provided under— 

22 ‘‘(A) any work program (as defined in sec23 tion 6(o)(1)); 

24 ‘‘(B) any employment and training pro25 gram; 


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1 ‘‘(C) any vocational rehabilitation program 

2 (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Inno3 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)); 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(D) any refugee employment and training 

6 program established under section 412(c) of the 

7 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

8 1522(c)).’’; 

9 (B) in subsection (g), by adding at the end 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(9) TIME-LIMITED EXCLUSION FOR CERTAIN

12 EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS.—The Sec13 retary shall exclude from financial resources under 

14 this subsection any payment, income, allowance, or 

15 earnings described in subsection (d)(21) received by 

16 any member of a household for the month of receipt, 

17 and each of the 11 months beginning after the 

18 month of receipt, if that member was participating 

19 in the supplemental nutrition assistance program at 

20 the time the payment, income, allowance, or earning 

21 was received.’’; 

22 (C) by striking subsection (l); and 

23 (D) by redesignating subsections (m), (n), 

24 and (o) (as added by section 4104) as sub25 sections (l), (m), and (n), respectively. 


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1 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

2 6(s)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

3 U.S.C. 2015(s)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘(l), (m), 

4 and (n)’’ and inserting ‘‘(l), and (m)’’. 

5 (b) EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING.—Section 6 of the 

6 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (d)(4)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

10 (i) in subclause (VII), by striking 

11 ‘‘90’’ and inserting ‘‘180’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking subclause (VIII) and 

13 inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(VIII) Programs and activities 

15 with demonstrated effectiveness in in16 creasing skills and improving the abil17 ity of participants to find and retain 

18 employment that leads to increased 

19 household income, as determined by 

20 the Secretary.’’; 

21 (B) in subparagraph (I)(i)(I), by inserting 

22 ‘‘addressing barriers to’’ after ‘‘directly related 

23 to’’; 

24 (C) by striking subparagraph (L) and in25 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(L) STATE AGENCY REQUIREMENT.— 

2 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

3 shall ensure that each State agency com4 plies with— 

5 ‘‘(I) the requirements of this 

6 paragraph and section 11(e)(19); and 

7 ‘‘(II) the plan of the State agen8 cy developed pursuant to that section. 

9 ‘‘(ii) CERTIFICATION.—The chief ex10 ecutive officer of a State, in coordination 

11 with the State agency, shall annually sub12 mit to the Secretary the following informa13 tion: 

14 ‘‘(I) A statement certifying that 

15 the State has cooperated with the Sec16 retary to ensure the compliance de17 scribed in clause (i). 

18 ‘‘(II) The total number of partici19 pants served by the employment and 

20 training program of the State under 

21 this paragraph in the prior fiscal year. 

22 ‘‘(III) The total amount of Fed23 eral and State funding expended on 

24 the employment and training program 

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1 cluding the total amount of payments 

2 and reimbursements made under sub3 paragraph (I), in the prior fiscal 

4 year.’’; 

5 (D) in subparagraph (M), by striking ‘‘title 

6 I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

7 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘the Workforce Innovation 

8 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.)’’; 

9 (E) in subparagraph (O)(i)— 

10 (i) in the matter preceding subclause 

11 (I), by striking ‘‘eligible for an exemption 

12 under paragraph (2) and who’’ and insert13 ing ‘‘exempt from meeting a requirement 

14 under paragraph (1)(A) and’’; 

15 (ii) in subclause (II), by adding ‘‘or’’ 

16 at the end; 

17 (iii) in subclause (III), by striking 

18 ‘‘or’’ at the end; and 

19 (iv) by redesignating subclauses (I), 

20 (II), and (III) as subclauses (II), (III), and 

21 (I), respectively, and moving the sub22 clauses so as to appear in numerical order; 

23 and 

24 (F) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(P) PROCEDURES FOR REFERRALS.—In 

2 accordance with regulations issued by the Sec3 retary, the State agency shall establish proce4 dures to ensure that each referral results in di5 rectly connecting a participant with a service 

6 provider or other appropriate entity to receive 

7 appropriate support and services.’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (e)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘title I 

9 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘the Workforce Innovation and Oppor11 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.)’’; and 

12 (3) in subsection (o)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘title I 

13 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘the Workforce Innovation and Oppor15 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102), other than a self-serv16 ice activity authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act 

17 (29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.)’’. 

18 (c) STATE PLANS.—Section 11 of the Food and Nu19 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (e)(19), by striking ‘‘the ac21 tivities’’ and all that follows through the semicolon 

22 at the end and inserting ‘‘appropriate activities car23 ried out under the Workforce Innovation and Oppor24 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), as determined 

25 by the Secretary, a description of the State agency’s 


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1 screening of individuals to determine whether an in2 dividual is exempt from meeting a requirement 

3 under subsections (d)(1)(A) and (o)(2) of section 6 

4 and the appropriateness of the employment and 

5 training program for the skills and circumstances of 

6 the individual prior to the referral of that individual 

7 to an employment and training program, the basis, 

8 including any cost information, for exemptions of 

9 categories and individuals, and the justification for 

10 the choice of employment and training program com11 ponents reflected in the plans, including how those 

12 components address the skill needs of participants 

13 and regional or local workforce needs;’’; and 

14 (2) by striking subsection (w) and inserting the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(w) ADDITIONAL NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYMENT

17 AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For households containing 

19 at least 1 individual between the ages specified in 

20 section 6(d)(1), a State agency shall, at the time of 

21 certification and recertification, be required to pro22 vide information to those individuals on available 

23 employment and training services and local employ24 ment and training providers. 


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1 ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—A State agency that does 

2 not exempt all work registrants from participation in 

3 an employment and training program shall notify, in 

4 writing, households with members that are exempt 

5 from the requirements of paragraph (1)(A) of sec6 tion 6(d) due to physical or mental unfitness or pur7 suant to paragraph (2) of that section that those 

8 households are not required to contact the providers 

9 or participate in the services described in paragraph 

10 (1). 

11 ‘‘(3) REQUEST FOR EMPLOYMENT AND TRAIN12 ING PROVIDER ASSESSMENT.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual who is 

14 determined to be eligible to participate in the 

15 supplemental nutrition assistance program by a 

16 State agency that exempts all work registrants 

17 from an employment and training program may 

18 request that the provider of a component of the 

19 employment and training program of the State 

20 assess the individual for appropriateness for 

21 participation in that component, notwith22 standing any determination by the State agency 

23 of the eligibility of the individual for the em24 ployment and training program of that pro25 vider. 


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1 ‘‘(B) NOTIFICATION.—Each provider of a 

2 component of an employment and training pro3 gram shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) notify the applicable State agency 

5 of each individual that the provider identi6 fies as appropriate for the component of 

7 the employment and training program 

8 under subparagraph (A); and 

9 ‘‘(ii) verify other eligibility conditions 

10 with the State agency prior to enrolling 

11 each of those individuals in the component 

12 of the employment and training program.’’. 

13 (d) SNAP EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING REALLOCA14 TION.—Section 16(h)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act 

15 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(h)(1)) is amended— 

16 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘24’’ and inserting ‘‘36’’; 

18 and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘$103,900,000’’ and in20 serting ‘‘$110,000,000’’; and 

21 (2) in subparagraph (C)— 

22 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘(v)’’ and in23 serting ‘‘(iv)’’; and 

24 (B) by striking clauses (iv) and (v) and in25 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(iv) PRIORITY.—In reallocating un2 expended funds under clause (i), the Sec3 retary shall give priority to State agencies 

4 requesting such funds for work-based 

5 learning employment and training pro6 grams and activities that— 

7 ‘‘(I) are coordinated with employ8 ers that can transition to unsubsidized 

9 employment; 

10 ‘‘(II) are targeted to— 

11 ‘‘(aa) individuals 50 years of 

12 age or older; 

13 ‘‘(bb) formerly incarcerated 

14 individuals; 

15 ‘‘(cc) individuals partici16 pating or having recently partici17 pated in a substance abuse treat18 ment program; 

19 ‘‘(dd) homeless individuals; 

20 ‘‘(ee) individuals with dis21 abilities seeking to enter the 

22 workforce; 

23 ‘‘(ff) other individuals with 

24 substantial barriers to employ25 ment; 


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1 ‘‘(gg) households facing 

2 multigenerational poverty, to sup3 port employment and workforce 

4 participation through an inte5 grated and family-focused ap6 proach in providing supportive 

7 services; and 

8 ‘‘(hh) members of Indian 

9 tribes; and 

10 ‘‘(III) meet any other criteria de11 termined by the Secretary.’’. 

12 (e) EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING STUDY.— 

13 (1) STUDY.—Not later than 3 years after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller Gen15 eral of the United States shall conduct a study on— 

16 (A) the level of coordination among various 

17 employment and training programs that are 

18 federally funded and State- or locality-adminis19 tered, including— 

20 (i) programs under sections 6(d) and 

21 20 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

22 (7 U.S.C. 2015(d), 2029); 

23 (ii) programs under the Workforce In24 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

25 3101 et seq.); 


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1 (iii) work supports funded under a 

2 State program funded under part A of title 

3 IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 601 et seq.); and 

5 (iv) the Jobs Plus Initiative Program 

6 administered by the Department of Hous7 ing and Urban Development; 

8 (B) differences in the populations served 

9 by each program studied under subparagraph 

10 (A); 

11 (C) the different performance and report12 ing measures used in each program studied 

13 under subparagraph (A) and opportunities for 

14 aligning those performance measures; and 

15 (D) to the maximum extent practicable, 

16 the effectiveness of each of those programs in 

17 serving individuals with substantial barriers to 

18 employment, such as substance use disorders, 

19 mental health issues, physical or mental disabil20 ities, unstable housing, lack of basic education 

21 or life skills, or lack of childcare, transpor22 tation, or access to appropriate technologies, in23 cluding with respect to— 


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1 (i) assessing the suitability of those 

2 individuals for the employment and train3 ing activities offered; and 

4 (ii) improving the short-term and 

5 long-term employment outcomes for those 

6 individuals. 

7 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the 

8 completion of the study under paragraph (1), the 

9 Comptroller General of the United States shall sub10 mit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

11 Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agri12 culture of the House of Representatives a report de13 scribing the results of that study. 

14 SEC. 4107. ENSURING EBT INTEGRITY. 

15 (a) PROTECTING EBT CARDHOLDERS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 7 of the Food and 

17 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016) is amend18 ed— 

19 (A) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘and se20 curity, including completeness of fraud protec21 tion and prevention tools and coverage of infra22 structure cost’’ before the period at the end; 

23 (B) in subsection (f), by adding at the end 

24 the following: 

25 ‘‘(6) UPDATING POINT-OF-SALE EQUIPMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 promulgate regulations to require retail food 

3 stores to make any necessary and appropriate 

4 upgrades to point-of-sale equipment to ensure a 

5 more secure means of conducting transactions. 

6 ‘‘(B) LIABILITY.—Except as otherwise pro7 vided by the Secretary, a retail food store shall 

8 be liable to the Secretary for the value of bene9 fits redeemed via fraudulent on-site trans10 actions using an EBT card with a magnetic 

11 stripe in lieu of more secure means, as deter12 mined by the Secretary, after the requirement 

13 for those secure means is implemented nation14 wide by regulation.’’; 

15 (C) in subsection (h)— 

16 (i) in paragraph (1), by adding at the 

17 end the following: 

18 ‘‘(E) STATE REVIEW.—Each State agency 

19 shall review existing technology and contract re20 quirements before entering into or renewing an 

21 electronic benefit transfer contract to ensure 

22 the electronic benefit transfer technology of the 

23 State agency reflects up-to-date standards to 

24 ensure the security of benefits.’’; 

25 (ii) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (I) in subparagraph (C)— 

2 (aa) in clause (ii), by redes3 ignating subclauses (I) and (II) 

4 as items (aa) and (bb), respec5 tively, and indenting appro6 priately; and 

7 (bb) by redesignating 

8 clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses 

9 (I) and (II), respectively, and in10 denting appropriately; 

11 (II) by redesignating subpara12 graphs (A) through (H) as clauses (i) 

13 through (viii), respectively, and in14 denting appropriately; 

15 (III) in the matter preceding 

16 clause (i) (as so redesignated), by 

17 striking ‘‘(2) The Secretary’’ and in18 serting the following: 

19 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL STANDARDS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

21 (IV) by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 

25 240 days after the date of enactment of 


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1 the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

2 Act of 2024, the electronic benefit transfer 

3 system of each State agency shall in4 clude— 

5 ‘‘(I) a prohibition on the use of 

6 common personal identification num7 bers; 

8 ‘‘(II) an option for households to 

9 temporarily lock all activity of the 

10 EBT card of the household, with 2 or 

11 more easy-to-use options to unlock the 

12 EBT card before making a purchase; 

13 ‘‘(III) validation of the card au14 thentication value of an EBT card; 

15 ‘‘(IV) a means to authenticate 

16 card balance inquiries; 

17 ‘‘(V) a means for States and the 

18 applicable benefit issuer to record and 

19 track data on reports of stolen bene20 fits; 

21 ‘‘(VI) an option for households to 

22 view EBT card transaction history; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(VII) the household option 

25 under subsection (j)(5). 


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1 ‘‘(ii) RECIPIENT PROTECTION.—A 

2 State agency may not deny a claim of a 

3 household for replacement of stolen bene4 fits based on the decision of the household 

5 not to use any of the options described in 

6 subclauses (II), (VI), and (VII) of clause 

7 (i). 

8 ‘‘(iii) REGULATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Not later 

10 than 120 days after the date of enact11 ment of the Rural Prosperity and 

12 Food Security Act of 2024, the Sec13 retary shall promulgate interim final 

14 rules to implement clauses (i) and (ii). 

15 ‘‘(II) PROCEDURE.—Regulations 

16 promulgated pursuant to subclause (I) 

17 shall be made without regard to— 

18 ‘‘(aa) the notice and com19 ment provisions of section 553 of 

20 title 5, United States Code; or 

21 ‘‘(bb) chapter 35 of title 44, 

22 United States Code. 

23 ‘‘(iv) SUBSEQUENT REVIEWS.—Not 

24 less frequently than once every 5 years, the 

25 Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(I) review the requirements de2 scribed in clause (i); and 

3 ‘‘(II) promulgate regulations to 

4 make such revisions to those require5 ments as the Secretary determines to 

6 be appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(C) FAILURE TO COMPLY.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In addition to 

9 compliance and enforcement required 

10 under section 16, for each 30-day period 

11 during which a State agency is not acting 

12 in good faith to comply with subparagraph 

13 (B), the Secretary may assess against the 

14 State agency a fine in an amount equal to 

15 $250,000. 

16 ‘‘(ii) ADMINISTRATIVE AND JUDICIAL

17 REVIEW.—Any amount assessed by the 

18 Secretary under this subparagraph shall be 

19 subject to administrative and judicial re20 view under section 14.’’; 

21 (iii) by striking paragraph (7) and in22 serting the following: 

23 ‘‘(7) REPLACEMENT OF BENEFITS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Regulations issued by 

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1 efits and liability for replacement of benefits 

2 under an electronic benefit transfer system shall 

3 be similar to the regulations in effect for a 

4 paper-based supplemental nutrition assistance 

5 issuance system. 

6 ‘‘(B) REPLACEMENT OF STOLEN BENE7 FITS.—The Secretary shall require States to re8 place benefits that are determined by the State 

9 agency to have been stolen through EBT card 

10 skimming, EBT card cloning, or similar fraudu11 lent methods, subject to the conditions that— 

12 ‘‘(i) the State plan of operation shall 

13 include a plan for the replacement of sto14 len benefits that includes appropriate pro15 cedures, as determined by the Secretary, 

16 for— 

17 ‘‘(I) the timely submission of 

18 claims to, timely validation of claims 

19 by, and replacement issuance by the 

20 State agency that includes— 

21 ‘‘(aa) a signed statement by 

22 the affected household on the 

23 benefit theft, consistent with the 

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1 tions provided under section 

2 11(e)(2)(C); 

3 ‘‘(bb) criteria for deter4 mining whether a submitted 

5 claim is valid; 

6 ‘‘(cc) procedures for the doc7 umentation of replacement 

8 issuances, including the sub9 mitted claims and findings from 

10 the validation; 

11 ‘‘(dd) the submission to the 

12 Secretary of data reports relating 

13 to benefit theft and replacement 

14 activity; 

15 ‘‘(ee) procedures to inform 

16 households of the right to a fair 

17 hearing, consistent with the pro18 cedures established under section 

19 11(e) (including regulations) with 

20 respect to replacement issuances; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(ff) the use and planned 

23 use by the State agency of ben24 efit theft prevention measures; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(II) reporting to the Secretary 

2 the scope and frequency of EBT card 

3 skimming affecting households within 

4 the State; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the replacement of stolen benefits 

6 for a household— 

7 ‘‘(I) shall not exceed the lesser 

8 of— 

9 ‘‘(aa) the amount of benefits 

10 stolen from the household; and 

11 ‘‘(bb) an amount equal to 2 

12 months of the monthly allotment 

13 of the household immediately 

14 prior to the date on which the 

15 benefits were stolen; 

16 ‘‘(II) shall not occur more than 2 

17 times per fiscal year per household by 

18 a single State agency; and 

19 ‘‘(III) shall only apply to benefits 

20 stolen on or after October 1, 2022; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(iii) the replacement of stolen bene23 fits under this subparagraph shall not be 

24 regarded as a loss for purposes of sub25 section (e), to the extent such replacement 


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1 is in accordance with an approved plan 

2 that complies with this subparagraph.’’; 

3 and 

4 (iv) in paragraph (13)— 

5 (I) in subparagraph (B), by 

6 striking ‘‘Effective through fiscal year 

7 2023, neither’’ and inserting ‘‘Nei8 ther’’; and 

9 (II) by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL EBT FEES.—Effective 

12 through fiscal year 2029, no agent, contractor, 

13 or subcontractor of a State who facilitates the 

14 provision of benefits in that State may impose 

15 a fee on retail food stores authorized under this 

16 Act for costs to implement paragraph (1)(E), 

17 subsection (d), or for other costs associated 

18 with updating electronic benefit transfer proc19 essing infrastructure.’’; and 

20 (D) in subsection (j), by striking para21 graph (5) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(5) HOUSEHOLD OPTION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall allow 

24 a household to control the interoperability of 

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1 lowing the household to restrict the EBT card 

2 to work only in 1 or more particular States. 

3 ‘‘(B) ENSURING HOUSEHOLD ACCESS.— 

4 The Secretary shall ensure that, pursuant to 

5 subparagraph (A)— 

6 ‘‘(i) a State agency provides 2 or 

7 more easy-to-access and easy-to-use op8 tions for a household to control the inter9 operability of the EBT card of the house10 hold; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) any EBT card received by the 

12 household is interoperable.’’. 

13 (2) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENTS.—The 

14 amendments made by subparagraph (A), and clauses 

15 (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (B), of paragraph (1) 

16 shall be applied to supersede section 501(a)(2) of di17 vision HH of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

18 2023 (7 U.S.C. 2016a(a)(2)), and any agency action 

19 taken pursuant to that section. 

20 (b) PREVENTING UNAUTHORIZED BENEFIT RE21 DEMPTIONS.—Section 9 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

22 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2018) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

25 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (I) in clause (iii), by adding 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (II) by striking clause (iv); and 

4 (III) by redesignating clause (v) 

5 as clause (iv); and 

6 (ii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(E) EBT EQUIPMENT OR SERVICE PRO9 VIDER REQUIREMENT.—An applicant shall not 

10 be authorized to accept and redeem benefits un11 less the applicant certifies that the applicant 

12 will use an electronic benefit transfer equipment 

13 and service provider that is included on the list 

14 described in paragraph (4)(B).’’; and 

15 (B) by striking paragraph (4) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER EQUIP18 MENT AND SERVICE PROVIDER STANDARDS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 

20 months after the date of enactment of the 

21 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

22 2024, the Secretary shall promulgate regula23 tions to establish standards for approving elec24 tronic benefit transfer equipment and service 


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1 providers to route electronic benefit transfer 

2 transactions, which shall include— 

3 ‘‘(i) requiring those providers to sub4 mit to benefit issuers sufficient transaction 

5 information to minimize the risk of fraudu6 lent transactions and unauthorized re7 demptions; 

8 ‘‘(ii) registration in the System for 

9 Award Management maintained by the 

10 General Services Administration; 

11 ‘‘(iii) safeguarding confidential retail 

12 food store identifiers necessary for proc13 essing and routing electronic benefit trans14 fer transactions; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) other requirements to ensure the 

16 security and stability of the electronic ben17 efit transfer system, as determined by the 

18 Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(B) LIST OF APPROVED PROVIDERS.— 

20 The Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) compile and publish a list of elec22 tronic benefit transfer equipment and serv23 ice providers that meet the standards es24 tablished under subparagraph (A); and 

25 ‘‘(ii) regularly update that list.’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(3) SALE OR TRANSFER OF RETAIL FOOD

4 STORE.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A retail food store au6 thorized under this section to accept and re7 deem benefits or currently serving a period of 

8 disqualification under the supplemental nutri9 tion assistance program shall— 

10 ‘‘(i) notify the Secretary of a sale or 

11 transfer of ownership of the retail food 

12 store before the sale or transfer in a timely 

13 manner, as determined by the Secretary; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(ii) submit documentation to the 

16 Secretary confirming the sale or transfer 

17 in a timely manner, as determined by the 

18 Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION.—A retail food store 

20 seeking authorization under this section shall 

21 certify in the application of the retail food store 

22 that the retail food store shall comply with the 

23 requirements under subparagraph (A). 

24 ‘‘(C) DISABLING SNAP FUNCTIONS.—The 

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1 efit transfer equipment used by a retail food 

2 store described in subparagraph (A) that is sold 

3 or transferred shall be disabled not later than 

4 72 hours after the Secretary confirms the sale 

5 or transfer.’’. 

6 (c) CIVIL PENALTIES, FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS, AND

7 SUSPENSIONS.—Section 12 of the Food and Nutrition Act 

8 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2021) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by striking 

10 ‘‘$100,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$150,000’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘$100,000’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘$150,000’’; 

13 (3) in subsection (h)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘estab15 lish procedures’’ and all that follows through 

16 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘promulgate 

17 regulations to establish procedures under which 

18 benefit transactions likely to be in flagrant vio19 lation of this Act (including regulations promul20 gated pursuant to this Act), as determined 

21 through the use of real-time transaction data, 

22 may be blocked in real time, for the purpose of 

23 the immediate protection of Federal funds.’’; 

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1 graph (A) and all that follows through the pe2 riod at the end of subparagraph (B)(ii) and in3 serting ‘‘blocks a benefit transaction likely to be 

4 in flagrant violation of this Act (including regu5 lations promulgated pursuant to this Act), the 

6 Secretary shall provide prompt notification to 

7 the affected retail food store, household, and 

8 benefit issuer with an explanation for the block, 

9 including an explanation of the necessity of the 

10 block for the immediate protection of Federal 

11 funds, and the suspected violation.’’; and 

12 (C) by striking paragraph (3) and insert13 ing the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) NO LIABILITY.—The Secretary shall not 

15 be liable for the value of any funds or interest on 

16 funds blocked under this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—The Secretary shall annually 

18 submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

19 and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on 

20 Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report 

21 describing the total number of benefits transactions 

22 and the total benefits amount blocked under this 

23 subsection in each State during the preceding year. 

24 ‘‘(5) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The au25 thority under this subsection shall expire 5 years 


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1 after the effective date of regulations promulgated 

2 pursuant to paragraph (1).’’; and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(j) EBT EQUIPMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An electronic benefit trans6 fer equipment or service provider that facilitates un7 authorized redemption of benefits or otherwise vio8 lates a provision of this Act (including regulations) 

9 may be— 

10 ‘‘(A) suspended or debarred in accordance 

11 with the procedures under part 417 of title 2, 

12 Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regu13 lations); 

14 ‘‘(B) assessed a civil penalty in an amount 

15 not to exceed $150,000 per violation; or 

16 ‘‘(C) both. 

17 ‘‘(2) REVIEW AND APPEAL OF CIVIL PEN18 ALTY.—The imposition of a civil penalty under para19 graph (1) shall be subject to review, and may be ap20 pealed by the electronic benefit transfer equipment 

21 or service provider, in accordance with section 14.’’. 

22 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE AND JUDICIAL REVIEW.—Sec23 tion 14(a)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

24 U.S.C. 2023(a)(1)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘of this Act’’ each place it ap2 pears; 

3 (2) by inserting ‘‘or an electronic benefit trans4 fer equipment or service provider is assessed a civil 

5 penalty under section 12(j),’’ before ‘‘or all or part 

6 of’’; and 

7 (3) by inserting ‘‘or retail food store or whole8 sale food concern’’ before ‘‘is stated pursuant to’’. 

9 SEC. 4108. RETAIL FOOD STORES. 

10 (a) STOCKING UNITS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(o)(1) of the Food 

12 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(o)(1)) is 

13 amended by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(A) offers and displays for sale, on a con16 tinuous basis, at least 25 stockkeeping units of 

17 foods in each of the 4 categories of staple foods 

18 described in subsection (q)(1)— 

19 ‘‘(i) including— 

20 ‘‘(I) perishable foods in at least 3 

21 of those categories; and 

22 ‘‘(II) 7 varieties in the category 

23 described in subparagraph (C) of that 

24 subsection; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) of which not less than 12 of the 

2 stockkeeping units in each of those 4 cat3 egories of staple foods are identified for in4 creased consumption for any age group, 

5 consistent with the most recent Dietary 

6 Guidelines for Americans published under 

7 section 301 of the National Nutrition Mon8 itoring and Related Research Act of 1990 

9 (7 U.S.C. 5341), as determined by the 

10 Secretary; or’’. 

11 (2) REGULATIONS.— 

12 (A) PROMULGATION.—Not later than 18 

13 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 

14 the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to 

15 implement the amendment made by paragraph 

16 (1), which shall take effect not later than 180 

17 days after publication of the regulation in the 

18 Federal Register. 

19 (B) LISTENING SESSIONS.—In promul20 gating regulations pursuant to subparagraph 

21 (A), the Secretary shall conduct 2 or more pub22 lic listening sessions that shall— 

23 (i) engage the full range of interested 

24 groups, including, to the maximum extent 

25 practicable— 


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1 (I) households participating in 

2 the supplemental nutrition assistance 

3 program established under the Food 

4 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

5 2011 et seq.); and 

6 (II) different types of retail food 

7 stores authorized to participate in 

8 that program under section 9 of that 

9 Act (7 U.S.C. 2018); and 

10 (ii) be included in the rulemaking 

11 record. 

12 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

13 date on which regulations promulgated pursuant to 

14 paragraph (2)(A) take effect, the Secretary shall 

15 submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

16 and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on 

17 Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report 

18 that assesses the compliance by retail food stores (as 

19 defined in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act 

20 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012)), including small grocery 

21 stores and convenience stores, with those regula22 tions, which shall include— 

23 (A) a description of any challenges retail 

24 food stores face with respect to meeting the re25 quirements in those regulations; and 


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1 (B) recommendations for additional ap2 proaches that small-scale retail food stores may 

3 take to stock and promote healthy food options. 

4 (b) ONLINE-ONLY ENTITIES.— 

5 (1) DEFINITION OF RETAIL FOOD STORE.—Sec6 tion 3(o)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

7 (7 U.S.C. 2012(o)(1)) is amended, in the matter 

8 preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sells food’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘owns food inventory and sells that 

10 food’’. 

11 (2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICI12 PATION OF RETAIL FOOD STORES.—Section 9 of the 

13 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2018) is 

14 amended— 

15 (A) in subsection (a)— 

16 (i) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (I) by striking ‘‘(2) The Sec18 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(2) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary’’; and 

20 (II) by indenting subparagraphs 

21 (A) and (B) appropriately; and 

22 (ii) by conforming the margin of para23 graph (3) with the margin of paragraph 

24 (4); 


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1 (B) in subsection (c), in the third sentence, 

2 by inserting ‘‘(42 U.S.C. 1786)’’ after ‘‘Act of 

3 1966’’; and 

4 (C) by striking subsection (f) and inserting 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPA7 TION.— 

8 ‘‘(1) HOUSE-TO-HOUSE TRADE ROUTES, ON9 LINE-ONLY ENTITIES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

11 limit participation in the supplemental nutrition 

12 assistance program of house-to-house trade 

13 routes and entities that operate solely online 

14 (referred to in this paragraph as ‘online-only 

15 entities’) to include only such routes and online16 only entities that support the purposes of the 

17 supplemental nutrition assistance program. 

18 ‘‘(B) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The Sec19 retary shall establish terms and conditions for 

20 participation of house-to-house trade routes and 

21 online-only entities in the supplemental nutri22 tion assistance program, which shall include, at 

23 a minimum— 

24 ‘‘(i) a requirement to be fully oper25 ational with respect to sales to the public 


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1 for not less than 1 year before receiving 

2 authorization under this section, including, 

3 for online-only entities, operation in e-com4 merce for not less than that 1-year period; 

5 ‘‘(ii) a requirement to provide to the 

6 Secretary, on request— 

7 ‘‘(I) documentation to establish 

8 inventory ownership, such as business 

9 records; and 

10 ‘‘(II) evidence of sufficient and 

11 consistent minimum inventory levels, 

12 such as business records, inventory 

13 storage facility visit reports, and other 

14 means, including, for online-only enti15 ties, documentation matching owned 

16 inventory with online offerings, as the 

17 Secretary determines to be sufficient 

18 to qualify continuously as a retail food 

19 store; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) a requirement to demonstrate 

21 sales consistent with inventory, as deter22 mined by the Secretary, for not less than 

23 1 year before receiving authorization under 

24 this section and periodically thereafter, as 

25 the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ENTITIES WITHOUT INVENTORY.—An enti2 ty (including a product aggregator) that does not 

3 qualify as a retail food store described in section 

4 3(o)(1) because the entity does not own food inven5 tory may not participate in the supplemental nutri6 tion assistance program. 

7 ‘‘(3) THIRD-PARTY ENTITIES AND INVEN8 TORY.— 

9 ‘‘(A) RETAILERS.—An entity that is not 

10 an approved retail food store may not offer food 

11 for sale in exchange for benefits through an ap12 proved retail food store. 

13 ‘‘(B) INVENTORY.—An approved retail 

14 food store may not offer inventory for sale in 

15 exchange for benefits if that inventory is owned 

16 by an entity that is not an approved retail food 

17 store.’’. 

18 (3) REVIEW AND PILOT PROJECT.—Section 17 

19 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

20 2026) is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(o) REPORT ON ENTITIES THAT SELL FOOD BUT

23 DO NOT OWN THEIR OWN FOOD INVENTORY; PILOT

24 PROJECT.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) REPORT.—The Secretary shall conduct, 

2 and make publicly available a report describing the 

3 results of, a study that assesses— 

4 ‘‘(A) the types of entities that sell food but 

5 do not own their own food inventory (referred 

6 to in this subsection as ‘covered entities’); 

7 ‘‘(B) vulnerabilities that covered entities 

8 may pose to the supplemental nutrition assist9 ance program if covered entities are authorized 

10 to accept and redeem benefits under that pro11 gram; 

12 ‘‘(C) opportunities that covered entities 

13 may provide to participants of the supplemental 

14 nutrition assistance program if covered entities 

15 are authorized to accept and redeem benefits 

16 under that program; 

17 ‘‘(D) recommendations for additional over18 sight of covered entities under the supplemental 

19 nutrition assistance program if covered entities 

20 are authorized to accept and redeem benefits 

21 under that program; 

22 ‘‘(E) standards that may be established to 

23 ensure the integrity of the supplemental nutri24 tion assistance program with respect to covered 

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1 cept and redeem benefits under that program, 

2 including— 

3 ‘‘(i) ensuring that covered entities are 

4 able— 

5 ‘‘(I) to provide to the customer 

6 the food purchased using benefits by 

7 customers in a timely manner; and 

8 ‘‘(II) to continuously meet the re9 quirements described in subparagraph 

10 (A) or (B) of section 3(o)(1); and 

11 ‘‘(ii) ensuring that the Department of 

12 Agriculture has sufficient information to 

13 conduct appropriate oversight over covered 

14 entities; and 

15 ‘‘(F) any other considerations, as deter16 mined by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(2) PILOT PROJECT.—After the Secretary 

18 makes publicly available the report described in 

19 paragraph (1), the Secretary— 

20 ‘‘(A) may conduct a pilot project to au21 thorize entities that sell food but do not own 

22 their own food inventory, but otherwise meet 

23 the definition of the term ‘retail food store’ 

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1 deem benefits to test the effectiveness of those 

2 standards— 

3 ‘‘(i) in protecting and increasing 

4 healthy food access for households partici5 pating in the supplemental nutrition assist6 ance program; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) in providing sufficient informa8 tion for the Secretary to conduct appro9 priate oversight over those entities; and 

10 ‘‘(B) shall make publicly available a report 

11 describing the results of the pilot project con12 ducted under subparagraph (A).’’. 

13 (c) ONLINE DELIVERY STANDARDS.—Section 7(k) of 

14 the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(k)) 

15 is amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘on-line’’ each place it appears 

17 and inserting ‘‘online’’; 

18 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

20 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

21 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 

22 subparagraph (F); and 

23 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

24 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) meet the delivery and data submis2 sion standards established under paragraph (5); 

3 and’’; 

4 (3) in paragraph (4), in the paragraph heading, 

5 by striking ‘‘ON-LINE’’ and inserting ‘‘ONLINE’’; and 

6 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(5) SAFE DELIVERY STANDARDS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

9 through the Administrator of the Food and Nu10 trition Service, in consultation with the Admin11 istrator of the Food Safety and Inspection 

12 Service, shall promulgate regulations that, for 

13 any retail food store that accepts benefits 

14 through an online transaction and offers deliv15 ery services for the food purchased using those 

16 benefits— 

17 ‘‘(i) establish standards for delivery 

18 conditions and practices that ensure the 

19 preservation of the quality of the food, in20 cluding perishable food, to prevent con21 tamination and food-borne illnesses; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) describe the manner in which 

23 data, and the type of data that, should be 

24 submitted by retail food stores so that the 


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1 Secretary may verify compliance with the 

2 standards described in clause (i). 

3 ‘‘(B) LISTENING SESSIONS.—In promul4 gating regulations pursuant to subparagraph 

5 (A), the Secretary, acting through the Adminis6 trator of the Food and Nutrition Service, shall 

7 conduct 2 or more public listening sessions 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(i) engage the full range of inter10 ested groups; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) shall be included in the rule12 making record. 

13 ‘‘(C) COMPLIANCE.—Not later than 1 year 

14 after regulations are promulgated pursuant to 

15 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure 

16 compliance with those regulations.’’. 

17 SEC. 4109. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE TO RETAIL 

18 FOOD STORES. 

19 Section 9 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

20 U.S.C. 2018) is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(k) IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

24 Food and Nutrition Service, in coordination with of25 fices of the Food and Nutrition Service that oversee 


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1 retail food store operations or policies, shall develop 

2 a plan that considers store owner and operator 

3 training and agency timeliness to enhance customer 

4 service for applicant and authorized retail food 

5 stores. 

6 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

7 shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) not later than 240 days after the date 

9 of enactment of this subsection, make publicly 

10 available on the website of the Food and Nutri11 tion Service the plan developed under para12 graph (1); and 

13 ‘‘(B) post periodic updates on the imple14 mentation of that plan on that website.’’. 

15 SEC. 4110. RESTORING SNAP BENEFITS FOR DRUG-RE16 LATED CONVICTIONS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 11(e)(2)(B) of the Food 

18 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(2)(B)) is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

21 (2) in clause (vii), by striking the period at the 

22 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(viii) notwithstanding clause (iii) and 

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1 tion from an incarcerated individual to be 

2 filed on the date that the incarcerated indi3 vidual is released, subject to the condition 

4 that the application is received not more 

5 than 30 days prior to the scheduled release 

6 date of the incarcerated individual.’’. 

7 (b) AMENDMENT TO PRWORA.—Section 115 of the 

8 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconcili9 ation Act of 1996 (21 U.S.C. 862a) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

11 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘for—’’ and all that fol12 lows through the period at the end of paragraph (2) 

13 and inserting ‘‘for assistance under any State pro14 gram funded under part A of title IV of the Social 

15 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) by striking paragraph (2); 

18 (B) by striking the subsection designation 

19 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘The 

20 amount of’’ in paragraph (1) and inserting the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(b) EFFECTS ON ASSISTANCE FOR OTHERS.—The 

23 amount of’’; and 

24 (C) by inserting ‘‘(42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)’’ 

25 after ‘‘Social Security Act’’; and 


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1 (3) in subsection (e)— 

2 (A) by striking paragraph (2); and 

3 (B) by striking the subsection designation 

4 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘, 

5 and’’ in paragraph (1) and inserting the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF STATE.—In this section, the 

8 term ‘State’ has the meaning given the term in section 

9 419 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 619), when re10 ferring to assistance provided under a State program 

11 funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act 

12 (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).’’. 

13 (c) STATE LAW EFFECTS.—Any State law limita14 tions enacted in accordance with section 115(d) of the 

15 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconcili16 ation Act of 1996 (21 U.S.C. 862a(d)) (as in effect on 

17 the day before the date of enactment of this Act) with 

18 respect to benefits under the supplemental nutrition as19 sistance program established under the Food and Nutri20 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) or any State 

21 program carried out under that Act shall have no force 

22 or effect. 

23 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend24 ments made by this section shall take effect on October 

25 1, 2025. 


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1 SEC. 4111. STREAMLINING SNAP APPLICATIONS. 

2 Section 11(e)(2)(C) of the Food and Nutrition of 

3 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(2)(C)) is amended— 

4 (1) in clause (ii)— 

5 (A) in the clause heading, by inserting ‘‘OR

6 GESTURED’’ after ‘‘TELEPHONIC’’; and 

7 (B) by inserting ‘‘or, for hearing impaired 

8 applicants, by gesture over a video phone or in 

9 person’’ before the period at the end; and 

10 (2) in clause (iii)(I), by striking ‘‘record for fu11 ture reference the verbal assent’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘record, as audio or video or in writing, for future 

13 reference the verbal or gestured assent’’. 

14 SEC. 4112. IMPROVING STATE ADMINISTRATION AND QUAL15 ITY CONTROL. 

16 Section 16 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

17 (7 U.S.C. 2025) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(a) Subject 

19 to subsection (k)’’ and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(a) ADMINISTRATIVE COST-SHARE.—Subject to 

21 subsections (k) and (l)’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (c)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1)(G)— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 

25 inserting the following: 

26 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 


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1 (ii) in clause (i) (as so designated), by 

2 inserting ‘‘to improve the accuracy of eligi3 bility and benefit determinations’’ before 

4 ‘‘to reduce payment errors’’; and 

5 (iii) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(ii) EARLY ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS.— 

8 ‘‘(I) NOTIFICATION.—Not later 

9 than the end of the second quarter of 

10 each fiscal year, the Secretary shall 

11 notify State agencies if a preliminary 

12 review of data from the most recent 

13 6-month period conducted in accord14 ance with the system established 

15 under subparagraph (A) indicates that 

16 the payment error rate of the State 

17 agency for that fiscal year is trending 

18 higher than 6 percent. 

19 ‘‘(II) ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS.— 

20 The Secretary, acting through the Of21 fice of Technical Assistance within the 

22 Food and Nutrition Service, shall pro23 vide 1-on-1 technical assistance to 

24 State agencies that receive a notifica25 tion under subclause (I)— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) to identify the causes 

2 of the payment errors; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) to develop a strategy 

4 to improve the accuracy of the 

5 eligibility and benefit determina6 tions of the State agency to re7 duce payment errors.’’; and 

8 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (i) in each of subparagraphs (A) 

10 through (C), by striking ‘‘the term’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘The term’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking the paragraph designa13 tion and all that follows through ‘‘sec14 tion—’’ and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION OF ERROR RATES.—In this 

16 section:’’; 

17 (3) in subsection (d)— 

18 (A) by striking paragraphs (1) through 

19 (5); 

20 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the para21 graph designation and heading and all that fol22 lows through ‘‘each fiscal year thereafter’’ in 

23 the matter preceding clause (i) in subparagraph 

24 (A) and inserting the following: 

25 ‘‘(1) PERFORMANCE CRITERIA.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—With respect to each 

2 fiscal year’’; 

3 (C) in paragraph (1) (as so redesignated), 

4 by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(B) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.—For each fis7 cal year, the Secretary shall make publicly 

8 available on the website of the Department of 

9 Agriculture each of the performance criteria es10 tablished under subparagraph (A) for each 

11 State.’’; and 

12 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR ADDI14 TIONAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning in fiscal 

16 year 2027, each month, each State agency shall 

17 submit to the Secretary a report on the activi18 ties of the State agency carried out during the 

19 immediately preceding month relating to appli20 cation processing and certifications for the sup21 plemental nutrition assistance program, which 

22 shall include, with respect to the month covered 

23 by the report— 

24 ‘‘(i) the number and percentage of ap25 plications and recertifications completed 


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1 within the applicable timeframe required 

2 under this Act; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the number and percentage of 

4 households that were denied benefits, the 

5 cases of which were closed, or the certifi6 cation periods of which expired due to 

7 missed interviews, missing verifications, 

8 unreturned recertification or interim re9 porting forms, and other similar reasons, 

10 as determined by the Secretary; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the number of applications, peri12 odic reports, and recertifications that re13 mained pending past the date on which 

14 those documents were due; 

15 ‘‘(iv) the number and percentage of 

16 cases due for recertification or periodic re17 porting that lost benefits and reapplied 

18 within the following 30 days, 60 days, and 

19 90 days; 

20 ‘‘(v) the total call center volume, aver21 age wait time, and average answer rate, as 

22 determined by the Secretary, for— 

23 ‘‘(I) each call center of the State 

24 agency responsible for administering 


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1 the supplemental nutrition assistance 

2 program; and 

3 ‘‘(II) any additional call center 

4 operated by a county in the State to 

5 support the operations of that pro6 gram; and 

7 ‘‘(vi) any other relevant information 

8 relating to the application or certification 

9 process of the supplemental nutrition as10 sistance program, as determined by the 

11 Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(B) STANDARDIZED REQUIREMENTS FOR

13 MONTHLY REPORTING.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal year 

15 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, the 

16 Secretary shall establish standardized re17 quirements for the monthly reporting re18 quired under subparagraph (A) that shall 

19 be used to develop customer service metrics 

20 that track and assist State agencies with 

21 the administration of the supplemental nu22 trition assistance program. 

23 ‘‘(ii) GRACE PERIOD.—During fiscal 

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1 quirements established under clause (i) in 

2 carrying out the monthly reporting re3 quired under subparagraph (A). 

4 ‘‘(C) REVISION AND STREAMLINING OF EX5 ISTING REQUIREMENTS.—In establishing the re6 porting system under this paragraph, the Sec7 retary shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) review existing State agency per9 formance criteria and reporting require10 ments; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) make necessary modifications to 

12 ensure that data collection for those exist13 ing performance criteria and reporting re14 quirements are not duplicative of the re15 quirements under subparagraph (A). 

16 ‘‘(D) ENFORCEMENT.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If a State agency 

18 fails to act in good faith to meet the re19 porting requirements established under 

20 this paragraph, the Secretary may assess 

21 that State agency a civil penalty for each 

22 monthly report described in subparagraph 

23 (A) that is not submitted by the date that 

24 is 60 days after the end of the month cov25 ered by the report. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) AMOUNT.—The amount of a civil 

2 penalty assessed under clause (i) shall be 

3 $250,000 for each 30-day period during 

4 which the applicable monthly report de5 scribed in subparagraph (A) is overdue. 

6 ‘‘(iii) APPEAL.—The amount of the 

7 civil penalty assessed under this subpara8 graph shall be subject to administrative 

9 and judicial review under section 14. 

10 ‘‘(E) ANNUAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

11 METRICS.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Using the infor13 mation submitted by a State agency each 

14 month, the Secretary shall calculate annual 

15 customer service metrics of the State agen16 cy, in a manner to be determined by the 

17 Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(ii) CUSTOMER SERVICE STAND19 ARDS.—The Secretary shall notify a State 

20 agency of the annual customer service 

21 metrics of that State agency at the time of 

22 notification to the State agency of the pay23 ment error rate of the State agency. 

24 ‘‘(3) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE STATE DATA.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) QUARTERLY REPORTS FOR FISCAL

2 YEARS 2025 AND 2026.—For each of fiscal years 

3 2025 and 2026, the Secretary shall make pub4 licly available on the website of the Department 

5 of Agriculture, not later than 60 days after re6 ceipt from each State agency, the quarterly 

7 data that each State agency reports to the Sec8 retary relating to the total number of— 

9 ‘‘(i) initial applications that are ap10 proved, denied, or overdue, including appli11 cations that are subject to expedited serv12 ice; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) recertifications that are ap14 proved, denied, or overdue. 

15 ‘‘(B) MONTHLY REPORTS.—For fiscal year 

16 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec17 retary shall make publicly available on the 

18 website of the Department of Agriculture, not 

19 later than 60 days after receipt from each State 

20 agency, the monthly data that each State agen21 cy reports under paragraph (2)(A).’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (i)(1), by striking ‘‘(as defined 

23 in subsection (d)(1))’’; and 

24 (5) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(l) COST-SHARE FOR MONTHLY REPORTING.—Not2 withstanding section 16(a), the Secretary shall pay to each 

3 State agency an amount equal to 90 percent of all admin4 istrative costs related to the implementation by the State 

5 agency of the reporting requirements under subsection 

6 (d)(2).’’. 

7 SEC. 4113. PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION 

8 GRANTS. 

9 Section 11(t) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

10 (7 U.S.C. 2020(t)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘$5,000,000’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘$25,000,000’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (4)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

15 at the end; 

16 (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the 

17 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(F) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

20 American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the 

21 Northern Mariana Islands, including the gov22 ernmental agency in each of those territories 

23 that administers a nutrition assistance program 

24 under section 19 or Public Law 96–597 (94 

25 Stat. 3477), as applicable.’’; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(6) MULTIYEAR AWARDS.—A grant may be 

3 awarded under this section for a project that spans 

4 up to 6 years.’’. 

5 SEC. 4114. ELDERLY SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION OPTION. 

6 Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

7 (7 U.S.C. 2020) (as amended by section 4105(b)) is 

8 amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(z) ELDERLY SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION OPTION.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the supple11 mental nutrition assistance program, a State may 

12 elect to implement a streamlined application and 

13 certification process (referred to in this subsection 

14 as a ‘covered process’) for households in which all 

15 adult members— 

16 ‘‘(A) are elderly or disabled members; and 

17 ‘‘(B) have no earned income. 

18 ‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION PERIOD.—The certifi19 cation period for a household participating through 

20 a covered process shall be 36 months. 

21 ‘‘(3) INCOME AND OTHER DATA

22 VERIFICATION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State agency deter24 mining the eligibility of an applicant household 

25 under a covered process shall, notwithstanding 


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1 subsection (e)(3),to the maximum extent prac2 ticable— 

3 ‘‘(i) use data matching for income 

4 verification and household size; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) allow self-declaration by the ap6 plicant of the information required under 

7 section 273.2(f) of title 7, Code of Federal 

8 Regulations (or a successor regulation), 

9 but verify, prior to certification of the 

10 household, factors of eligibility required 

11 under this Act or that are provided by the 

12 applicant that the State agency determines 

13 are questionable. 

14 ‘‘(B) ACCOUNTABILITY AND FRAUD PRE15 VENTION.—In carrying out subparagraph (A), a 

16 State agency shall, subject to the approval of 

17 the Secretary, establish accountability and 

18 fraud protection measures to deter fraud and 

19 ensure the integrity of the supplemental nutri20 tion assistance program. 

21 ‘‘(4) INTERVIEWS.—Notwithstanding subsection 

22 (e)(6)(A), for recertification of a household under a 

23 covered process, the State agency shall not require 

24 an interview unless requested by the household, 


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1 which may be conducted in-person, if requested by 

2 the household, or virtually. 

3 ‘‘(5) GUIDANCE.—Prior to allowing States to 

4 implement a covered process, the Administrator of 

5 the Food and Nutrition Service shall develop guid6 ance for States, including by consulting with States, 

7 to carry out a covered process, which shall include— 

8 ‘‘(A) general implementation guidelines; 

9 ‘‘(B) reporting requirements; 

10 ‘‘(C) quality control requirements; and 

11 ‘‘(D) best practices.’’. 

12 SEC. 4115. HOT FOODS. 

13 Section 17 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

14 (7 U.S.C. 2026) (as amended by section 4108(b)(3)) is 

15 amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(p) REPORT ON TREATMENT OF HOT FOOD PROD17 UCTS; PILOT PROJECTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 

19 after the date of enactment of this subsection, the 

20 Secretary shall conduct, and make publicly available 

21 a report describing the results of, a study that as22 sesses the potential impacts to the supplemental nu23 trition assistance program of a statutory change to 

24 the definition of the term ‘food’ in section 3 that 

25 would— 


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1 ‘‘(A) include hot foods and hot food prod2 ucts ready for immediate consumption at retail 

3 food stores authorized to participate in the sup4 plemental nutrition assistance program; and 

5 ‘‘(B) exclude hot foods and hot food prod6 ucts ready for immediate consumption from the 

7 definition of the term ‘staple food’ in that sec8 tion. 

9 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The study under paragraph 

10 (1) shall include an assessment of— 

11 ‘‘(A) the types of hot and prepared foods 

12 that would be available at authorized retail food 

13 stores (including co-located entities at those re14 tail food stores) for purchase using supple15 mental nutrition assistance program benefits, 

16 for different types of authorized retail food 

17 stores; 

18 ‘‘(B) of the total gross sales of an author19 ized retail food store, the percentage of sales of 

20 hot and prepared foods not intended for home 

21 preparation or home consumption, for different 

22 types of authorized retail food stores; 

23 ‘‘(C) the potential impact of the statutory 

24 change described in paragraph (1) on retail 

25 food store eligibility under section 


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1 278.1(b)(1)(i)(A) of title 7, Code of Federal 

2 Regulations (or a successor regulation); and 

3 ‘‘(D) any other considerations, as deter4 mined by the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(3) PILOT PROJECTS.—After the report de6 scribed in paragraph (1) is made publicly available, 

7 the Secretary— 

8 ‘‘(A) may conduct not more than 5 pilot 

9 projects designed to test the effectiveness and 

10 efficiency of supplemental nutrition assistance 

11 program changes to allow households to pur12 chase hot and prepared foods using benefits; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) shall make publicly available a report 

15 describing the results of each pilot project con16 ducted under subparagraph (A).’’. 

17 SEC. 4116. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

18 Section 18(a)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

19 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)(1)) is amended, in the first sen20 tence, by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 4117. INCLUSION OF PUERTO RICO IN SUPPLEMENTAL 

22 NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3 of the Food and Nutri24 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (r), by inserting ‘‘the Com2 monwealth of Puerto Rico,’’ after ‘‘Guam,’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (u)(2), by striking ‘‘Hawaii 

4 and the urban and rural parts of Alaska to reflect 

5 the cost of food in Hawaii and urban and rural Alas6 ka’’ and inserting ‘‘Hawaii, the urban and rural 

7 parts of Alaska, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 

8 Rico to reflect the cost of food in Hawaii, urban and 

9 rural Alaska, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 

10 Rico, respectively’’. 

11 (b) ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS.—Section 5 of the Food 

12 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, by 

14 inserting ‘‘the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,’’ after 

15 ‘‘Guam,’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (c)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and 

18 Guam,’’ and inserting ‘‘Guam, and the Com19 monwealth of Puerto Rico,’’; and 

20 (B) in the undesignated matter after para21 graph (2), by striking ‘‘States or Guam’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘States, Guam, or the Commonwealth 

23 of Puerto Rico’’; and 

24 (3) in subsection (e)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘and 

2 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’’ after ‘‘Ha3 waii’’ each place it appears; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (6)(B), in the matter 

5 preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘and the 

6 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’’ after ‘‘Colum7 bia’’. 

8 (c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 3 years after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promul10 gate regulations to carry out the amendments made by 

11 subsections (a) and (b), which regulations shall not take 

12 effect until the effective date of the amendments made by 

13 those subsections, as described in subsection (d). 

14 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 subsections (a) and (b) shall be effective with respect to 

16 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on the covered start 

17 date (as defined in subsection (f)(1) of section 19 of the 

18 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028)) if a 

19 certification under subsection (f)(8)(C) of that section (7 

20 U.S.C. 2028) has been submitted to Congress. 

21 (e) TRANSITION OF PUERTO RICO TO SUPPLE22 MENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Section 19 

23 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028) 

24 is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), in the subpara2 graph heading, by striking ‘‘COMMONWEALTH OF

3 PUERTO RICO’’ and inserting ‘‘COMMONWEALTH OF

4 PUERTO RICO’’; and 

5 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(f) TRANSITION OF PUERTO RICO TO SUPPLE7 MENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

9 ‘‘(A) COVERED START DATE.—The term 

10 ‘covered start date’ means the date on which 

11 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico intends for 

12 all eligible households participating in the pro13 gram under subsections (a) through (e) to have 

14 been transitioned to the supplemental nutrition 

15 assistance program. 

16 ‘‘(B) PHASE-IN PERIOD.—The term 

17 ‘phase-in period’ means a period of not less 

18 than 2 years and not more than 5 years begin19 ning not earlier than 9 years and not later than 

20 15 years after the date on which the transition 

21 plan is approved under paragraph (3)(A). 

22 ‘‘(C) PLAN OF OPERATION.—The term 

23 ‘plan of operation’ means a plan of operation 

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1 gram described in section 11(d) submitted by 

2 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 

3 ‘‘(D) PLANNING PERIOD.—The term ‘plan4 ning period’ means the period beginning on the 

5 date on which the transition plan is approved 

6 under paragraph (3)(A) and ending on the date 

7 on which the phase-in period begins. 

8 ‘‘(E) TRANSITION PLAN.—The term ‘tran9 sition plan’ means the transition plan of the 

10 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico described in 

11 paragraph (2)(B). 

12 ‘‘(2) REQUEST TO TRANSITION TO SNAP.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commonwealth of 

14 Puerto Rico may submit to the Secretary a re15 quest to transition from operating the nutrition 

16 assistance program under this section to oper17 ating the supplemental nutrition assistance pro18 gram. 

19 ‘‘(B) TRANSITION PLAN.—A request sub20 mitted under subparagraph (A) shall include a 

21 transition plan, which shall include— 

22 ‘‘(i) the anticipated covered start date; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a description of plans for the 

24 planning period, which shall include a de25 tailed description of the manner and 


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1 timeline in which the Commonwealth of 

2 Puerto Rico will implement the statutory 

3 changes and regulatory development, pro4 gram design, and planning steps described 

5 in the report of the Department of Agri6 culture entitled ‘Update to Feasibility 

7 Study on Implementing SNAP in Puerto 

8 Rico, Final Report’ and dated July 2022 

9 (or a subsequent feasibility study); and 

10 ‘‘(iii) a description of plans for the 

11 phase-in period, which shall include a de12 tailed description of the manner and 

13 timeline in which the Commonwealth of 

14 Puerto Rico will implement the testing, 

15 training, and rollout steps described in the 

16 report described in clause (ii) (or a subse17 quent feasibility study) and carry out ac18 tivities required under paragraph (6). 

19 ‘‘(3) DETERMINATION OF TRANSITION PLAN.— 

20 ‘‘(A) APPROVAL.—Not later than 180 days 

21 after the date on which the Commonwealth of 

22 Puerto Rico submits a transition plan with a 

23 request under paragraph (2)(A), the Secretary 

24 shall approve the transition plan if the transi25 tion plan— 


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1 ‘‘(i) meets the requirements described 

2 in paragraph (2)(B); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) provides a reasonable strategy 

4 and timeline for the planning, develop5 ment, and rollout of the supplemental nu6 trition assistance program that is likely to 

7 ensure successful implementation of the 

8 program, as determined by the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘(B) DISAPPROVAL.—If the Secretary does 

10 not approve the transition plan under subpara11 graph (A), the Secretary shall provide a state12 ment that describes— 

13 ‘‘(i) each requirement under para14 graph (2)(B) or this paragraph that is not 

15 satisfied by the transition plan; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) the changes that the Common17 wealth of Puerto Rico may make to the 

18 transition plan for the Secretary to ap19 prove the transition plan. 

20 ‘‘(4) ACTION BY SECRETARY.—Not later than 

21 180 days after the date on which the Secretary ap22 proves the transition plan under paragraph (3), the 

23 Secretary shall make publicly available a report de24 scribing the steps that the Secretary shall take to 

25 assist the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico during the 


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1 planning period and phase-in period and the timeline 

2 for those steps. 

3 ‘‘(5) PLANNING PERIOD.—During the planning 

4 period, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall 

5 carry out activities, as described in the transition 

6 plan pursuant to paragraph (2)(B)(ii), to prepare 

7 for the phase-in period. 

8 ‘‘(6) PHASE-IN PERIOD.— 

9 ‘‘(A) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the 

10 phase-in period is to allow the Commonwealth 

11 of Puerto Rico to test new systems and make 

12 real-time updates to improve accuracy and 

13 maintain program integrity while transitioning 

14 to the supplemental nutrition assistance pro15 gram. 

16 ‘‘(B) UPDATED PLAN.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 

18 year before the anticipated start date of 

19 the phase-in period, the Commonwealth of 

20 Puerto Rico shall submit to the Sec21 retary— 

22 ‘‘(I) an updated plan for the 

23 phase-in period described in para24 graph (2)(B)(iii); 


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1 ‘‘(II) the anticipated covered 

2 start date; and 

3 ‘‘(III) a draft plan of operation. 

4 ‘‘(ii) DETERMINATION.—The Sec5 retary shall approve or disapprove the up6 dated plan for the phase-in period and the 

7 draft plan of operation submitted under 

8 clause (i) in accordance with paragraph 

9 (3). 

10 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS.—During the phase11 in period, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 

12 shall carry out the plans described in the tran13 sition plan pursuant to paragraph (2)(B)(iii) 

14 and the updated plan submitted under subpara15 graph (B)(i)(I), including— 

16 ‘‘(i) implementing the supplemental 

17 nutrition assistance program in a stag18 gered manner throughout the Common19 wealth of Puerto Rico; 

20 ‘‘(ii) coordinating with the Secretary 

21 to carry out subparagraph (D); and 

22 ‘‘(iii) ensuring that activities carried 

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1 mental nutrition assistance program under 

2 this Act, as determined by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(D) APPROVAL OF RETAIL FOOD

4 STORES.—On the date that is 270 days before 

5 the start date of the phase-in period, the Sec6 retary shall begin accepting applications from 

7 retail food stores located in the Commonwealth 

8 of Puerto Rico to be authorized under section 

9 9 to participate in the supplemental nutrition 

10 assistance program. 

11 ‘‘(E) ADMINISTRATION.—During the 

12 phase-in period, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

13 Rico— 

14 ‘‘(i) may concurrently operate the pro15 gram under subsections (a) through (e) 

16 until September 30 of the fiscal year of the 

17 covered start date; 

18 ‘‘(ii) shall not be subject to the re19 quirements of section 16(c); and 

20 ‘‘(iii) shall be eligible for funding in 

21 accordance with section 16(a) for adminis22 trative costs relating to carrying out the 

23 supplemental nutrition assistance program. 

24 ‘‘(7) REQUEST FOR IMPLEMENTATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

2 before the anticipated covered start date, the 

3 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall submit to 

4 the Secretary a request to implement the sup5 plemental nutrition assistance program, which 

6 shall include— 

7 ‘‘(i) the covered start date; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) an updated plan of operation. 

9 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATION OF UPDATED PLAN

10 OF OPERATION.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 

12 days after the date on which the Common13 wealth of Puerto Rico submits the updated 

14 plan of operation under subparagraph 

15 (A)(ii), the Secretary shall approve the up16 dated plan of operation if the Secretary de17 termines that— 

18 ‘‘(I) the updated plan of oper19 ation meets the requirements of this 

20 Act; and 

21 ‘‘(II) the Commonwealth of Puer22 to Rico has successfully completed a 

23 significant majority of the activities 

24 under the plan for the phase-in pe25 riod. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) DISAPPROVAL.—If the Secretary 

2 does not approve the updated plan of oper3 ation plan under clause (i), the Secretary 

4 shall provide a statement that describes— 

5 ‘‘(I) the reason for the dis6 approval, including any aspects of the 

7 updated plan of operation that do not 

8 meet the requirements of this Act; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(II) the changes that the Com11 monwealth of Puerto Rico may make 

12 to the updated plan of operation for 

13 the Secretary to approve the updated 

14 plan of operation. 

15 ‘‘(8) CERTIFICATION OF SNAP IMPLEMENTA16 TION BY SECRETARY.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On submission of a 

18 request by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 

19 under paragraph (7), the Secretary shall certify 

20 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as qualified 

21 to begin full operation of the supplemental nu22 trition assistance program if the Secretary has 

23 approved the updated plan of operation under 

24 subparagraph (B) of that paragraph. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION DECISION.—The Sec2 retary shall certify or deny the request of the 

3 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico under subpara4 graph (A) as soon as practicable after the Sec5 retary receives the request. 

6 ‘‘(C) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—The 

7 Secretary shall submit a certification under 

8 subparagraph (B) to Congress. 

9 ‘‘(9) QUALITY CONTROL LIABILITY WAIVER.— 

10 Notwithstanding section 16(c), any payment error 

11 rates by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico during 

12 the first 3 years following the covered start date 

13 shall not count towards assessing a liability amount 

14 under that section. 

15 ‘‘(10) FAMILY MARKET PROGRAM.—Notwith16 standing subsection (g), the Secretary shall allow the 

17 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to continue to carry 

18 out under the supplemental nutrition assistance pro19 gram the Family Market Program established pur20 suant to this section, under terms and conditions ap21 proved by the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(11) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

23 after the Secretary makes publicly available the re24 port under paragraph (4), and each year thereafter 

25 until the end of the phase-in period, the Secretary 


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1 shall make publicly available a report with respect to 

2 the progress of the transition of the Commonwealth 

3 of Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assist4 ance program. 

5 ‘‘(12) TRANSITION FUNDING.—Of amounts 

6 made available under section 18(a)(1), the Secretary 

7 shall use such sums as are necessary to carry out 

8 this subsection, to remain available until expended. 

9 ‘‘(g) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS.—Sub10 sections (a) through (e) shall cease to be effective with 

11 respect to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on the cov12 ered start date (as defined in subsection (f)(1)) if a certifi13 cation under subsection (f)(8)(C) has been submitted to 

14 Congress.’’. 

15 SEC. 4118. ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS. 

16 Section 25(b)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

17 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2034(b)(2)) is amended— 

18 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

19 the end; 

20 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘fiscal 

21 year 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’ and in22 serting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 through 2024; 

23 and’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

2 each fiscal year thereafter.’’. 

3 SEC. 4119. NUTRITION EDUCATION AND OBESITY PREVEN4 TION GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 28 of the Food and Nutri6 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (c)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘or 

9 community organizations’’ and inserting ‘‘com10 munity-based, nongovernmental, or nonprofit 

11 organizations’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

13 (i) in clause (iii)(II)(ii), by striking 

14 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

15 (ii) in clause (iv)— 

16 (I) by inserting ‘‘, including 

17 standards for reporting and evalu18 ating the effectiveness of different 

19 projects,’’ before ‘‘established’’; and 

20 (II) by striking the period at the 

21 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

22 (iii) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(v) ensure, to the maximum extent 

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1 ditional and cultural foodways appropriate 

2 for the target populations of the interven3 tions.’’; 

4 (C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and 

5 any entity that enters into an agreement with 

6 a State agency to deliver services under this 

7 subsection’’ after ‘‘State agencies’’; 

8 (D) in paragraph (6)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘and community orga10 nizations’’ and inserting ‘‘community11 based, nongovernmental, and nonprofit or12 ganizations’’; and 

13 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

14 and inserting ‘‘, including the consider15 ation of traditional and cultural foodways 

16 appropriate for the target population of 

17 the project.’’; and 

18 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(10) OPTION IN ELECTRONIC REPORTING SYS20 TEM.—The Secretary shall provide an option for 

21 State agencies to submit information describing the 

22 successes and challenges of projects and interven23 tions through the electronic reporting system de24 scribed in paragraph (2)(B)(iii).’’; 

25 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (F)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2016 and 

5 each subsequent fiscal year’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2016 through 2029’’; 

7 and 

8 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

9 and inserting a semicolon; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(G) for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

12 2028, in addition to the amount described in 

13 subparagraph (F) for each of those fiscal 

14 years— 

15 ‘‘(i) for fiscal year 2025, $10,000,000; 

16 ‘‘(ii) for fiscal year 2026, 

17 $12,000,000; 

18 ‘‘(iii) for fiscal year 2027, 

19 $14,000,000; and 

20 ‘‘(iv) for fiscal year 2028, 

21 $16,000,000; and 

22 ‘‘(H) for fiscal year 2029 and each fiscal 

23 year thereafter, the total amount reserved for 

24 the preceding fiscal year, as adjusted to reflect 

25 any increases for the 12-month period ending 


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1 the preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price 

2 Index for All Urban Consumers published by 

3 the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Depart4 ment of Labor.’’; and 

5 (3) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(e) EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

9 ‘‘(A) EMERGENCY PERIOD.—The term 

10 ‘emergency period’ means a period during which 

11 there exists— 

12 ‘‘(i) a public health emergency de13 clared by the Secretary of Health and 

14 Human Services under section 319 of the 

15 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

16 247d) or a renewal of such a public health 

17 emergency declaration; 

18 ‘‘(ii) a major disaster declared by the 

19 President under section 401 of the Robert 

20 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

21 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170); or 

22 ‘‘(iii) an emergency declared by the 

23 President under section 501 of that Act 

24 (42 U.S.C. 5191). 


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1 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED ADMINISTRATIVE RE2 QUIREMENT.—The term ‘qualified administra3 tive requirement’ means a requirement under 

4 this section or a regulatory requirement pro5 mulgated pursuant to this section. 

6 ‘‘(2) MODIFICATION OR WAIVER.—Notwith7 standing any other provision in this Act, during an 

8 emergency period, the Secretary may modify or 

9 waive for a State agency any qualified administra10 tive requirement if— 

11 ‘‘(A) the qualified administrative require12 ment cannot be met by the State agency; and 

13 ‘‘(B) the modification or waiver of the re14 quirement is necessary to provide modified nu15 trition education and obesity prevention pro16 gramming to eligible individuals during the 

17 emergency period, including by offering that 

18 programming in conjunction with other nutri19 tion assistance programs. 

20 ‘‘(3) DURATION.—A modification or waiver 

21 made under paragraph (2) may be available until 

22 the date that is 60 days after the end of the applica23 ble emergency period.’’. 

24 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

3 shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary 

4 to implement this section and the amendments made 

5 by this section. 

6 (2) COMMENTS.—In promulgating the regula7 tions required under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

8 shall request and consider public comments on the 

9 usability of the electronic reporting system described 

10 in section 28(c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

11 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a(c)). 

12 SEC. 4120. RETAIL FOOD STORE AND RECIPIENT TRAF13 FICKING. 

14 Section 29 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

15 (7 U.S.C. 2036b) is amended— 

16 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘RETAIL

17 FOOD STORE AND RECIPIENT TRAFFICKING’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘PREVENTION OF TRAFFICKING

19 AND BENEFIT THEFT’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by inserting ‘‘, including benefit theft,’’ 

22 before ‘‘in violation’’; and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘recipient and retail food 

24 store program’’ and inserting ‘‘recipient, retail 


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1 food store, and electronic benefit transfer sys2 tem’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘store and 

4 recipient’’ and inserting ‘‘store, recipient, and elec5 tronic benefit transfer system’’; and 

6 (4) in subsection (c)(1), by striking 

7 ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 

8 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal 

9 years 2025 through 2029’’. 

10 Subtitle B—Emergency Food 

11 Assistance Program 

12 SEC. 4201. TEFAP FARM-TO-FOOD BANK PROJECTS. 

13 Section 203D(d) of the Emergency Food Assistance 

14 Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7507(d)) is amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘50’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘90’’; and 

17 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘$4,000,000 

18 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in19 serting ‘‘$8,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each 

20 fiscal year thereafter’’. 

21 SEC. 4202. KOSHER, HALAL, AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT 

22 FOODS PROJECTS. 

23 Section 203D of the Emergency Food Assistance Act 

24 of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7507) is amended by adding at the end 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(g) KOSHER, HALAL, AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT

2 FOOD PROJECTS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In 

4 this subsection, the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

5 ‘‘(A) a State agency administering the pro6 gram established under this Act; and 

7 ‘‘(B) a private nonprofit entity, such as a 

8 community-based organization, food bank, or 

9 other emergency feeding organization. 

10 ‘‘(2) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award 

11 grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to 

12 carry out the projects described in paragraph (3). 

13 ‘‘(3) PROJECTS DESCRIBED.—A project re14 ferred to in paragraph (2) is a project to purchase 

15 for distribution under the program established under 

16 this Act food that— 

17 ‘‘(A) meets 1 or more demonstrated spe18 cific needs of the area served by the eligible en19 tity; and 

20 ‘‘(B) as applicable, is— 

21 ‘‘(i) Kosher food bearing a Kosher 

22 certification; 

23 ‘‘(ii) Halal food bearing a Halal cer24 tification; or 


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1 ‘‘(iii) another culturally relevant food, 

2 as determined by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(4) VERIFICATION.—An eligible entity car4 rying out a project using a grant awarded under 

5 paragraph (2) shall verify, in accordance with a 

6 process established by the Secretary, that foods pur7 chased under the project are domestically produced. 

8 ‘‘(5) FUNDING.— 

9 ‘‘(A) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is ap10 propriated, out of any funds in the Treasury 

11 not otherwise appropriated, to the Secretary to 

12 carry out this subsection $8,000,000 for fiscal 

13 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, to re14 main available until the end of the subsequent 

15 fiscal year. 

16 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA17 TIONS.—In addition to amounts made available 

18 under subparagraph (A), there is authorized to 

19 be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out 

20 this subsection $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

21 and each fiscal year thereafter, to remain avail22 able until the end of the subsequent fiscal 

23 year.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4203. FLEXIBILITIES FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY ISO2 LATED STATES AND INDIAN TRIBES. 

3 Section 214(c) of the Emergency Food Assistance 

4 Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7515(c)) is amended by adding at 

5 the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(3) FLEXIBILITIES FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY ISO7 LATED STATES AND INDIAN TRIBES.— 

8 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHICALLY

9 ISOLATED STATE.—In this paragraph, the term 

10 ‘geographically isolated State’ means— 

11 ‘‘(i) the State of Hawaii; 

12 ‘‘(ii) the State of Alaska; 

13 ‘‘(iii) the Commonwealth of Puerto 

14 Rico; 

15 ‘‘(iv) Guam; 

16 ‘‘(v) the Commonwealth of the North17 ern Mariana Islands; and 

18 ‘‘(vi) the Virgin Islands of the United 

19 States. 

20 ‘‘(B) ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OPTIONS.— 

21 At the request of a State agency of a geo22 graphically isolated State or a Tribal organiza23 tion, the Secretary shall coordinate with the 

24 State agency or Tribal organization to establish 

25 alternative delivery options for commodities al26 located to that State agency or Tribal organizaVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00450 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tion under this section to ensure that the geo2 graphically isolated State or Tribal organization 

3 is able to receive those commodities. 

4 ‘‘(C) DIRECT PURCHASE OPTION.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—At the request of 

6 a State agency of a geographically isolated 

7 State or a Tribal organization, the Sec8 retary may transfer to the State agency or 

9 Tribal organization the cash value of not 

10 more than 100 percent of the commodities 

11 allocated to that State agency or Tribal or12 ganization under this section to be used by 

13 the State agency or Tribal organization to 

14 procure domestically grown food in lieu of 

15 receipt of those commodities. 

16 ‘‘(ii) PLAN.—A State agency or Tribal 

17 organization making a request under 

18 clause (i) shall submit to the Secretary a 

19 plan that describes how the State agency 

20 or Tribal organization will track and regu21 larly report to the Secretary the com22 modity purchases made with the funds re23 ceived under clause (i).’’. 


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1 SEC. 4204. FRESH PRODUCE PROCUREMENT OPTION. 

2 Section 214(c) of the Emergency Food Assistance 

3 Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7515(c)) (as amended by section 

4 4203) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(4) OPTION FOR PURCHASING THROUGH DOD

6 FRESH.—At the request of a State agency, the Sec7 retary may allow the State agency to use not more 

8 than 20 percent of the cost of the commodities allo9 cated to that State agency under this section to 

10 order commodities through the Department of De11 fense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.’’. 

12 SEC. 4205. EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR INDIAN 

13 TRIBES. 

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 201A of the Emergency 

15 Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

18 (A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

19 end; 

20 (B) in clause (v), by adding ‘‘or’’ at the 

21 end; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(vi) a Tribal organization, including 

24 any Tribal organization participating in 

25 the food distribution program on Indian 

26 reservations under section 4(b) of the Food 


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1 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

2 2013(b));’’; 

3 (2) by redesignating paragraph (10) as para4 graph (11); and 

5 (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(10) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Trib8 al organization’ has the meaning given the term in 

9 section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

10 U.S.C. 2012).’’. 

11 (b) INDIAN TRIBES.—The Emergency Food Assist12 ance Act of 1983 is amended by inserting after section 

13 202A (7 U.S.C. 7503) the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 203. TRIBAL ORGANIZATION PLAN. 

15 ‘‘(a) PLANS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive commodities 

17 under this Act, a Tribal organization shall submit to 

18 the Secretary an operation and administration plan 

19 for the provision of benefits under this Act. 

20 ‘‘(2) UPDATES.—A Tribal organization shall 

21 submit to the Secretary for approval any amendment 

22 to a plan submitted under paragraph (1) in any case 

23 in which the Tribal organization proposes to make a 

24 change to the operation or administration of a pro25 gram described in the plan. 


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1 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Each plan submitted under 

2 subsection (a) shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) designate the Tribal entity responsible for 

4 distributing the commodities received under this Act; 

5 ‘‘(2) set forth a plan of operation and adminis6 tration to expeditiously distribute commodities under 

7 this Act, which may include the use of warehouses 

8 and facilities used to store food under the program 

9 established under section 4(b) of the Food and Nu10 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)); 

11 ‘‘(3) set forth the standards of eligibility for re12 cipient agencies; and 

13 ‘‘(4) set forth the standards of eligibility for in14 dividual or household recipients of commodities, 

15 which shall require— 

16 ‘‘(A) individuals that are, or households to 

17 be composed of, needy persons; and 

18 ‘‘(B) individual or household members to 

19 be residing in the geographic location served by 

20 the distributing agency at the time of applying 

21 for assistance. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPLICABILITY.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro24 vided in this Act or section 27 of the Food and Nu25 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036), the provisions 


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1 of this Act that apply to States with plans approved 

2 under section 202A, shall, to the maximum extent 

3 practicable, be applicable to Tribal organizations 

4 with plans approved under this section. 

5 ‘‘(2) ALLOTMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

7 apply the allocation formula under section 

8 214(a) to allot additional commodities using 

9 funding under section 27(a)(3) of the Food and 

10 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036(a)(3)) to 

11 Tribal organizations with approved plans under 

12 this section using the best available data, as de13 termined by the Secretary in accordance with 

14 subparagraph (B), on— 

15 ‘‘(i) with respect to each applicable 

16 Indian Tribe— 

17 ‘‘(I) the number of persons in 

18 households that have incomes below 

19 the poverty line; and 

20 ‘‘(II) the average monthly num21 ber of unemployed persons in the In22 dian Tribe; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) with respect to all applicable In24 dian Tribes— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the number of persons in 

2 households that have incomes below 

3 the poverty line; and 

4 ‘‘(II) the average monthly num5 ber of unemployed persons in all the 

6 Indian Tribes. 

7 ‘‘(B) BEST AVAILABLE DATA.—The Sec8 retary shall determine the best available data 

9 for purposes of subparagraph (A) by consulting 

10 with other Federal agencies with responsibilities 

11 relating to collection of data on Tribal popu12 lations, such as the Bureau of the Census, the 

13 Indian Health Service, the Office of Minority 

14 Health, the Administration on Native Ameri15 cans at the Department of Health and Human 

16 Services, the Department of Housing and 

17 Urban Development, the Center for Indian 

18 Country Development at the Federal Reserve, 

19 the Department of Labor, and the Department 

20 of Transportation.’’. 

21 SEC. 4206. EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE. 

22 (a) AVAILABILITY OF COMMODITIES FOR EMER23 GENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Section 27(a) of 

24 the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036(a)) 

25 is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(2) AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall use to 

4 carry out paragraph (1)— 

5 ‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2025, $550,000,000; 

6 ‘‘(B) for fiscal year 2026, $565,000,000; 

7 ‘‘(C) for fiscal year 2027, $585,000,000; 

8 ‘‘(D) for fiscal year 2028, $610,000,000; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(E) for fiscal year 2029 and each fiscal 

11 year thereafter, the total dollar amount of com12 modities specified in subparagraph (D), ad13 justed by the percentage by which the thrifty 

14 food plan has been adjusted under section 

15 3(u)(4) to reflect changes between June 30, 

16 2027, and June 30 of the immediately pre17 ceding fiscal year. 

18 ‘‘(3) AMOUNTS FOR TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

19 The Secretary shall use to carry out paragraph (1) 

20 for Tribal organizations with plans approved under 

21 section 203 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act 

22 of 1983— 

23 ‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2025, $55,000,000; 

24 ‘‘(B) for fiscal year 2026, $56,500,000; 

25 ‘‘(C) for fiscal year 2027, $58,000,000; 


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1 ‘‘(D) for fiscal year 2028, $61,000,000; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(E) for fiscal year 2029 and each subse4 quent fiscal year, the total dollar amount of 

5 commodities specified in subparagraph (D) ad6 justed by the percentage by which the thrifty 

7 food plan has been adjusted under section 

8 3(u)(4) to reflect changes between June 30, 

9 2027, and June 30 of the immediately pre10 ceding fiscal year. 

11 ‘‘(4) FUNDS AVAILABILITY.—For purposes of 

12 the funds described in this subsection, the Secretary 

13 shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) make the funds available for 2 fiscal 

15 years; and 

16 ‘‘(B) allow States and Tribal organizations 

17 to carry over unexpended balances to the next 

18 fiscal year pursuant to such terms and condi19 tions as are determined by the Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(5) CONVERSION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

22 use not more than 20 percent of the funds 

23 made available under paragraph (2) for costs 

24 associated with the distribution of commodities. 

25 ‘‘(B) TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) FISCAL YEARS 2025 THROUGH

2 2028.—For each of fiscal years 2025 

3 through 2028, the Secretary may use not 

4 more than 30 percent of the funds made 

5 available under paragraph (3) for costs as6 sociated with the distribution of commod7 ities by Tribal organizations with plans ap8 proved under section 203 of the Emer9 gency Food Assistance Act of 1983. 

10 ‘‘(ii) FISCAL YEAR 2029 AND THERE11 AFTER.—For fiscal year 2029 and each 

12 fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary may 

13 use not more than 20 percent of the funds 

14 made available under paragraph (3) for 

15 costs associated with the distribution of 

16 commodities by Tribal organizations with 

17 plans approved under section 203 of the 

18 Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983.’’. 

19 (b) STORAGE, DISTRIBUTION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

20 FUNDING.— 

21 (1) AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 Section 204(a)(1) of the Emergency Food Assistance 

23 Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7508(a)(1)) is amended— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘(a)(1) There are’’ and in25 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

2 ‘‘(1) FUNDS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) STATES.—There are’’; 

4 (B) in subparagraph (A) (as so des5 ignated), by striking ‘‘Funds appropriated’’ in 

6 the second sentence and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(B) TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.—In addi8 tion to the amounts authorized to be appro9 priated in subparagraph (A), there is author10 ized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal 

11 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter for 

12 the Secretary to make available to Tribal orga13 nizations with plans approved under section 

14 203 to pay for the direct and indirect costs of 

15 the Tribal organization related to the proc16 essing, storage, transportation, and distribution 

17 to eligible recipient agencies of commodities 

18 provided by the Secretary under this Act and 

19 commodities secured from other sources, includ20 ing commodities secured by gleaning (as defined 

21 in section 111(a) of the Hunger Prevention Act 

22 of 1988 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public Law 100– 

23 435)) and donated wild game. 

24 ‘‘(C) ALLOCATION.—Funds appropriated’’; 


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1 (C) in subparagraph (C) (as so des2 ignated)— 

3 (i) by inserting ‘‘and Tribal organiza4 tions’’ after ‘‘States’’ the first two places it 

5 appears; and 

6 (ii) by striking ‘‘States. If a State 

7 agency’’ and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘States or Tribal organizations. 

9 ‘‘(D) UNUSED FUNDS.—If a State agency 

10 or Tribal organization’’; and 

11 (D) in subparagraph (D) (as so des12 ignated), by inserting ‘‘or Tribal organizations’’ 

13 before the period at the end. 

14 (2) EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM INFRASTRUC15 TURE GRANTS.—Section 209 of the Emergency Food 

16 Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7511a) is amend17 ed by striking subsections (a) through (d) and in18 serting the following: 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal year 2025 and each 

20 fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall use funds made 

21 available under subsection (e) to make grants to States 

22 and Tribal organizations to pay the costs of activities de23 scribed in subsection (d) and to pay State and Tribal costs 

24 associated with administering the grant. 


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1 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The amount of a grant 

2 received by States and Tribal organizations under sub3 section (a) shall be based on a formula determined by the 

4 Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(c) RURAL, UNDERSERVED, AND TRIBAL AREA

6 PREFERENCE.—The Secretary shall ensure that a State 

7 or Tribal organization shall apply not less than 50 percent 

8 of the grant received under subsection (a), in each fiscal 

9 year, to support efforts that strengthen and expand emer10 gency food assistance in rural, underserved, or Tribal com11 munities, as applicable. 

12 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A State or Tribal organiza13 tion shall use a grant received under subsection (a) in any 

14 fiscal year to carry out activities of the State or Tribal 

15 organization authorized under this Act or to make funds 

16 available for eligible recipient agencies to carry out such 

17 activities, including— 

18 ‘‘(1) developing and maintaining computerized 

19 systems needed to safely and efficiently distribute 

20 food to people in need; 

21 ‘‘(2) providing capital, infrastructure, and oper22 ating costs associated with the collection, storage, 

23 distribution, and transportation of commodities pro24 vided by the Secretary under this Act and commod25 ities secured from other sources; 


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1 ‘‘(3) improving the security and diversity of the 

2 emergency food distribution and recovery systems of 

3 the United States; 

4 ‘‘(4) providing recovered foods to food banks 

5 and similar nonprofit, governmental, or Tribal emer6 gency food providers to reduce hunger in the United 

7 States; 

8 ‘‘(5) improving the identification of— 

9 ‘‘(A) potential providers of donated foods; 

10 ‘‘(B) potential nonprofit, governmental, or 

11 Tribal emergency food providers; and 

12 ‘‘(C) persons in need of emergency food as13 sistance; and 

14 ‘‘(6) renovating, expanding, or repairing a facil15 ity or equipment to support hunger relief agencies in 

16 the community. 

17 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be appro18 priated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of 

19 fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available until 

20 the end of the subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

21 Subtitle C—Commodity 

22 Distribution Programs 

23 SEC. 4301. COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM. 

24 Section 4(a) of the Agriculture and Consumer Protec25 tion Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public Law 93– 


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1 86) is amended, in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 4302. COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM. 

4 Section 5 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protec5 tion Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public Law 93– 

6 86) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a), in each of paragraphs (1) 

8 and (2)(B), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears 

9 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (d)(2), in the first sentence, 

11 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

12 (3) in subsection (g), by adding at the end the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(3) EXCLUSION OF VALUE OF MEDICARE BEN15 EFITS FROM INCOME.—In determining the income of 

16 an individual for purposes of eligibility for assistance 

17 under the commodity supplemental food program, a 

18 State shall exclude the value of any benefits provided 

19 to the individual (or a member of the individual’s 

20 household) under the Medicare program under title 

21 XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et 

22 seq.).’’. 


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1 SEC. 4303. DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS COMMODITIES TO 

2 SPECIAL NUTRITION PROJECTS. 

3 Section 1114(a)(2)(A) of the Agriculture and Food 

4 Act of 1981 (7 U.S.C. 1431e(a)(2)(A)) is amended, in the 

5 first sentence, by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 Subtitle D—Miscellaneous 

7 SEC. 4401. SENIOR FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PRO8 GRAM. 

9 Section 4402 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest10 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007) is amended— 

11 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘SEN12 IORS’’ and inserting ‘‘SENIOR’’; 

13 (2) by striking ‘‘seniors farmers’ market’’ each 

14 place it appears and inserting ‘‘senior farmers’ mar15 ket’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘Of the funds’’ and insert18 ing the following: 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds’’; 

20 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)— 

21 (i) by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this 

22 section as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Sec23 retary of Agriculture’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘2008 through 2023’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; and 

26 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL FUNDING.—In addition to the 

2 funds made available under paragraph (1), of the 

3 funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the 

4 Secretary shall use to carry out this section 

5 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal 

6 year thereafter, with priority given to expanding the 

7 senior farmers’ market nutrition program to States, 

8 territories, and Indian Tribes that are not partici9 pants of that program as of the date of enactment 

10 of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

11 2024.’’; 

12 (4) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘maple 

13 syrup,’’ after ‘‘honey,’’; and 

14 (5) in subsection (e)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in16 serting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(2) WAIVER AND MODIFICATION AUTHORI20 TIES.— 

21 ‘‘(A) INNOVATION AND PROGRAM MOD22 ERNIZATION.— 

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

24 (ii), on request of a State, the Secretary 

25 may waive or modify a requirement under 


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1 regulations promulgated pursuant to this 

2 section if the Secretary determines that the 

3 waiver or modification of the requirement 

4 would facilitate the ability of the State to 

5 carry out innovation and program mod6 ernization efforts that would improve serv7 ices and redemption of benefits under the 

8 senior farmers’ market nutrition program. 

9 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary 

10 may not waive or modify under clause 

11 (i)— 

12 ‘‘(I) any requirement under sec13 tion 249.7 of title 7, Code of Federal 

14 Regulations (or a successor regula15 tion); or 

16 ‘‘(II) any requirement under sec17 tion 249.8(a) of title 7, Code of Fed18 eral Regulations (or a successor regu19 lation). 

20 ‘‘(iii) REQUEST.—To request a waiver 

21 or modification under clause (i), a State 

22 shall submit to the Secretary an applica23 tion that— 


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1 ‘‘(I) identifies the requirement 

2 that is requested to be waived or 

3 modified; and 

4 ‘‘(II) describes— 

5 ‘‘(aa) the goal of the waiver 

6 or modification to improve serv7 ices under the senior farmers’ 

8 market nutrition program; and 

9 ‘‘(bb) the expected outcomes 

10 of the waiver or modification. 

11 ‘‘(B) EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS.— 

12 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY PE13 RIOD.—In this subparagraph, the term 

14 ‘emergency period’ means a period during 

15 which there exists— 

16 ‘‘(I) a public health emergency 

17 declared by the Secretary of Health 

18 and Human Services under section 

19 319 of the Public Health Service Act 

20 (42 U.S.C. 247d) or a renewal of such 

21 a public health emergency declaration; 

22 ‘‘(II) a major disaster declared 

23 by the President under section 401 of 

24 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 


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1 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 5170); or 

3 ‘‘(III) an emergency declared by 

4 the President under section 501 of 

5 that Act (42 U.S.C. 5191). 

6 ‘‘(ii) MODIFICATION OR WAIVER.— 

7 The Secretary may modify or waive for a 

8 State agency any requirement under regu9 lations promulgated pursuant to this sec10 tion if— 

11 ‘‘(I) the requirement cannot be 

12 met by the State agency during— 

13 ‘‘(aa) any portion of an 

14 emergency period under the con15 ditions that prompted the emer16 gency period; or 

17 ‘‘(bb) a supply chain disrup18 tion that significantly affects the 

19 availability of food eligible for 

20 purchase; and 

21 ‘‘(II) the modification or waiver 

22 of the requirement is necessary to 

23 provide assistance under this section. 

24 ‘‘(iii) LIMITATIONS.—A modification 

25 or waiver made under clause (ii)— 


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1 ‘‘(I) may be available until the 

2 date that is 60 days after the end of 

3 the applicable emergency period or 

4 supply chain disruption; 

5 ‘‘(II) shall not modify or waive 

6 any requirement under section 249.7 

7 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations 

8 (or a successor regulation); and 

9 ‘‘(III) shall not substantially 

10 change the types of foods eligible for 

11 purchase in accordance with section 

12 249.8(a) of title 7, Code of Federal 

13 Regulations (or a successor regula14 tion).’’. 

15 SEC. 4402. PURCHASE OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 

16 FOR DISTRIBUTION TO SCHOOLS AND SERV17 ICE INSTITUTIONS. 

18 Section 10603(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In19 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c–4(b)) is amended 

20 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 4403. GUS SCHUMACHER NUTRITION INCENTIVE PRO22 GRAM. 

23 Section 4405 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

24 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a), by redesignating para2 graphs (3), (4), and (5) as paragraphs (5), (3), and 

3 (4), respectively, and moving the paragraphs so as 

4 to appear in numerical order; 

5 (2) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

8 ‘‘subsection (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

9 (g)’’; 

10 (ii) in subparagraph (C)— 

11 (I) by striking ‘‘(D)(iii)’’ and in12 serting ‘‘(D)(ii)’’; and 

13 (II) by striking ‘‘50’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘80’’; and 

15 (iii) in subparagraph (D)— 

16 (I) in clause (i)(I), by striking 

17 ‘‘or services’’ and inserting ‘‘services, 

18 or retailer associate wages’’; 

19 (II) by striking clause (ii); and 

20 (III) by redesignating clause (iii) 

21 as clause (ii); 

22 (B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 

23 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(C) RESTRICTION.—The Secretary may 

2 not require that projects test innovative or 

3 promising strategies or technologies.’’; and 

4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR EXPAN6 SION PROJECTS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the criteria 

8 and priorities described in subparagraphs (A) 

9 and (B) of paragraph (2), respectively, begin10 ning in fiscal year 2025, the Secretary may 

11 enter into a cooperative agreement with a State 

12 agency administering the supplemental nutri13 tion assistance program, or a nonprofit entity 

14 in partnership with such a State agency, for a 

15 project that— 

16 ‘‘(i) is proposed by a State agency or 

17 nonprofit entity that— 

18 ‘‘(I) has previously received a 

19 large-scale grant under this sub20 section; 

21 ‘‘(II) has a demonstrated record 

22 for launching and maintaining 

23 projects described in paragraph 

24 (2)(A)(ii); and 


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1 ‘‘(III) has the project design, in2 frastructure, and administrative sup3 port necessary for project implementa4 tion in, as applicable, a State, region, 

5 or Indian lands; 

6 ‘‘(ii) will expand participation and ac7 cess levels in a State, region, or land of an 

8 Indian Tribe compared to the existing 

9 project carried out by the State agency or 

10 nonprofit entity using the grant described 

11 in clause (i)(I); 

12 ‘‘(iii) will allocate, by the fourth year 

13 of the cooperative agreement, not less than 

14 90 percent of the amount of the coopera15 tive agreement to providing direct incen16 tives to households participating in the 

17 supplemental nutrition assistance program; 

18 ‘‘(iv) will be carried out in a variety of 

19 retail settings; and 

20 ‘‘(v) will be for a duration of not less 

21 than 4 years. 

22 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—For the period of fis23 cal years 2025 through 2029, the Secretary 

24 may enter into new cooperative agreements 


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1 under this paragraph for a total of not more 

2 than 15 projects.’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

5 through (5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), re6 spectively; 

7 (B) by striking paragraph (1) and insert8 ing the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es10 tablish a grant program— 

11 ‘‘(A) that meets the purposes described in 

12 paragraph (2); and 

13 ‘‘(B) under which the Secretary shall— 

14 ‘‘(i) award grants of not more than 

15 $400,000 per project to 1 or more eligible 

16 entities— 

17 ‘‘(I) to study previously unknown 

18 facts about designing produce pre19 scription projects; 

20 ‘‘(II) to establish or validate best 

21 practices for produce prescription 

22 projects; or 

23 ‘‘(III) to establish infrastructure 

24 that aids Federally-qualified health 

25 centers described in subsection 


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1 (a)(3)(B) and independent produce re2 tailers, including direct marketing 

3 farmers, in carrying out produce pre4 scription projects; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) award grants of not less than 

6 $1,000,000 per project to 1 or more eligi7 ble entities— 

8 ‘‘(I) that have a demonstrated 

9 ability to expand clinical research on 

10 the value of delivering a produce pre11 scription project through healthcare 

12 partners; and 

13 ‘‘(II) to carry out produce pre14 scription projects that— 

15 ‘‘(aa) demonstrate and 

16 evaluate the impact of the 

17 projects on each of the purposes 

18 of the program described in para19 graph (2); 

20 ‘‘(bb) have a minimum 

21 intervention cohort of 300 pa22 tients; 

23 ‘‘(cc) compare intervention 

24 results to a control group; 


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1 ‘‘(dd) have an intervention 

2 duration of not less than 12 

3 months; and 

4 ‘‘(ee) have demonstrated the 

5 ability to scale when delivered 

6 through healthcare partners. 

7 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM PURPOSES.—The purposes of 

8 the grant program established under paragraph (1) 

9 are— 

10 ‘‘(A) to improve dietary health through in11 creased consumption of fruits and vegetables; 

12 ‘‘(B) to reduce individual and household 

13 food insecurity; and 

14 ‘‘(C) to optimize healthcare use and associ15 ated costs.’’; 

16 (C) in paragraph (4) (as so redesig17 nated)— 

18 (i) by striking subparagraph (A) and 

19 inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity 

21 seeking a grant under paragraph (1) shall sub22 mit to the Secretary an application containing 

23 such information as the Secretary may require, 

24 including the information described in subpara25 graph (B).’’; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

2 (I) in clause (i), by striking 

3 ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘para4 graph (3)’’; and 

5 (II) in clause (ii)(I)(cc), by strik6 ing ‘‘subparagraphs (A) through (C) 

7 of paragraph (1)’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘items (aa) through (dd) of para9 graph (1)(B)(ii)(II), if applicable’’; 

10 and 

11 (iii) by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants 

14 under this subsection, the Secretary shall give 

15 priority to produce prescription projects that in16 clude multiple locations or a variety of locations 

17 at which produce prescriptions may be re18 deemed. 

19 ‘‘(D) PANEL TO REVIEW APPLICATIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

21 shall establish a panel— 

22 ‘‘(I) to review applications sub23 mitted to the Secretary pursuant to 

24 this paragraph; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) to make recommendations 

2 to the Secretary with respect to those 

3 applications. 

4 ‘‘(ii) REVIEWERS.—The panel estab5 lished under clause (i) shall include— 

6 ‘‘(I) at least 1 individual with ex7 perience as a healthcare provider; 

8 ‘‘(II) at least 1 individual with 

9 experience administering health plans; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(III) at least 1 individual with 

12 experience providing healthcare in 

13 community-based health clinics.’’; and 

14 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(7) DEFINITION OF PRODUCE PRESCRIPTION

16 PROJECT.—In this subsection, the term ‘produce 

17 prescription project’ means a project under which an 

18 eligible entity— 

19 ‘‘(A) prescribes fruits and vegetables to 

20 members; 

21 ‘‘(B) provides financial or nonfinancial in22 centives for members to purchase or procure 

23 fruits and vegetables; and 

24 ‘‘(C) may— 


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1 ‘‘(i) provide educational resources on 

2 nutrition to members; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) establish additional accessible lo4 cations for members to procure fruits and 

5 vegetables.’’; 

6 (4) in subsection (e)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) in the matter preceding subpara9 graph (A)— 

10 (I) by inserting ‘‘and cooperative 

11 agreements’’ after ‘‘grants’’; and 

12 (II) by inserting ‘‘as applicable,’’ 

13 before ‘‘including’’; 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

16 (i), by striking ‘‘grantees’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘recipients of grants and coopera18 tive agreements’’; 

19 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

20 ‘‘grantee projects’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

21 projects of those recipients’’; 

22 (III) in clause (iii)— 

23 (aa) by striking ‘‘grantees’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘those recipients’’; 

25 and 


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1 (bb) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

2 the end; 

3 (IV) by redesignating clauses (iv) 

4 and (v) as clauses (v) and (vi), respec5 tively; and 

6 (V) by inserting after clause (iii) 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(iv) developing training and guid9 ance, in conjunction with the Food and 

10 Nutrition Service, on providing, and pro11 moting the provision of, direct incentives to 

12 participants electronically, such as through 

13 the electronic benefit transfer system of a 

14 State agency;’’; and 

15 (iii) in subparagraph (B)(iii)— 

16 (I) in the matter preceding sub17 clause (I)— 

18 (aa) by striking ‘‘grantees’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘those recipients’’; 

20 and 

21 (bb) by striking ‘‘grant out22 comes’’ and inserting ‘‘project 

23 outcomes’’; and 


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1 (II) in subclause (II), by insert2 ing ‘‘or cooperative agreement’’ after 

3 ‘‘grant’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(C) COMMITMENT.—Any organization en7 tering into a cooperative agreement with the 

8 Secretary under this paragraph shall commit— 

9 ‘‘(i) to working collaboratively and 

10 sharing appropriate data with any other 

11 organization entering into a cooperative 

12 agreement with the Secretary under this 

13 paragraph; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) to the maximum extent prac15 ticable, to providing 1-on-1 technical as16 sistance to applicants for grants and coop17 erative agreements under subsections (b) 

18 and (c).’’; 

19 (5) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub20 section (g); 

21 (6) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(f) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.—The Secretary 

24 shall establish policies and procedures— 


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1 ‘‘(1) to require coordination between the appro2 priate partner agencies within the Department of 

3 Agriculture— 

4 ‘‘(A) that allows reasonable timeframes for 

5 each agency to review applications for grants 

6 and cooperative agreements under subsections 

7 (b) and (c) to ensure that eligible entities re8 ceiving those grants or cooperative agree9 ments— 

10 ‘‘(i) meet the grant administration re11 quirements; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) comply with the applicable statu13 tory and regulatory requirements for the 

14 supplemental nutrition assistance program; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(2) relating to conflicts of interest, including 

17 prohibiting any individual from reviewing or select18 ing eligible entities to receive grants under this sec19 tion if the financial interest of that individual would 

20 directly or predictably be affected by such a grant.’’; 

21 and 

22 (7) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) by redesignating the second sub25 paragraph (C) (relating to fiscal year 


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1 2019) through subparagraph (G) as sub2 paragraphs (D) through (H), respectively; 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (G) (as so redes4 ignated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

5 (iii) in subparagraph (H) (as so redes6 ignated), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2023 and 

7 each fiscal year thereafter.’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024; and’’; 

9 and 

10 (iv) by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(I) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

13 each fiscal year thereafter.’’; and 

14 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘2029’’; 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

19 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

20 (iii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by strik21 ing ‘‘2023.’’ and inserting ‘‘2029; and’’; 

22 and 

23 (iv) by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(D) the Secretary shall, to the maximum 

2 extent practicable, use for cooperative agree3 ments under subsection (b)(3) not less than 

4 $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fis5 cal year thereafter.’’. 

6 SEC. 4404. HEALTHY DAIRY NUTRITION INCENTIVES 

7 PROJECTS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4208 of the Agriculture 

9 Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2026a) is amended— 

10 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘FLUID

11 MILK’’ and inserting ‘‘DAIRY NUTRITION’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (a)— 

13 (A) in each of paragraphs (1) through (3), 

14 by striking the comma and inserting a semi15 colon; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘for any 

17 age group’’ after ‘‘recommendations’’; 

18 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

19 through (4) as clauses (i) through (iv), respec20 tively, and indenting appropriately; and 

21 (D) by striking the subsection designation 

22 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘the 

23 term’’ in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

24 and inserting the following: 

25 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) DAIRY PRODUCT.—The term ‘dairy prod2 uct’ means a product— 

3 ‘‘(A) for which cow’s milk is listed as— 

4 ‘‘(i) the first ingredient on the labeled 

5 ingredients list of the product; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) the second ingredient on the la7 beled ingredients list of the product, if the 

8 first listed ingredient is water; 

9 ‘‘(B) that is consistent with the most re10 cent dietary recommendations for any age 

11 group; and 

12 ‘‘(C) that is without flavoring or sweet13 eners. 

14 ‘‘(2) FLUID MILK.—The term’’; 

15 (3) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘of Agriculture’’; 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘healthy fluid milk incen18 tive projects’’ and inserting ‘‘healthy dairy nu19 trition incentive projects’’; 

20 (C) by inserting ‘‘and dairy products’’ be21 fore ‘‘by members of households’’; and 

22 (D) by inserting ‘‘and dairy products’’ be23 fore ‘‘at the point of purchase’’; 

24 (4) in subsection (c)(3), by inserting ‘‘and dairy 

25 products’’ after ‘‘fluid milk’’; 


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1 (5) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘fluid 

3 milk’’ and inserting ‘‘dairy nutrition’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (i) in the matter preceding subpara6 graph (A), by striking ‘‘31 of 2020’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘31, 2026’’; and 

8 (ii) in subparagraphs (A) and (B)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘fluid milk’’ each 

10 place it appears and inserting ‘‘dairy 

11 nutrition’’; and 

12 (II) by striking ‘‘, and’’ each 

13 place it appears and inserting ‘‘; 

14 and’’; and 

15 (6) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ‘‘for each 

16 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’ before ‘‘to carry 

17 out’’. 

18 (b) EFFECT ON HEALTHY FLUID MILK INCENTIVE

19 PROJECTS.—In carrying out the amendments made by 

20 subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that there is no 

21 interruption in any project carried out under section 4208 

22 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 

23 2026a) (as in effect before October 1, 2025) until the con24 clusion of the grant terms of that project. 


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1 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 subsection (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2025. 

3 SEC. 4405. HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING INITIATIVE. 

4 Section 243 of the Department of Agriculture Reor5 ganization Act (7 U.S.C. 6953) is amended— 

6 (1) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(d) PROGRAM EVALUATION.—Not later than 4 

9 years after the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

10 and Food Security Act of 2024, the Secretary, in coordi11 nation with the national fund manager and the Adminis12 trator of the Food and Nutrition Service, shall complete 

13 and publish an evaluation of the program established 

14 under this section— 

15 ‘‘(1) based on a random sample of funded 

16 projects; and 

17 ‘‘(2) that measures, at a minimum, the short18 term and long-term impacts of a funded project on 

19 access to healthy foods in the applicable community. 

20 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is appropriated to 

22 carry out this section, out of any funds in the Treas23 ury not otherwise appropriated, $5,000,000 for fiscal 

24 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter. 


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1 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

2 addition to amounts made available under paragraph 

3 (1), there is authorized to be appropriated to the 

4 Secretary to carry out this section $125,000,000, to 

5 remain available until expended. 

6 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made avail7 able under this subsection, the Secretary shall use 

8 not more than $2,000,000 to carry out subsection 

9 (d) for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

10 SEC. 4406. MICROGRANTS FOR FOOD SECURITY. 

11 Section 4206 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

12 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7518) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘distribution 

14 of subgrants’’ and inserting ‘‘and noncompetitive 

15 distribution of subgrants or other financial assist16 ance’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (d), by striking paragraph (3); 

18 (3) in subsection (e)— 

19 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

20 ‘‘AND OTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE’’ after 

21 ‘‘SUBGRANTS’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

23 (i) in subparagraph (A), in the matter 

24 preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘or other 


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1 financial assistance provided’’ after 

2 ‘‘subgrant’’; 

3 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B); 

4 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

5 (C) as subparagraph (B); and 

6 (iv) in subparagraph (B) (as so redes7 ignated), by inserting ‘‘or other financial 

8 assistance provided’’ after ‘‘subgrant’’; 

9 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) in the matter preceding subpara11 graph (A), by striking ‘‘distribution of sub12 grants under subsection (c)’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘and noncompetitive distribution of sub14 grants or other financial assistance under 

15 this section’’; and 

16 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

17 ‘‘or other financial assistance provided’’ 

18 after ‘‘subgrant’’; 

19 (D) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or 

20 other financial assistance under this section’’ 

21 after ‘‘subgrants’’; 

22 (E) in paragraph (4), in the matter pre23 ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or other 

24 financial assistance provided’’ after ‘‘subgrant’’; 

25 and 


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1 (F) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘or 

2 other financial assistance’’ after ‘‘subgrant’’; 

3 (4) in subsection (f)(1)— 

4 (A) by inserting ‘‘or other financial assist5 ance’’ after ‘‘subgrant’’ each place it appears; 

6 and 

7 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘sub8 grants by eligible entities’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘subgrant or other financial assistance by the 

10 eligible entity’’; and 

11 (5) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

12 2019 and’’ and inserting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 

13 through 2024, and $30,000,000 for’’. 

14 SEC. 4407. STUDY AND REPORT ON NUTRITION PROGRAMS 

15 IN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED STATES. 

16 (a) DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED

17 STATE.—In this section, the term ‘‘geographically isolated 

18 State’’ has the meaning given the term in paragraph 

19 (3)(A) of section 214(c) of the Emergency Food Assist20 ance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7515(c)) (as added by section 

21 4203). 

22 (b) STUDY.—Not later than 18 months after the date 

23 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

24 United States shall conduct a study on all nutrition pro25 grams (excluding child nutrition programs) administered 


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1 by the Secretary to evaluate whether those nutrition pro2 grams are working effectively and equitably within geo3 graphically isolated States, as compared to those nutrition 

4 programs operating within the continental United States, 

5 including whether— 

6 (1) there are unique challenges that result from 

7 the particular location of a geographically isolated 

8 State, including the availability of food price data 

9 and whether the food price data used by the Depart10 ment of Agriculture are reflective of food costs in 

11 the geographically isolated State; 

12 (2) the needs of different communities are 

13 being addressed by those nutrition programs; and 

14 (3) language barriers are preventing individuals 

15 in any geographically isolated State from accessing 

16 a nutrition program. 

17 (c) REPORT.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

19 the date of completion of the study under subsection 

20 (b), the Comptroller General of the United States 

21 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri22 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

23 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a re24 port describing the results of the study. 


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1 (2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—If the Comptroller 

2 General of the United States determines under the 

3 study under subsection (b) that nutrition programs 

4 administered by the Secretary are not working effec5 tively and equitably within geographically isolated 

6 States, as compared to the operation of those nutri7 tion programs within the continental United States 

8 (including with respect to food price data and 

9 whether the food price data used by the Department 

10 of Agriculture accurately reflect food costs in each 

11 geographically isolated State), the report under 

12 paragraph (1) shall include such legislative and 

13 other recommendations as the Comptroller General 

14 determines would result in those programs working 

15 effectively and equitably within geographically iso16 lated States. 

17 SEC. 4408. STREAMLINING APPLICATION PROCESS FOR DI18 RECT MARKETING FARMERS IN NUTRITION 

19 PROGRAMS. 

20 (a) DEFINITION OF COVERED NUTRITION PRO21 GRAM.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered nutrition pro22 gram’’ means— 

23 (1) the supplemental nutrition assistance pro24 gram established under the Food and Nutrition Act 

25 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 


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1 (2) the senior farmers’ market nutrition pro2 gram established under section 4402 of the Farm 

3 Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 

4 U.S.C. 3007); and 

5 (3) any other nutrition program, as determined 

6 by the Secretary. 

7 (b) STREAMLINED APPLICATION PROCESS.—Not 

8 later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 

9 the Secretary shall establish a streamlined application 

10 process for direct marketing farmers to apply to be au11 thorized to sell eligible foods under each of the covered 

12 nutrition programs by developing, to the maximum extent 

13 practicable— 

14 (1) a single application that a direct marketing 

15 farmer may use to apply to each of the covered nu16 trition programs; or 

17 (2) an information-sharing system that— 

18 (A) notifies and shares the necessary and 

19 appropriate information of a direct marketing 

20 farmer who is approved to be authorized to sell 

21 eligible foods under a covered nutrition program 

22 with each of the other covered nutrition pro23 grams such that another covered nutrition pro24 gram is prompted to determine the eligibility of 

25 the direct marketing farmer to be authorized to 


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1 sell eligible foods under that covered nutrition 

2 program; and 

3 (B) meets appropriate security standards, 

4 as established by the Secretary. 

5 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 30 months after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

7 to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

8 of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the 

9 House of Representatives a report that— 

10 (1) describes the extent to which the Secretary 

11 was able to develop a single application or informa12 tion-sharing system under subsection (b); and 

13 (2) identifies any statutory, regulatory, and 

14 operational barriers to implementing subsection (b). 

15 (d) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

16 this section in coordination with the Office of Customer 

17 Experience and the Office of Digital Services of the De18 partment of Agriculture. 

19 (e) FUNDING.— 

20 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec22 retary to carry out this section $5,000,000 for the 

23 period of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

24 (2) APPROPRIATION IN ADVANCE.—Only funds 

25 appropriated under paragraph (1) in advance specifiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00494 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 cally to carry out this section shall be available to 

2 carry out this section. 

3 SEC. 4409. NUTRITION SECURITY REPORT. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) FOOD SECURITY.—The term ‘‘food secu6 rity’’ means access by all people at all times to 

7 enough food for an active, healthy life. 

8 (2) NUTRITION SECURITY.—The term ‘‘nutri9 tion security’’ means consistent and equitable access 

10 to healthy, safe, and affordable foods essential to op11 timal health and well-being. 

12 (3) SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE

13 PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘supplemental nutrition as14 sistance program’’ means the supplemental nutrition 

15 assistance program established under the Food and 

16 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.). 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

18 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Sec19 retary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nu20 trition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on 

21 Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and make 

22 publicly available on the website of the Department of Ag23 riculture, a report on food security and nutrition security 

24 in the United States. 


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1 (c) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under sub2 section (b) shall include, for the period covered by the re3 port— 

4 (1) an analysis of the food security, nutrition 

5 security, and diet quality of participants and non6 participants in the supplemental nutrition assistance 

7 program; 

8 (2)(A) a summary of changes made to the sup9 plemental nutrition assistance program that are in10 tended to improve food security, nutrition security, 

11 and diet quality; and 

12 (B) an analysis of the impact and effectiveness 

13 of those changes on food security, nutrition security, 

14 and diet quality; and 

15 (3) recommendations for additional authority to 

16 be provided to the Secretary to improve food secu17 rity, nutrition security, and diet quality for partici18 pants in the supplemental nutrition assistance pro19 gram. 

20 (d) APPROPRIATIONS.—There are appropriated, out 

21 of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

22 such sums as are necessary to carry out this section for 

23 fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter. 

24 SEC. 4410. SENIOR NUTRITION TASK FORCE. 

25 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) DISABILITY.—The term ‘‘disability’’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 3 of the Ameri3 cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

4 12102). 

5 (2) OLDER PERSON.—The term ‘‘older person’’ 

6 has the meaning given the term ‘‘older individual’’ 

7 in section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

8 (42 U.S.C. 3002). 

9 (3) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘‘Task Force’’ 

10 means the Interagency Task Force to Address Hun11 ger and Promote Access to Healthy Food Among 

12 Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities established 

13 by subsection (b). 

14 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a task 

15 force, to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Task Force to Ad16 dress Hunger and Promote Access to Healthy Food 

17 Among Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities’’. 

18 (c) MEMBERS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the Task 

20 Force shall be the following: 

21 (A) The Secretary (or a designee). 

22 (B) The Secretary of Health and Human 

23 Services (or a designee). 

24 (C) The Secretary of Transportation (or a 

25 designee). 


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1 (D) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or 

2 a designee). 

3 (E) The Administrator of the Food and 

4 Nutrition Service (or a designee). 

5 (F) The Administrator of the Administra6 tion for Community Living (or a designee). 

7 (G) The Administrator for Independent 

8 Living within the Administration for Commu9 nity Living (or a designee). 

10 (H) The Administrator of the Health Re11 sources and Services Administration (or a des12 ignee). 

13 (I) The Secretary of Housing and Urban 

14 Development (or a designee). 

15 (J) The Commissioner of the Social Secu16 rity Administration (or a designee). 

17 (K) The Assistant Secretary for Planning 

18 and Evaluation (or a designee). 

19 (L) The Director of the Centers for Dis20 ease Control and Prevention (or a designee). 

21 (M) The Assistant Secretary for Mental 

22 Health and Substance Use (or a designee). 

23 (N) The Surgeon General (or a designee). 

24 (O) The Deputy Administrator for Medi25 care and Medicaid Innovation (or a designee). 


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1 (P) The Director of the Office on Nutri2 tion Research of the National Institutes of 

3 Health (or a designee). 

4 (Q) The Director of the Indian Health 

5 Service (or a designee). 

6 (R) The Administrator of the Federal 

7 Emergency Management Agency (or a des8 ignee). 

9 (S) The head of any other relevant Federal 

10 department or agency, as determined appro11 priate by the Secretary, and appointed by the 

12 President. 

13 (T) At least 2 older persons, appointed by 

14 the President, who are recipients of Federal nu15 trition benefits, as determined by the President. 

16 (U) At least 2 adults with disabilities, ap17 pointed by the President, who are recipients of 

18 Federal nutrition benefits, as determined by the 

19 President. 

20 (V) At least 2 members of grandfamilies or 

21 kinship families, appointed by the President, 

22 who are recipients of Federal nutrition benefits, 

23 as determined by the President. 


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1 (W) At least 1 representative, appointed by 

2 the President, from a national older adult nutri3 tion organization. 

4 (X) At least 1 representative, appointed by 

5 the President, from a national organization that 

6 addresses hunger among adults with disabil7 ities. 

8 (Y) At least 1 representative, appointed by 

9 the President, from a national antihunger orga10 nization. 

11 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the 

12 Task Force shall be the Secretary (or a designee). 

13 (3) VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The Vice Chairperson 

14 of the Task Force shall be the Administrator of the 

15 Administration for Community Living (or a des16 ignee). 

17 (d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Task Force shall be 

18 the following: 

19 (1) Identify, promote, coordinate, and dissemi20 nate information and resources and other available 

21 best practices— 

22 (A) to address hunger, food insecurity, and 

23 malnutrition among older adults and adults 

24 with disabilities; and 

25 (B) to increase access to healthy foods. 


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1 (2) Measure and evaluate progress in— 

2 (A) addressing hunger, food insecurity, 

3 and malnutrition among older adults and adults 

4 with disabilities; and 

5 (B) increasing access to healthy, afford6 able, and local or regional food for older adults 

7 and adults with disabilities. 

8 (3) Examine interagency opportunities— 

9 (A) to collaboratively address hunger, food 

10 insecurity, and malnutrition among older adults 

11 and adults with disabilities; 

12 (B) to promote access to healthy, afford13 able, and local or regional food for older adults 

14 and adults with disabilities; and 

15 (C) to foster participation across Federal 

16 nutrition services. 

17 (4) Examine challenges to interagency efforts to 

18 carry out subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 

19 (3). 

20 (e) REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 2027, 

21 the Task Force shall submit to Congress a report that 

22 describes— 

23 (1) best practices for addressing hunger, food 

24 insecurity, and malnutrition and promoting access to 


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1 healthy, affordable, and local or regional food among 

2 older adults and adults with disabilities; 

3 (2) recommendations to support interagency ef4 forts to address hunger, food insecurity, and mal5 nutrition and promote access to healthy, affordable, 

6 and local or regional food among older adults and 

7 adults with disabilities; 

8 (3) existing barriers to promoting interagency 

9 collaboration to address hunger, food insecurity, and 

10 malnutrition and access to healthy, affordable, and 

11 local or regional food among older adults and adults 

12 with disabilities; and 

13 (4) innovative practices to address hunger, food 

14 insecurity, and malnutrition and promote access to 

15 healthy, affordable, and local or regional food among 

16 older adults and adults with disabilities. 

17 SEC. 4411. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

18 (a) Section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

19 (7 U.S.C. 2012) is amended by striking subsection (g) and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(g) RESERVED.—’’. 

22 (b) Section 5(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

23 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(d)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘law)’’ and all 

2 that follows through the semicolon at the end and 

3 inserting ‘‘law);’’; and 

4 (2) in paragraph (12), by striking ‘‘3312’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘5312’’. 

6 (c) Section 6(r)(1)(A)(iv) of the Food and Nutrition 

7 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(r)(1)(A)(iv)) is amended by 

8 inserting ‘‘section’’ before ‘‘40002(a)’’. 

9 (d) Section 7 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

10 (7 U.S.C. 2016) (as amended by section 4107(a)(1)) is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (f)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘sub14 section (h)(13)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

15 (h)(12)’’; 

16 (B) by striking paragraph (3); and 

17 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (4) 

18 through (6) as paragraphs (3) through (5), re19 spectively; 

20 (2) in subsection (h)— 

21 (A) by striking paragraph (5); 

22 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (6) 

23 through (14) as paragraphs (5) through (13), 

24 respectively; and 


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1 (C) in paragraph (11) (as so redesignated), 

2 by striking subparagraph (D); and 

3 (3) in subsection (j)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘sub4 section (h)(11)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

5 (h)(10)(A)’’. 

6 (e) Section 12 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

7 (7 U.S.C. 2021) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (b)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (3)— 

10 (i) in subparagraph (B), in the matter 

11 preceding clause (i)— 

12 (I) by striking ‘‘the purchase of 

13 coupons or trafficking in coupons or 

14 authorization cards’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘trafficking related to benefits’’; and 

16 (II) by striking ‘‘such purchase 

17 of coupons or trafficking in coupons 

18 or cards’’ and inserting ‘‘such occa19 sion of trafficking related to benefits’’; 

20 and 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

22 ‘‘coupons’’ and inserting ‘‘benefits’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘cou24 pons’’ and inserting ‘‘benefits’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (d)(4), by striking ‘‘coupons’’ 

2 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘benefits’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (e), by striking paragraph (3); 

4 and 

5 (4) in subsection (f), in the first sentence, by 

6 striking ‘‘food coupons’’ and inserting ‘‘benefits’’. 

7 (f) Section 3(9)(B) of the Congressional Budget Act 

8 of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 622(9)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘the 

9 food stamp program’’ and inserting ‘‘the supplemental nu10 trition assistance program established under the Food and 

11 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)’’. 

12 SEC. 4412. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

13 Except as otherwise provided, this title and the 

14 amendments made by this title shall take effect on October 

15 1, 2025. 

16 TITLE V—CREDIT 

17 Subtitle A—Farm Ownership Loans 

18 SEC. 5101. MODIFICATION OF EXPERIENCE ELIGIBILITY RE19 QUIREMENT FOR FARM OWNERSHIP LOANS. 

20 (a) PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR REAL ESTATE

21 LOANS.—Section 302 of the Consolidated Farm and 

22 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)(1), in the second sentence, 

24 by striking ‘‘without regard to any lapse between 

25 farming experiences,’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert3 ing the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make a 

5 direct loan under this subtitle only to a farmer or 

6 rancher who has at least 1 year of experience sub7 stantially participating in the management and busi8 ness operations of a farm or ranch, as determined 

9 by the Secretary, or has other acceptable education 

10 or experience, as determined by the Secretary.’’; and 

11 (B) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) and 

12 inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(3) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—In the case of a 

14 qualified beginning farmer or rancher, the Secretary 

15 may waive the 1-year requirement described in para16 graph (1) if the qualified beginning farmer or ranch17 er has an established relationship with an individual 

18 who has experience in farming or ranching, or with 

19 a local farm or ranch operator or organization, ap20 proved by the Secretary and committed to mentoring 

21 the qualified beginning farmer or rancher.’’. 

22 (b) ALLOWED PURPOSES OF LOANS.—Section 303(a) 

23 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

24 U.S.C. 1923(a)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking ‘‘described 

2 in section 304’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (2)(D), by striking ‘‘described 

4 in section 304’’. 

5 SEC. 5102. CONSERVATION AND PRECISION AGRICULTURE 

6 LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM. 

7 (a) CONSERVATION PLAN.—Section 304(b)(3) of the 

8 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

9 1924(b)(3)) is amended by— 

10 (1) redesignating subparagraphs (F) and (G) as 

11 subparagraphs (G) and (H), respectively; and 

12 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(F) the adoption of precision agriculture 

15 practices and the acquisition of precision agri16 culture technology;’’. 

17 (b) PRIORITY.—Section 304(d) of the Consolidated 

18 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1924(d)) is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

21 end; 

22 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘1985.’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘1985 (16 U.S.C. 3812); and’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) producers who use the loans to adopt pre2 cision agriculture practices or acquire precision agri3 culture technology, including adoption or acquisition 

4 for the purpose of participating in the environmental 

5 quality incentives program under subchapter A of 

6 chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Se7 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.).’’. 

8 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

9 304(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 

10 Act (7 U.S.C. 1924(h)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 304 of the 

13 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

14 1924) is amended, in the section heading, by inserting 

15 ‘‘AND PRECISION AGRICULTURE’’ after ‘‘CONSERVA16 TION’’. 

17 SEC. 5103. LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF FARM OWNERSHIP 

18 LOANS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 305 of the Consolidated 

20 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925) is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 

23 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 

24 (2) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘Ex3 cept as provided in subsection (b), the Sec4 retary’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking 

6 ‘‘$600,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed 

7 by the Secretary, $1,750,000 (increased, begin8 ning with fiscal year 2019’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘$850,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed 

10 by the Secretary, $3,000,000 (increased, begin11 ning with fiscal year 2025’’; and 

12 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(b) REFINANCED GUARANTEED LOANS.—In the 

15 case of a direct loan refinancing a guaranteed loan pursu16 ant to section 303(a)(1)(F), the Secretary may make a 

17 loan equal to the unpaid indebtedness of the borrower.’’. 

18 (b) INFLATION PERCENTAGE.—Section 305 of the 

19 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

20 1925) is amended, in subsection (d) (as redesignated by 

21 subsection (a)(1))— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘of the Prices 

23 Paid By Farmers Index (as compiled by the Na24 tional Agricultural Statistics Service of the Depart25 ment of Agriculture) for the 12-month period ending 


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1 on July 31 of the immediately preceding fiscal year’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘of the per acre average United States 

3 farm real estate value for the preceding year (as 

4 published in the applicable Agricultural Land Values 

5 report of the National Agricultural Statistics Service 

6 of the Department of Agriculture)’’; and 

7 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘of such index 

8 (as so defined) for the 12-month period that imme9 diately precedes the 12-month period described in 

10 paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘of the per acre aver11 age United States farm real estate value for the year 

12 immediately preceding the year described in para13 graph (1) (as so published)’’. 

14 SEC. 5104. REFINANCING OF GUARANTEED LOANS INTO DI15 RECT LOANS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303(a)(1) of the Consoli17 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

18 1923(a)(1)) is amended— 

19 (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

20 the end; 

21 (2) in subparagraph (E)(ii), by striking the pe22 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

23 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(F) refinancing a guaranteed loan de2 scribed in paragraph (2), if the Secretary deter3 mines that— 

4 ‘‘(i) the guaranteed loan is distressed; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the borrower on that guaranteed 

6 loan has attempted to work with the lender 

7 and has been unsuccessful; 

8 ‘‘(iii) the borrower has a reasonable 

9 chance for success of the operation fi10 nanced by the guaranteed loan; and 

11 ‘‘(iv) the refinanced loan will have no 

12 more than a minimal impact on the loan 

13 programs of the Farm Service Agency.’’. 

14 (b) GUARANTEED LOANS.—Section 309(h) of the 

15 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

16 1929(h)) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘the principal 

18 and interest due on’’; and 

19 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the paragraph 

20 heading and inserting ‘‘GUARANTEED LOANS TO

21 DOWN PAYMENT LOAN PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

22 GUARANTEED UP TO 95 PERCENT’’. 


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1 SEC. 5105. DOWN PAYMENT LOAN PROGRAM. 

2 Section 310E(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

3 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1935(b)(1)) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)— 

6 (A) by inserting ‘‘, subject to section 

7 305(a),’’ after ‘‘exceed’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘least’’ and inserting ‘‘less9 er’’; 

10 (2) in subparagraph (A), by adding ‘‘or’’ after 

11 the semicolon at the end; 

12 (3) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 

13 inserting a period; and 

14 (4) by striking subparagraph (C). 

15 SEC. 5106. SUPPORT FOR RESOLVING OWNERSHIP AND 

16 SUCCESSION ISSUES RELATING TO FARM17 LAND. 

18 Section 310I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

19 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936c) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘relend the 

21 funds to individuals and entities’’ and inserting ‘‘use 

22 the funds’’; 

23 (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE PURPOSES.—An eligible entity that 

2 receives a loan made by the Secretary pursuant to sub3 section (a)— 

4 ‘‘(1) shall relend the proceeds from the loan for 

5 projects that assist heirs with undivided ownership 

6 interests to resolve ownership and succession on 

7 farmland that has multiple owners; and 

8 ‘‘(2) may use not more than 25 percent of the 

9 amount of the loan to pay administrative costs of re10 lending the proceeds.’’; and 

11 (3) in subsection (e)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking ‘‘be’’; 

13 and 

14 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(4) The Secretary may forgive, as the Sec16 retary determines appropriate, the amount of a loan 

17 used to pay administrative costs of relending the 

18 proceeds from the loan.’’. 

19 (4) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(f) REPORTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) REPORTS OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Each 

23 eligible entity that receives a loan under this section 

24 shall submit to the Secretary an annual report 

25 that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) describes the progress and outcomes 

2 of the activities conducted by the eligible entity 

3 pursuant to the loan using funding provided 

4 under this section, including— 

5 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals who re6 ceived assistance from the eligible entity; 

7 ‘‘(ii) the number of individuals whose 

8 farm ownership interests were resolved; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(iii) the number of individual heirs 

11 involved in each case involving undivided 

12 ownership; and 

13 ‘‘(B) the number of requests for assistance 

14 received by the eligible entity. 

15 ‘‘(2) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 

16 than September 30, 2027, the Secretary shall make 

17 publicly available a report that— 

18 ‘‘(A) identifies— 

19 ‘‘(i) each eligible entity that received a 

20 loan under this section; 

21 ‘‘(ii) the number of individuals whose 

22 farmland ownership interests were resolved 

23 by each eligible entity identified under 

24 clause (i); and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the number of individual heirs 

2 affected by the resolution of those owner3 ship interests; 

4 ‘‘(B) describes the operation and outcomes 

5 of the projects and activities carried out by eli6 gible entities under this section; and 

7 ‘‘(C) includes recommendations on how to 

8 strengthen the programs carried out by the Sec9 retary under subsection (a).’’; and 

10 (5) in subsection (g)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘2029’’; and 

13 (B) by striking the subsection designation 

14 and heading and all that follows through 

15 ‘‘There’’ and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(g) FUNDING.— 

17 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

18 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

19 shall make available to carry out this section 

20 $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal 

21 year thereafter, to remain available until expended. 

22 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

23 addition to other amounts available to the Secretary, 

24 there’’. 


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1 Subtitle B—Operating Loans 

2 SEC. 5201. LIMITATION ON AMOUNT OF OPERATING LOANS. 

3 Section 313(a)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(a)(1)) is amended 

5 by striking ‘‘$400,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed 

6 by the Secretary, $1,750,000 (increased, beginning with 

7 fiscal year 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘$750,000, or, in the case 

8 of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, $2,600,000 (in9 creased, beginning with fiscal year 2026’’. 

10 SEC. 5202. ELIGIBILITY FOR OPERATING LOANS. 

11 Section 311 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De12 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1941) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a)(1), in the second sentence, 

14 by striking ‘‘without regard to any lapse between 

15 farming experiences,’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘4–H 

17 Clubs, Future Farmers of America’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘4-H clubs, National FFA Organization chapters’’; 

19 and 

20 (3) by striking subsection (c). 

21 SEC. 5203. MICROLOANS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 313(c) of the Consoli23 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

24 1943(c)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$50,000’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘$100,000’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (4)(A), in the matter pre4 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘2029’’. 

6 (b) INTEREST RATE.—Section 316(a)(2) of the Con7 solidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

8 1946(a)(2)) is amended— 

9 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘2501(e)’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘2501(a)’’; and 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘2279(e)),’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘2279(a)),’’; and 

14 (2) by striking ‘‘not be—’’ in the matter pre15 ceding subparagraph (A) and all that follows 

16 through the period at the end of subparagraph (B) 

17 and inserting ‘‘be equal to the interest rate for di18 rect farm operating loans under this subtitle, not to 

19 exceed 5 percent per year.’’. 

20 Subtitle C—Emergency Loans 

21 SEC. 5301. EMERGENCY LOAN DETERMINATION FACTORS. 

22 Section 322 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De23 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1962) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking the section designation and all 

2 that follows through ‘‘For’’ in subsection (a) and in3 serting the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 322. LOAN DETERMINATION FACTORS. 

5 ‘‘For’’; and 

6 (2) by striking subsection (b). 

7 SEC. 5302. ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE BASED ON PRO8 DUCTION LOSS. 

9 Section 329 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De10 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1970) is amended, in the first 

11 sentence, by striking ‘‘at least a 30 per centum loss of 

12 normal per acre or per animal production, or such lesser 

13 per centum of loss as the Secretary may determine, as 

14 a result of the disaster based upon the average monthly 

15 price in effect for the previous year’’ and inserting ‘‘a 

16 qualifying production loss, as determined by the Secretary, 

17 as a result of a disaster,’’. 

18 Subtitle D—Administrative 

19 Provisions 

20 SEC. 5401. DISTRESSED BORROWERS. 

21 Section 331 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De22 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1981) is amended by adding at 

23 the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(g) DISTRESSED BORROWERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

2 addition to amounts otherwise available, there is au3 thorized to be appropriated $250,000,000 to provide 

4 payments to, for the cost of loan modifications for, 

5 or to carry out subsection (b)(4) with respect to dis6 tressed borrowers of direct or guaranteed loans ad7 ministered by the Farm Service Agency under sub8 title A, B, or C. 

9 ‘‘(2) CASH FLOW-BASED ASSISTANCE.—In 

10 using funds appropriated under paragraph (1), the 

11 Secretary shall provide relief to those borrowers 

12 whose agricultural operations are at financial risk as 

13 expeditiously as possible, including through indefi14 nite extension of the Cash Flow-Based Assistance 

15 and Distressed Borrower Set-Aside Program, as de16 termined by the Secretary.’’. 

17 SEC. 5402. BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER INDIVIDUAL 

18 DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS PILOT PROGRAM. 

19 Section 333B(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

20 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983b(h)) is amended by 

21 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 5403. LOAN AUTHORIZATION LEVELS. 

23 Section 346(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

24 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(1)) is amendVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00519 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ed, in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 

2 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 5404. DEFINITION OF QUALIFIED BEGINNING FARMER 

4 OR RANCHER. 

5 Section 343(a)(11) of the Consolidated Farm and 

6 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(11)) is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D) and 

9 inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(C) who— 

11 ‘‘(i) in the case of a loan made to an 

12 individual, individually or with the imme13 diate family of the applicant— 

14 ‘‘(I) materially and substantially 

15 participates (in the case of an owner 

16 and operator of a farm or ranch) or 

17 will materially and substantially par18 ticipate (in the case of an applicant 

19 seeking to own and operate a farm or 

20 ranch) in the operation of the farm or 

21 ranch; and 

22 ‘‘(II) provides (in the case of an 

23 owner and operator of a farm or 

24 ranch) or will provide (in the case of 

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1 ate a farm or ranch) substantial day2 to-day labor and management of the 

3 farm or ranch, consistent with the 

4 practices in the State or county in 

5 which the farm or ranch is located; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a loan made to a 

7 cooperative, corporation, partnership, joint 

8 operation, or such other legal entity as the 

9 Secretary considers appropriate— 

10 ‘‘(I) has members, stockholders, 

11 partners, joint operators, or owners, 

12 all of whom are qualified beginning 

13 farmers or ranchers; and 

14 ‘‘(II) has (in the case of an 

15 owner and operator of a farm or 

16 ranch) or will have (in the case of an 

17 applicant seeking to own and operate 

18 a farm or ranch) members, stock19 holders, partners, joint operators, or 

20 owners materially and substantially 

21 participate in the operation of the 

22 farm or ranch;’’; and 

23 (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

24 through (G) as subparagraphs (D) through (F), re25 spectively. 


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1 SEC. 5405. LOAN FUND SET-ASIDES. 

2 Section 346 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De3 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1994) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)(2)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

6 (i) in clause (i)(II), by inserting ‘‘, to 

7 the extent practicable’’ after ‘‘April 1 of 

8 the fiscal year’’; 

9 (ii) in clause (ii)(III), by striking 

10 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

11 (iii) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘, to 

12 the extent practicable’’ after ‘‘September 1 

13 of the fiscal year’’; and 

14 (B) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by inserting 

15 ‘‘, to the extent practicable’’ after ‘‘April 1 of 

16 the fiscal year’’; and 

17 (2) by striking subsections (c) and (d). 

18 SEC. 5406. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF LOANS TO BOR19 ROWERS THAT HAVE RECEIVED DEBT FOR20 GIVENESS. 

21 Section 373(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

22 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008h(b)) is amended— 

23 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(1) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in 

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1 antee a loan under this title to a borrower for a pe2 riod of 7 years after the borrower has received debt 

3 forgiveness.’’; and 

4 (2) in paragraph (2)(A)(ii), by striking ‘‘chap5 ters’’ and inserting ‘‘chapter’’. 

6 SEC. 5407. GUARANTEED FARMER PROGRAM LOAN APPLI7 CATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 333A(g) of the Consoli9 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

10 1983a(g)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘$125,000 

12 or less’’ and inserting ‘‘less than a limit determined 

13 by the Secretary’’; 

14 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

15 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and 

16 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(2) ACCELERATED CONSIDERATION FOR CER19 TAIN GUARANTEED FARMER PROGRAM LOANS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) OPTION FOR ACCELERATED CONSID21 ERATION.—The Secretary shall provide to cer22 tified lenders (within the meaning of section 

23 339(c)) and Preferred Certified Lenders (within 

24 the meaning of section 339(d)) the option to 

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1 tion to guarantee a farmer program loan the 

2 principal amount of which is $1,000,000 or 

3 less. 

4 ‘‘(B) NOTICE.—Not later than 5 business 

5 days after receipt of an application to guar6 antee a farmer program loan originated by a 

7 certified lender (within the meaning of section 

8 339(c)) or a Preferred Certified Lender (within 

9 the meaning of section 339(d)) that is sub10 mitted for accelerated consideration under sub11 paragraph (A), the Secretary shall notify the 

12 lender as to whether the application is approved 

13 or disapproved. 

14 ‘‘(C) FAILURE TO PROVIDE TIMELY NO15 TICE.—If the Secretary fails to provide the no16 tice required under subparagraph (B), the Sec17 retary shall approve the application submitted 

18 for accelerated consideration. 

19 ‘‘(D) MAXIMUM GUARANTEE.—Notwith20 standing any other provision of this title, the 

21 percentage of the principal amount of a loan 

22 that may be guaranteed pursuant to this para23 graph shall not exceed— 

24 ‘‘(i) 75 percent, in the case of a loan 

25 of $500,000 or less; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) 50 percent, in the case of a loan 

2 of more than $500,000 but less than or 

3 equal to $1,000,000.’’. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 333A(h) of 

5 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

6 U.S.C. 1983a(h)) is amended by striking ‘‘subsection 

7 (g)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (g)(3)’’. 

8 Subtitle E—Miscellaneous 

9 SEC. 5501. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

10 (a) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO TITLE I OF THE

11 AGRICULTURAL ACT OF 1961.— 

12 (1) Section 102 of the Agricultural Act of 1961 

13 (7 U.S.C. 1911) is amended— 

14 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘he’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’; 

16 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘he’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘the Secretary of Agriculture’’; and 

18 (C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘he is au19 thorized, whenever he’’ and inserting ‘‘the Sec20 retary is authorized, whenever the Secretary’’. 

21 (2) Section 103 of the Agricultural Act of 1961 

22 (7 U.S.C. 1912) is amended by striking ‘‘he’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’. 

24 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO THE CONSOLI25 DATED FARM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ACT.— 


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1 (1) Section 307 of the Consolidated Farm and 

2 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1927) is amend3 ed— 

4 (A) in subsection (a)(3)(B), by striking 

5 ‘‘not be—’’ in the matter preceding clause (i) 

6 and all that follows through the period at the 

7 end of clause (ii) and inserting ‘‘be equal to the 

8 interest rate for direct farm ownership loans 

9 under this subtitle, not to exceed 5 percent per 

10 year.’’; and 

11 (B) in subsection (c), in the first sentence, 

12 by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’. 

13 (2) Section 310D(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

14 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1934(a)) is 

15 amended, in the first sentence— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘, or paragraphs (1) 

17 through (5) of section 304(a),’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘or section 304(a)’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraphs (2) through 

20 (4) of section 302’’ and inserting ‘‘subpara21 graphs (B) through (D) of the second sentence 

22 of section 302(a)(1)’’. 

23 (3) Section 310E(d)(4)(C) of the Consolidated 

24 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 


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1 1935(d)(4)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘and; and’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘and’’. 

3 (4) Section 312 of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1942) is amend5 ed— 

6 (A) by striking subsection (d); and 

7 (B) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub8 section (d). 

9 (5) Section 319 of the Consolidated Farm and 

10 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1949) is amend11 ed— 

12 (A) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘OR

13 GUARANTEES’’; and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘or with respect to whom 

15 there is an outstanding guarantee under this 

16 subtitle’’. 

17 (6) Section 331(b) of the Consolidated Farm 

18 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981(b)) is 

19 amended— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (i) by striking ‘‘his powers and du22 ties’’ and inserting ‘‘the powers and duties 

23 of the Secretary’’; 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘he determines’’ each 

2 place it appears and inserting ‘‘the Sec3 retary determines’’; and 

4 (iii) by striking ‘‘, and until January’’ 

5 and everything that follows through ‘‘see 

6 fit)’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘he’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’; 

9 (C) in paragraph (4)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘subsection. After con11 sultation with a local or area county com12 mittee, the Secretary’’ and inserting the 

13 following: ‘‘subsection; and 

14 ‘‘(C) the Secretary’’; 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘paragraph. The Sec16 retary’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘para17 graph; 

18 ‘‘(B) the Secretary’’; 

19 (iii) by striking ‘‘1949. In’’ and in20 serting ‘‘1949 (42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.), 

21 subject to the conditions that— 

22 ‘‘(A) in’’; 

23 (iv) in the matter preceding subpara24 graph (A) (as so designated)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘Consolidated’’; 

2 and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘the Rural Devel4 opment Administration’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘Rural Development’’; and 

6 (v) in subparagraph (C) (as so des7 ignated), by striking ‘‘1949,’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘1949 (42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.),’’; 

9 (D) in paragraph (5)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘1949,’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘1949 (42 U.S.C. 1441 et seq.),’’; 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘administered by the 

13 Farmers Home Administration,’’ and in14 serting ‘‘administered under this title,’’; 

15 and 

16 (iii) by striking ‘‘by the Farmers 

17 Home Administration and, if in his judg18 ment’’ and inserting ‘‘under this title, and, 

19 if the Secretary determines’’; 

20 (E) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘Farm21 ers Home Administration’’ and all that follows 

22 through ‘‘thereof’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service 

23 Agency and Rural Development’’; and 

24 (F) in paragraph (8)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘Rural Development 

2 Administration or by the Farmers Home 

3 Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm 

4 Service Agency or Rural Development’’; 

5 and 

6 (ii) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘the Secretary’’. 

8 (7) Section 331A(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

9 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981a(a)) is 

10 amended, in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Farmers 

11 Home Administration or by the Rural Development 

12 Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agen13 cy or Rural Development’’. 

14 (8) Section 333(1) of the Consolidated Farm 

15 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983(1)) is 

16 amended— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

18 applicant’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘his actual needs’’ and in20 serting ‘‘the actual needs of the applicant’’. 

21 (9) Section 333A of the Consolidated Farm and 

22 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a) is amend23 ed— 

24 (A) in subsection (a)(2)(B)— 


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1 (i) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘district 

2 office of the Farmers Home Administra3 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘District Director of 

4 the Farm Service Agency’’; 

5 (ii) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘district 

6 office of the Farmers Home Administra7 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘District Director of 

8 the Farm Service Agency’’; 

9 (iii) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘district 

10 office’’ and inserting ‘‘District Director’’; 

11 and 

12 (iv) in clause (vi)— 

13 (I) by striking ‘‘district office’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘District Director’’; 

15 (II) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

16 Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm 

17 Service Agency’’; and 

18 (III) by striking ‘‘by the county 

19 committee’’ and inserting ‘‘of the ap20 plication’’; and 

21 (B) in subsection (e)(1), by striking 

22 ‘‘Farmers Home Administration’’ each place it 

23 appears and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency’’. 

24 (10) Section 333D(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

25 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983d(a)) is 


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1 amended by striking ‘‘that are consistent with sub2 title A through this subtitle’’. 

3 (11) Section 335 of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1985) is amend5 ed— 

6 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Farmers 

7 Home Administration or the Rural Develop8 ment Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm 

9 Service Agency or Rural Development’’; 

10 (B) in subsection (c)(1)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

12 ‘‘15’’ and inserting ‘‘60’’; 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

14 (I) by striking ‘‘135’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘180’’; and 

16 (II) by inserting ‘‘suitable for 

17 farming or ranching, as determined by 

18 the Secretary,’’ after ‘‘acquiring real 

19 property’’; and 

20 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

21 ‘‘not later than 135 days’’ and all that fol22 lows through ‘‘135-day period, sell’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘, or if the property is not suit24 able for farming or ranching, as deter25 mined by the Secretary, not later than 60 


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1 days after the 180-day period described in 

2 subparagraph (B)(i), the Secretary shall 

3 sell’’; 

4 (C) in subsection (d), in the second sen5 tence, by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Administra6 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency’’; 

7 and 

8 (D) in subsection (f)— 

9 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

10 (I) by striking ‘‘Agricultural Sta11 bilization and Conservation Service’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency 

13 farm program’’; 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

15 Administration liens’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘liens for a farmer program loan’’; 

17 and 

18 (III) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

19 Administration farmer’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘Farm Service Agency farmer’’; 

21 (ii) by striking paragraphs (3) 

22 through (5); 

23 (iii) by redesignating paragraphs (6) 

24 and (7) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respec25 tively; and 


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1 (iv) in paragraph (4) (as so redesig2 nated), by striking ‘‘that—’’ in the matter 

3 preceding subparagraph (A) and all that 

4 follows through the period at the end of 

5 subparagraph (B) and inserting ‘‘that en6 sure the release of funds to each borrower, 

7 consistent with this section.’’. 

8 (12) Section 336 of the Consolidated Farm and 

9 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1986) is amend10 ed— 

11 (A) in subsection (a)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘of the Secretary’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘of the Department of Agri14 culture’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘the officer, attorney, or employee’’; 

17 (B) in subsection (b), by striking the sec18 ond sentence; 

19 (C) by striking subsection (c); and 

20 (D) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub21 section (c). 

22 (13) Section 338(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

23 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1988(a)) is 

24 amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Administra25 tion or the Rural Development Administration’’ and 


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1 inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency or Rural Develop2 ment’’. 

3 (14) Section 339 of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1989) is amend5 ed— 

6 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘he’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’; 

8 (B) in subsection (c)(4)(A), by striking 

9 ‘‘county committee certification that the bor10 rower of the loan meets the eligibility require11 ments and’’ and inserting ‘‘the borrower meet12 ing’’; and 

13 (C) in subsection (d)(4)(A), by striking 

14 ‘‘county committee certification that the bor15 rower meets the eligibility requirements or’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘the borrower meeting’’. 

17 (15) Section 340 of the Consolidated Farm and 

18 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1990) is amended 

19 by striking ‘‘in his discretion’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

20 President determines to be appropriate’’. 

21 (16) Section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

22 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)) is 

23 amended— 

24 (A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘Trust 

25 Territory of the Pacific Islands’’ and inserting 


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1 ‘‘Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 

2 of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of 

3 Palau’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (10)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘section 304,’’ and in6 serting ‘‘section 304 prior to June 18, 

7 2008, conservation loan (CL) under section 

8 304 on or after June 18, 2008,’’; 

9 (ii) by striking ‘‘section 1254 of the 

10 Food Security Act of 1985’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘section 608 of the Agricultural Programs 

12 Adjustment Act of 1984 (7 U.S.C. 1981 

13 note; Public Law 98–258)’’; and 

14 (iii) by striking ‘‘of 1949’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1472)’’. 

16 (17) Section 347 of the Consolidated Farm and 

17 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1995) is amended, 

18 in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

19 Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agen20 cy or Rural Development’’. 

21 (18) Section 349(e)(1)(B) of the Consolidated 

22 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

23 1997(e)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers 

24 Home Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service 

25 Agency’’. 


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1 (19) Section 352(c)(3) of the Consolidated 

2 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

3 2000(c)(3)) is amended, in the second sentence, by 

4 striking ‘‘section 333B’’ and inserting ‘‘subtitle H of 

5 title II of the Department of Agriculture Reorga6 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6991 et seq.)’’. 

7 (20) Section 353 of the Consolidated Farm and 

8 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2001) is amend9 ed— 

10 (A) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘under 

11 section 333B’’; 

12 (B) in subsection (i)(1), by striking ‘‘reg13 istered or certified mail’’ and inserting ‘‘any 

14 method that provides documentation of deliv15 ery’’; 

16 (C) in subsection (j)— 

17 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 

18 ‘‘filed with the appeals division under sec19 tion 333B’’ and inserting ‘‘to the National 

20 Appeals Division’’; and 

21 (ii) in the second sentence— 

22 (I) by striking ‘‘appeals division’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘Secretary’’; and 

24 (II) by striking ‘‘county super25 visor’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary’’; and 


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1 (D) in subsection (o), by striking 

2 ‘‘$300,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$600,000’’. 

3 (21) Section 356 of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2004) is amended, 

5 in the first sentence— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘The Farmers Home Ad7 ministration’’ and inserting ‘‘The Farm Service 

8 Agency and Rural Development’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘the inventory of the 

10 Farmers Home Administration’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘inventory’’. 

12 (22) Section 359(c)(1) of the Consolidated 

13 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

14 2006a(c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘(as determined 

15 by the appropriate county committee during the de16 termination of eligibility for the loan)’’. 

17 (23) Section 360(d)(1) of the Consolidated 

18 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

19 2006b(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘annual review 

20 of direct loans, and periodic review (as determined 

21 necessary by the Secretary) of guaranteed loans,’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘periodic review (as determined nec23 essary by the Secretary) of direct loans and guaran24 teed loans’’. 


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1 (24) Section 361 of the Consolidated Farm and 

2 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2006c) is amend3 ed, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by strik4 ing ‘‘Farmers Home Administration’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘Farm Service Agency’’. 

6 SEC. 5502. QUALIFYING AGRICULTURAL MEDIATION PRO7 GRAMS. 

8 (a) QUALIFYING STATES AND TRIBES.—Section 501 

9 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101) 

10 is amended— 

11 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

12 TRIBES’’ after ‘‘STATES’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or Tribe’’ 

14 after ‘‘State’’ each place it appears; 

15 (3) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(b) DETERMINATION BY SECRETARY.—Not later 

18 than 30 days after the Secretary receives from the Gov19 ernor, or comparable executive official or officials, of a 

20 State or Tribe a description of the mediation program of 

21 the State or Tribe and a statement certifying that the 

22 State or Tribe has met all the requirements of subsection 

23 (c), the Secretary shall determine whether the State or 

24 Tribe is a qualifying State or Tribe.’’; 

25 (4) in subsection (c)— 


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1 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

2 ‘‘STATE’’ and inserting ‘‘QUALIFYING’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

4 (i) by inserting ‘‘or Tribe’’ after 

5 ‘‘State’’ each place it appears; and 

6 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(x), by insert7 ing ‘‘or comparable agency’’ after ‘‘agri8 culture’’; 

9 (C) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by inserting 

10 ‘‘or Tribal’’ after ‘‘State’’; and 

11 (D) in paragraph (3)— 

12 (i) in the matter preceding subpara13 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘or Tribe’’ after 

14 ‘‘State’’ each place it appears; and 

15 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 

16 inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) is authorized or administered by— 

18 ‘‘(i) an agency of the State or Tribal 

19 government; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) the Governor, or comparable ex21 ecutive official or officials, of the State or 

22 Tribe;’’; and 

23 (5) in subsection (d)(3), by inserting ‘‘or Trib24 al’’ after ‘‘State’’. 


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1 (b) MATCHING GRANTS.—Section 502 of the Agricul2 tural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5102) is amended— 

3 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

4 TRIBES’’ after ‘‘STATES’’; 

5 (2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘$500,000’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘$700,000’’; and 

7 (3) by inserting ‘‘or Tribe’’ after ‘‘State’’ each 

8 place it appears. 

9 (c) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—Section 

10 503(a)(1)(A) of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 

11 U.S.C. 5103(a)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘or Trib12 al’’ after ‘‘State’’. 

13 (d) REGULATIONS.—Section 504 of the Agricultural 

14 Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5104) is amended, in the 

15 second sentence— 

16 (1) by inserting ‘‘or Tribes’’ after ‘‘States’’; and 

17 (2) by inserting ‘‘or Tribe’’ after ‘‘State’’. 

18 (e) DEFINITIONS.—Subtitle A of title V of the Agri19 cultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) is 

20 amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating section 506 as section 507; 

22 and 

23 (2) by inserting after section 505 the following: 

24 ‘‘SEC. 506. DEFINITIONS. 

25 ‘‘In this subtitle: 


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1 ‘‘(1) INSULAR AREA.—The term ‘insular area’ 

2 means— 

3 ‘‘(A) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

4 ‘‘(B) Guam; 

5 ‘‘(C) America Samoa; 

6 ‘‘(D) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

7 Mariana Islands; 

8 ‘‘(E) the Federated States of Micronesia; 

9 ‘‘(F) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; 

10 ‘‘(G) the Republic of Palau; and 

11 ‘‘(H) the Virgin Islands of the United 

12 States. 

13 ‘‘(2) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) a State; 

15 ‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; and 

16 ‘‘(C) any insular area. 

17 ‘‘(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘Tribe’ has the mean18 ing given the term ‘Indian Tribe’ in section 4 of the 

19 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

20 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).’’. 

21 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

22 507 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (as redesig23 nated by subsection (e)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and 

24 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’ 

25 after ‘‘2023’’. 


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1 (g) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

2 (1) Title V of the Agricultural Credit Act of 

3 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (A) in the title heading, by striking 

5 ‘‘STATE’’ and inserting ‘‘QUALIFYING’’; 

6 and 

7 (B) in subtitle A, in the subtitle heading, 

8 by striking ‘‘State’’ and inserting ‘‘Quali9 fying’’. 

10 (2) Section 4.14E of the Farm Credit Act of 

11 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2202E) is amended by inserting 

12 ‘‘or Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the In13 dian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

14 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304))’’ before the period at the end. 

15 (3) Section 358 of the Consolidated Farm and 

16 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2006) is amended 

17 by inserting ‘‘or Indian Tribe (as defined in section 

18 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

19 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304))’’ before the period 

20 at the end. 

21 SEC. 5503. FINANCING FOR ESSENTIAL RURAL COMMUNITY 

22 FACILITIES. 

23 Title IV of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 

24 2153 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘PART H—SUPPORT FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL 

2 ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES PROJECTS 

3 ‘‘SEC. 4.40. ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES. 

4 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 ‘‘(1) ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITY.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘essential 

7 community facility’ means a public improve8 ment that— 

9 ‘‘(i) is owned by 1 or more— 

10 ‘‘(I) Indian Tribes or Tribal or11 ganizations; 

12 ‘‘(II) towns, cities, counties, or 

13 other political subdivisions of States, 

14 Indian Tribes, or Tribal organiza15 tions; or 

16 ‘‘(III) nonprofit organizations, 

17 including Native Hawaiian Organiza18 tions (as defined in section 6207 of 

19 the Elementary and Secondary Edu20 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517)); 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(ii) is needed for the orderly develop23 ment of a rural community. 

24 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.— 

25 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘essen26 tial community facility’ includes a commuVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00544 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 nity center, a library, a firehouse, a 

2 healthcare facility, a senior living facility, a 

3 childcare facility, an education facility, and 

4 a transportation facility. 

5 ‘‘(ii) PROPORTIONATE USE.—The 

6 term ‘essential community facility’ may in7 clude, at the determination of the Farm 

8 Credit Administration, a multi-use facility 

9 that provides services, including healthcare 

10 services, senior living services, childcare 

11 services, education services, or transpor12 tation services, in the proportion that— 

13 ‘‘(I) the use of the applicable fa14 cility to provide such services; bears to 

15 ‘‘(II) all other uses of the facility. 

16 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

17 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

18 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

19 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

20 ‘‘(3) RURAL COMMUNITY.—The term ‘rural 

21 community’ means any area other than an area de22 scribed in clause (i) or (ii) of section 343(a)(13)(A) 

23 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 

24 Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)). 


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1 ‘‘(4) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Tribal 

2 organization’ has the meaning given the term in sec3 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu4 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

5 ‘‘(b) FINANCING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—In 

6 order to make available private capital to develop, build, 

7 maintain, improve, or provide related equipment or other 

8 support for essential community facilities in rural commu9 nities, Farm Credit System institutions chartered and op10 erating under title I, II, or III may provide financing and 

11 technical assistance for essential community facilities. 

12 ‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) AMOUNT OF FINANCING.—A Farm Credit 

14 System institution shall not provide financing under 

15 this section in an aggregate amount that exceeds 15 

16 percent of the total of all outstanding loans of the 

17 Farm Credit System institution. 

18 ‘‘(2) OFFER REQUIREMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A Farm Credit Sys20 tem institution shall not provide financing 

21 under this section unless the Farm Credit Sys22 tem institution has— 

23 ‘‘(i) offered, under reasonable terms 

24 and conditions acceptable to the owner of 

25 the essential community facility involved, 


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1 an interest in the financing to at least 1 

2 nongovernmental lending institution that is 

3 not chartered and operating under this 

4 Act; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) reported that offer, including the 

6 terms and conditions of the offer, to the 

7 Farm Credit Administration. 

8 ‘‘(B) RURAL COMMUNITY BANK PARITY.— 

9 In offering an interest in the applicable financ10 ing to a nongovernmental lending institution 

11 under subparagraph (A)(i), the Farm Credit 

12 System institution shall give priority to commu13 nity banks located in the service area of the es14 sential community facility being financed. 

15 ‘‘(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

17 after the date of enactment of this section, and an18 nually thereafter, the Farm Credit Administration 

19 shall submit to Congress a report on the activities 

20 undertaken pursuant to this section by Farm Credit 

21 System institutions during the period covered by the 

22 report, including activities undertaken through part23 nerships between Farm Credit System institutions 

24 and other nongovernmental lending institutions. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PUBLICATION.—The Farm Credit Admin2 istration shall publish on the website of the Adminis3 tration a copy of each report submitted to Congress 

4 under paragraph (1).’’. 

5 SEC. 5504. QUALIFIED LOAN DEFINITION. 

6 Section 8.0(7) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 

7 U.S.C. 2279aa(7)) is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (B)— 

9 (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

10 striking ‘‘pursuant to the Consolidated Farm 

11 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1921 et 

12 seq.)’’; and 

13 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

14 end; 

15 (2) in subparagraph (C)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘for an electric or tele17 phone facility by a cooperative lender to a bor18 rower that has received, or is eligible to receive, 

19 a loan under’’ and inserting ‘‘made or guaran20 teed for a purpose provided in’’; and 

21 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

22 inserting ‘‘or title IX of the Farm Security and 

23 Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 

24 et seq.); or’’; and 

25 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(D) that is a loan, or an interest in a 

2 loan, to a borrower residing in the United 

3 States for aggregating, processing, manufac4 turing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or 

5 distributing an agricultural commodity or prod6 uct within the United States.’’. 

7 SEC. 5505. ELIGIBILITY FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER DIS8 POSAL FACILITY LOANS. 

9 Section 3.7(f) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 

10 U.S.C. 2128(f)) is amended, in the undesignated matter 

11 following paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or, in the case of 

12 such loans, commitments, and assistance that are guaran13 teed, means an area described in section 343(a)(13)(A) 

14 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

15 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A))’’ before the period at the end. 

16 TITLE VI—RURAL 

17 DEVELOPMENT 

18 Subtitle A—Rural Healthcare and 

19 Childcare 

20 SEC. 6101. IMPROVING RURAL HEALTHCARE. 

21 Section 6101 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

22 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4725) is amend23 ed— 

24 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘COM25 BATING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER IN RURAL


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1 AMERICA’’ and inserting ‘‘IMPROVING THE

2 RURAL CARE ECONOMY’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (a), by striking the subsection 

4 designation and heading and all that follows through 

5 period at the end of paragraph (1) and inserting the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(a) IMPROVING RURAL HEALTHCARE.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IMPROVING RURAL HEALTHCARE AC9 CESS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) PRIORITIZATIONS.—The Secretary 

11 shall make the following prioritizations for fis12 cal years 2025 through 2031: 

13 ‘‘(i) DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELE14 MEDICINE.—In addition to the priorities 

15 under section 2333(d) of the Food, Agri16 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 

17 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–2(d)), in selecting 

18 recipients of financial assistance under 

19 chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XXIII of 

20 that Act (7 U.S.C. 950aaa et seq.), the 

21 Secretary shall give priority to telemedicine 

22 projects that— 

23 ‘‘(I) provide substance use dis24 order prevention services, treatment 


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1 services, recovery services, or any 

2 combination of those services; or 

3 ‘‘(II) provide mental or behav4 ioral health services. 

5 ‘‘(ii) COMMUNITY FACILITIES DIRECT

6 LOANS AND GRANTS.— 

7 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—In selecting 

8 recipients of direct loans or grants for 

9 the development of essential commu10 nity facilities under section 306(a) of 

11 the Consolidated Farm and Rural De12 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)), the 

13 Secretary shall give priority to entities 

14 eligible for those direct loans or 

15 grants to develop— 

16 ‘‘(aa) healthcare facilities; or 

17 ‘‘(bb) mental or behavioral 

18 health facilities, including cer19 tified community behavioral 

20 health clinics described in section 

21 223 of the Protecting Access to 

22 Medicare Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 

23 1396a note; Public Law 113–93). 

24 ‘‘(II) USE OF FUNDS.—In addi25 tion to the eligible uses of direct loans 


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1 or grants for the development of es2 sential community facilities under sec3 tion 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

4 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1926(a)), an entity described in sub6 clause (I) that receives a direct loan 

7 or grant for a purpose described in 

8 that subclause may use the direct loan 

9 or grant funds for— 

10 ‘‘(aa) providing medical sup11 plies to increase medical surge 

12 capacity; 

13 ‘‘(bb) increasing telehealth 

14 capabilities, including underlying 

15 healthcare information systems; 

16 ‘‘(cc) supporting staffing 

17 needs of the facility described in 

18 that subclause, subject to the 

19 condition that the eligible entity 

20 shall not use more than 25 per21 cent of the direct loan or grant 

22 funds for the purpose described 

23 in this item; and 

24 ‘‘(dd) engaging in any other 

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1 ment determined to be critical to 

2 address the healthcare or mental 

3 or behavioral health needs of 

4 rural areas, as determined by the 

5 Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON OTHER

7 REPRIORITIZATIONS.—For fiscal years 2025 

8 through 2031, the Secretary shall not make any 

9 national reprioritizations within the Community 

10 Facilities direct loan and grant programs or the 

11 Distance Learning and Telemedicine programs 

12 under section 608 of the Rural Development 

13 Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–2).’’. 

14 SEC. 6102. IMPROVING RURAL CHILDCARE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6101(a) of the Agri16 culture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 

17 132 Stat. 4725) (as amended by section 6101(2)) is 

18 amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(2) IMPROVING CHILDCARE IN RURAL

21 AMERICA.— 

22 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF CHILDCARE PRO23 GRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In this paragraph, 

2 the term ‘childcare program’ means a pro3 gram that— 

4 ‘‘(I) provides quality care and 

5 early education for children who— 

6 ‘‘(aa) are in elementary 

7 school or secondary school (as 

8 those terms are defined in section 

9 8101 of the Elementary and Sec10 ondary Education Act of 1965 

11 (20 U.S.C. 7801)); or 

12 ‘‘(bb) have not yet entered 

13 elementary school (as so defined); 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(II) is operated by— 

16 ‘‘(aa) an eligible childcare 

17 provider described in section 

18 658P(6)(A) of the Child Care 

19 and Development Block Grant 

20 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

21 9858n(6)(A)); or 

22 ‘‘(bb) a childcare provider 

23 that, on the date of enactment of 

24 this Act— 


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1 ‘‘(AA) is licensed, regu2 lated, or registered in the 

3 State, territory, or Indian 

4 Tribe in which the provider 

5 is located; and 

6 ‘‘(BB) meets applicable 

7 State, Tribal, territorial, and 

8 local health and safety re9 quirements. 

10 ‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—In this paragraph, 

11 the term ‘childcare program’ includes— 

12 ‘‘(I) a school-based program de13 scribed in clause (i); 

14 ‘‘(II) a program described in 

15 clause (i) that accommodates non16 traditional working hours; 

17 ‘‘(III) a program described in 

18 clause (i) that is an Early Head Start 

19 or Head Start program, including a 

20 migrant and seasonal Head Start pro21 gram, carried out under the Head 

22 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); 

23 ‘‘(IV) a facility used for a pro24 gram described in clause (i); and 


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1 ‘‘(V) a service provided under a 

2 program described in clause (i). 

3 ‘‘(B) PRIORITIZATIONS.—The Secretary 

4 shall make the following prioritizations for fis5 cal years 2025 through 2031: 

6 ‘‘(i) COMMUNITY FACILITIES DIRECT

7 LOANS AND GRANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—In addition 

9 to the priorities described in para10 graph (1)(A)(ii), in selecting recipi11 ents of direct loans or grants for the 

12 development of essential community 

13 facilities under section 306(a) of the 

14 Consolidated Farm and Rural Devel15 opment Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)), the 

16 Secretary shall give priority to entities 

17 eligible for those direct loans or 

18 grants to develop facilities used for a 

19 childcare program, subject to the con20 dition that the childcare program that 

21 uses those facilities shall employ staff 

22 that have appropriate expertise and 

23 training in childcare. 

24 ‘‘(II) USE OF FUNDS.—In addi25 tion to the eligible uses of direct loans 


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1 or grants for the development of es2 sential community facilities under sec3 tion 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm 

4 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1926(a)), an entity described in sub6 clause (I) that receives a direct loan 

7 or grant for the purpose described in 

8 that subclause may use the direct loan 

9 or grant funds to support the staffing 

10 needs of the facility described in that 

11 subclause, subject to the condition 

12 that the eligible entity shall not use 

13 more than 25 percent of the direct 

14 loan or grant funds for staffing pur15 poses. 

16 ‘‘(ii) RURAL BUSINESS PROGRAMS.— 

17 In selecting recipients of financial assist18 ance under the rural business development 

19 grant program under section 310B(c) of 

20 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop21 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)), the rural co22 operative development grant program 

23 under section 310B(e) of that Act (7 

24 U.S.C. 1932(e)), the rural microentre25 preneur assistance program under section 


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1 379E of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s), and 

2 the rural innovation stronger economy 

3 (RISE) grant program under section 379I 

4 of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w), the Sec5 retary may give priority to entities eligible 

6 for financial assistance under those sec7 tions— 

8 ‘‘(I) to provide technical or finan9 cial assistance for the acquisition, con10 struction, renovation, or improvement 

11 of facilities used for a childcare pro12 gram; 

13 ‘‘(II) to provide technical, finan14 cial, or managerial assistance to 

15 childcare programs; 

16 ‘‘(III) to assist in securing pri17 vate sources of capital financing for 

18 childcare programs or other low-in19 come community development; or 

20 ‘‘(IV) to address the needs of li21 censed childcare programs located in 

22 the home of the childcare program 

23 provider. 

24 ‘‘(C) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 

25 years after the date of enactment of the Rural 


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1 Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, the 

2 Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive quan3 titative and qualitative evaluation of the 

4 projects carried out under this paragraph to im5 prove access to childcare programs in rural 

6 areas, including a description of— 

7 ‘‘(i) the types of projects carried out 

8 under this paragraph; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the communities in which those 

10 projects are carried out; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the organizations and entities 

12 participating in those projects; 

13 ‘‘(iv) the types of partnerships devel14 oped to carry out those projects; and 

15 ‘‘(v) the economic and social impacts 

16 of investments in rural childcare pro17 grams.’’. 

18 (b) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION ON RURAL

19 CHILDCARE.—Beginning not later than 180 days after the 

20 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Sec21 retary of Health and Human Services shall— 

22 (1) regularly coordinate to provide user-friendly 

23 resources to stakeholders in rural communities with 

24 information to improve access to childcare facilities 


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1 in those communities, including information relating 

2 to— 

3 (A) programs and funding opportunities at 

4 the Department of Agriculture and the Depart5 ment of Health and Human Services that can 

6 be used to improve childcare access in rural 

7 communities; 

8 (B) eligibility requirements for the pro9 grams described in subparagraph (A); and 

10 (C) considerations in leveraging Federal 

11 resources; and 

12 (2) not less frequently than once every 2 years, 

13 publish or update a joint resource guide that con14 tains the information described in paragraph (1). 

15 SEC. 6103. ACCESS TO CREDIT FOR RURAL HEALTHCARE 

16 AND CHILDCARE. 

17 Section 6101 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

18 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4725) is amended 

19 by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(c) ACCESS TO CREDIT FOR CARE INDUSTRIES.— 

21 Of the amount made available for business and industry 

22 guaranteed loans under section 310B(g) of the Consoli23 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

24 1932(g)) for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2031, the 

25 Secretary shall make available not less than 10 percent 


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1 for supporting childcare programs (as defined in sub2 section (a)(2)(A)) and healthcare.’’. 

3 Subtitle B—Rural Partnerships 

4 and Prosperity 

5 SEC. 6201. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this subtitle: 

7 (1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

8 means an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization (as 

9 those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian 

10 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 

11 (25 U.S.C. 5304)), including a wholly or majority 

12 owned Tribal entity or corporation that provides 

13 services or programs consistent with the purposes of 

14 the applicable program under this subtitle. 

15 (2) RURAL; RURAL AREA.—The terms ‘‘rural’’ 

16 and ‘‘rural area’’ have the meaning given those 

17 terms in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated 

18 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

19 1991(a)(13)(A)). 

20 SEC. 6202. RURAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM GRANTS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

22 program to make multiyear grant awards to coordinate 

23 Federal, nonprofit, and for-profit investment in rural 

24 areas. 

25 (b) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 (1) TERM.—The term of a grant awarded 

2 under subsection (a) shall be not less than 2 years 

3 and not more than 5 years. 

4 (2) AWARDS.—Except as provided in para5 graphs (3) and (4), the State offices of the rural de6 velopment mission area shall be responsible for re7 viewing applications for grant awards under sub8 section (a) and selecting eligible applicants described 

9 in subsection (d) for those grant awards. 

10 (3) TRIBAL AWARDS.—Except as provided in 

11 paragraph (4), in the case of grants under sub12 section (a) allocated to Indian Tribes under sub13 section (c)(1)(B), the national office of the rural de14 velopment mission area shall be responsible for re15 viewing applications for grant awards under sub16 section (a) and selecting eligible applicants described 

17 in subsection (d) for those grant awards. 

18 (4) COMPETITIVE PROCESS.—If the amount 

19 made available to carry out this section for a fiscal 

20 year under section 6205 is less than $50,000,000, 

21 the national office of the rural development mission 

22 area shall be responsible for reviewing applications 

23 for grant awards under subsection (a) and selecting 

24 eligible applicants described in subsection (d) for 

25 those grant awards— 


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1 (A) on a competitive basis; and 

2 (B) by giving priority to areas that have 

3 higher nonmetropolitan poverty levels and lower 

4 population levels, while ensuring that grants 

5 under this section are awarded in diverse geo6 graphic regions of the United States. 

7 (c) GRANT ALLOCATION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub9 section (b)(4), the Secretary shall allocate funding 

10 for grants under subsection (a)— 

11 (A) for each State based on a formula de12 termined by the Secretary in accordance with 

13 paragraph (2); and 

14 (B) for Indian Tribes in such amounts as 

15 the Secretary determines to be appropriate, 

16 subject to the condition that the total amount 

17 allocated to Indian Tribes under this subpara18 graph shall not be less than 5 percent of the 

19 amount made available to carry out this section 

20 for a fiscal year under section 6205, with In21 dian Tribes located in areas that have higher 

22 poverty levels and lower populations receiving 

23 higher levels of funding. 

24 (2) ALLOCATION REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall de2 velop a graduated scale to allocate funding for 

3 States under paragraph (1)(A) based on the 

4 nonmetropolitan poverty and population levels 

5 in each State. 

6 (B) LIMITATION.—The amount allocated 

7 to any State under subparagraph (A) shall not 

8 exceed 5 percent of the amount made available 

9 to carry out this section for a fiscal year under 

10 section 6205. 

11 (3) SMALL STATE EXCEPTION TO FORMULA.— 

12 Notwithstanding paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A), the 

13 Secretary shall ensure that each State is allocated 

14 an amount for grants under this subsection that is 

15 sufficient to fulfill the purposes of the program es16 tablished under this section, as determined by the 

17 Secretary. 

18 (4) REALLOCATION.—If a State or Indian Tribe 

19 does not use funds allocated to the State or Indian 

20 Tribe under this subsection, the Secretary may re21 allocate the unused funds to 1 or more other States 

22 or Indian Tribes, each of which has used all of the 

23 funding allocated to the State or Indian Tribe under 

24 this subsection. 


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1 (d) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—To be eligible to receive 

2 a grant under subsection (a), an applicant shall— 

3 (1) propose to serve a rural area; 

4 (2) be composed of a partnership of 2 or more 

5 of— 

6 (A) an instrumentality or political subdivi7 sion of a State, such as a municipality, county, 

8 district, or authority; 

9 (B) a nonprofit corporation or association 

10 with significant ties to the rural area described 

11 in paragraph (1), including through— 

12 (i) association with, or control by, 1 

13 or more public bodies in the rural area; 

14 (ii) broadly based ownership and con15 trol by members of the rural area; or 

16 (iii) a substantial public funding con17 tribution to the rural area through taxes, 

18 revenue bonds, other local government 

19 sources, or substantial voluntary commu20 nity funding; 

21 (C) a cooperative with significant ties to 

22 the rural area described in paragraph (1); 

23 (D) a for-profit entity with a significant 

24 presence in the rural area described in para25 graph (1); 


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1 (E) an institution of higher education— 

2 (i) with a significant contribution to 

3 or presence in the rural area described in 

4 paragraph (1); and 

5 (ii) that includes representatives who 

6 are members of the rural area; and 

7 (F) an Indian Tribe— 

8 (i) in a rural area described in para9 graph (1); and 

10 (ii) with demonstrated support from 

11 the Tribal council or duly elected Tribal 

12 executive of the appropriate Tribal govern13 ment; and 

14 (3) demonstrate cooperation among the mem15 bers of the partnership described in paragraph (2) 

16 necessary to complete comprehensive, asset-based 

17 rural development through eligible activities de18 scribed in subsection (e). 

19 (e) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible applicant de20 scribed in subsection (d) that receives a grant under sub21 section (a) may use the grant funds in rural areas— 

22 (1) to coordinate Federal, State, regional, or 

23 Tribal initiatives to reduce duplicative efforts with 

24 respect to Federal investments; 


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1 (2) to leverage non-Federal financial and tech2 nical resources; 

3 (3) to complete comprehensive predevelopment 

4 activities and planning; 

5 (4) to create public-private partnerships and at6 tract private investment; 

7 (5) to support eligible operational activities, in8 cluding staffing, of the eligible applicants, except 

9 that a for-profit entity may not use the grant funds 

10 for the purpose described in this paragraph; 

11 (6) to provide capital to existing or new 

12 projects, subject to the condition that not more than 

13 50 percent of the grant funds may be used for that 

14 purpose; 

15 (7) to support regional projects and initiatives; 

16 (8) to address economic recovery from emer17 gencies and natural or man-made disasters; and 

18 (9) to develop strategic community investment 

19 plans described in section 379H(d) of the Consoli20 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

21 2008v(d)). 

22 (f) INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible applicant 

23 described in subsection (d) that receives a grant under 

24 subsection (a) may not use the grant funds— 


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1 (1) to fund operational activities, including 

2 staffing, at a for-profit institution; 

3 (2) to purchase or lease real property; or 

4 (3) to support a non-rural area. 

5 (g) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding grants 

6 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to 

7 an eligible applicant described in subsection (d) that pro8 poses to serve— 

9 (1) a rural area with a significant change in 

10 population, as determined by the Secretary; 

11 (2) a rural area with significant workforce 

12 changes or changes in major employers, as deter13 mined by the Secretary; 

14 (3) an economically distressed rural area, as de15 termined by the Secretary; 

16 (4) a rural area that has historically received 

17 minimal Federal funding, as determined by the Sec18 retary; or 

19 (5) a rural area for the purpose of job retention 

20 and economic stabilization, as determined by the 

21 Secretary. 

22 (h) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), an 

24 eligible applicant described in subsection (d) that re25 ceives a grant under subsection (a) shall provide 


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1 non-Federal matching funds in the form of cash or 

2 an in-kind contribution in an amount that is not less 

3 than 25 percent of the amount of the grant. 

4 (2) WAIVER.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

6 waive the requirement under paragraph (1) 

7 based on the demonstrated need of the eligible 

8 applicant or the population served by the eligi9 ble applicant, as determined by the Secretary, 

10 including— 

11 (i) an eligible applicant serving an 

12 area with a higher nonmetropolitan poverty 

13 level; 

14 (ii) an eligible applicant serving a 

15 Tribal population; and 

16 (iii) an eligible applicant composed of 

17 a partnership that includes an entity de18 scribed in subsection (d)(2)(A). 

19 (B) JUSTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall 

20 provide to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

21 House of Representatives and the Committee 

22 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

23 Senate a justification for each waiver provided 

24 under subparagraph (A). 


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1 (3) PROVIDERS.—Non-Federal matching funds 

2 under paragraph (1) may be provided by any mem3 ber of the applicable partnership described in sub4 section (d)(2). 

5 (i) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

6 this section in coordination with the Rural Partners Net7 work established by section 6306 of the Agriculture Im8 provement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3). 

9 (j) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary may retain not 

10 more than 2 percent of the amounts made available to 

11 carry out this section for administration of the program 

12 established under this section. 

13 SEC. 6203. RURAL PARTNERSHIP TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

14 GRANTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

16 program to award grants, on a competitive basis, for up 

17 to a 5-year period, to be administered at the national level 

18 through the Under Secretary for Rural Development, for 

19 the purpose of advising on and assisting rural community 

20 organizations with— 

21 (1) Federal grant management and the develop22 ment of financial management systems; 

23 (2) housing or community economic develop24 ment projects; and 


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1 (3) the development of placemaking plans and 

2 applications for Federal grants. 

3 (b) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—To be eligible to receive 

4 a grant under subsection (a), an applicant shall be a quali5 fied private or nonprofit intermediary organization, includ6 ing an institution of higher education with an existing 

7 community development and planning program, including 

8 an extension program, that has demonstrated experience 

9 and capacity to provide technical assistance on community 

10 development and planning in rural areas. 

11 (c) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible applicant de12 scribed in subsection (b) that receives a grant under sub13 section (a) may use the grant funds to support the capac14 ity building and economic development of identified rural 

15 areas and local partners in those rural areas through one 

16 or more of the following activities: 

17 (1) Training and supporting local staff, includ18 ing relating to systems development and support. 

19 (2) Identifying vetted technical consultants for 

20 planning and designing physical infrastructure. 

21 (3) Facilitating coordination between Federal 

22 agencies and local partners. 

23 (4) Providing expertise on developing public-pri24 vate partnerships. 


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1 (5) Development and project predevelopment 

2 activities. 

3 (6) Grant writing and grant management ac4 tivities. 

5 (d) INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible applicant 

6 described in subsection (b) that receives a grant under 

7 subsection (a) may not use the grant funds— 

8 (1) to fund staffing at a for-profit entity; 

9 (2) to purchase or lease real property, build10 ings, or equipment; 

11 (3) to support a non-rural area; or 

12 (4) for research and development. 

13 (e) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under subsection 

14 (a), the Secretary may give priority to an eligible applicant 

15 described in subsection (b) that serves— 

16 (1) a nonmetropolitan area with a high poverty 

17 level, as determined by the Secretary; or 

18 (2) an Indian Tribe with demonstrated support 

19 from the Tribal council or duly elected Tribal execu20 tive of the appropriate Tribal government. 

21 (f) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), an 

23 eligible applicant described in subsection (b) that re24 ceives a grant under subsection (a) shall provide 


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1 non-Federal matching funds in an amount that is 

2 not less than 30 percent of the amount of the grant. 

3 (2) WAIVER.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

5 waive the requirement under paragraph (1) 

6 based on the demonstrated need of the area in 

7 which activities using the grant are to be car8 ried out, as determined by the Secretary. 

9 (B) JUSTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall 

10 provide to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

11 House of Representatives and the Committee 

12 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

13 Senate a justification for each waiver provided 

14 under subparagraph (A). 

15 (g) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary may retain not 

16 more than 2 percent of the amounts made available to 

17 carry out this section for administration of the program 

18 established under this section. 

19 SEC. 6204. RURAL PARTNERS NETWORK. 

20 Section 6306 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

21 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3) is amended— 

22 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘COUN23 CIL ON RURAL COMMUNITY INNOVATION AND

24 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘RURAL PARTNERS NETWORK’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘council’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘network’’; 

3 (3) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established a 

7 Rural Partners Network (referred to in this section 

8 as the ‘Network’). 

9 ‘‘(2) SUCCESSOR.—The Network shall be the 

10 successor to the Council on Rural Community Inno11 vation and Economic Development established by 

12 this section (as in effect on the day before the date 

13 of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se14 curity Act of 2024).’’; 

15 (4) in subsection (c)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) by striking subparagraphs (C), 

18 (D), (N), (Q), (R), (S), (T), (V), (X), (Y), 

19 and (Z); 

20 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

21 (E) through (M), (O), (P), (U), (W), and 

22 (AA) as subparagraphs (C) through (K), 

23 (L), (M), (N), (O), and (X), respectively; 

24 and 


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1 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

2 (O) (as so redesignated) the following: 

3 ‘‘(P) The Federal Deposit Insurance Cor4 poration. 

5 ‘‘(Q) The Appalachian Regional Commis6 sion. 

7 ‘‘(R) The Consumer Financial Protection 

8 Bureau. 

9 ‘‘(S) The Social Security Administration. 

10 ‘‘(T) The Delta Regional Authority. 

11 ‘‘(U) The Denali Commission. 

12 ‘‘(V) The Northern Border Regional Com13 mission. 

14 ‘‘(W) The Southeast Crescent Regional 

15 Commission.’’; and 

16 (B) in paragraphs (2) through (4), by 

17 striking ‘‘Council’’ each place it appears and in18 serting ‘‘Network’’; 

19 (5) by striking subsection (d); 

20 (6) by redesignating subsections (e) through (h) 

21 as subsections (d) through (g), respectively; 

22 (7) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

23 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

24 ‘‘COUNCIL’’ and inserting ‘‘NETWORK’’; 


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1 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by striking ‘‘Council’’ and inserting ‘‘Network’’; 

3 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

4 the end; 

5 (D) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe6 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

7 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(4) to improve the efficiency of Federal assist9 ance to rural communities by— 

10 ‘‘(A) reducing administrative burdens on 

11 rural communities to pursue Federal funding; 

12 ‘‘(B) improving the administrative effi13 ciency of Federal economic development pro14 grams serving rural communities; and 

15 ‘‘(C) streamlining and simplifying the ap16 plication process for Federal funding opportuni17 ties for rural communities.’’; 

18 (8) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), in the 

19 matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Coun20 cil’’ and inserting ‘‘Network’’; 

21 (9) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated), by 

22 striking ‘‘Council’’ each place it appears and insert23 ing ‘‘Network’’; and 

24 (10) by striking subsection (g) (as so redesig25 nated) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(g) INNOVATIVE CROSS-AGENCY COORDINATION.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting as 

3 Chair of the Network, may carry out innovative 

4 strategies for coordinating with other Federal de5 partments and agencies with respect to programs 

6 that serve rural areas. 

7 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out paragraph 

8 (1), the Secretary shall prioritize— 

9 ‘‘(A) improving ease of access to Federal 

10 programs for resource-constrained rural com11 munities; 

12 ‘‘(B) utilizing early technical assistance to 

13 reduce duplicative applications and administra14 tive costs at the Federal level; 

15 ‘‘(C) leveraging partnerships with local, 

16 State, philanthropic, and private entities to 

17 maximize returns on Federal investments; 

18 ‘‘(D) integrating stakeholder and program 

19 user experience into program design; and 

20 ‘‘(E) targeting areas experiencing economic 

21 distress, as determined by the Secretary.’’. 

22 SEC. 6205. FUNDING. 

23 (a) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appropriated, 

24 out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise approVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00577 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 priated, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal 

2 year thereafter to carry out— 

3 (1) sections 6201 through 6203; and 

4 (2) section 6306 of the Agriculture Improve5 ment Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3). 

6 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi7 tion to the funds made available under subsection (a), 

8 there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as nec9 essary for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry 

10 out— 

11 (1) sections 6201 through 6203; and 

12 (2) section 6306 of the Agriculture Improve13 ment Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3). 

14 (c) LIMITATION.—Of the funds made available by 

15 and pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), respectively, for 

16 a fiscal year— 

17 (1) not more than 25 percent may be used to 

18 carry out section 6203; and 

19 (2) not more than 5 percent may be used to 

20 carry out section 6306 of the Agriculture Improve21 ment Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3). 


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1 Subtitle C—Rural Electrification 

2 Act of 1936 

3 PART I—RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS 

4 SEC. 6301. RECONNECT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 601 of the Rural Elec6 trification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking the section designation and 

8 heading and all that follows through the period at 

9 the end of subsection (f) and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 601. RECONNECT PROGRAM. 

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to 

12 provide assistance in the form of grants, loans, and com13 binations of grants and loans for the costs of the construc14 tion, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equip15 ment for broadband service in rural areas. 

16 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 ‘‘(1) BROADBAND SERVICE.—The term 

18 ‘broadband service’ means any technology identified 

19 by the Secretary as having the capacity to transmit 

20 data to enable a subscriber to the service to origi21 nate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, 

22 and video. 

23 ‘‘(2) RURAL AREA.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘rural area’ 

25 means any area other than— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an area described in clause (i) or 

2 (ii) of section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Con3 solidated Farm and Rural Development 

4 Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) a city, town, or incorporated area 

6 that has a population of greater than 

7 20,000 inhabitants. 

8 ‘‘(B) URBAN AREA GROWTH.—The Sec9 retary may, by regulation only, consider an area 

10 described in section 343(a)(13)(F)(i)(I) of that 

11 Act to not be a rural area for purposes of this 

12 section. 

13 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN POPU14 LATIONS.—The term ‘rural area’ does not in15 clude any population described in subparagraph 

16 (H) or (I) of section 343(a)(13) of the Consoli17 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

18 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)). 

19 ‘‘(c) GRANTS, LOANS, AND COMBINATIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

21 grants, loans, and combinations of grants and loans 

22 to eligible entities described in subsection (d) to pro23 vide funds for the construction, improvement, or ac24 quisition of facilities and equipment for the provision 

25 of broadband service in rural areas. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PROJECT ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for 

2 a grant, loan, or grant and loan combination under 

3 paragraph (1), in addition to the requirements of 

4 subsection (d), the project that is the subject of the 

5 grant, loan, or grant and loan combination shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) provide broadband service of at 

7 least— 

8 ‘‘(i) a 100-Mbps downstream trans9 mission capacity; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) a 100-Mbps upstream trans11 mission capacity; and 

12 ‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (4), be carried 

13 out in a proposed service territory in which at 

14 least 75 percent of the households lack access 

15 to broadband service of at least— 

16 ‘‘(i) a 100-Mbps downstream trans17 mission capacity; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) a 20-Mbps upstream trans19 mission capacity. 

20 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making grants, loans, and 

21 grant and loan combinations under paragraph (1), 

22 the Secretary— 

23 ‘‘(A) shall give priority to applications for 

24 projects to provide broadband service in a pro25 posed service territory in which at least 90 perVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00581 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 cent of households lack access to broadband 

2 service of at least— 

3 ‘‘(i) a 100-Mbps downstream trans4 mission capacity; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) a 20-Mbps upstream trans6 mission capacity; and 

7 ‘‘(B) may give priority to applications for 

8 projects to provide broadband service— 

9 ‘‘(i) in proposed service territories— 

10 ‘‘(I) with a population of less 

11 than 10,000 permanent residents; 

12 ‘‘(II) that are experiencing out13 migration and have adopted a stra14 tegic community investment plan 

15 under section 379H(d) of the Consoli16 dated Farm and Rural Development 

17 Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v(d)) that includes 

18 considerations for improving and ex19 panding broadband service; 

20 ‘‘(III) with a high percentage of 

21 low income families or persons (as de22 fined in section 501(b) of the Housing 

23 Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471(b)); 


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1 ‘‘(IV) that are isolated from 

2 other significant population centers; 

3 or 

4 ‘‘(V) that have systems vulner5 able to cybersecurity attacks; 

6 ‘‘(ii) that would ensure that all labor7 ers and mechanics employed by contractors 

8 or subcontractors on the construction work 

9 performed on projects financed, in whole or 

10 in part, with the grant, loan, or grant and 

11 loan combination shall be paid wages at 

12 rates not less than those prevailing on 

13 similar construction in the immediate local14 ity as determined by the Secretary of 

15 Labor in accordance with sections 3141 

16 through 3144, 3146, and 3147 of title 40, 

17 United States Code; 

18 ‘‘(iii) that would provide rapid and ex19 panded deployment of fixed and mobile 

20 broadband service on cropland and ranch21 land within the service territory for use in 

22 various applications of precision agri23 culture; or 

24 ‘‘(iv) submitted by an eligible entity 

25 that has provided broadband service or 


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1 other utility service for not less than 5 

2 years in rural areas in the State in which 

3 the project would be carried out. 

4 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT5 ONLY AWARDS.—To be eligible for assistance under 

6 paragraph (1) in the form of a grant only, in addi7 tion to the requirements of subsection (d)— 

8 ‘‘(A) an entity shall be— 

9 ‘‘(i) a federally recognized Indian 

10 Tribe or Tribal organization, including any 

11 wholly or majority owned Tribal entity or 

12 corporation that provides services or pro13 grams consistent with the purposes of the 

14 program under this section; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) an entity serving— 

16 ‘‘(I) a colonia; 

17 ‘‘(II) a persistent poverty county, 

18 as determined by the Secretary; or 

19 ‘‘(III) a socially vulnerable com20 munity, as determined by the Sec21 retary; or 

22 ‘‘(B) the project that is the subject of the 

23 grant shall be carried out in a proposed service 

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1 holds lack access to broadband service of at 

2 least— 

3 ‘‘(i) a 100-Mbps downstream trans4 mission capacity; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) a 20-Mbps upstream trans6 mission capacity. 

7 ‘‘(5) APPLICATION COSTS.—An entity to which 

8 a grant or grant and loan combination is made 

9 under this subsection may use such funding to pay 

10 for up to 5 percent of the costs associated with ap11 plying for the program under this section. 

12 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY.— 

13 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to ob15 tain a grant, loan, or grant and loan combina16 tion under subsection (c), an entity shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) submit to the Secretary an appli18 cation at such time, in such manner, and 

19 containing such information as the Sec20 retary may require; 

21 ‘‘(ii) agree to complete buildout of the 

22 broadband infrastructure described in the 

23 application by not later than 5 years after 

24 the initial date on which assistance under 

25 subsection (c) is made available; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) participate or agree to partici2 pate in— 

3 ‘‘(I) the Affordable Connectivity 

4 Program established under section 

5 904(b) of division N of the Consoli6 dated Appropriations Act, 2021 (47 

7 U.S.C. 1752(b)); 

8 ‘‘(II) the Lifeline program under 

9 subpart E of part 54 of title 47, Code 

10 of Federal Regulations (or any suc11 cessor regulation); or 

12 ‘‘(III) any successor Federal 

13 internet affordability assistance pro14 gram. 

15 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—An entity eligible to 

16 obtain a grant, loan, or grant and loan com17 bination under subsection (c) may include— 

18 ‘‘(i) a State or local government, in19 cluding any agency, subdivision, instru20 mentality, or political subdivision of a 

21 State or local government; 

22 ‘‘(ii) a territory or possession of the 

23 United States; 

24 ‘‘(iii) a federally recognized Indian 

25 Tribe or Tribal organization, including any 


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1 wholly or majority owned Tribal entity or 

2 corporation that provides services or pro3 grams consistent with the purposes of the 

4 program under this section; 

5 ‘‘(iv) a cooperative or mutual organi6 zation; 

7 ‘‘(v) an organization of 2 or more in8 corporated areas that have established an 

9 intermunicipal legal agreement for the pur10 pose of delivering communication services 

11 to residents; 

12 ‘‘(vi) a corporation; and 

13 ‘‘(vii) a limited liability company or 

14 limited liability partnership. 

15 ‘‘(C) INELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An indi16 vidual or legal general partnership that is 

17 formed with individuals shall not be eligible to 

18 obtain a grant, loan, or grant and loan com19 bination under subsection (c). 

20 ‘‘(D) LIMITATION.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity 

22 described in this paragraph that provides 

23 telecommunications or broadband service 

24 to at least 20 percent of the households in 

25 the United States may not receive an 


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1 amount of funds under this section for a 

2 fiscal year in excess of 15 percent of the 

3 funds authorized and appropriated under 

4 subsection (i) for the fiscal year. 

5 ‘‘(ii) STATES AND STATE AGENCIES

6 AND INSTRUMENTALITIES.—A State or an 

7 agency or instrumentality of a State may 

8 not, in total, receive an amount of funds 

9 under this section for a fiscal year in ex10 cess of 15 percent of the funds authorized 

11 and appropriated under subsection (i) for 

12 the fiscal year. 

13 ‘‘(E) PREVIOUS AWARDS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An entity to which 

15 a grant or grant and loan combination is 

16 made under subsection (c) shall not use 

17 the grant or grant and loan combination to 

18 deploy broadband service in a service area 

19 in which broadband service is deployed by 

20 any other entity that has received, prior to 

21 the date on which the application window 

22 is opened by the Rural Utilities Service 

23 with respect to that grant or grant and 

24 loan combination, a broadband grant or 

25 loan from the Rural Utilities Service, the 


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1 National Telecommunications and Infor2 mation Administration, the Department of 

3 the Treasury, the Federal Communications 

4 Commission, or a State broadband grant 

5 program, unless the service provided by the 

6 other entity does not provide to at least 75 

7 percent of the households in the service 

8 area access to broadband service of at 

9 least— 

10 ‘‘(I) a 100-Mbps downstream 

11 transmission capacity; and 

12 ‘‘(II) a 20-Mbps upstream trans13 mission capacity. 

14 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATION.—In carrying 

15 out clause (i), the Secretary shall, at a 

16 minimum, consider the maps created by 

17 the Federal Communications Commission 

18 pursuant to section 802(c)(1) of the Com19 munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 

20 642(c)(1)). 

21 ‘‘(2) EQUITY REQUIREMENTS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may re23 quire an entity to provide a cost share in an 

24 amount not to exceed 25 percent of the amount 

25 of the grant (including the grant in a grant and 


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1 loan combination) under subsection (c) re2 quested in the application of the entity. 

3 ‘‘(B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

4 the cost share requirement under subparagraph 

5 (A) for entities or projects described in sub6 section (c)(4). 

7 ‘‘(3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

9 provide to eligible entities described in para10 graph (1) that are applying for assistance 

11 under this section for a project described in 

12 subsection (c)(3)(A) technical assistance and 

13 training— 

14 ‘‘(i) to prepare reports and surveys 

15 necessary to request grants, loans, and 

16 grant and loan combinations under this 

17 section for broadband deployment; 

18 ‘‘(ii) to improve management, includ19 ing financial management, relating to the 

20 proposed broadband deployment; 

21 ‘‘(iii) to prepare applications for 

22 grants, loans, and grant and loan combina23 tions under this section; or 

24 ‘‘(iv) to assist with other areas of 

25 need identified by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(B) FUNDING.—Not less than 3 percent 

2 and not more than 5 percent of amounts appro3 priated under subsection (i) to carry out this 

4 section for a fiscal year shall be used for tech5 nical assistance and training under this para6 graph. 

7 ‘‘(e) BROADBAND SERVICE.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

9 for purposes of this section, the minimum acceptable 

10 level of broadband service for a rural area shall be 

11 at least— 

12 ‘‘(A) a 100-Mbps downstream transmission 

13 capacity; and 

14 ‘‘(B) a 100-Mbps upstream transmission 

15 capacity. 

16 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—At least once every 2 

17 years, the Secretary shall review, and may adjust 

18 through notice published in the Federal Register, 

19 the minimum acceptable level of broadband service 

20 established under paragraph (1) and broadband 

21 buildout requirements under paragraph (3) to en22 sure that high quality, cost-effective broadband serv23 ice is provided to rural areas over time. 

24 ‘‘(3) BROADBAND BUILDOUT REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF BROADBAND BUILD2 OUT REQUIREMENT.—In this paragraph, the 

3 term ‘broadband buildout requirement’ means 

4 the level of internet service an applicant receiv5 ing assistance under this section must agree, at 

6 the time the application is finalized, to provide 

7 for the duration of any project-related agree8 ment between the applicant and the Depart9 ment. 

10 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF BROADBAND

11 BUILDOUT REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 

12 shall establish broadband buildout requirements 

13 that— 

14 ‘‘(i) utilize the same metrics used to 

15 define the minimum acceptable level of 

16 broadband service under paragraph (1); 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) reasonably ensure— 

19 ‘‘(I) the repayment of all loans; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(II) the financed network is 

22 technically capable of providing 

23 broadband service for the lifetime of 

24 any project-related agreement. 


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1 ‘‘(C) SUBSTITUTE SERVICE STANDARDS

2 FOR UNIQUE SERVICE TERRITORIES.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If an applicant 

4 shows that it would be cost prohibitive to 

5 meet the broadband buildout requirements 

6 established under this paragraph for the 

7 entirety of a proposed service territory due 

8 to the unique characteristics of the pro9 posed service territory, the Secretary and 

10 the applicant may agree to utilize sub11 stitute standards for any unserved portion 

12 of the project. 

13 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.—Any substitute 

14 service standards described in clause (i) 

15 should continue to consider the best tech16 nology available to meet the needs of the 

17 residents in the unserved area.’’; 

18 (2) by redesignating subsections (g), (h), and 

19 (i) as subsections (f), (g), and (h), respectively; 

20 (3) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated)— 

21 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

22 ‘‘LOANS AND LOAN GUARANTEES.—’’ and in23 serting ‘‘LOANS.—’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding subpara2 graph (A), by striking ‘‘or loan guar3 antee’’; and 

4 (ii) in subparagraph (A)— 

5 (I) by striking clause (ii); 

6 (II) by striking ‘‘Secretary—’’ in 

7 the matter preceding clause (i) and all 

8 that follows through ‘‘in the case’’ in 

9 the matter preceding subclause (I) of 

10 clause (i) and inserting ‘‘Secretary in 

11 the case’’; and 

12 (III) by redesignating subclauses 

13 (I) and (II) as clauses (i) and (ii), re14 spectively, and indenting appro15 priately; 

16 (4) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by 

17 striking ‘‘or loan guarantee’’ each place it appears; 

18 (5) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated), in 

19 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘1974)’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘1974 (2 U.S.C. 661a))’’; and 

21 (6) by striking subsections (j) and (k) and in22 serting the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) FUNDING.— 

24 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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1 retary to carry out subsections (a) through (h) 

2 $650,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

3 2029, to remain available until expended. 

4 ‘‘(2) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appro5 priated to the Secretary, out of amounts in the 

6 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $100,000,000 

7 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter 

8 to carry out subsections (a) through (h), to remain 

9 available until expended. 

10 ‘‘(3) DIRECT FUNDING.— 

11 ‘‘(A) RESCISSION.—There is rescinded the 

12 unobligated balance of amounts made available 

13 to carry out section 779 of division A of the 

14 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public 

15 Law 115–141; 132 Stat. 399). 

16 ‘‘(B) DIRECT FUNDING.—On the day after 

17 the execution of the rescission in subparagraph 

18 (A), there is appropriated to the Secretary, out 

19 of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise ap20 propriated, an amount equal to the amount re21 scinded in subparagraph (A), to carry out sub22 sections (a) through (h), to remain available 

23 until expended. 

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1 graphs (1) through (3) shall be available to the Sec2 retary for the administration of subsections (a) 

3 through (h). 

4 ‘‘(j) ADDITIONAL RURAL BROADBAND PROGRAM

5 LOANS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide 

7 direct and guaranteed loans in accordance with the 

8 requirements under this section, as in effect on the 

9 day before the date of enactment of the Rural Pros10 perity and Food Security Act of 2024. 

11 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec13 retary to carry out this subsection $350,000,000 for 

14 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain 

15 available until expended.’’. 

16 (b) SUNSET.—Beginning on the date that is 120 days 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, section 779 of 

18 division A of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 

19 (Public Law 115–141; 132 Stat. 399), shall have no force 

20 or effect. 

21 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 701(b)(2) 

22 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 

23 950cc(b)(2)) is amended, in the matter preceding subpara24 graph (A), by striking ‘‘section 601(c)(2)(A)(i)’’ and in25 serting ‘‘section 601(c)(3)(A)’’. 


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1 (d) IMPROVING FEDERAL BROADBAND PROGRAM CO2 ORDINATION.—Section 6212 of the Agriculture Improve3 ment Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–6) is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), (c), 

5 and (d) as subsections (b), (c), (e), and (a), respec6 tively, and moving the subsections so as to appear 

7 in alphabetical order; 

8 (2) in subsection (a) (as so redesignated), in 

9 paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘section 601(b)(3) of the 

10 Rural Electrification Act of 1936’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘section 601(b) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

12 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(b))’’; 

13 (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), in 

14 paragraph (1)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in16 serting the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(B) ACCESS TO BROADBAND TELE20 COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES IN RURAL

21 AREAS.—On awarding a grant or loan under 

22 section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 

23 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb), the Secretary shall no24 tify the Commission of that award.’’; and 


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1 (4) by inserting after subsection (c) (as so re2 designated) the following: 

3 ‘‘(d) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING RELATING

4 TO OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall enter into a memo5 randum of understanding with the Assistant Secretary 

6 and the Commission to facilitate outreach to residents and 

7 businesses in rural areas, including— 

8 ‘‘(1) to evaluate the broadband service needs in 

9 rural areas; 

10 ‘‘(2) to inform residents and businesses in rural 

11 areas of available Federal programs that promote 

12 broadband access, broadband affordability, and 

13 broadband inclusion; and 

14 ‘‘(3) for such additional goals as the Secretary, 

15 the Assistant Secretary, and the Commission deter16 mine to be appropriate.’’. 

17 SEC. 6302. EXPANSION OF MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE 

18 INTO RURAL AREAS. 

19 Section 602(g) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

20 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–1(g)) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6303. INNOVATIVE BROADBAND ADVANCEMENT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 Section 603(e) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

4 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–2(e)) is amended by striking 

5 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 6304. COMMUNITY CONNECT GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 Section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

8 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–3) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘less 

11 than the’’ and all that follows through the pe12 riod at the end and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘less than— 

14 ‘‘(A) a 100-Mbps downstream transmission 

15 capacity; and 

16 ‘‘(B) a 20-Mbps upstream transmission ca17 pacity.’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) in the matter preceding subpara20 graph (A), by striking ‘‘an area’’ and in21 serting ‘‘a rural area’’; 

22 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

23 ‘‘10-Mbps’’ and inserting ‘‘25-Mbps’’; and 

24 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

25 ‘‘1-Mbps’’ and inserting ‘‘3-Mbps’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (d)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘area; 

2 or’’ and inserting ‘‘area (including any eligible 

3 broadband service that will be provided in the future 

4 in the eligible service area pursuant to enforceable 

5 commitments for network deployment applicable 

6 under another broadband funding program); or’’; 

7 and 

8 (3) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

10 PART II—ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS 

11 SEC. 6311. GUARANTEES FOR BONDS AND NOTES ISSUED 

12 FOR ELECTRIFICATION OR TELEPHONE PUR13 POSES. 

14 Section 313A(f) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

15 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–1(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 6312. RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOANS AND GRANTS. 

18 Section 313B(e)(1) of the Rural Electrification Act 

19 of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–2(e)(1)) is amended by striking 

20 ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

22 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6313. EXPANSION OF 911 ACCESS. 

2 Section 315(d) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

3 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940e(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 Subtitle D—Consolidated Farm and 

6 Rural Development Act 

7 SEC. 6401. WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND WASTEWATER 

8 FACILITY GRANTS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 306(a) of the Consoli10 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

11 1926(a)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘Indian tribes on’’ and in14 serting ‘‘Indian Tribes on’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘tribes, and’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘Tribes and Tribal organizations, including 

17 wholly or majority owned Tribal entities or cor18 porations that provide services or programs 

19 consistent with the purposes of the applicable 

20 program under this section, and’’; and 

21 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘per centum’’ and in24 serting ‘‘percent’’; and 

25 (ii) by striking ‘‘area.’’ and inserting 

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1 onstrated need, as determined by the Sec2 retary, the amount of a grant made under 

3 the authority of this subparagraph for nec4 essary expenses of developing a complete 

5 application to carry out an eligible project 

6 under this subparagraph may exceed 75 

7 percent, but shall not exceed 100 percent, 

8 of those expenses to be incurred.’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

10 (i) in clause (iii), by striking 

11 ‘‘$200,000’’ each place it appears and in12 serting ‘‘$500,000’’; and 

13 (ii) in clause (vii), by striking 

14 ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

15 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000,000 

16 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

17 2029’’. 

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 306(a) of 

19 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

20 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (13), in the first sentence, by 

22 striking ‘‘(including an Indian tribe’’ and all that 

23 follows through ‘‘tribal group)’’ and inserting ‘‘(in24 cluding Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations de25 scribed in paragraph (1))’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (19)(A), by striking ‘‘Indian 

2 Tribes’’ and all that follows through ‘‘federally rec3 ognized Indian tribes’’ and inserting ‘‘and Indian 

4 Tribes and Tribal organizations described in para5 graph (1)’’; 

6 (3) paragraph (20)(B), in the matter preceding 

7 clause (i), by striking ‘‘Indian tribes’’ and all that 

8 follows through ‘‘450b))’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian 

9 Tribes and Tribal organizations described in para10 graph (1)’’; 

11 (4) paragraph (21)(A)— 

12 (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

13 striking ‘‘Indian tribes’’ and all that follows 

14 through ‘‘450b))’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian Tribes 

15 and Tribal organizations described in para16 graph (1)’’; and 

17 (B) in clause (i)— 

18 (i) in subclause (I), by adding ‘‘or’’ 

19 after the semicolon; and 

20 (ii) by striking subclauses (II) and 

21 (III) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(II) an Indian Tribe or Tribal 

23 organization described in paragraph 

24 (1);’’. 


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1 (5) paragraph (26)(A), in the matter preceding 

2 clause (i), by striking ‘‘Indian tribes on Federal and 

3 State reservations’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian Tribes 

4 and Tribal organizations described in paragraph 

5 (1)’’. 

6 SEC. 6402. SEARCH GRANTS. 

7 Section 306(a)(2)(C)(ii) of the Consolidated Farm 

8 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(2)(C)(ii)) 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(III) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION.— 

11 In the case of demonstrated need, as 

12 determined by the Secretary, the non13 Federal share of the cost of a project 

14 funded under this subparagraph may 

15 be provided in the form of in-kind 

16 contributions.’’. 

17 SEC. 6403. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER TECHNICAL 

18 ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. 

19 Section 306(a)(14) of the Consolidated Farm and 

20 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(14)) is amend21 ed by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(D) MULTIYEAR GRANTS.—The Secretary 

23 may award grants under subparagraph (A) for 

24 a period of more than 1 year, but not more 

25 than 5 years, to private nonprofit organizations 


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1 described in subparagraph (B), as determined 

2 by the Secretary.’’. 

3 SEC. 6404. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CIRCUIT 

4 RIDER PROGRAM. 

5 Section 306(a)(22)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and 

6 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)(B)) is 

7 amended by striking ‘‘$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000,000 for each 

9 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’. 

10 SEC. 6405. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CYBERSECU11 RITY CIRCUIT RIDER PROGRAM. 

12 Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

13 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by in14 serting after paragraph (22) the following: 

15 ‘‘(23) RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CY16 BERSECURITY CIRCUIT RIDER PROGRAM.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

18 establish a cybersecurity circuit rider program, 

19 which shall be structured similar to the general 

20 authorities under paragraph (22), to provide 

21 technical assistance to associations described in 

22 paragraph (1) that operate rural water or 

23 wastewater systems— 


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1 ‘‘(i) to provide rapid assessments of 

2 the current ability or inability of those as3 sociations— 

4 ‘‘(I) to respond to cybersecurity 

5 threats; and 

6 ‘‘(II) to protect the 

7 cyberinfrastructure of those associa8 tions and public health; 

9 ‘‘(ii) to develop reasonable protocols to 

10 enhance cybersecurity protection; 

11 ‘‘(iii) to provide assistance to address 

12 inadequate cyber protection plans; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) to document the state of cyber 

14 protection with respect to the water sup15 plies of those associations. 

16 ‘‘(B) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—A circuit 

17 rider that receives funding under this para18 graph shall submit to the Secretary an annual 

19 report documenting— 

20 ‘‘(i) the associations served by the cir21 cuit rider under this paragraph; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) the activities performed by the 

23 circuit rider under this paragraph. 

24 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS FOR CIRCUIT RID25 ERS.—To provide technical assistance under 


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1 subparagraph (A), a circuit rider shall possess 

2 the necessary experience and certification to ef3 fectively carry out the activities described in 

4 that subparagraph, as determined by the Sec5 retary. 

6 ‘‘(D) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA7 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

8 to carry out this paragraph $10,000,000 for 

9 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

10 SEC. 6406. TRIBAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ESSENTIAL 

11 COMMUNITY FACILITIES. 

12 Section 306(a)(25)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and 

13 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(25)(C)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 6407. ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES TECHNICAL 

16 ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING. 

17 Section 306(a)(26) of the Consolidated Farm and 

18 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(26)) is amend19 ed by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(D) NATIONAL OR MULTI-STATE

21 AWARDS.—Of the amounts available to carry 

22 out this paragraph for a fiscal year, the Sec23 retary shall use not less than 2 percent to 

24 award grants under this paragraph to 1 or 

25 more of the entities described in subparagraph 


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1 (A) for the purpose of providing on-site tech2 nical assistance and training on a national or 

3 multi-State regional basis.’’. 

4 SEC. 6408. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE 

5 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

6 Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

7 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by add8 ing at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(27) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RE10 SPONSE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

12 establish an emergency preparedness and re13 sponse technical assistance program to provide 

14 grants to eligible entities to assist associations 

15 described in paragraph (1) that operate rural 

16 water or wastewater systems in preparing for 

17 and responding to natural or man-made disas18 ters, as determined by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligi20 ble to receive a grant under subparagraph (A) 

21 is a nonprofit organization that— 

22 ‘‘(i) has demonstrated experience pro23 viding emergency technical assistance for 

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1 sponse activities to water and wastewater 

2 utilities nationwide; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) has the capacity to deploy per4 sonnel that possess— 

5 ‘‘(I) an active water or waste6 water system operators’ license; or 

7 ‘‘(II) documented knowledge of 

8 water and wastewater utilities nec9 essary to carry out activities described 

10 in subparagraph (C). 

11 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible 

12 entity that receives a grant under subparagraph 

13 (A) shall use the grant— 

14 ‘‘(i) to provide on-site personnel and 

15 equipment to assist with water and waste16 water systems in the event of a disaster; 

17 ‘‘(ii) to coordinate with statewide 

18 emergency response networks to assist with 

19 water and wastewater systems; 

20 ‘‘(iii) to facilitate the development of 

21 disaster action plans between associations 

22 described in subparagraph (A), units of 

23 local government, the Federal Emergency 

24 Management Agency, and State emergency 

25 management agencies; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) to improve resiliency and mitiga2 tion planning with respect to water or 

3 wastewater systems; 

4 ‘‘(v) to provide geographic information 

5 system mapping of water and wastewater 

6 systems; 

7 ‘‘(vi) to prepare or update predisaster 

8 risk and resiliency assessments, emergency 

9 response plans, communication protocols, 

10 or hazard recognition and evaluation skills 

11 with respect to water and wastewater sys12 tems; 

13 ‘‘(vii) to conduct preliminary damage 

14 assessments of critical infrastructure in the 

15 event of a disaster; 

16 ‘‘(viii) to provide emergency services 

17 with respect to water and wastewater sys18 tems to restore service in the event of a 

19 disaster, including— 

20 ‘‘(I) pump and motor evaluation 

21 and repair; 

22 ‘‘(II) water disinfection and 

23 flushing; 

24 ‘‘(III) leak detection; 

25 ‘‘(IV) line repair; 


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1 ‘‘(V) water main and valve loca2 tion; 

3 ‘‘(VI) emergency power genera4 tion; 

5 ‘‘(VII) bypass pumping; 

6 ‘‘(VIII) water treatment; and 

7 ‘‘(IX) maintaining safety meas8 ures; 

9 ‘‘(ix) to address outstanding defi10 ciencies focused on resolving health-based 

11 regulatory, operational, financial, and man12 agerial deficiencies that impact the sus13 tainability of water and wastewater sys14 tems; 

15 ‘‘(x) to assist with application and re16 porting requirements for Federal and State 

17 agencies, including the Federal Emergency 

18 Management Agency and insurance recov19 ery claims, with respect to water and 

20 wastewater systems; and 

21 ‘‘(xi) to provide for disaster prepara22 tion, support, and response activities tar23 geted to disadvantaged communities that 

24 lack the financial resources and human 

25 capital necessary to adequately address 


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1 significant health, safety, or sanitary con2 cerns with respect to the water and waste3 water systems of those communities. 

4 ‘‘(D) USE OF FUNDS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity 

6 that receives a grant under subparagraph 

7 (A) may use the grant for salaries, sup8 plies, and expenses relating to the activities 

9 described in subparagraph (C). 

10 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—Not more than 25 

11 percent of the amount of a grant under 

12 subparagraph (A) may be used to purchase 

13 or reimburse the rental costs of appro14 priate emergency equipment, as determined 

15 by the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(E) RESTRICTION.—An eligible entity 

17 that receives a grant under subparagraph (A) 

18 may not use the grant funds to pay for eligible 

19 activities for which the eligible entity receives 

20 other Federal funds. 

21 ‘‘(F) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA22 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

23 to carry out this paragraph $20,000,000 for 

24 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6409. ASSISTANCE TO PROVIDE WATER AND WASTE2 WATER SERVICES IN FINANCIALLY DIS3 TRESSED RURAL AREAS. 

4 Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

5 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) (as amended by sec6 tion 6408) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(28) ASSISTANCE TO PROVIDE WATER AND

8 WASTEWATER SERVICES IN FINANCIALLY DIS9 TRESSED RURAL AREAS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE AREA.—The term ‘eli12 gible area’ means a rural area that— 

13 ‘‘(I) is a low-income community, 

14 as determined by the Secretary; 

15 ‘‘(II) is unable to provide water 

16 and wastewater services to the resi17 dents of the rural area because the 

18 rural area— 

19 ‘‘(aa) lacks the capacity— 

20 ‘‘(AA) to operate, main21 tain, or manage water and 

22 wastewater facilities or serv23 ices; or 

24 ‘‘(BB) to provide for 

25 the continued availability 

26 and use of those facilities or 


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1 services at reasonable user 

2 rates and charges; or 

3 ‘‘(bb) lacks the financial, 

4 technical, or managerial capa5 bility to consistently comply with 

6 pertinent Federal and State laws 

7 and requirements; and 

8 ‘‘(III) voluntarily agrees to the 

9 provision of water or wastewater serv10 ices in the rural area by an eligible as11 sociation the service area of which is 

12 contiguous to, or in the locality of, the 

13 rural area. 

14 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBLE ASSOCIATION.—The 

15 term ‘eligible association’ means an asso16 ciation described in paragraph (1) that— 

17 ‘‘(I) currently receives, or is eligi18 ble for, assistance under a rural water 

19 or wastewater program; and 

20 ‘‘(II) is experienced in, and cur21 rently, providing functioning water 

22 and wastewater services to the resi23 dents of a rural area. 

24 ‘‘(iii) RURAL WATER OR WASTEWATER

25 PROGRAM.—The term ‘rural water or 


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1 wastewater program’ means a water or 

2 wastewater program under this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(B) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

4 provide financial or technical assistance under a 

5 rural water or wastewater program to an eligi6 ble association for the purpose of providing 

7 water and wastewater services to the residents 

8 of an eligible area that is contiguous to, or in 

9 the locality of, the service area of the eligible 

10 association. 

11 ‘‘(C) CONSOLIDATION AND REGIONALIZA12 TION.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of 

14 providing water and wastewater services 

15 using assistance provided under subpara16 graph (B), an eligible association and an 

17 eligible area may— 

18 ‘‘(I) consolidate governance, 

19 management, and financial functions; 

20 or 

21 ‘‘(II) enter into a regional part22 nership. 

23 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT ON POPULATION LIMI24 TATION.—If an eligible association and an 

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1 gional partnership pursuant to clause (i), 

2 the Secretary shall only consider the popu3 lation of the eligible area for purposes of 

4 eligibility for assistance under subpara5 graph (B). 

6 ‘‘(iii) USE OF SYSTEMS.—Notwith7 standing any other provision of law, an eli8 gible association may use assistance pro9 vided under subparagraph (B) to provide 

10 water or wastewater services to an eligible 

11 area using— 

12 ‘‘(I) the system of the eligible as13 sociation; 

14 ‘‘(II) a system located in the eli15 gible area; or 

16 ‘‘(III) a combination of both sys17 tems. 

18 ‘‘(D) LIMITATION.—An eligible association 

19 that receives financial assistance under sub20 paragraph (B) shall only use that financial as21 sistance for the benefit of the residents of the 

22 eligible area with respect to which the financial 

23 assistance is provided.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6410. EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY 

2 WATER ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. 

3 Section 306A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

4 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926a) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘entity;’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘entity or federally recognized Indian 

7 Tribe or Tribal organization (including wholly or 

8 majority owned Tribal entities or corporations that 

9 provide services or programs consistent with the 

10 purposes of the program under this section);’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (i)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 SEC. 6411. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL WATER 

14 SYSTEMS. 

15 Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De16 velopment Act is amended by inserting after section 306A 

17 (7 U.S.C. 1926a) the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 306B. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL WATER 

19 SYSTEMS. 

20 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this sec21 tion, the term ‘eligible entity’ means a rural water, waste22 water, or waste disposal facility with respect to which as23 sistance may be provided under a water, wastewater, or 

24 waste disposal program under section 306(a), 306A, 

25 306C, or 306D. 

26 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) GRANTS AND LOANS.—The Secretary may 

2 provide a grant, a zero percent interest loan, or a 1 

3 percent interest loan to an eligible entity. 

4 ‘‘(2) EXISTING LOANS.—The Secretary may— 

5 ‘‘(A) forgive principal or interest or modify 

6 any term or condition of an outstanding loan 

7 made to an eligible entity; or 

8 ‘‘(B) refinance part or all of any other loan 

9 (if the purpose of the loan is an eligible purpose 

10 under section 306(a)(1) or 306C) made to an 

11 eligible entity. 

12 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not pro13 vide forgiveness under paragraph (2)(A) with respect 

14 to a loan made under paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE PURPOSES.—The Secretary may pro16 vide assistance to an eligible entity under subsection (b) 

17 as the Secretary determines is necessary— 

18 ‘‘(1) to ensure that the eligible entity has the 

19 necessary resources to improve or construct public 

20 utilities or to otherwise maintain or enhance public 

21 health, safety, affordability, or order; or 

22 ‘‘(2) to address financial hardships of the eligi23 ble entity, if the eligible entity is located in a dis24 advantaged or economically distressed area, as deter25 mined under subsection (d). 


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1 ‘‘(d) DETERMINATION.—To determine whether an el2 igible entity may receive assistance pursuant to subsection 

3 (c)(2), the Secretary shall establish and use— 

4 ‘‘(1) a residential indicator of affordable water 

5 services in each State or local or geographic area, 

6 calculated using the cost per household as a percent7 age of median household income; and 

8 ‘‘(2) factors relating to disadvantaged or eco9 nomically distressed areas.’’. 

10 SEC. 6412. WATER SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AND NATIVE VIL11 LAGES IN ALASKA. 

12 Section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

13 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘construction 

15 of water and wastewater systems’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘construction of water systems and wastewater sys17 tems, including community-based systems,’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘and the 

19 Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’’ after 

20 ‘‘State of Alaska’’; and 

21 (3) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

23 SEC. 6413. RURAL DECENTRALIZED WATER SYSTEMS. 

24 Section 306E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

25 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926e) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

2 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 

3 (2) by striking subsection (a) and all that fol4 lows through the period at the end of subsection 

5 (b)(1) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this sec7 tion, the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

8 ‘‘(1) a private nonprofit organization; and 

9 ‘‘(2) a federally recognized Indian Tribe or 

10 Tribal organization, including any wholly or majority 

11 owned Tribal entity or corporation that provides 

12 services or programs consistent with the purposes of 

13 the program under this section. 

14 ‘‘(b) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Sec15 retary may provide grants to eligible entities for the pur16 pose of providing subgrants and loans in accordance with 

17 subsection (c) to individuals for the construction, refur18 bishing, and servicing of individual household water well 

19 systems and individually owned household decentralized 

20 wastewater systems in rural areas that are or will be 

21 owned by the individuals. 

22 ‘‘(c) LOANS AND SUBGRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity shall use 

24 grant amounts received under subsection (b) to pro25 vide— 


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1 ‘‘(A) subgrants for use in accordance with 

2 this section to individuals residing in the service 

3 area of the eligible entity who are members of 

4 a household with a combined income (for the 

5 most recent 12-month period for which the in6 formation is available) that is less than 60 per7 cent of the median nonmetropolitan household 

8 income for the area, according to the most re9 cent decennial census; and 

10 ‘‘(B) loans for use in accordance with this 

11 section to individuals residing in the service 

12 area of the eligible entity who are members of 

13 a household with a combined income (for the 

14 most recent 12-month period for which the in15 formation is available) that is not more than 

16 100 percent of the median nonmetropolitan 

17 household income for the area, according to the 

18 most recent decennial census.’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (c) (as so designated)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘this section’’ each place it 

21 appears and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking 

23 ‘‘$15,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$25,000’’; and 

24 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) FUNDING TO COVER COST OF PERFORM2 ANCE WARRANTIES.—A subgrant provided to an in3 dividual under this subsection for an individually 

4 owned household decentralized wastewater system 

5 may include sufficient additional funding to cover 

6 the cost of a performance warranty with a duration 

7 of at least 5 years. 

8 ‘‘(6) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT.— 

9 An eligible entity that receives a grant under sub10 section (b) may use an amount equal to not more 

11 than 10 percent of the grant to provide technical as12 sistance and support to individuals eligible for a 

13 subgrant or loan under this subsection relating to 

14 the installation and maintenance of household decen15 tralized water and wastewater systems. 

16 ‘‘(7) DETERMINATION OF OWNERSHIP.—An eli17 gible entity that receives a grant under subsection 

18 (b) shall allow for multiple methods to determine 

19 ownership under that subsection to account for undi20 vided ownership interests.’’; 

21 (4) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated), by 

22 striking ‘‘this section, the Secretary shall give pri23 ority to an applicant’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b), 

24 the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible enti25 ty’’; and 


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1 (5) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by 

2 striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

3 through 2029’’. 

4 SEC. 6414. HEALTHY DRINKING WATER AFFORDABILITY AS5 SISTANCE PROGRAM. 

6 Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De7 velopment Act is amended by inserting after section 306E 

8 (7 U.S.C. 1926e) the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 306F. HEALTHY DRINKING WATER AFFORDABILITY 

10 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

11 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 ‘‘(1) APPROVED INSTALLATION.—The term ‘ap13 proved installation’ means the installation of an eli14 gible drinking water quality improvement product or 

15 a certified filter component by a qualified third-party 

16 installer that— 

17 ‘‘(A) complies with all local and State reg18 ulations; and 

19 ‘‘(B) follows the installation instructions of 

20 the manufacturer. 

21 ‘‘(2) APPROVED MAINTENANCE.—The term ‘ap22 proved maintenance’ means required maintenance— 

23 ‘‘(A) performed on an eligible drinking 

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1 cludes maintenance and replacement of the cer2 tified filter component; 

3 ‘‘(B) performed by a service technician 

4 who— 

5 ‘‘(i) is— 

6 ‘‘(I) professionally qualified, cer7 tified, or licensed as a water treat8 ment product maintenance profes9 sional, including a professional 

10 credentialed through a manufacturer 

11 or third party; 

12 ‘‘(II) operating under the super13 vision of a service technician described 

14 in subclause (I); 

15 ‘‘(III) a licensed plumber or a 

16 plumber operating under the super17 vision of a licensed plumbing con18 tractor; or 

19 ‘‘(IV) an individual who holds a 

20 license or certification related to water 

21 treatment technologies issued by a 

22 State or local government; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) regularly completes continuing 

24 education on water treatment technology 


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1 and other subjects that enhance the serv2 ices provided under this section; 

3 ‘‘(C) that complies with all local and State 

4 regulations; and 

5 ‘‘(D) that follows the maintenance instruc6 tions of the manufacturer. 

7 ‘‘(3) CERTIFIED FILTER COMPONENT.—The 

8 term ‘certified filter component’ means a replaceable 

9 or replacement filter component— 

10 ‘‘(A) for which approved maintenance can 

11 be performed; and 

12 ‘‘(B) that is certified by a third-party cer13 tifier as compliant with— 

14 ‘‘(i) NSF P231; 

15 ‘‘(ii) NSF/ANSI Standard 42, 44, 53, 

16 55, 58, or 401; or 

17 ‘‘(iii) another successor or relevant 

18 consensus-based standard for drinking 

19 water treatment units or systems that ad20 dresses health contaminant reduction, as 

21 determined by the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE DRINKING WATER QUALITY IM23 PROVEMENT PRODUCT.—The term ‘eligible drinking 

24 water quality improvement product’ means a point25 of-use or point-of-entry system— 


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1 ‘‘(A) incorporating a certified filter compo2 nent; and 

3 ‘‘(B) that is certified by a third-party cer4 tifier to meet standards described in paragraph 

5 (3)(B)— 

6 ‘‘(i) for material safety and perform7 ance; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) to improve drinking water qual9 ity. 

10 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE END USER.—The term ‘eligible 

11 end user’ means a person or entity located in a rural 

12 area (as defined in section 343(a)(13)(B)) that is— 

13 ‘‘(A)(i) a homeowner; 

14 ‘‘(ii) an individual lessee or renter of a 

15 home, apartment, or other dwelling; 

16 ‘‘(iii) a property owner of a multi-unit resi17 dential building with 25 or fewer owned, leased, 

18 or rented dwelling units; 

19 ‘‘(iv) a licensed child-care facility; or 

20 ‘‘(v) an owned, leased, or rented facility; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(B) supported by a finding of need 

23 through— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a qualified water quality test 

2 demonstrating the presence of 1 or more 

3 health contaminants; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) other documentation determined 

5 to be satisfactory by the Secretary dem6 onstrating the presence of 1 or more 

7 health contaminants. 

8 ‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term 

9 ‘eligible grant recipient’ means— 

10 ‘‘(A) an eligible end user; and 

11 ‘‘(B) a nonprofit organization that uses a 

12 grant provided under this section for the pur13 poses described in subsection (c)(2). 

14 ‘‘(7) HEALTH CONTAMINANT.—The term 

15 ‘health contaminant’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) a health contaminant found in drink17 ing water, including lead, arsenic, nitrate, 

18 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, 

19 hexavalent chromium (chrome-6), and volatile 

20 organic compounds; and 

21 ‘‘(B) any other contaminant— 

22 ‘‘(i) that can be reduced by an eligible 

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1 cordance with the standards described in 

2 paragraph (3)(B); and 

3 ‘‘(ii)(I) with respect to which the Ad4 ministrator of the Environmental Protec5 tion Agency has established— 

6 ‘‘(aa) a primary drinking water 

7 regulation (as defined in section 1401 

8 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

9 U.S.C. 300f)); 

10 ‘‘(bb) a maximum contaminant 

11 level goal established in accordance 

12 with section 1412(b) of that Act (42 

13 U.S.C. 300g–1(b)); or 

14 ‘‘(cc) a health advisory issued 

15 pursuant to section 1412(b)(1)(F) of 

16 that Act (42 U.S.C. 300g– 

17 1(b)(1)(F)); or 

18 ‘‘(II) that is regulated by a State 

19 agency. 

20 ‘‘(8) IMPROVE DRINKING WATER QUALITY.— 

21 The term ‘improve drinking water quality’ means to 

22 improve the quality of the water supplied between its 

23 source and human consumption by reducing or re24 moving 1 or more health contaminants. 


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1 ‘‘(9) QUALIFIED THIRD-PARTY INSTALLER.— 

2 The term ‘qualified third-party installer’ means a 

3 person who— 

4 ‘‘(A) is— 

5 ‘‘(i) a professionally qualified, cer6 tified, or licensed water treatment product 

7 installation professional, including such a 

8 professional credentialed through a manu9 facturer or third party; 

10 ‘‘(ii) a licensed plumber or individual 

11 who holds a license or certification related 

12 to water treatment technologies issued by a 

13 State or local government; or 

14 ‘‘(iii) a company or plumbing con15 tractor employing individuals described in 

16 clause (i) or (ii); and 

17 ‘‘(B) regularly completes, or requires appli18 cable employees to complete, continuing edu19 cation on water treatment technology and other 

20 subjects that enhance the services provided 

21 under this section. 

22 ‘‘(10) QUALIFIED WATER QUALITY TEST.—The 

23 term ‘qualified water quality test’ means a baseline 

24 analysis of the bacterial and chemical characteristics 

25 of concern from a drinking water sample collected at 


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1 the point of consumption and tested by a laboratory 

2 certified to conduct water quality testing— 

3 ‘‘(A) that is provided to— 

4 ‘‘(i) the Secretary; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) as applicable— 

6 ‘‘(I) a person seeking a grant 

7 under this section; 

8 ‘‘(II) an eligible end user receiv9 ing a grant under this section; or 

10 ‘‘(III) an eligible grant recipient 

11 receiving a grant under this section 

12 and any eligible end users served by 

13 the eligible grant recipient; and 

14 ‘‘(B) that includes information that pro15 vides— 

16 ‘‘(i) guidance on test interpretation, 

17 including whether the bacteria or chemical 

18 characteristic of concern meets or exceeds 

19 a prescribed health-based contaminant 

20 level; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) sources and citations that eligible 

22 grant recipients, independent third-party 

23 organizations and institutions, and govern24 ment agencies may review and consult— 


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1 ‘‘(I) to determine available eligi2 ble drinking water quality improve3 ment products for addressing detected 

4 contaminants; and 

5 ‘‘(II) to evaluate efficacy across 

6 eligible drinking water quality im7 provement products. 

8 ‘‘(11) THIRD-PARTY CERTIFIER.—The term 

9 ‘third-party certifier’ means an independent certifi10 cation body accredited to ISO Standard 17065, 

11 ‘Conformity assessment—Requirements for bodies 

12 certifying products, processes and services’, by an 

13 entity domiciled in the United States that is a signa14 tory to the International Accreditation Forum Multi15 lateral Recognition Arrangement, such as the Water 

16 Quality Association, NSF International, the Inter17 national Association of Plumbing and Mechanical 

18 Officials, and the International Code Council Eval19 uation Service. 

20 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—Not later than 

21 120 days after the date of enactment of this section, the 

22 Secretary shall promulgate regulations to establish, and 

23 shall carry out, a clean drinking water program to provide 

24 grants to eligible grant recipients to improve drinking 

25 water quality of eligible end users. 


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1 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE USES OF GRANTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

3 shall be used, as directed by the Secretary, for— 

4 ‘‘(A) the purchase of an eligible drinking 

5 water quality improvement product or a re6 placement certified filter component; 

7 ‘‘(B) the approved installation by a quali8 fied third-party installer of an eligible drinking 

9 water quality improvement product; 

10 ‘‘(C) the purchase and approved installa11 tion by a qualified third-party installer of a re12 placement certified filter component; 

13 ‘‘(D) the approved maintenance of an eligi14 ble drinking water quality improvement prod15 uct; or 

16 ‘‘(E) qualified water quality tests to sup17 port products and services described in sub18 paragraphs (A) through (D). 

19 ‘‘(2) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.—A nonprofit 

20 organization that receives a grant under this section 

21 shall use the grant, in a manner consistent with the 

22 uses described in paragraph (1) and as directed by 

23 the Secretary— 

24 ‘‘(A) to offer qualified water quality tests 

25 for eligible end users on a voluntary basis; 


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1 ‘‘(B) to facilitate the analysis of qualified 

2 water quality test results for eligible end users; 

3 ‘‘(C) to assist an eligible end user in deter4 mining the response options available and sup5 porting the selection by the eligible end user of 

6 a response that best fits the needs of the eligi7 ble end user, informed by— 

8 ‘‘(i) a qualified water quality test; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) an understanding of the relevant 

10 plumbing systems and environmental fac11 tors that will impact point-of-use or point12 of-entry water safety; and 

13 ‘‘(D) to coordinate or facilitate the ap14 proved installation by a qualified third-party in15 staller of the eligible drinking water quality im16 provement product selected by an eligible end 

17 user. 

18 ‘‘(d) GRANT LIMITATIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant under 

20 this section shall not exceed the reasonable costs, as 

21 determined by the Secretary, of the purposes de22 scribed in subsection (c) for which the grant is pro23 vided. 

24 ‘‘(2) INCOME.—No grant provided under this 

25 section shall be used to assist an eligible end user 


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1 who is a member of a household the members of 

2 which have a combined income, or an eligible end 

3 user with business income, for the most recent 12- 

4 month period for which the information is available, 

5 that is more than 150 percent of the median non6 metropolitan household income for the State or terri7 tory in which the eligible end user resides, according 

8 to the most recent decennial census of the United 

9 States. 

10 ‘‘(e) GRANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Secretary shall 

11 appoint an officer or employee of the Department of Agri12 culture to administer and manage grants provided under 

13 this section. 

14 ‘‘(f) GRANT ALLOCATION.—In providing grants 

15 under this section to eligible grant recipients, the Sec16 retary shall allocate funds and make grants available in 

17 a manner that— 

18 ‘‘(1) responds to a range of water quality chal19 lenges; 

20 ‘‘(2) prioritizes funding to eligible end-users the 

21 sources of drinking water of which are private wells; 

22 ‘‘(3) improves local and regional capacity to re23 spond to contamination; and 

24 ‘‘(4) ensures reasonable access to funds for— 


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1 ‘‘(A) eligible end users seeking a grant 

2 under this section; and 

3 ‘‘(B) nonprofit organizations seeking a 

4 grant under this section. 

5 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

6 of enactment of this section, and not less frequently than 

7 annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Con8 gress, and make publicly available, a report— 

9 ‘‘(1) identifying ongoing barriers to universal 

10 safe drinking water prior to and after filtration or 

11 other treatment; 

12 ‘‘(2) analyzing conditions impacting eligible 

13 grant recipients, including— 

14 ‘‘(A) sources of contamination or degrada15 tion of water resources, especially groundwater 

16 resources or upstream resources that recharge 

17 stores of drinking water; 

18 ‘‘(B) trends in bioaccumulation and at19 tenuation of contaminants and nutrients; and 

20 ‘‘(C) impacts of infrastructure materials, 

21 crop and land management practices, waste 

22 management, and other factors that impact 

23 drinking water quantity and quality; 

24 ‘‘(3) providing a comprehensive analysis of— 


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1 ‘‘(A) technologies available to and pur2 chased by eligible grant recipients; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the emerging safe drinking water 

4 needs of rural and other homeowners, renters, 

5 residential multi-unit property owners, licensed 

6 child-care facilities, and other groups, as deter7 mined by the Secretary; 

8 ‘‘(4) that includes information describing— 

9 ‘‘(A) the types of treatment systems and 

10 filter components used under the program es11 tablished under this section; 

12 ‘‘(B) the number of qualified water quality 

13 tests conducted under the program established 

14 under this section; 

15 ‘‘(C) emerging and changing trends relat16 ing to steps taken to ensure safe drinking water 

17 in communities and households; and 

18 ‘‘(D) trends relating to the availability and 

19 use of eligible drinking water quality improve20 ment products, including— 

21 ‘‘(i) affordability at purchase and 

22 through the lifecycle of the products; 

23 ‘‘(ii) consistency of operation as in24 tended by the manufacturer and installer, 

25 including effectiveness across systems and 


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1 technologies at achieving stated health pro2 tections; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) lifecycle product performance, 

4 energy use, and environmental impact; 

5 ‘‘(5) providing recommendations regarding the 

6 best methods to increase access to— 

7 ‘‘(A) grants under this section; and 

8 ‘‘(B) the products and services described in 

9 subsection (c); 

10 ‘‘(6) that incorporates input from relevant— 

11 ‘‘(A) nongovernmental organizations; and 

12 ‘‘(B) certification institutions that oversee 

13 the criteria for products and training of instal14 lation and maintenance professionals; and 

15 ‘‘(7) the purposes of which are— 

16 ‘‘(A) to improve data on health contami17 nants in drinking water; 

18 ‘‘(B) to provide educational resources on 

19 water testing and water quality improvement 

20 products and services to eligible grant recipients 

21 with drinking water contamination issues; 

22 ‘‘(C) to collect information that improves 

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1 ing their associated health and economic bene2 fits; and 

3 ‘‘(D) to increase public awareness of water 

4 quality issues and treatment options. 

5 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

7 out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

8 through 2029.’’. 

9 SEC. 6415. RURAL BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY GUARANTEED 

10 LOANS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 310B of the Consolidated 

12 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

15 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

16 (A), by striking ‘‘reservations or other federally 

17 recognized Indian tribal groups’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘reservations or Tribal organizations (including 

19 any wholly or majority owned Tribal entity or 

20 corporation that provides services or programs 

21 consistent with the purposes of the program 

22 under this subsection or the program under 

23 subsection (g), as applicable)’’; and 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

2 ‘‘workforce housing and’’ before ‘‘pollution 

3 abatement’’; and 

4 (2) in subsection (g), by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(10) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 

7 2025, and each December 31 thereafter, the Sec8 retary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

9 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Com10 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representa11 tives and make publicly available a report that in12 cludes, with respect to the immediately preceding fis13 cal year, the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) The name and description of each un15 derlying loan recipient that closed on a business 

16 and industry loan under this subsection, includ17 ing whether the loan recipient is a minority18 owned, Tribal-owned, or woman-owned entity. 

19 ‘‘(B) A description of the project funded 

20 by that loan, including the location of the 

21 project. 

22 ‘‘(C) The amount of that loan.’’. 

23 (b) REVIEW AND REVISION.—Not later than 1 year 

24 after the date of enactment of this Act, to ensure that 

25 entities less likely to have private funding opportunities 


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1 have adequate access to business and industry direct and 

2 guaranteed loans under section 310B(g) of the Consoli3 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

4 1932(g)), the Secretary shall review and revise section 

5 4279.117 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or a suc6 cessor regulation), to include such additional ineligible 

7 purposes and entity types as the Secretary determines to 

8 be appropriate. 

9 SEC. 6416. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT GRANTS. 

10 Section 310B(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

11 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(b)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence, by 

13 inserting ‘‘and federally recognized Indian Tribes 

14 and Tribal organizations (including any wholly or 

15 majority owned Tribal entity or corporation that 

16 provides services or programs consistent with the 

17 purposes of the program under this subsection)’’ 

18 after ‘‘related agencies’’; and 

19 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$10,000,000 

20 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023’’ and in21 serting ‘‘$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

22 through 2029’’. 

23 SEC. 6417. RURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 

24 Section 310B(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

25 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph 

2 (B) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) federally recognized Indian Tribes, 

4 Tribal organizations (including wholly or major5 ity owned Tribal entities or corporations that 

6 provide services or programs consistent with the 

7 purposes of the program under this subsection), 

8 Alaska Native Corporations, or Native Hawai9 ian organizations; and’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

11 (A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

12 end; 

13 (B) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

14 end and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(vi) support outdoor recreation; or’’; 

17 (3) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

19 (4) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para20 graph (5); and 

21 (5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(4) MULTIYEAR GRANTS.—The Secretary may 

24 award grants under this subsection for a period of 

25 more than 1 year, but not more than 5 years.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6418. RURAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 

2 Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

3 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

6 and (B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respec7 tively; and 

8 (B) by inserting before subparagraph (B) 

9 (as so redesignated) the following: 

10 ‘‘(A) COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT.—The 

11 term ‘cooperative development’ means activities, 

12 including outreach, education, training, and 

13 technical assistance, to support the startup, ex14 pansion, or ongoing sustainability of new and 

15 existing cooperatives.’’; 

16 (2) in paragraph (5)(F), by striking ‘‘contribu17 tions,’’ and inserting ‘‘contributions by awarding ap18 plications that meet the criterion described in this 

19 subparagraph the maximum points for this subpara20 graph in the scoring criteria,’’; 

21 (3) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking ‘‘If the 

22 Secretary determines it to be in the best interest of 

23 the program, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 

24 (4) in paragraph (12)— 

25 (A) by striking ‘‘Not later’’ and inserting 

26 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later’’; and 

2 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

4 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros5 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, and an6 nually thereafter, the interagency working 

7 group established under subparagraph (A) shall 

8 make publicly available and submit to the Com9 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

10 of the Senate and the Committee on Agri11 culture of the House of Representatives a re12 port describing— 

13 ‘‘(i) research and analysis based on 

14 data from the latest available Economic 

15 Census conducted by the Bureau of the 

16 Census on the effects of all types of co17 operatives on the national economy; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the activities carried out by the 

19 interagency working group in the prior fis20 cal year.’’; and 

21 (5) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6419. LOCALLY OR REGIONALLY PRODUCED AGRICUL2 TURAL FOOD PRODUCTS. 

3 Section 310B(g)(9)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(9)(B)) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘wholly or major7 ity owned Tribal entities or corporations that pro8 vide services or programs consistent with the pur9 poses of the program under this paragraph,’’ after 

10 ‘‘businesses’’; and 

11 (2) in clause (iv)(I), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in12 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 SEC. 6420. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR 

14 RURAL AREAS PROGRAM. 

15 Section 310B(i)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and 

16 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(i)(4)) is amended 

17 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 SEC. 6421. RURAL ECONOMIC AREA PARTNERSHIP ZONES. 

19 Section 310B(j) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

20 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(j)) is amended by strik21 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 6422. INTERMEDIARY RELENDING PROGRAM. 

23 Section 310H of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

24 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936b(i)) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘Indian 

26 tribes’’ and inserting ‘‘federally recognized Indian 


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1 Tribes and Tribal organizations (which shall include 

2 wholly or majority owned Tribal entities or corpora3 tions that provide services or programs consistent 

4 with the purposes of the program under this sec5 tion)’’; and 

6 (2) in subsection (i)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘subsection’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘section’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 6423. RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE PRO12 GRAMS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAIN13 ING. 

14 Section 368(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

15 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008c(d)(1)) is amend16 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 6424. NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNER18 SHIP. 

19 Section 378 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De20 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2008m) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6425. GRANTS FOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO TRANSMIT2 TERS. 

3 Section 379B(d) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

4 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008p(d)) is amended by 

5 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 6426. RURAL MICROENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 Section 379E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

9 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert12 ing the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 

14 means an Indian Tribe or a Tribal organization (as 

15 those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian 

16 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 

17 (25 U.S.C. 5304)).’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking 

19 ‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$75,000’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (b)(3), by adding at the end 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(E) USE OF LOANS.—A loan made by the 

23 Secretary to a microenterprise development or24 ganization under this paragraph may— 

25 ‘‘(i) be used for 100 percent of a loan 

26 to a rural microenterprise; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) provide up to 50 percent of the 

2 cost of demolition and construction and re3 lated costs of real estate.’’; and 

4 (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 6427. HEALTH CARE SERVICES. 

7 Section 379G(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

8 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008u(e)) is amended by 

9 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

10 SEC. 6428. STRATEGIC COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLANS. 

11 Section 379H(d)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and 

12 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v(d)(4)) is amend13 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 6429. RURAL INNOVATION STRONGER ECONOMY 

15 GRANT PROGRAM. 

16 Section 379I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

17 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w) is amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘jobs accelerator’’ each place it 

19 appears and inserting ‘‘jobs and technology accel20 erator’’; 

21 (2) by striking ‘‘industry clusters’’ each place it 

22 appears and inserting ‘‘industries’’; 

23 (3) by striking ‘‘industry cluster’’ each place it 

24 appears and inserting ‘‘industry’’; 

25 (4) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (A)(iv), by strik3 ing subclause (II) and inserting the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(II) a federally recognized In6 dian Tribe or Tribal organization (in7 cluding any wholly or majority owned 

8 Tribal entity or corporation that pro9 vides services or programs consistent 

10 with the purposes of the program 

11 under this section) or a consortium of 

12 federally recognized Indian Tribes.’’; 

13 and 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii)— 

15 (I) by striking subclause (II); 

16 and 

17 (II) by redesignating subclauses 

18 (III) and (IV) as subclauses (II) and 

19 (III), respectively; 

20 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

21 (C) by striking paragraph (4) and insert22 ing the following: 

23 ‘‘(4) JOBS AND TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATOR.— 

24 The term ‘jobs and technology accelerator’ means a 

25 jobs and technology accelerator center or program 


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1 located in or serving a low-income rural community 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(A) may provide co-working space, in-de4 mand skills training, entrepreneurship support, 

5 and any other services described in subsection 

6 (d)(1)(B); and 

7 ‘‘(B) increases jobs in that low-income 

8 rural community.’’; and 

9 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 

10 through (5) as paragraphs (2) through (4), re11 spectively; 

12 (5) in subsection (b)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter pre14 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘jobs ac15 celerators,’’ and inserting ‘‘jobs and technology 

16 accelerators,’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘not 

18 fewer than 25 States at any time’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘a geographically diverse manner and tak20 ing into account different methods of measuring 

21 distress in rural communities’’; and 

22 (6) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6430. RURAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT PROGRAM. 

2 Section 384S of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

3 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–18) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 6431. INVESTMENTS IN RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE. 

6 There is appropriated, out of amounts in the Treas7 ury not otherwise appropriated— 

8 (1) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each 

9 fiscal year thereafter, to remain available until ex10 pended, for rural water and waste disposal grants 

11 under section 306(a)(2) of the Consolidated Farm 

12 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(2)); 

13 and 

14 (2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each 

15 fiscal year thereafter, to remain available until ex16 pended, for community facilities grants under sec17 tion 306(a)(19) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(19)), 

18 to remain available until expended. 

19 Subtitle E—Miscellaneous 

20 SEC. 6501. DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE. 

21 (a) USE OF GRANTS FOR OPERATING EXPENSES.— 

22 Section 2333 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 

23 Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–2) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘and oper25 ation’’ after ‘‘construction’’; 

26 (2) in subsection (c)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

2 at the end; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘or 

4 extend’’ each place it appears and inserting 

5 ‘‘extend, or operate’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (f)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

8 the end; 

9 (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 

10 paragraph (5); and 

11 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(4) operation of the programming, equipment, 

14 or facilities referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2); 

15 or’’; and 

16 (4) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(g) OPERATING EXPENSES.—Not more than 15 

19 percent of the amount of financial assistance provided to 

20 a recipient under this chapter may be used for operating 

21 expenses, including salaries or administrative expenses, 

22 that are reasonable and allocable to the project carried 

23 out by the recipient.’’. 

24 (b) WAIVER OF MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Section 

25 2334 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 


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1 Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–3) is amended by adding 

2 at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(g) WAIVER OF MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The 

4 Secretary shall waive any requirement for a recipient of 

5 financial assistance under this chapter to provide non6 Federal matching funds— 

7 ‘‘(1) in a case of demonstrated need or if the 

8 matching requirement would create a substantial 

9 burden, as determined by the Secretary; or 

10 ‘‘(2) if the recipient is a federally recognized In11 dian Tribe.’’. 

12 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

13 2335A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 

14 Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–5) is amended by striking 

15 ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

16 2029’’. 

17 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of 

18 Public Law 102–551 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa note) is amended 

19 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 6502. LAST ACRE PROJECTS. 

21 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) BROADBAND SERVICE.—The term 

23 ‘‘broadband service’’ has the meaning given the term 

24 in section 601(b) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

25 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(b)). 


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1 (2) CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The 

2 term ‘‘configuration management plan’’, with respect 

3 to a covered provider, means a comprehensive de4 scription of the roles, responsibilities, policies, and 

5 procedures intended to improve the integrity of the 

6 systems and networks of the covered provider. 

7 (3) COVERED PRODUCER.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘covered pro9 ducer’’ means a person or entity that is directly 

10 engaged in the production of agricultural prod11 ucts, including crops or livestock, on eligible 

12 land that is unserved or underserved, such that 

13 a majority of the gross income of the person or 

14 entity is derived from those products. 

15 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘covered pro16 ducer’’ includes agricultural research centers of 

17 the Agricultural Research Service. 

18 (4) COVERED PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘covered 

19 provider’’ means— 

20 (A) with respect to the provision of quali21 fying connectivity to eligible land, a provider of 

22 broadband service; or 

23 (B) with respect to the provision of wire24 less solutions using or extending the range of 

25 network connectivity, a provider of wireless 


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1 equipment or communications services, in asso2 ciation with an entity described in subpara3 graph (A). 

4 (5) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘‘eligible land’’ 

5 means cropland, grassland, rangeland, pastureland, 

6 farm sites, and other agricultural land used for the 

7 active production of agricultural commodities or live8 stock. 

9 (6) FARM SITE.—The term ‘‘farm site’’ means 

10 a portion of land contiguous to land actively devoted 

11 to agricultural production and that includes im12 provements that are agricultural or horticultural in 

13 nature. 

14 (7) PRECISION AGRICULTURE.—The term ‘‘pre15 cision agriculture’’ means managing, tracking, or re16 ducing crop or livestock production inputs, including 

17 seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time, at 

18 a heightened level of spatial and temporal granu19 larity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and 

20 maintain or improve environmental quality. 

21 (8) QUALIFYING CONNECTIVITY.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘qualifying 

23 connectivity’’ means the service offered by a 

24 covered provider as a result of assistance under 

25 this section that— 


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1 (i) is capable of a speed of not less 

2 than— 

3 (I) a 100-Mbps downstream 

4 transmission capacity; and 

5 (II) a 20-Mbps upstream trans6 mission capacity; and 

7 (ii) carries out not less than 1 of the 

8 activities described in subparagraph (B). 

9 (B) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—The activi10 ties referred to in subparagraph (A)(ii) are— 

11 (i) providing broadband service by any 

12 technology to structures and devices on eli13 gible land, including tractors, combines, ir14 rigation systems, drones, under-soil sen15 sors, livestock facilities, and farm offices; 

16 (ii) providing multipoint wireless net17 work connectivity that facilitates data 

18 transmission between structures and de19 vices on eligible land, including structures 

20 and devices described in clause (i); and 

21 (iii) supporting— 

22 (I) the construction of wireless 

23 infrastructure, including poles, towers, 

24 base stations, or other structures, re25 gardless of whether the structure has 


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1 an existing antenna facility, that is 

2 used or will be used for the provision 

3 of wireless service; or 

4 (II) the retrofitting of existing 

5 towers or vertical structures, such as 

6 water towers, grain elevators, or cen7 ter pivots, to accommodate wireless 

8 infrastructure. 

9 (9) REMOTE AREA.—The term ‘‘remote area’’ 

10 means the frontier and remote ZIP Code areas pub11 lished by the Economic Research Service. 

12 (10) UNDERSERVED.—The term ‘‘underserved’’ 

13 means, with respect to eligible land, that the eligible 

14 land lacks access to broadband service that is capa15 ble of a speed of not less than— 

16 (A) a 100-Mbps downstream transmission 

17 capacity; and 

18 (B) a 20-Mbps upstream transmission ca19 pacity. 

20 (11) UNSERVED.—The term ‘‘unserved’’ means, 

21 with respect to eligible land, eligible land that lacks 

22 access to broadband service that is capable of a 

23 speed of not less than— 

24 (A) a 25-Mbps downstream transmission 

25 capacity; and 


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1 (B) a 3-Mbps upstream transmission ca2 pacity. 

3 (b) PURPOSES.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

4 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out, 

5 under terms and conditions as the Secretary considers to 

6 be appropriate, projects— 

7 (1) to advance precision agriculture connectivity 

8 nationwide; and 

9 (2) to augment last mile broadband service de10 ployment for agricultural producers by expanding 

11 high-speed internet access across the last acre. 

12 (c) GRANTS AND LOANS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this section, 

14 the Secretary shall make grants and make loans to 

15 covered providers to provide qualifying connectivity 

16 to covered producers on unserved and underserved 

17 eligible land. 

18 (2) LIMITATION.—Of the amounts made avail19 able under subsection (k) for a fiscal year for assist20 ance under this section, the Secretary may award 

21 not more than 10 percent to provide qualifying 

22 connectivity to agricultural research centers de23 scribed in subsection (a)(3)(B). 

24 (3) USE OF FUNDS.— 


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1 (A) CYBERSECURITY.—The Secretary may 

2 allow a covered provider to use a portion of the 

3 assistance provided to the covered provider 

4 under this section, as necessary, to address the 

5 cybersecurity requirements under subsection 

6 (g). 

7 (B) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary shall 

8 not award any assistance under this section for 

9 broadband service to an inhabitable residence 

10 that is identified as serviceable or has to be 

11 served due to an enforceable commitment to de12 ploy on the broadband maps (as determined by 

13 the Secretary). 

14 (4) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

16 subparagraph (B), the Federal share of a 

17 project carried out using assistance under this 

18 section shall be not more than 80 percent of the 

19 total cost of the project. 

20 (B) LIMITED RESOURCE FARMERS OR

21 RANCHERS.—The Secretary may increase the 

22 Federal share described in subparagraph (A) to 

23 90 percent if the covered producer on the appli24 cable eligible land is a limited resource farmer 

25 or rancher. 


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1 (d) APPLICATION.—To apply for assistance under 

2 this section, a covered provider shall submit to the Sec3 retary an application in such manner and containing such 

4 information as the Secretary may require, including— 

5 (1) the measures by which the covered producer 

6 has engaged with the covered provider to identify the 

7 appropriate qualifying connectivity plan to serve the 

8 eligible land of the covered producer; 

9 (2) a description of how the assistance provided 

10 under this section would be used to establish quali11 fying connectivity on the unserved or underserved el12 igible land of a covered producer, including the en13 tire acreage in need of qualifying connectivity; 

14 (3) a description of how the assistance provided 

15 under this section could be used to provide 

16 broadband service to residents or essential commu17 nity facilities (if any) in areas near or adjacent to 

18 unserved or underserved eligible land of a covered 

19 producer; 

20 (4) the amount of the Federal share for the 

21 project and the amount of the non-Federal share for 

22 the project; 

23 (5) information necessary for the covered pro24 vider to demonstrate to the Secretary that the cov25 ered provider— 


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1 (A) is capable of carrying out the specific 

2 activities for which assistance is provided under 

3 this section in compliance with all applicable 

4 Federal, State, and local laws; 

5 (B) has the financial and managerial ca6 pacity to meet the specific commitments con7 tained in the application, including buildout ob8 ligations; and 

9 (C) has the technical and operational capa10 bility— 

11 (i) to construct and operate 

12 broadband networks; and 

13 (ii) to meet the requirement described 

14 in paragraph (1) of subsection (g) and pro15 vide the cybersecurity certification required 

16 under paragraph (2) of that subsection; 

17 (6) whether the eligible land of the covered pro18 ducer— 

19 (A) is unserved or underserved; and 

20 (B) is not subject to an enforceable com21 mitment to deploy broadband by the applicant 

22 or another covered provider, as determined ac23 cording to the broadband maps (as determined 

24 by the Secretary); 


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1 (7) a description of the means by which the 

2 covered provider will provide to the Secretary the in3 formation necessary for the Secretary to prepare the 

4 annual reports under subsection (i); and 

5 (8) any additional information that the Sec6 retary determines necessary to ensure the effective 

7 function of the program under this section. 

8 (e) TIMELINE.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each project for which 

10 assistance is provided under this section, the Sec11 retary shall establish service buildout milestones and 

12 periodic certifications by recipients of the assistance 

13 for purposes of project compliance and implementa14 tion. 

15 (2) REQUIREMENT.—The milestones required 

16 under paragraph (1) shall establish a maximum 

17 buildout timeframe of not more than 4 years from 

18 the date on which the assistance is provided. 

19 (3) PENALTIES.—The Secretary shall establish 

20 and enforce standardized penalties, fines, and sanc21 tions for noncompliance with a milestone or certifi22 cation established under paragraph (1). 

23 (f) PRIORITY.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting applicants for 

25 assistance under this section, the Secretary shall 


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1 give priority to applicants that propose to carry out 

2 projects in the following order: 

3 (A) Unserved eligible land in remote areas. 

4 (B) Other unserved eligible land. 

5 (C) Underserved eligible land in remote 

6 areas. 

7 (D) Other underserved eligible land. 

8 (2) RESIDENTS AND ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY

9 FACILITIES.—The Secretary may give priority to ap10 plicants for assistance under this section that pro11 pose to carry out projects that would also provide 

12 broadband service at speeds higher than the speeds 

13 described in subclauses (I) and (II) of subsection 

14 (a)(8)(A)(i) to residents or essential community fa15 cilities (if any) in areas that— 

16 (A) are near or adjacent to unserved or 

17 underserved eligible land; and 

18 (B) lack access to broadband service that 

19 is capable of those higher speeds. 

20 (3) ENHANCED SPEEDS.— 

21 (A) FINDING.—Congress finds that there 

22 are unique connectivity needs to support the 

23 adoption of precision agriculture. 

24 (B) PRIORITIZATION.—In selecting appli25 cants for assistance under this section, the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00662 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 retary may give priority to an applicant that 

2 proposes to carry out a project to provide 

3 broadband service speeds that are greater than 

4 the speeds described in subclauses (I) and (II) 

5 of subsection (a)(8)(A)(i), if the applicant dem6 onstrates that the proposal to serve the eligible 

7 land of a covered producer that is unserved or 

8 underserved requires those greater speeds. 

9 (g) CYBERSECURITY.—As a condition on receipt of 

10 assistance under this section, a covered provider shall— 

11 (1) ensure that any structure, device, or system 

12 provided or constructed using the assistance incor13 porates a layered defense strategy as a means of de14 fensible security architecture; and 

15 (2) certify to the Secretary that the covered 

16 provider maintains a regularly updated configuration 

17 management plan. 

18 (h) PUBLIC NOTICE AND ASSESSMENTS.—Sub19 sections (a) and (b)(1) of section 701 of the Rural Elec20 trification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950cc) shall apply to 

21 assistance and applications for assistance under this sec22 tion. 

23 (i) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—For fiscal year 2026 

24 and each fiscal year thereafter through the fiscal year that 

25 is 2 fiscal years after the fiscal year during which the last 


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1 project funded under this section is completed, the Sec2 retary shall— 

3 (1) submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

4 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Com5 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representa6 tives a report that describes— 

7 (A) applications for assistance under this 

8 section submitted during the previous fiscal 

9 year, including the number of parcels of eligible 

10 land for which applications were submitted dur11 ing the previous fiscal year; 

12 (B) the amount of assistance awarded for 

13 each project under this section during the pre14 vious fiscal year; 

15 (C) the number of projects for which as16 sistance is provided under this section, includ17 ing the number of parcels of eligible land on 

18 which those projects were carried out, that were 

19 successfully completed during the previous fis20 cal year; and 

21 (D)(i) the number of covered producers 

22 subscribing to the broadband service provided 

23 under each project for which assistance is pro24 vided under this section; 


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1 (ii) the download and upload speeds of the 

2 broadband service provided under each such 

3 project; and 

4 (iii) the purposes for which the broadband 

5 service under each such project is used, includ6 ing the use of precision agriculture; and 

7 (2) make the report required under paragraph 

8 (1) publicly available on the website of the Sec9 retary. 

10 (j) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to 

11 make grants and to make loans under this section shall 

12 terminate on September 30, 2029. 

13 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

14 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

15 $160,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, 

16 to remain available until expended. 

17 SEC. 6503. FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN GUARANTEED LOAN AND 

18 GRANT PROGRAM. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) COMMERCIAL FOOD PRODUCT.—The term 

21 ‘‘commercial food product’’ means a product derived 

22 from domestically grown food in regular production 

23 that is routinely sold in significant quantities to the 

24 general public or industry. 


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1 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means— 

3 (A) a cooperative organization; 

4 (B) a for-profit entity; 

5 (C) a Tribal entity; 

6 (D) a public body; 

7 (E) an individual; and 

8 (F) a nonprofit organization. 

9 (3) TRIBAL ENTITY.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Tribal enti11 ty’’ means— 

12 (i) an Indian Tribe (as defined in sec13 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 

14 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

15 5304)); 

16 (ii) any other Tribe (as determined by 

17 the Secretary); and 

18 (iii) a Tribal organization (as defined 

19 in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determina20 tion and Education Assistance Act (25 

21 U.S.C. 5304)). 

22 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘Tribal enti23 ty’’ includes an entity or a corporation that— 

24 (i) is wholly or majority owned by one 

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1 paragraph (A) or one or more members 

2 thereof; and 

3 (ii) provides services or programs con4 sistent with the purposes of the program 

5 under this section. 

6 (b) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall guarantee 

7 loans and make grants to eligible entities to support the 

8 commencement or expansion of projects in the United 

9 States to increase the capacity of the food supply chain 

10 in the United States to aggregate, process, manufacture, 

11 store, transport, wholesale, or distribute domestically 

12 grown food for commercial food products. 

13 (c) ELIGIBILITY.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a loan 

15 guarantee or grant under this section, an eligible en16 tity shall be engaged in or propose to engage in ag17 gregating, processing, manufacturing, storing, trans18 porting, wholesaling, or distributing domestically 

19 grown food for a commercial food product project— 

20 (A) directly; or 

21 (B) through a contractual, lease, or service 

22 agreement with another entity. 

23 (2) RESTRICTIONS.—To be eligible for a loan 

24 guarantee or grant under this section— 


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1 (A) an eligible entity engaged in or pro2 posing to engage in the processing of meat, 

3 poultry, processed egg products, or fish of the 

4 order Siluriformes shall comply with the re5 quirements of the Food Safety and Inspection 

6 Service; 

7 (B) an eligible entity engaged in or pro8 posing to engage in the processing of any food 

9 or food ingredient not described in subpara10 graph (A) shall comply with the requirements of 

11 the Food and Drug Administration; and 

12 (C) an eligible entity engaged in or pro13 posing to engage in beef, pork, chicken, or tur14 key processing, including an affiliate of such an 

15 eligible entity, shall not hold a market share 

16 greater than or equal to the entity that holds 

17 the fourth-largest share of the market for the 

18 species addressed in the loan guarantee or 

19 grant award. 

20 (3) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall not 

21 limit the eligibility of an eligible entity for a loan 

22 guarantee or grant under this section based on the 

23 availability of credit from any other source. 

24 (d) APPLICATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a loan 

2 guarantee or grant under this section, an eligible en3 tity shall submit to the Secretary an application in 

4 such form, at such time, and containing such infor5 mation as the Secretary determines to be appro6 priate. 

7 (2) INCLUSION.—An application submitted 

8 under paragraph (1) shall demonstrate that the loan 

9 or grant funds will be used in the United States to 

10 carry out a project described in subsection (b). 

11 (3) FEASIBILITY STUDY.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—An application sub13 mitted under paragraph (1) shall include a fea14 sibility study that meets criteria established by 

15 the Secretary. 

16 (B) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary may 

17 not approve an application submitted under 

18 paragraph (1) unless the Secretary determines 

19 that the project described in the application is 

20 technically and economically feasible, based on 

21 the feasibility study described in subparagraph 

22 (A). 

23 (4) COMBINATION.—An eligible entity may 

24 apply for both a loan guarantee and a grant under 

25 this section using the same application. 


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1 (e) LOAN GUARANTEES.— 

2 (1) ELIGIBLE USES.—A loan guaranteed under 

3 this section may be used by the eligible entity— 

4 (A) to purchase or develop real property; 

5 (B) to expand, renovate, construct, or oth6 erwise improve leased or owned property; 

7 (C) to purchase machinery or equipment; 

8 (D) for— 

9 (i) debt refinancing; 

10 (ii) interim financing; 

11 (iii) the purchase of membership into 

12 the Farm Credit System; 

13 (iv) the purchase of cooperative stock 

14 or taxable corporate bonds; 

15 (v) the financing of working capital; 

16 or 

17 (vi) to cover interest or fees; 

18 (E) to conduct a feasibility study under 

19 subsection (d)(3)(A); 

20 (F) for education and training facilities or 

21 equipment; or 

22 (G) for pollution control or abatement. 

23 (2) AMOUNT.—The principal amount of a loan 

24 guaranteed under this section may not exceed 

25 $80,000,000. 


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1 (f) GRANTS.— 

2 (1) ELIGIBLE USES.—A grant made under this 

3 section may be used by the eligible entity receiving 

4 the grant for— 

5 (A) technical assistance; 

6 (B) employee training and certification; 

7 (C) costs of an environmental assessment; 

8 or 

9 (D) food safety certification and training. 

10 (2) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant made 

11 under this section may not exceed $500,000. 

12 (3) FUNDING.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amount made 

14 available to carry out this section for each fiscal 

15 year, the Secretary shall reserve not less than 

16 10 percent to make grants under this section. 

17 (B) AVAILABILITY.—If amounts reserved 

18 under subparagraph (A) are not obligated by 

19 September 30 of the fiscal year for which the 

20 amounts are reserved, the amounts shall be 

21 available for other purposes authorized under 

22 this section. 

23 (g) PRIORITIES.—In guaranteeing loans and making 

24 grants under this section, when the amount available to 

25 carry out this section is less than the total of the amounts 


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1 requested by applications under this section that are eligi2 ble for approval, the Secretary shall give preference to ap3 plications for projects that— 

4 (1) would create jobs in economically distressed 

5 communities, as determined by the Secretary; 

6 (2) are submitted by eligible entities that are 

7 small food processors (as determined by the Sec8 retary) and are small business concerns (within the 

9 meaning of section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

10 U.S.C. 632)); 

11 (3) would support local or regional foods; or 

12 (4) would help to create a more resilient, di13 verse, and secure United States food supply chain, 

14 as determined by the Secretary. 

15 (h) NONSUPPLANTATION OF OTHER FUNDS.—The 

16 Secretary shall use the amounts made available to carry 

17 out this section to supplement, and not supplant, funds 

18 provided under other Federal law or State or local law. 

19 (i) REQUIREMENT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of receiving a 

21 loan guarantee or grant under this section, an eligi22 ble entity shall ensure that all laborers and mechan23 ics employed by contractors or subcontractors in the 

24 performance of construction work financed in whole 

25 or in part by the loan guarantee or grant shall be 


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1 paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on 

2 similar construction in the locality, as determined by 

3 the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sections 

4 3141 through 3144, 3146, and 3147 of title 40, 

5 United States Code. 

6 (2) AUTHORITY AND FUNCTIONS.—The Sec7 retary of Labor shall have, with respect to the labor 

8 standards described in paragraph (1), the authority 

9 and functions set forth in Reorganization Plan 

10 Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. 

11 App) and section 3145 of title 40, United States 

12 Code. 

13 (j) FUNDING.— 

14 (1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appro15 priated, out of amounts in the Treasury not other16 wise appropriated, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

17 and each fiscal year thereafter to carry out this sec18 tion, to remain available until expended. 

19 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec21 retary to carry out this section not more than 

22 $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

23 2029, to remain available until expended. 

24 (3) ADMINISTRATION.—Of the amount made 

25 available to carry out this section for each fiscal 


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1 year, the Secretary may use not more than 5 percent 

2 for administrative purposes. 

3 SEC. 6504. AGRICULTURE INNOVATION CENTER DEM4 ONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

5 Section 6402 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest6 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1632b) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘agricultural producers’’ each 

8 place it appears and inserting ‘‘eligible partici9 pants’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

12 (2) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and 

13 (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as 

14 so redesignated) the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘eligi16 ble participant’ means— 

17 ‘‘(A) an agricultural producer; 

18 ‘‘(B) an agricultural enterprise (as defined 

19 in section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 

20 U.S.C. 647(b))); and 

21 ‘‘(C) a small business concern (within the 

22 meaning of section 3 of the Small Business Act 

23 (15 U.S.C. 632)) engaged in manufacturing 

24 value-added agricultural products.’’; 

25 (3) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘(in 

2 cash or in kind)’’; and 

3 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert4 ing the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) ADVISORY BOARD.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Agriculture In7 novation Center of an eligible entity shall have 

8 an advisory board. 

9 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—An advisory board 

10 described in subparagraph (A) shall be com11 posed of a diverse group of representatives of 

12 public and private entities in the State in which 

13 the eligible entity is located (or the region in 

14 which the eligible entity is located if the service 

15 area of the eligible entity comprises more than 

16 1 State), including the following: 

17 ‘‘(i) General agricultural organiza18 tions. 

19 ‘‘(ii) Entities representing commod20 ities produced in the State or region, as 

21 applicable.’’; and 

22 (4) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘$15,000,000 

23 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in24 serting ‘‘$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

25 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6505. RURAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM. 

2 Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest3 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

7 ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

8 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

9 (C) as subparagraph (E); and 

10 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

11 (B) the following: 

12 ‘‘(C) any Indian Tribe (as defined in sec13 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 

14 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); 

15 ‘‘(D) any public, quasipublic, or nonprofit 

16 entity that uses innovative financing techniques 

17 and market development tools to accelerate the 

18 deployment of clean energy technology (com19 monly known as a ‘green bank’); and’’; and 

20 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(2) ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURE.—The 

23 term ‘energy efficiency measure’, with respect to any 

24 property served by an eligible entity, means— 

25 ‘‘(A) a structural improvement or invest26 ment in a cost-effective, commercial technology 


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1 to increase energy efficiency (including cost-ef2 fective on- or off-grid renewable energy or en3 ergy storage systems); and 

4 ‘‘(B) the replacement of a manufactured 

5 housing unit or large appliance with a substan6 tially similar manufactured housing unit or ap7 pliance, respectively, if that replacement is a 

8 cost-effective option with respect to energy sav9 ings.’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (c)— 

11 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

12 ‘‘AND GRANTS’’ after ‘‘LOANS’’; 

13 (B) by striking paragraph (1) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the require16 ments of this subsection, the Secretary shall pro17 vide— 

18 ‘‘(A) loans to eligible entities that agree to 

19 use the loan funds to make loans under sub20 section (d) to qualified consumers for the pur21 pose of implementing energy efficiency meas22 ures; and 

23 ‘‘(B) at the election of any eligible entity 

24 that receives a loan under subparagraph (A), a 

25 grant in accordance with paragraph (10).’’; 


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1 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (i) in the paragraph heading, by in3 serting ‘‘FOR LOANS’’ after ‘‘REQUIRE4 MENTS’’; and 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (A)(i), by strik6 ing ‘‘that is’’; 

7 (D) in paragraph (5)— 

8 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

9 (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec10 tively, and indenting the clauses appro11 priately; 

12 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) 

13 (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘With re14 spect to a loan under paragraph (1)’’ and 

15 inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara17 graph (B), with respect to a loan under para18 graph (1)(A)’’; and 

19 (iii) by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(B) EXTENSIONS.—The Secretary may 

22 extend the term of a loan under subparagraph 

23 (A)(i), or the deadline for the repayment of an 

24 advance under subparagraph (A)(ii), as the Sec25 retary determines to be appropriate.’’; 


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1 (E) in paragraph (7)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

3 ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

4 (1)(A)’’; and 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (C), in the mat6 ter preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘Re7 payment of the special advance’’ and in8 serting ‘‘Subject to an applicable extension 

9 under paragraph (5)(B), repayment of a 

10 special advance under this paragraph’’; 

11 (F) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘para12 graph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)(A)’’; 

13 and 

14 (G) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(10) GRANTS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—At the election of an 

17 eligible entity that receives a loan under this 

18 subsection, the Secretary shall provide to the el19 igible entity a grant to pay for a portion of the 

20 costs incurred in— 

21 ‘‘(i) applying for the loan; 

22 ‘‘(ii) making a loan to a qualified con23 sumer under subsection (d); 

24 ‘‘(iii) making repairs to the property 

25 of a qualified consumer that facilitate the 


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1 energy efficiency measures for the property 

2 financed through a loan provided to the 

3 qualified consumer under subsection (d); 

4 ‘‘(iv) entering into a contract under 

5 subsection (e); or 

6 ‘‘(v) carrying out any other duties of 

7 the eligible entity under this section. 

8 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT.— 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro10 vided in clause (ii), the amount of a grant 

11 provided to an eligible entity under this 

12 paragraph shall be equal to not more than 

13 5 percent of the amount of the loan pro14 vided to the eligible entity under this sub15 section. 

16 ‘‘(ii) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUN17 TIES.—The amount of a grant provided 

18 under this paragraph to an eligible entity 

19 that will use the grant to make loans 

20 under subsection (d) to qualified con21 sumers located in a persistent poverty 

22 county (as determined by the Secretary) 

23 shall be equal to 10 percent of the amount 

24 of the loan provided to the eligible entity 

25 under this subsection.’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) in the matter preceding subpara4 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘or grant’’ before 

5 ‘‘funds’’; 

6 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

7 (I) by striking ‘‘(B) shall fi8 nance’’ and inserting the following: 

9 ‘‘(B)(i) may have a term and amortization 

10 schedule the length of which is the useful life 

11 of the energy efficiency measures implemented 

12 using the loan, provided that the loan to the 

13 qualified consumer does not exceed 20 years; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(ii) shall finance’’; and 

16 (II) in clause (ii) (as so des17 ignated), by striking ‘‘a loan term of 

18 not more than 10 years’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘the applicable loan term de20 scribed in clause (i)’’; and 

21 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

22 ‘‘unless the personal property is or be23 comes attached to real property (including 

24 a manufactured home) as a fixture;’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘unless the personal property— 


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1 ‘‘(i) is a manufactured housing unit or 

2 large appliance described in subsection 

3 (b)(2)(B); or 

4 ‘‘(ii) is or becomes attached to real 

5 property as a fixture;’’; and 

6 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—Not8 withstanding any other provision of law (including 

9 regulations), an eligible entity may make a loan 

10 under this subsection to any qualified consumer lo11 cated within the service territory of the eligible enti12 ty, regardless of whether the qualified consumer is 

13 located in a rural area.’’; 

14 (4) in subsection (e)— 

15 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

16 ‘‘OUTREACH,’’ after ‘‘TRAINING,’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

19 ‘‘and technical assistance of the program’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘outreach, and technical as21 sistance relating to the program under this 

22 section’’; and 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by insert24 ing ‘‘, outreach,’’ after ‘‘technical assist25 ance’’; and 


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1 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(3) FUNDING.—Of the amounts made avail3 able under subsection (i), the Secretary may use 

4 such sums as are necessary to provide outreach, 

5 training, and technical assistance under this sub6 section.’’; and 

7 (5) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in8 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 6506. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

10 Section 306 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De11 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1926) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking the section designation and all 

13 that follows through ‘‘The Secretary’’ in the first 

14 sentence of subsection (a)(1) and inserting the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 306. WATER AND WASTE FACILITY LOANS AND 

17 GRANTS. 

18 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘(3) No’’ 

22 and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(3) DETERMINATION; REQUIREMENT.—No’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (4)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘(4) (A) The term’’ 

2 and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

4 ‘‘(A) DEVELOPMENT COST.—The term’’; 

5 and 

6 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

7 ‘‘(B) The term’’ and inserting the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(B) PROJECT.—The term’’; 

10 (C) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘(6) 

11 The’’ and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(6) GRANTS FOR CERTAIN DEVELOPMENT

13 PLANS.—The’’; 

14 (D) in paragraph (8)— 

15 (i) by striking ‘‘(8) In’’ and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(8) PROJECTS PROPOSED TO SERVE THE SAME

18 RESIDENTS.—In’’; and 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘the Secretary’’; 

21 (E) in paragraph (12)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘(12)(A) The’’ and in23 serting the following: 

24 ‘‘(12) INFORMATIONAL SYSTEM FOR CERTAIN

25 INSTITUTIONS.—(A) The’’; and 


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1 (ii) by indenting subparagraphs (B) 

2 through (D) appropriately; 

3 (F) in paragraph (13)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘(13) In’’ and inserting 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(13) PRIORITY.—In’’; and 

7 (ii) in the second sentence— 

8 (I) by striking ‘‘Soil Conservation 

9 Service’’ and inserting ‘‘Natural Re10 sources Conservation Service’’; and 

11 (II) by striking ‘‘he’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘the Secretary’’; 

13 (G) in paragraph (15), by striking ‘‘(15) 

14 In’’ and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(15) PROJECTS SERVING MULTIPLE COMMU16 NITIES.—In’’; 

17 (H) in paragraph (16), by striking ‘‘(16) 

18 Grants’’ and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(16) USE OF GRANTS FOR LOCAL SHARE RE20 QUIREMENTS.—Grants’’; 

21 (I) in paragraph (17)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘(17)(A) In’’ and in23 serting the following: 

24 ‘‘(17) DESIGN AND MATERIALS.—(A) In’’; and 


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1 (ii) by indenting subparagraph (B) 

2 appropriately; and 

3 (J) in paragraph (18), by striking ‘‘(18) 

4 In’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(18) PROHIBITION OF ADDITIONAL CONDI6 TIONS.—In’’; and 

7 (3) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘(b) The’’ and 

8 inserting the following: 

9 ‘‘(b) CURTAILMENT OR LIMITATION OF SERVICE

10 PROHIBITED.—The’’; and 

11 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘(d) Any’’ and 

12 inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS; CARRYOVER OF

14 AUTHORIZATIONS.—Any’’. 


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1 TITLE VII—RESEARCH, EXTEN2 SION, AND RELATED MAT3 TERS 

4 Subtitle A—National Agricultural 

5 Research, Extension, and Teach6 ing Policy Act of 1977 

7 SEC. 7101. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTEN8 SION, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMICS ADVI9 SORY BOARD. 

10 Section 1408 of the National Agricultural Research, 

11 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

12 3123) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)(5), by striking ‘‘7 addi14 tional members’’ and inserting ‘‘3 additional mem15 bers’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘$500,000’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘$750,000’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7102. SPECIALTY CROP COMMITTEE. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1408A of the National 

22 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

23 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123a) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

25 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

2 by striking ‘‘11 members’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘12 members’’; and 

4 (ii) adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(iv) One of such members shall rep6 resent a State with not less than 1,000 

7 acres of citrus production, and shall be a 

8 nonvoting member.’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

10 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (2) 

12 and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT; SERVICE.—Members of the 

14 specialty crops committee shall— 

15 ‘‘(A) be appointed by the Secretary; and 

16 ‘‘(B) serve at the discretion of the Sec17 retary.’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (g)— 

19 (A) by redesignating paragraph (5) and 

20 (6) as paragraph (6) and (7), respectively; and 

21 (B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(5) review grant applications under such sub24 section and submit a summary of comments, includ25 ing the relevancy of the applications to the annual 


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1 priorities established under paragraph (4), to the Di2 rector of the National Institute of Food and Agri3 culture for consideration prior to the awarding of 

4 grants under such subsection;’’. 

5 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 412(d) of 

6 the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Re7 form Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632(d)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

9 inserting a semicolon; 

10 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 

11 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(3) for competitive grants under subsection 

14 (j), the review and summary submitted to the Direc15 tor of the National Institute of Food and Agri16 culture under section 1408A(g)(5) of the National 

17 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Pol18 icy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123a(g)(5)).’’. 

19 (c) EFFECT.—The amendments made by subsection 

20 (a)— 

21 (1) shall take effect on October 1 of the first 

22 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment 

23 of this Act; and 

24 (2) shall not affect the terms of the members 

25 of the citrus disease subcommittee established under 


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1 section 1408A(a)(2) of the National Agricultural Re2 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 

3 (7 U.S.C. 3123a(a)(2)) who are— 

4 (A) appointed by the Secretary before the 

5 effective date described in paragraph (1); and 

6 (B) members of that subcommittee on that 

7 effective date. 

8 SEC. 7103. GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS FOR FOOD AND AG9 RICULTURE SCIENCES EDUCATION. 

10 Section 1417 of the National Agricultural Research, 

11 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

12 3152) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (j)(3)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

15 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

16 (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking the 

17 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(H) to conduct workforce training, edu20 cation, research, and outreach activities relating 

21 to the food and agricultural sciences.’’; and 

22 (2) in subsection (m)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

24 the end; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023.’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘2024; and’’; and 

3 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(3) $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

5 through 2029.’’. 

6 SEC. 7104. AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD POLICY RESEARCH 

7 CENTERS. 

8 Section 1419A(e) of the National Agricultural Re9 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

10 U.S.C. 3155(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in11 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 SEC. 7105. EDUCATION GRANTS TO ALASKA NATIVE SERV13 ING INSTITUTIONS AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN 

14 SERVING INSTITUTIONS. 

15 Section 1419B of the National Agricultural Research, 

16 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

17 3156) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking 

19 ‘‘$10,000,000 in fiscal years 2001 through 2023’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2025 through 2029’’; and 

22 (2) in subsection (b)(3), by striking 

23 ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 

24 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal 

25 years 2025 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7106. NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM. 

2 Section 1425(g) of the National Agricultural Re3 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

4 U.S.C. 3175(g)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in5 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 7107. CONTINUING ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE RE7 SEARCH PROGRAMS. 

8 Section 1433 of the National Agricultural Research, 

9 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

10 3195) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(4) CARRYOVER.—The balance of any annual 

14 funds provided to an eligible institution for a fiscal 

15 year under this subsection that remains unexpended 

16 at the end of the fiscal year may be carried over for 

17 use during the following fiscal year.’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7108. EXTENSION AT 1890 LAND-GRANT COLLEGES, IN21 CLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY. 

22 Section 1444(a)(2) of the National Agricultural Re23 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

24 U.S.C. 3221(a)(2)) is amended— 

25 (1) by striking ‘‘2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2025’’; 

26 and 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘20 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘40 

2 percent’’. 

3 SEC. 7109. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AT 1890 LAND-GRANT 

4 COLLEGES, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVER5 SITY. 

6 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

7 1445(a) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

8 and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222(a)) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘2003’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘2025’’ and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘30 percent’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘40 percent’’; and 

15 (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘graduate 

16 student tuition and fees,’’ after ‘‘direction,’’. 

17 (b) PAYMENT OF ALLOTMENTS TO ELIGIBLE INSTI18 TUTIONS.—Section 1445(d) of the National Agricultural 

19 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

20 U.S.C. 3222(d)) is amended— 

21 (1) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘a re22 search director’’ and inserting ‘‘an agricultural re23 search director’’; and 

24 (2) in the third sentence— 

25 (A) by striking ‘‘or other officer’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘agricultural’’ before 

2 ‘‘chief administrative officer’’. 

3 SEC. 7110. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS AT 1890 INSTITU4 TIONS. 

5 Section 1446 of the National Agricultural Research, 

6 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

7 3222a) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘2020, and 

9 each of the 4 succeeding academic years’’ and insert10 ing ‘‘2025, and each succeeding academic year’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (b)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 

13 ‘‘$40,000,000 not later than October 1, 2019,’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

15 and each fiscal year thereafter,’’; and 

16 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 SEC. 7111. GRANTS TO UPGRADE AGRICULTURAL AND 

19 FOOD SCIENCES FACILITIES AT 1890 LAND20 GRANT COLLEGES, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE 

21 UNIVERSITY. 

22 Section 1447(b) of the National Agricultural Re23 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

24 U.S.C. 3222b(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in25 serting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7112. GRANTS TO UPGRADE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD 

2 SCIENCES FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT AT 

3 INSULAR AREA LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS. 

4 Section 1447B(d) of the National Agricultural Re5 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

6 U.S.C. 3222b–2(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 7113. RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES AT 1890 

9 INSTITUTIONS. 

10 Section 1449 of the National Agricultural Research, 

11 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

12 3222d) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(g) ATTESTATION TO THE SECRETARY.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

15 once each fiscal year, a State shall submit to the 

16 Secretary an attestation that describes whether the 

17 State— 

18 ‘‘(A) plans to fulfill the matching funds re19 quirement under subsection (c) for that fiscal 

20 year; or 

21 ‘‘(B) is unable to fulfill that matching 

22 funds requirement for that fiscal year. 

23 ‘‘(2) LETTER.—Not later than December 31, 

24 2025, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall 

25 submit to each Governor whose State did not fulfill 


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1 the matching funds requirement under subsection 

2 (c) for the prior fiscal year a letter that shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) notify the Governor that the State 

4 did not fulfill that matching funds requirement; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(B) describe the amounts of matching 

7 funds received by 1890 Institutions and 1862 

8 Institutions (as those terms are defined in sec9 tion 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, 

10 and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

11 7601)) in that State for each of the agricultural 

12 research, extension, education, and related pro13 grams described in paragraphs (1) through (3) 

14 of section 7116 of the Agriculture Improvement 

15 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2207d). 

16 ‘‘(3) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 

17 publicly available, on an annual basis, each attesta18 tion submitted under paragraph (1) and each letter 

19 submitted under paragraph (2).’’. 

20 SEC. 7114. NEW BEGINNING FOR TRIBAL STUDENTS. 

21 Section 1450(d) of the National Agricultural Re22 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

23 U.S.C. 3222e(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in24 serting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7115. HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS. 

2 Section 1455(c) of the National Agricultural Re3 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

4 U.S.C. 3241(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in5 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 7116. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE PARTNERSHIPS 

7 AND GRANTS PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1458A of the National 

9 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

10 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3292) is amended— 

11 (1) by striking the section heading and insert12 ing ‘‘INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE PARTNER13 SHIPS AND GRANTS PROGRAM’’; 

14 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub15 section (e); 

16 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(d) COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR INTERNATIONAL

19 AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) COMPETITIVE GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The 

21 Secretary may make competitive grants to colleges 

22 and universities in order to strengthen United States 

23 economic competitiveness and to promote inter24 national market development. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PURPOSE OF GRANTS.—Grants under this 

2 subsection shall be directed to agricultural research, 

3 extension, and teaching activities that will— 

4 ‘‘(A) enhance the international content of 

5 the curricula in colleges and universities so as 

6 to ensure that United States students acquire 

7 an understanding of the international dimen8 sions and trade implications of their studies; 

9 ‘‘(B) ensure that United States scientists, 

10 extension agents, and educators involved in ag11 ricultural research and development activities 

12 outside of the United States have the oppor13 tunity to convey the implications of their activi14 ties and findings to their peers and students in 

15 the United States and to the users of agricul16 tural research, extension, and teaching; 

17 ‘‘(C) enhance the capabilities of colleges 

18 and universities to do collaborative research 

19 with other countries, in cooperation with other 

20 Federal agencies, on issues relevant to United 

21 States agricultural competitiveness; 

22 ‘‘(D) enhance the capabilities of colleges 

23 and universities to provide cooperative extension 

24 education to promote the application of new 


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1 technology developed in foreign countries to 

2 United States agriculture; and 

3 ‘‘(E) enhance the capability of United 

4 States colleges and universities, in cooperation 

5 with other Federal agencies, to provide leader6 ship and educational programs that will assist 

7 United States natural resources and food pro8 duction, processing, and distribution businesses 

9 and industries to compete internationally, in10 cluding product market identification, inter11 national policies limiting or enhancing market 

12 production, development of new or enhancement 

13 of existing markets, and production effi14 ciencies.’’; and 

15 (4) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by 

16 striking ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

17 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$20,000,000 for each 

18 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

20 (1) Section 1459A of the National Agricultural 

21 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

22 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3292b) is repealed. 

23 (2) Section 251(f)(1)(D)(vii) of the Department 

24 of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

25 6971(f)(1)(D)(vii)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 


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1 1459A of the National Agricultural Research, Ex2 tension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

3 3292b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (d) of section 

4 1458A of the National Agricultural Research, Ex5 tension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

6 3292)’’. 

7 SEC. 7117. RESEARCH EQUIPMENT GRANTS. 

8 Section 1462A(e) of the National Agricultural Re9 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

10 U.S.C. 3310a(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in11 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 SEC. 7118. UNIVERSITY RESEARCH. 

13 Section 1463 of the National Agricultural Research, 

14 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

15 3311) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it ap16 pears in subsections (a) and (b) and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 7119. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE. 

18 Section 1464 of the National Agricultural Research, 

19 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

20 3312) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 7120. SUPPLEMENTAL AND ALTERNATIVE CROPS. 

23 Section 1473D of the National Agricultural Re24 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

25 U.S.C. 3319d) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (e)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 7121. NEW ERA RURAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 

6 Section 1473E(d) of the National Agricultural Re7 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

8 U.S.C. 3319e(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in9 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

10 SEC. 7122. CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR NLGCA INSTI11 TUTIONS. 

12 Section 1473F(b) of the National Agricultural Re13 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

14 U.S.C. 3319i(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in15 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 7123. AGRICULTURE ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DE17 VELOPMENT AUTHORITY. 

18 Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Re19 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

20 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended— 

21 (1) in the section heading, by striking 

22 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (a)(6)(A), by striking ‘‘grow24 ing,’’ and inserting ‘‘growing (including water con25 servation technologies and innovation),’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘pilot program’’ each place 

3 it appears and inserting ‘‘program’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

6 (I) by inserting ‘‘the long-term 

7 and high-risk technological’’ before 

8 ‘‘barriers’’; and 

9 (II) by striking ‘‘and resilience to 

10 extreme weather;’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘water conservation, the reduction, 

12 avoidance, sequestration, or mitigation 

13 of greenhouse gas emissions from the 

14 agriculture sector, and resilience to 

15 extreme weather, drought, infectious 

16 diseases, plant and animal pathogens, 

17 and plant and animal pests;’’; and 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 

19 ‘‘or economic cost’’ before the period at the 

20 end; 

21 (C) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

22 (i) in clause (ii), in the matter pre23 ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘advise 

24 the Chief Scientist on, and’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking clause (iii) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(iii) RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE DE4 PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.— 

5 ‘‘(I) CHIEF SCIENTIST.—The Di6 rector shall work in close collaboration 

7 with the Office of the Chief Scientist. 

8 ‘‘(II) OTHER PROGRAMS.—No 

9 other official who is the head of any 

10 other program of the Department of 

11 Agriculture shall report to the Direc12 tor.’’; and 

13 (D) in paragraph (9), by striking the para14 graph designation and heading and all that fol15 lows through ‘‘In carrying out’’ and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(9) PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es19 tablish and maintain within the AGARDA a 

20 staff with sufficient qualifications and expertise 

21 to enable the AGARDA to carry out the respon22 sibilities of the AGARDA under this section in 

23 conjunction with other operations of the De24 partment of Agriculture. 


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1 ‘‘(B) USE OF EXISTING PERSONNEL AU2 THORITIES.—In carrying out’’; 

3 (4) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(4) USE OF STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Secretary 

6 shall use the strategic plan developed under para7 graph (1) and dated 2022 to inform the administra8 tion of the AGARDA under this section.’’; 

9 (5) in subsection (d), by striking paragraph (3) 

10 and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(3) FUNDING.—In addition to funds otherwise 

12 deposited in the Fund under paragraph (1) or (2)— 

13 ‘‘(A) there is appropriated to the Fund, 

14 out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 

15 appropriated, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 

16 2025, to remain available until expended; and 

17 ‘‘(B) there is authorized to be appropriated 

18 to the Fund $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 

19 years 2025 through 2029, to remain available 

20 until expended.’’; and 

21 (6) by striking subsection (e). 


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1 SEC. 7124. CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY 

2 COLLEGE AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS. 

3 Subtitle K of the National Agricultural Research, Ex4 tension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310 

5 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 1473I. CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY 

7 COLLEGE AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en10 tity’ means— 

11 ‘‘(A) a junior or community college sup12 porting agriculture advancement; and 

13 ‘‘(B) a consortium or alliance of 2-year 

14 public colleges supporting agriculture advance15 ment. 

16 ‘‘(2) JUNIOR OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The 

17 term ‘junior or community college’ has the meaning 

18 given the term in section 312 of the Higher Edu19 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058). 

20 ‘‘(b) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—The Secretary shall 

21 make competitive grants to eligible entities to assist the 

22 eligible entities in maintaining and expanding the capacity 

23 of the eligible entities to conduct workforce training, edu24 cation, research, and outreach activities relating to the fol25 lowing disciplines: 

26 ‘‘(1) Food and agricultural sciences. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Agribusiness and farm business manage2 ment. 

3 ‘‘(3) Meat and poultry processing. 

4 ‘‘(4) Related disciplines, as determined by the 

5 Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In making grants under subsection 

7 (b), the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 

8 coordinating with a local stakeholder engaged in activities 

9 relating to 1 or more of the disciplines described in that 

10 subsection to provide experiential training and other op11 portunities for students. 

12 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

13 a grant under subsection (b) may use the funds made 

14 available through the grant to expand and maintain the 

15 capacity of the eligible entity to conduct workforce train16 ing, education, research, and outreach activities relating 

17 to the disciplines described in that subsection by— 

18 ‘‘(1) successfully competing for funds from Fed19 eral grants and other sources to carry out workforce 

20 training, education, research, and outreach activities 

21 relating to those disciplines; 

22 ‘‘(2) disseminating information relating to those 

23 disciplines to interested members of the food and ag24 ricultural sciences, agribusiness, and farm business 

25 management communities and to the public; 


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1 ‘‘(3) encouraging members of those commu2 nities to participate in workforce training, education, 

3 research, and outreach activities relating to those 

4 disciplines through providing matching funding from 

5 sources other than funds received through the grant; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(4) through— 

8 ‘‘(A) the purchase or other acquisition of 

9 equipment and other infrastructure (not includ10 ing the alteration, repair, renovation, or con11 struction of buildings); 

12 ‘‘(B) the professional growth and develop13 ment of faculty; and 

14 ‘‘(C) the development of apprenticeships 

15 and other work-based learning opportunities. 

16 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

18 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

19 SEC. 7125. AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION CORRIDORS. 

20 Subtitle K of the National Agricultural Research, Ex21 tension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310 

22 et seq.) (as amended by section 7124) is amended by add23 ing at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘SEC. 1473J. AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION CORRIDORS. 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting 

2 through the Director of the National Institute of 

3 Food and Agriculture, shall provide for the estab4 lishment and maintenance of a network of research 

5 corridors, each operated by an institution described 

6 in paragraph (2), for research and development on 

7 agricultural technology, to be known as ‘Agricultural 

8 Innovation Corridors’ (referred to in this section as 

9 ‘Ag Innovation Corridors’). 

10 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—An Ag Innova11 tion Corridor shall be operated by any of the fol12 lowing institutions: 

13 ‘‘(A) An 1862 Institution, an 1890 Institu14 tion, or a 1994 Institution (as those terms are 

15 defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Re16 search, Extension, and Education Reform Act 

17 of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)). 

18 ‘‘(B) An institution described in section 

19 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

20 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 

21 ‘‘(3) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS.—An Ag Innovation 

22 Corridor shall be established in each of the following 

23 geographic areas of the United States: 

24 ‘‘(A) Northeast. 

25 ‘‘(B) North Central. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Southeast. 

2 ‘‘(D) Great Plains. 

3 ‘‘(E) Rocky Mountain West. 

4 ‘‘(b) GOALS.—The Ag Innovation Corridors shall 

5 have the following goals: 

6 ‘‘(1) To demonstrate new and emerging tech7 nologies as applied to agricultural and natural re8 source practices. 

9 ‘‘(2) To demonstrate benefits of— 

10 ‘‘(A) providing farms with internet service 

11 that is capable of a speed of not less than— 

12 ‘‘(i) a 100-Mbps downstream trans13 mission capacity; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) a 20-Mbps upstream trans15 mission capacity; 

16 ‘‘(B) controlled-environment food and agri17 cultural production; and 

18 ‘‘(C) agrivoltaics systems for collocated ag19 ricultural and solar energy production. 

20 ‘‘(3) To engage with rural and urban audiences 

21 regarding emerging agricultural technologies and 

22 educational opportunities. 

23 ‘‘(4) To cooperate and collaborate with agricul24 tural industry partners on emerging agricultural 

25 technologies and opportunities. 


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1 ‘‘(5) To advance research to find new tech2 nologies and practices to apply to agriculture and 

3 natural resources to increase sustainability, profit4 ability, and conservation of resources. 

5 ‘‘(6) To connect industry, researchers, and 

6 practitioners across geographical areas to share re7 search, new ideas, and practices. 

8 ‘‘(c) ACTIVITIES.—The activities of the Ag Innova9 tion Corridors shall include— 

10 ‘‘(1) long-term research— 

11 ‘‘(A) to develop novel agricultural tech12 nologies for use at regional and national scales; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) to evaluate the applicability and 

15 adaptability of those technologies to local condi16 tions; 

17 ‘‘(2) the establishment and maintenance of mul18 tiple sites or research centers that capture the diver19 sity of agricultural production systems that function 

20 as a network; 

21 ‘‘(3) engagement and education of rural and 

22 urban audiences regarding agricultural technologies; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(4) collaboration with agricultural industry 

25 partners at research centers and sites to develop and 


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1 research new agricultural technologies and practices 

2 that increase sustainability, profitability, and con3 servation. 

4 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION OF RESEARCH.—In carrying out 

5 this section, the Secretary shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) coordinate long-term agricultural tech7 nology research to improve understanding within the 

8 Department of Agriculture of how technologies func9 tion at the field, regional, and national scales; 

10 ‘‘(2) ensure that each research site included 

11 within an Ag Innovation Corridor conducts experi12 ments with common goals and methods— 

13 ‘‘(A) to increase agricultural productivity 

14 and profitability; 

15 ‘‘(B) to enhance agricultural resilience and 

16 the capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate 

17 change; 

18 ‘‘(C) to work with the agricultural industry 

19 to develop technologies that address the goals 

20 described in subparagraphs (A) and (B); and 

21 ‘‘(D) to educate both rural and urban au22 diences on agriculture and new agricultural 

23 technologies; 

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1 ers and the public whenever practicable, and inte2 grate data across the network and partner sites; and 

3 ‘‘(4) provide infrastructure to research sites in4 cluded in the Ag Innovation Corridors for data col5 lection, common measurements, and data streams 

6 that complement other national networks, such as 

7 the National Ecological Observatory Network and 

8 the Long-Term Ecological Research Network. 

9 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

11 $50,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2025 through 

12 2029.’’. 

13 SEC. 7126. NATIONAL AGROFORESTRY SURVEY. 

14 Subtitle K of the National Agricultural Research, Ex15 tension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310 

16 et seq.) (as amended by section 7125) is amended by add17 ing at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 1473K. NATIONAL AGROFORESTRY SURVEY. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in cooperation 

20 with the Forest Service, the National Agroforestry Center, 

21 the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Agricul22 tural Research Service, and the National Agricultural Sta23 tistics Service, shall conduct a national agroforestry sur24 vey every 3 years beginning in 2026. 


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1 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

4 SEC. 7127. AQUACULTURE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1477(a) of the National 

6 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

7 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

9 end; 

10 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023.’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘2024; and’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(3) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

14 through 2029.’’. 

15 (b) INDIRECT COSTS.—Section 1477 of the National 

16 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

17 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324) is amended by adding at 

18 the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(c) INDIRECT COSTS.—Effective beginning on the 

20 date of enactment of this subsection— 

21 ‘‘(1) the limitation with respect to indirect costs 

22 under section 1462 shall apply with respect to 

23 awards made under this subtitle; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) the limitation with respect to indirect costs 

2 under section 1473 shall not apply with respect to 

3 those awards.’’. 

4 SEC. 7128. RANGELAND RESEARCH PROGRAMS. 

5 Section 1483(a)(2) of the National Agricultural Re6 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

7 U.S.C. 3336(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 7129. SPECIAL AUTHORIZATION FOR BIOSECURITY 

10 PLANNING AND RESPONSE. 

11 Section 1484(a)(3) of the National Agricultural Re12 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

13 U.S.C. 3351(a)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7130. DISTANCE EDUCATION AND RESIDENT INSTRUC16 TION GRANTS PROGRAM FOR INSULAR AREA 

17 INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 

18 (a) DISTANCE EDUCATION GRANTS FOR INSULAR

19 AREAS.—Section 1490(f)(2) of the National Agricultural 

20 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

21 U.S.C. 3362(f)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in22 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

23 (b) RESIDENT INSTRUCTION GRANTS FOR INSULAR

24 AREAS.—Section 1491(c)(2) of the National Agricultural 

25 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 


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1 U.S.C. 3363(c)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 Subtitle B—Food, Agriculture, Con4 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 

5 SEC. 7201. BEST UTILIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL APPLICA6 TIONS. 

7 Section 1624 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

8 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5814) is amended in 

9 the first sentence by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 7202. INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. 

12 Section 1627(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva13 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5821(d)) is amend14 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7203. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY DE16 VELOPMENT AND TRANSFER PROGRAM. 

17 Section 1628(f)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con18 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5831(f)(2)) 

19 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7204. NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM. 

21 Section 1629(i) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva22 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5832(i)) is amend23 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7205. NATIONAL GENETICS RESOURCES PROGRAM. 

2 Section 1635(b)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con3 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5844(b)(2)) 

4 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 7206. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL WEATHER INFORMA6 TION SYSTEM. 

7 Section 1641(c) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva8 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5855(c)) is amend9 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

10 SEC. 7207. AGRICULTURAL GENOME TO PHENOME INITIA11 TIVE. 

12 Section 1671(g) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva13 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5924(g)) is amend14 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7208. HIGH-PRIORITY RESEARCH AND EXTENSION INI16 TIATIVES. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1672(d) of the Food, Ag18 riculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

19 5925(d)) is amended— 

20 (1) by striking paragraph (9) and inserting the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(9) COFFEE PLANT HEALTH INITIATIVE.—Re23 search and extension grants may be made under this 

24 section for the purposes of— 

25 ‘‘(A) developing and disseminating science26 based tools and treatments to combat plant 


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1 pests and noxious weeds (as those terms are de2 fined in section 403 of the Plant Protection Act 

3 (7 U.S.C. 7702)) that impact coffee plants; 

4 ‘‘(B) establishing an areawide integrated 

5 pest management program in areas affected by, 

6 or areas at risk of being affected by, plant pests 

7 or noxious weeds (as so defined) that impact 

8 coffee plants; 

9 ‘‘(C) surveying and collecting data on cof10 fee plant production and health; 

11 ‘‘(D) investigating coffee plant biology, im12 munology, ecology, genomics, and 

13 bioinformatics; and 

14 ‘‘(E) conducting research on— 

15 ‘‘(i) factors that may contribute to or 

16 be associated with coffee plant immune 

17 systems; 

18 ‘‘(ii) other serious threats to coffee 

19 plants, including the sublethal effects of in20 secticides, herbicides, and fungicides on in21 sects and plants beneficial to coffee plant 

22 growth; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) the development of mitigating 

24 and preventative measures to improve 


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1 habitat conservation and best management 

2 practices in coffee-growing regions.’’; 

3 (2) by striking paragraph (11) and inserting 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(11) MACADAMIA TREE HEALTH INITIATIVE.— 

6 Research and extension grants may be made under 

7 this section for the purposes of— 

8 ‘‘(A) developing and disseminating science9 based tools and treatments to combat plant 

10 pests and noxious weeds (as those terms are de11 fined in section 403 of the Plant Protection Act 

12 (7 U.S.C. 7702)) that impact macadamia trees; 

13 ‘‘(B) establishing an areawide integrated 

14 pest management program in areas affected by, 

15 or areas at risk of being affected by, invasive 

16 plant pests or noxious weeds (as so defined); 

17 ‘‘(C) surveying and collecting data on mac18 adamia tree production and health; 

19 ‘‘(D) investigating macadamia tree biology, 

20 immunology, ecology, genomics, and 

21 bioinformatics; and 

22 ‘‘(E) conducting research on various fac23 tors that may contribute to or be associated 

24 with macadamia tree immune systems, and 


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1 other serious threats to macadamia trees, in2 cluding— 

3 ‘‘(i) the sublethal effects of insecti4 cides, herbicides, and fungicides on bene5 ficial insects and plants to macadamia tree 

6 growth; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) the development of mitigative 

8 and preventative measures to improve 

9 habitat conservation and best management 

10 practices in macadamia tree growing re11 gions.’’; 

12 (3) in paragraph (14)— 

13 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

14 through (F) as subparagraphs (C) through (G), 

15 respectively; and 

16 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(B) to review the effectiveness of current 

19 cattle fever tick eradication efforts in pre20 venting and reducing the spread of cattle fever 

21 ticks;’’; and 

22 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(21) PFAS AGRICULTURAL EFFECTS RE24 SEARCH INITIATIVE.—Research and extension grants 


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1 may be made under this section for the purposes of 

2 carrying out research relating to— 

3 ‘‘(A) the effects of perfluoroalkyl sub4 stances and polyfluoroalkyl substances (as those 

5 terms are defined in section 7331(2)(B) of the 

6 PFAS Act of 2019 (15 U.S.C. 8931(2)(B))) on 

7 agricultural land used for the production of 

8 crops and livestock, including cropland, grass9 land, rangeland, pasture land, cropped wood10 land, marshes, environmentally sensitive areas, 

11 and other land related to agricultural produc12 tion, as determined by the Secretary; and 

13 ‘‘(B) identifying methods to mitigate and 

14 remediate the impacts of perfluoroalkyl sub15 stances and polyfluoroalkyl substances (as so 

16 defined). 

17 ‘‘(22) PEANUT AFLATOXIN RESEARCH INITIA18 TIVE.—Research and extension grants may be made 

19 under this section for the purposes of— 

20 ‘‘(A) pre- and post-harvest improvements 

21 in the peanut production, handling, and proc22 essing sectors to improve efficiency and manage 

23 aflatoxin; 


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1 ‘‘(B) advanced curing systems to minimize 

2 moisture variation of individual peanut kernels; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(C) other efforts that can lead to a reduc5 tion in the risk of losses due to mold and poten6 tial aflatoxin contamination in storage. 

7 ‘‘(23) BIOCHAR RESEARCH INITIATIVE.—Re8 search and extension grants may be made under this 

9 section for the purposes of— 

10 ‘‘(A) assessing the soil carbon sequestra11 tion potential of various biochars and manage12 ment systems integrating biochar use; 

13 ‘‘(B) understanding how to use biochar 

14 productively to contribute to climate mitigation, 

15 crop production, resilience to extreme weather 

16 events, ecosystem and soil health, natural re17 source conservation, and farm profitability; and 

18 ‘‘(C) delivering science-based, region-spe19 cific, cost-effective, and practical information to 

20 farmers, ranchers, foresters, land reclamation 

21 managers, urban land managers, and other land 

22 and natural resource managers and businesses 

23 on sustainable biochar production and applica24 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(24) SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA INITIA2 TIVE.—Research and extension grants may be made 

3 and cooperative agreements may be entered into 

4 under this section to mitigate the negative effects of 

5 spotted wing drosophila. 

6 ‘‘(25) SPOTTED LANTERNFLY CONTROL INITIA7 TIVE.—Research and extension grants may be made 

8 under this section for the purposes of developing and 

9 disseminating research-based tools and treatments to 

10 combat the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). 

11 ‘‘(26) WHEAT RESILIENCY INITIATIVE.—Re12 search and extension grants may be made under this 

13 section for the purpose of building capacity to ad14 dress emerging pest and disease challenges to wheat 

15 production throughout the United States. 

16 ‘‘(27) INVASIVE SPECIES RESEARCH AND EX17 TENSION.—Research and extension grants may be 

18 made under this section for the purpose of sup19 porting research projects at land-grant colleges and 

20 universities (as defined in section 1404 of the Na21 tional Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teach22 ing Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to develop 

23 and apply methods to manage and eradicate invasive 

24 species of plants and animals, including through 

25 methods of biocontrol. 


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1 ‘‘(28) ADVANCED MECHANIZED HARVESTER

2 TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Research and exten4 sion grants may be made under this section for 

5 the purpose of developing and evaluating tech6 nologies to mechanize agricultural processes. 

7 ‘‘(B) EMPHASIS.—In awarding grants 

8 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may 

9 place emphasis on mechanizing the process for 

10 harvesting specialty crops. 

11 ‘‘(29) AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION OF ARTIFI12 CIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Research and exten14 sion grants may be made under this section for 

15 the purpose of developing and evaluating agri16 cultural uses of artificial intelligence. 

17 ‘‘(B) EMPHASIS.—In awarding grants 

18 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may 

19 place emphasis on uses of artificial intelligence 

20 that improve specialty crop production. 

21 ‘‘(30) AQUACULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTEN22 SION.—Research and extension grants may be made 

23 under this section for the purpose of supporting re24 search projects at land-grant colleges and univer25 sities (as defined in section 1404 of the National AgVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00723 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

2 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to develop and apply 

3 aquaculture methods, including through the propa4 gation and rearing of economically and ecologically 

5 valuable aquatic and marine species. 

6 ‘‘(31) WHITE OAK RESEARCH INITIATIVE.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Research grants may 

8 be made under this section to a land-grant col9 lege or university (as defined in section 1404 of 

10 the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

11 and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

12 3103)) for the purpose of improving white oak 

13 species resiliency, health, and preservation. 

14 ‘‘(B) PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants 

15 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 

16 prioritize research relating to the resistance of 

17 white oak to disease, pests, heat, and drought 

18 in cultivated, new, and old-growth white oak 

19 timber stands. 

20 ‘‘(32) SUNFLOWER BREEDING INITIATIVE.—Re21 search and extension grants may be made under this 

22 section for the purpose of developing sunflower hy23 brids adapted for United States growing regions.’’. 

24 (b) PULSE CROP HEALTH INITIATIVE.—Section 

25 1672(e)(5) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 


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1 Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(e)(5)) is amended by 

2 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 (c) TRAINING COORDINATION FOR FOOD AND AGRI4 CULTURE PROTECTION.—Section 1672(f)(5) of the Food, 

5 Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 

6 U.S.C. 5925(f)(5)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in7 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 (d) POLLINATOR PROTECTION.—Section 1672(g) of 

9 the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 

10 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(g)) is amended in paragraphs 

11 (1)(B), (2)(B), and (3) by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it 

12 appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

14 1672(h) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 

15 Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(h)) is amended by 

16 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 7209. ORGANIC AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTEN18 SION INITIATIVE. 

19 Section 1672B of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva20 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925b) is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

23 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘in each of fiscal years 

24 2019 through 2023’’; and 

25 (2) in subsection (f)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara2 graphs (A) through (G) and inserting the fol3 lowing: 

4 ‘‘(A) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

5 2019 and 2020; 

6 ‘‘(B) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

7 ‘‘(C) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

8 ‘‘(D) $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

9 2023 and 2024; 

10 ‘‘(E) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

11 ‘‘(F) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

12 ‘‘(G) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

13 ‘‘(H) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(I) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2029 and 

16 each fiscal year thereafter.’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

19 SEC. 7210. ENHANCED COORDINATION OF ORGANIC AGRI20 CULTURE RESEARCH. 

21 The Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 

22 of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 1672B (7 

23 U.S.C. 5925b) the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 1672C. ENHANCED COORDINATION OF ORGANIC AG2 RICULTURE RESEARCH. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Scientist of the De4 partment of Agriculture shall coordinate research, exten5 sion, education, and economic activities in the Department 

6 of Agriculture relating to organic agriculture. 

7 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

8 Chief Scientist shall— 

9 ‘‘(1) assign an individual to serve in the Office 

10 of the Chief Scientist as an Organic Agriculture Re11 search Coordinator (referred to in this section as the 

12 ‘Coordinator’) who shall be responsible for leading 

13 the efforts of the Chief Scientist in carrying out that 

14 subsection; 

15 ‘‘(2) implement and coordinate organic agri16 culture research efforts of the Department of Agri17 culture; 

18 ‘‘(3) establish annual strategic priorities and 

19 goals for the Department of Agriculture for organic 

20 agriculture research; 

21 ‘‘(4) communicate such priorities and goals to 

22 each agency or office of the Department of Agri23 culture, organic agriculture stakeholders, and rel24 evant grant recipients under programs administered 

25 by the Secretary; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) coordinate and identify all research on or2 ganic agriculture research needed and conducted by 

3 the Department of Agriculture and relevant grant 

4 recipients under programs administered by the Sec5 retary to ensure consistency and reduce unintended 

6 duplication of effort. 

7 ‘‘(c) SURVEYS; REPORTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

9 after the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

10 and Food Security Act of 2024, and every 5 years 

11 thereafter, in coordination with the roadmap for ag12 ricultural research, education, and extension de13 scribed in section 7504 of the Food, Conservation, 

14 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7614a), the Co15 ordinator shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) conduct a survey of all research of 

17 the Secretary relating to organic agriculture, in18 cluding a survey of the acreage of certified or19 ganic agricultural land used by the Agricultural 

20 Research Service; and 

21 ‘‘(B) submit to the Secretary a report con22 taining the findings of the survey conducted 

23 under subparagraph (A), which shall include 

24 sections relating to the Agricultural Research 

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1 riculture, the Economic Research Service, the 

2 National Agricultural Statistics Service, and 

3 such other agencies of the Department of Agri4 culture as the Secretary determines to be ap5 propriate. 

6 ‘‘(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Coordinator 

7 shall include in each report submitted under para8 graph (1)(B) recommendations relating to— 

9 ‘‘(A) enhancing the research conducted by 

10 the Secretary that— 

11 ‘‘(i) is applicable to agricultural pro12 ducers that adhere to the requirements 

13 under the national organic program estab14 lished under the Organic Foods Production 

15 Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.); and 

16 ‘‘(ii) would explore the new or en17 hanced research opportunities that could 

18 lead to new discoveries, foster innovation, 

19 improve technologies, and promote inte20 grated systems approaches to assist— 

21 ‘‘(I) organic agricultural pro22 ducers; 

23 ‘‘(II) consumers of organic food 

24 products; 


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1 ‘‘(III) organic marketing and dis2 tribution channels; 

3 ‘‘(IV) transitioning-to-organic ag4 ricultural producers, including with 

5 respect to barriers to transitioning to 

6 organic production and producers who 

7 have considered transitioning to or8 ganic production but decided not to 

9 do so; and 

10 ‘‘(V) the organic food industry; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) strategies to increase the coordination 

13 and effectiveness of projects carried out by the 

14 Secretary that are applicable to organic produc15 tion and that would improve the efficiency, pro16 ductivity, profitability, and ecosystem services 

17 of organic crop and livestock production. 

18 ‘‘(3) REVIEW OF PRIOR REPORT.—The Coordi19 nator shall include in each report submitted under 

20 paragraph (1)(B)— 

21 ‘‘(A) a review of the recommendations de22 scribed in paragraph (2) included in the prior 

23 report submitted under paragraph (1)(B); and 

24 ‘‘(B) the actions taken by the Secretary to 

25 implement those recommendations. 


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1 ‘‘(4) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

2 shall make each report received under paragraph 

3 (1)(B) publicly available.’’. 

4 SEC. 7211. FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 

5 Section 1672D(d)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con6 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925f(d)(2)) 

7 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 7212. URBAN, INDOOR, AND OTHER EMERGING AGRI9 CULTURAL PRODUCTION RESEARCH, EDU10 CATION, AND EXTENSION INITIATIVE. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1672E of the Food, Agri12 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

13 5925g) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

16 the end; 

17 (B) in paragraph (8), by striking the pe18 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(9) managing waste streams of production 

21 practices to improve the environmental impact of 

22 urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural prac23 tices.’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 (b) DATA COLLECTION.—Section 7212(b) of the Ag2 riculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 

3 132 Stat. 4812) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding 

5 subparagraph (A)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘Not later than one year 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, the’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘The’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘the census of agriculture 

10 conducted in the calendar year 2017’’ and in11 serting ‘‘each census of agriculture’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$14,000,000 

13 for the period of fiscal years 2019 through 2021’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘$18,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2025 through 2029, to remain available until ex16 pended’’. 

17 SEC. 7213. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE AT 1890 INSTITU18 TIONS. 

19 Section 1673 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

20 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5926) is amended— 

21 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘EXCEL22 LENCE.’’ and inserting ‘‘EXCELLENCE AT 1890 IN23 STITUTIONS.’’; 

24 (2) by striking subsections (a) through (c); 


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1 (3) in subsection (d), by striking the subsection 

2 designation and heading and all that follows through 

3 ‘‘The Secretary’’ in paragraph (1) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(a) RECOGNITION.—The Secretary’’; 

6 (4) in subsection (a) (as so designated)— 

7 (A) by inserting ‘‘and not more than 10’’ 

8 after ‘‘not less than 3’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and in10 serting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; and 

11 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

12 through (4) as subsections (b) through (d), re13 spectively, and indenting appropriately; 

14 (5) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated)— 

15 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

16 through (F) as paragraphs (1) through (6), re17 spectively, and indenting appropriately; 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ each place 

19 it appears and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(7) CLIMATE CHANGE.—A center of excellence 

22 established under subsection (a) may focus on cli23 mate change adaption and mitigation, soil health 

24 and carbon sequestration, nutrient and manure man25 agement, advanced grazing management and cropVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00733 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 livestock integration, perennial production systems, 

2 agroforestry, on-farm and food system energy effi3 ciency and renewable energy production, and food 

4 waste reduction. 

5 ‘‘(8) FORESTRY RESILIENCE AND CONSERVA6 TION.—A center of excellence established under sub7 section (a) may focus on fostering forest conserva8 tion, agroforestry, enhancing forest resilience, and 

9 urban and community forestry programs to promote 

10 biodiversity and environmental health. 

11 ‘‘(9) FOOD SAFETY, BIOPROCESSING, AND

12 VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURE.—A center of excel13 lence established under subsection (a) may focus on 

14 food safety, bioprocessing, value-added agriculture 

15 enterprise development, and innovative food and ag16 riculture product development. 

17 ‘‘(10) FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

18 AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES.—A center of excellence 

19 established under subsection (a) may focus on the 

20 integration of the social sciences, including econom21 ics, psychology, rural sociology, and other social 

22 sciences and data sciences, into the food and agricul23 tural sciences to develop comprehensive solutions to 

24 issues impacting underserved farmers and commu25 nities.’’; 


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1 (6) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by 

2 striking ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

3 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$50,000,000 for each 

4 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’; and 

5 (7) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

6 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

7 and (B) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, 

8 and indenting appropriately; and 

9 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so redesignated), 

10 by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub11 section (a)’’. 

12 SEC. 7214. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FOR FARM13 ERS WITH DISABILITIES. 

14 Section 1680(c)(1)(B) of the Food, Agriculture, Con15 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

16 5933(c)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘2029’’. 

18 SEC. 7215. NATIONAL RURAL INFORMATION CENTER 

19 CLEARINGHOUSE. 

20 Section 2381(e) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva21 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 3125b(e)) is 

22 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 Subtitle C—Agricultural Research, 

2 Extension, and Education Re3 form Act of 1998 

4 SEC. 7301. NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY TRAINING, EDUCATION, 

5 EXTENSION, OUTREACH, AND TECHNICAL AS6 SISTANCE PROGRAM. 

7 Section 405(j) of the Agricultural Research, Exten8 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

9 7625(j)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 7302. INTEGRATED RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EX12 TENSION COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM. 

13 Section 406(f) of the Agricultural Research, Exten14 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

15 7626(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 7303. SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH REGARDING DISEASES 

18 OF WHEAT, TRITICALE, AND BARLEY CAUSED 

19 BY FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM OR BY 

20 TILLETIA INDICA. 

21 Section 408(e) of the Agricultural Research, Exten22 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

23 7628(e)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

25 end; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2023.’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2024; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(4) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

5 through 2029.’’. 

6 SEC. 7304. GRANTS FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS. 

7 Section 410(d)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Ex8 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

9 7630(d)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 7305. SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 412 of the Agricultural 

13 Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 

14 (7 U.S.C. 7632) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ‘‘subsection 

16 (d) and (j),’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (d), (j), and 

17 (k),’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (g)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

22 the matching funds requirement under subpara23 graph (A).’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘the Ini25 tiative’’ and inserting ‘‘this section’’; 


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1 (3) by redesignating subsections (j) and (k) as 

2 subsections (k) and (l), respectively; 

3 (4) by inserting after subsection (i) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(j) SPECIALTY CROP MECHANIZATION AND AUTO6 MATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.— 

7 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The 

8 Secretary shall establish a competitive research and 

9 extension grant program to increase the competitive10 ness of specialty crops in the United States through 

11 the advancement and acceleration of mechanization 

12 and automation, under which the Secretary awards 

13 competitive grants to eligible entities— 

14 ‘‘(A) to create or improve cost-effective 

15 mechanization, automation, and other innova16 tions and technologies— 

17 ‘‘(i) to reduce the manual labor re18 quirements of a specialty crop grower; 

19 ‘‘(ii) to improve specialty crop farm20 worker safety and health or working condi21 tions; or 

22 ‘‘(iii) to increase the efficiency of spe23 cialty crop— 

24 ‘‘(I) production; 

25 ‘‘(II) resource management; 


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1 ‘‘(III) harvesting; 

2 ‘‘(IV) processing; 

3 ‘‘(V) postharvest technologies; or 

4 ‘‘(VI) packaging; 

5 ‘‘(B) to increase the adoption of specialty 

6 crop mechanization, automation, and other in7 novations and technologies by— 

8 ‘‘(i) emphasizing adoption drivers, 

9 which may include connectivity, autonomy, 

10 reliability, durability, in-field validation, 

11 and cost-effectiveness; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) investing in and developing 

13 human capital to increase the capacity of 

14 the specialty crop sector to work with new 

15 technologies; or 

16 ‘‘(C) to accelerate specialty crop mecha17 nization and automation through— 

18 ‘‘(i) prototype development; 

19 ‘‘(ii) in-field trial testing; 

20 ‘‘(iii) ongoing industry engagement; or 

21 ‘‘(iv) rapid commercialization. 

22 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 

23 subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to pro24 posals for projects that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) address the training or retraining of 

2 farmworkers to operate, repair, program, or 

3 otherwise maintain mechanization and automa4 tion solutions involved in the project; and 

5 ‘‘(B) include explicit mechanisms to com6 municate the results of the project to producers 

7 and the public. 

8 ‘‘(3) APPLICABILITY.—Subsections (a), (c) 

9 through (g), (i), and (l) shall apply to the program 

10 established under this subsection.’’; 

11 (5) in subsection (k) (as so redesignated), in 

12 paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘In addition to the 

13 amounts reserved under subsection (k)(1)(C), there’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘There’’; and 

15 (6) in subsection (l) (as so redesignated)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

18 (I) in the subparagraph heading, 

19 by striking ‘‘SUBSEQUENT FUNDING’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘FISCAL YEARS 2014

21 THROUGH 2024’’; and 

22 (II) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2014 

23 and each fiscal year thereafter’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2014 

25 through 2024’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking subparagraphs (C) and 

2 (D) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(C) SUBSEQUENT FUNDING.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of 

5 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the 

6 Secretary shall make available to carry out 

7 this section $170,000,000 for fiscal year 

8 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter. 

9 ‘‘(ii) ALLOCATION.—The Secretary 

10 shall allocate funds made available under 

11 clause (i) in accordance with the following: 

12 ‘‘(I) SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH

13 AND EXTENSION INITIATIVE.—For 

14 the Initiative, not less than— 

15 ‘‘(aa) $150,000,000 for each 

16 of fiscal years 2025 through 

17 2029; and 

18 ‘‘(bb) $170,000,000 for fis19 cal year 2030 and each fiscal 

20 year thereafter. 

21 ‘‘(II) SPECIALTY CROP MECHA22 NIZATION AND AUTOMATION RE23 SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PRO24 GRAM.—For the specialty crop mecha25 nization and automation research and 


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1 development program established 

2 under subsection (j), $20,000,000 for 

3 each of fiscal years 2025 through 

4 2029. 

5 ‘‘(iii) REALLOCATION.—Any funds al6 located under clause (ii)(II) that remain 

7 unobligated on the date that is 1 year after 

8 the last day of the fiscal year in which 

9 those funds are first made available shall 

10 be reallocated for the purposes described in 

11 clause (ii)(I). 

12 ‘‘(iv) AVAILABILITY OF MECHANIZA13 TION AND AUTOMATION FUNDS.— 

14 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Notwith15 standing paragraph (4), funds made 

16 available under clause (i) and allo17 cated under clause (ii)(II) shall re18 main available until expended. 

19 ‘‘(II) REALLOCATED FUNDS.— 

20 For purposes of paragraph (4), 

21 amounts reallocated under clause (iii) 

22 shall be considered to be made avail23 able for the fiscal year for which the 

24 amounts are reallocated.’’; 

25 (B) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik2 ing ‘‘FOR FISCAL YEARS 2014 THROUGH

3 2023’’; 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘In addition’’ and in5 serting the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition’’; and 

7 (iii) in subparagraph (A) (as so des8 ignated), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘2029’’; 

10 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as sub11 paragraph (B) of paragraph (2) and indenting 

12 appropriately; and 

13 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 

14 (5) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively. 

15 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

16 (1) Section 1408A of the National Agricultural 

17 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

18 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123a) is amended— 

19 (A) in subsection (a)(2)(A), by striking 

20 ‘‘(j)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘(k)(3)’’; 

21 (B) in subsection (c)(5), by striking ‘‘spe22 cialty crop research initiative’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘programs’’; and 


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1 (C) in subsection (g), in the matter pre2 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(j)’’ and in3 serting ‘‘(k)’’. 

4 (2) Section 251(f)(1)(D)(x) of the Department 

5 of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

6 6971(f)(1)(D)(x)) is amended by striking ‘‘specialty 

7 crop research initiative under section 412 of the Ag8 ricultural Research, Extension, and Education Re9 form Act of 1998’’ and inserting ‘‘programs under 

10 section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, 

11 and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

12 7632)’’. 

13 (3) Section 12605(c) of the Agriculture Im14 provement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7632 note; Public 

15 Law 115–334) is amended— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘412(j)’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘412(k)’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘7632(j))’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘7632(k))’’. 

20 SEC. 7306. FOOD ANIMAL RESIDUE AVOIDANCE DATABASE 

21 PROGRAM. 

22 Section 604(e) of the Agricultural Research, Exten23 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

24 7642(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘$2,500,000 for each of 


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1 fiscal years 2008 through 2023’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’. 

3 SEC. 7307. OFFICE OF PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY. 

4 Section 614(f) of the Agricultural Research, Exten5 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

6 7653(f)) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

8 end; 

9 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023.’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘2024; and’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(3) $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

13 through 2029.’’. 

14 SEC. 7308. FORESTRY PRODUCTS ADVANCED UTILIZATION 

15 RESEARCH. 

16 Section 617(f)(1) of the Agricultural Research, Ex17 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

18 7655b(f)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 Subtitle D—Food, Conservation, 

2 and Energy Act of 2008 

3 PART I—AGRICULTURAL SECURITY 

4 SEC. 7401. AGRICULTURAL BIOSECURITY COMMUNICATION 

5 CENTER. 

6 Section 14112(c)(2) of the Food, Conservation, and 

7 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8912(c)(2)) is amended by 

8 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 7402. ASSISTANCE TO BUILD LOCAL CAPACITY IN AG10 RICULTURAL BIOSECURITY PLANNING, PREP11 ARATION, AND RESPONSE. 

12 Section 14113 of the Food, Conservation, and En13 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8913) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 SEC. 7403. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICUL19 TURAL COUNTERMEASURES. 

20 Section 14121(b)(2) of the Food, Conservation, and 

21 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8921(b)(2)) is amended by 

22 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7404. AGRICULTURAL BIOSECURITY GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 Section 14122(e)(2) of the Food, Conservation, and 

3 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8922(e)(2)) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 PART II—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 

6 SEC. 7411. GRAZINGLANDS RESEARCH LABORATORY. 

7 Section 7502 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

8 Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–246; 122 Stat. 2019; 128 

9 Stat. 901; 132 Stat. 4817) is amended by striking ‘‘15- 

10 year period beginning on the date of enactment of this 

11 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘period beginning on the date of enact12 ment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2029’’. 

13 SEC. 7412. FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE NET14 WORK. 

15 Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

16 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, in18 cluding crisis lines’’ before the semicolon at the end; 

19 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘$10,000,000 

20 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in21 serting ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

22 through 2029’’; 

23 (3) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub24 section (g); and 

25 (4) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

26 following: 


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1 ‘‘(e) REFERRALS TO PROVIDERS.—As part of the ef2 forts of the recipient of a grant under subsection (a) to 

3 connect individuals to behavioral health counseling and 

4 wellness support and to ensure individuals have access to 

5 a comprehensive scope of mental health and substance use 

6 treatments and supports, when applicable, the grant re7 cipient may establish referral relationships with— 

8 ‘‘(1) certified community behavioral health clin9 ics (as defined in section 1905(jj)(2) of the Social 

10 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(jj)(2)); 

11 ‘‘(2) health centers (as defined in section 

12 330(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 254b(a))); 

14 ‘‘(3) rural health clinics (as defined in section 

15 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

16 1395x(aa))); 

17 ‘‘(4) Federally qualified health centers (as de18 fined in that section); and 

19 ‘‘(5) critical access hospitals (as defined in sec20 tion 1861(mm) of the Social Security Act (42 

21 U.S.C. 1395x(mm))). 

22 ‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

23 of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

24 Act of 2024, the Secretary, in coordination with the Sec25 retary of Health and Human Services, shall submit to 


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1 Congress and any other relevant Federal department or 

2 agency, and make publicly available, a report describing— 

3 ‘‘(1) the state of behavioral and mental health 

4 of individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, 

5 and other occupations relating to agriculture, includ6 ing farmworkers and food system workers; and 

7 ‘‘(2) how the Department of Agriculture can 

8 improve coordination and cooperation with Federal 

9 health departments and agencies, including the Sub10 stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis11 tration, to better address the behavioral and mental 

12 health of individuals who are engaged in farming, 

13 ranching, and other occupations relating to agri14 culture (including farmworkers and food system 

15 workers), such as coordination and cooperation on 

16 serving those individuals through existing national 

17 hotlines.’’. 

18 SEC. 7413. NATURAL PRODUCTS RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

19 Section 7525(e) of the Food, Conservation, and En20 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5937(e)) is amended by strik21 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 7414. SUN GRANT PROGRAM. 

23 Section 7526(g) of the Food, Conservation, and En24 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8114(g)) is amended by strik25 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 Subtitle E—Other Matters 

2 SEC. 7501. FOUNDATION FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE RE3 SEARCH. 

4 Section 7601 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

5 U.S.C. 5939) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (d)(1)(B)(iii), by striking ‘‘an7 nual report required in subsection (f)(3)(B)’’ and in8 serting ‘‘annual report and strategic plan required 

9 under subsection (f)(3)(B);’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (f)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

12 (i) in clause (i)(I)— 

13 (I) in item (bb), by striking 

14 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

15 (II) in item (cc), by striking the 

16 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

17 and’’; and 

18 (III) by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(dd) a description of all 

21 collaborative stakeholder engage22 ments providing an opportunity 

23 for stakeholders to provide input 

24 on agricultural research priorities 


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1 that were conducted in the pre2 ceding fiscal year.’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking clauses (iii) and (iv) 

4 and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(iii) STAKEHOLDER NOTICE AND EN6 GAGEMENT.—The Foundation shall publish 

7 an annual notice with a description of agri8 cultural research priorities under this sec9 tion for the upcoming fiscal year, includ10 ing— 

11 ‘‘(I) a schedule for funding com12 petitions; 

13 ‘‘(II) a discussion of how applica14 tions for funding will be evaluated; 

15 ‘‘(III) how the Foundation will 

16 communicate information about fund17 ed awards to the public to ensure that 

18 grantees and partners understand the 

19 objectives of the Foundation; and 

20 ‘‘(IV) virtual and in-person op21 portunities for collaborative stake22 holder engagement to provide input on 

23 agricultural research priorities. 

24 ‘‘(iv) STRATEGIC PLAN.—Not later 

25 than 2 years after the date of enactment 


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1 of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

2 Act of 2024, and every 5 years thereafter, 

3 the Foundation shall submit to the Com4 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep5 resentatives and the Committee on Agri6 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

7 Senate a strategic plan describing— 

8 ‘‘(I) a forecast of major agricul9 tural challenge opportunities identified 

10 by the scientific advisory councils of 

11 the Foundation and approved by the 

12 Board, including short- and long-term 

13 objectives; 

14 ‘‘(II) an overview of the efforts 

15 that the Foundation has taken to be 

16 transparent in each of the processes 

17 of the Foundation, including— 

18 ‘‘(aa) processes relating to 

19 grant awards, including the selec20 tion, review, and notification 

21 processes; 

22 ‘‘(bb) communication of 

23 past, current, and future re24 search priorities; 


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1 ‘‘(cc) coordination with the 

2 Department of Agriculture to 

3 minimize duplication and avoid 

4 conflicts; and 

5 ‘‘(dd) plans to solicit and re6 spond to public input on the op7 portunities identified in the stra8 tegic plan; 

9 ‘‘(III) the financial goals and 

10 benchmarks for the next 5 years, in11 cluding a detailed plan for— 

12 ‘‘(aa) raising funds in 

13 amounts greater than the 

14 amounts required under sub15 section (g)(1)(B); 

16 ‘‘(bb) soliciting additional 

17 resources pursuant to subsection 

18 (e)(4)(A)(iv) and paragraph 

19 (2)(A)(iii); and 

20 ‘‘(cc) managing and 

21 leveraging such resources pursu22 ant to paragraph (2)(A)(vii); 

23 ‘‘(IV) the goals for the next 5 

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1 holders in providing input on agricul2 tural research priorities; and 

3 ‘‘(V) other related issues, as de4 termined by the Board.’’; and 

5 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(7) TRANSPARENCY.—To ensure transparency 

7 in the decision-making and grant-making process of 

8 the Foundation, the Foundation shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) provide feedback to an individual or 

10 entity that submits a completed research con11 cept for which the individual or entity has pri12 vate funding but that does not receive a public 

13 match from the Foundation for the program or 

14 initiative; 

15 ‘‘(B) provide feedback to one or more re16 searchers who apply for but do not receive a re17 search grant within a Foundation-led program 

18 or initiative; and 

19 ‘‘(C) not later than 3 years after the date 

20 of enactment of this paragraph, undergo a 

21 third-party strategic review to solicit feedback 

22 from the food and agricultural community on 

23 the quality of feedback provided by the Founda24 tion.’’; and 

25 (3) in subsection (g)(1)(A)— 


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1 (A) by striking clauses (i) and (ii) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) GENERAL FUNDING.—Of the 

4 funds of the Commodity Credit Corpora5 tion, the Secretary shall transfer to the 

6 Foundation to carry out this section 

7 $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

8 each fiscal year thereafter, to remain avail9 able until expended.’’; and 

10 (B) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause 

11 (ii). 

12 SEC. 7502. HEIRS PROPERTY AND FRACTIONATED LAND 

13 LEGAL CLINICS. 

14 Subtitle F of title VII of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

15 is amended by inserting after section 7603 (7 U.S.C. 

16 3125a–1) the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 7603A. HEIRS PROPERTY AND FRACTIONATED LAND 

18 LEGAL CLINICS. 

19 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 ‘‘(1) 1862 INSTITUTION; 1890 INSTITUTION.— 

21 The terms ‘1862 Institution’ and ‘1890 Institution’ 

22 have the meanings given those terms in section 2 of 

23 the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 

24 Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601). 


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1 ‘‘(2) 1994 INSTITUTION.—The term ‘1994 In2 stitution’ has the meaning given the term in section 

3 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Sta4 tus Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 

5 103–382). 

6 ‘‘(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

7 shall support the provision of legal services to resolve own8 ership and succession on farmland, including heirs prop9 erty and fractionated land, by entering into cooperative 

10 agreements with 1890 Institutions, 1994 Institutions, and 

11 1862 Institutions that demonstrate the ability to provide 

12 such legal services through— 

13 ‘‘(1) the law school of the 1890 Institution, 

14 1994 Institution, or 1862 Institution; or 

15 ‘‘(2) a partnership with— 

16 ‘‘(A) a nonprofit legal organization or com17 munity-based organization with experience pro18 viding such legal services; or 

19 ‘‘(B) an accredited law school of another 

20 institution of higher education. 

21 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In entering into cooperative agree22 ments under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give pri23 ority to 1890 Institutions and 1994 Institutions. 

24 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 


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1 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year 

2 thereafter.’’. 

3 SEC. 7503. CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS ACT. 

4 Section 16(a)(2) of the Critical Agricultural Mate5 rials Act (7 U.S.C. 178n(a)(2)) is amended by striking 

6 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 7504. EQUITY IN EDUCATIONAL LAND-GRANT STATUS 

8 ACT OF 1994. 

9 (a) ENDOWMENT FOR 1994 INSTITUTIONS.—Section 

10 533(b) of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status 

11 Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382) 

12 is amended in the first sentence by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 (b) APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 534(a)(1) of the Eq15 uity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 

16 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382) is amended, in the 

17 matter preceding subparagraph (A)— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘1996’’ and inserting ‘‘2025’’; 

19 and 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘equal to’’ and inserting ‘‘not 

21 less than’’. 

22 (c) INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.— 

23 Section 535 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Sta24 tus Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103– 


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1 382) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears 

2 in subsections (b)(1) and (c) and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 (d) RESEARCH GRANTS.— Section 536 of the Equity 

4 in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

5 301 note; Public Law 103–382) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)— 

7 (A) by striking the subsection designation 

8 and heading and all that follows through 

9 ‘‘with—’’ in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

10 and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—A 1994 Institu12 tion that receives a grant under subsection (a) may con13 duct research described in that subsection under a cooper14 ative agreement with—’’; and 

15 (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre16 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘at least 

17 1’’ and inserting ‘‘1 or more’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (c), in the first sentence, by 

19 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7505. REPORT ON THE EXTENSION SERVICE NEEDS OF 

21 TRIBAL LANDS AND POPULATIONS. 

22 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 18 months after the date 

23 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

24 United States (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Comp25 troller General’’) shall conduct a study of— 


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1 (1) the extension service needs with respect to 

2 Tribal lands and Tribal populations, regardless of 

3 the location of those populations; 

4 (2) whether the cooperative extension program 

5 and the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Pro6 gram established under section 1677 of the Food, 

7 Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 

8 U.S.C. 5930) are meeting those needs, including by 

9 examining, for the most recent 20 years— 

10 (A) the total amount of Federal funding 

11 received in each State for extension services; 

12 (B) the types of extension services, includ13 ing extension services on agriculture, serving 

14 the Tribal population in each State and the 

15 amount of funding spent on each type of exten16 sion service in the State; and 

17 (C) the Tribal population in each State; 

18 and 

19 (3) how the program established under section 

20 1677 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 

21 Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5930) was established 

22 when that section was enacted by Congress and the 

23 significant changes to the operation and funding of 

24 that program since that enactment. 

25 (b) REPORT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

2 the completion of the study under subsection (a), the 

3 Comptroller General shall submit a report describing 

4 the results of the study to the Committee on Agri5 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and 

6 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep7 resentatives. 

8 (2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—If the Comptroller 

9 General finds under the study under subsection (a) 

10 that the existing cooperative extension program and 

11 the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program 

12 are not meeting the needs described in subsection 

13 (a)(1), the report under paragraph (1) shall include 

14 such legislative and other recommendations as the 

15 Comptroller General determines would result in a 

16 system under which those needs are met in an equi17 table and effective manner. 

18 SEC. 7506. RESTORATION OF 4-H NAME AND EMBLEM AU19 THORITY. 

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) 4-H CLUB.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘4-H club’’ 

23 means a 4-H club recognized under the 4-H 

24 Program. 


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1 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘4-H club’’ in2 cludes an authorized agent of a 4-H club. 

3 (2) 4-H EMBLEM OR NAME.—The term ‘‘4-H 

4 emblem or name’’ means the 4-H sign or emblem, 

5 consisting of a green four-leaf clover with stem and 

6 the letter ‘‘H’’ in white or gold on each leaflet, and 

7 the words ‘‘4-H’’, ‘‘4-H Club’’, and ‘‘4-H Clubs’’, 

8 used to identify and distinguish the 4-H Program 

9 and the activities, clubs, members, goods, and serv10 ices of the 4-H Program. 

11 (3) 4-H PROGRAM.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘4-H Pro13 gram’’ means the youth development program 

14 of the land-grant colleges or universities, the 

15 Cooperative Extension System (as defined by 

16 the Secretary), and the Department of Agri17 culture. 

18 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘4-H Pro19 gram’’ includes an authorized agent of the 4-H 

20 Program. 

21 (4) LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘land-grant 

23 college or university’’ means an 1862 Institu24 tion, an 1890 Institution, or a 1994 Institution 

25 (as those terms are defined in section 2 of the 


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1 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Edu2 cation Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)). 

3 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘land-grant 

4 college or university’’ includes an authorized 

5 agent of a land-grant college or university. 

6 (b) EFFECT OF REPEAL; RATIFICATION.— 

7 (1) CIVIL ACTS.—Any civil act or action of the 

8 4-H Program, a 4-H club, the Secretary, or a land9 grant college or university taken with respect to the 

10 use of the 4-H emblem or name, or the recognition 

11 of any 4-H club, during the period beginning on 

12 May 8, 1914, and ending on the date of enactment 

13 of this Act, is deemed to be of legal force and effect 

14 and ratified as if section 1002(3) of the Clean Up 

15 the Code Act of 2019 (title X of division O of Public 

16 Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 2155) had not been en17 acted into law. 

18 (2) EFFECT ON CRIMINAL LAW.—Nothing in 

19 this subsection affects the effect on criminal law of 

20 the repeal made by section 1002(3) of the Clean Up 

21 the Code Act of 2019 (title X of division O of Public 

22 Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 2155). 

23 (c) AUTHORIZATIONS FOR USE OF 4-H EMBLEM OR

24 NAME; FEES; DEPOSITS.— 

25 (1) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may— 


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1 (A) use the 4-H emblem or name; and 

2 (B) grant authorizations to use the 4-H 

3 emblem or name, as provided by regulations 

4 issued by the Secretary. 

5 (2) FEES.—An authorization under paragraph 

6 (1) may be granted— 

7 (A) without a fee or other consideration; or 

8 (B) for a fee or other consideration. 

9 (3) USE OF FEES.—The Secretary shall deposit 

10 into a special account any fees collected under para11 graph (2)(B), the amounts in which shall remain 

12 available to the Secretary until expended, without 

13 further appropriation, for furthering the 4-H Pro14 gram. 

15 (d) UNAUTHORIZED USE OF 4-H EMBLEM OR

16 NAME.— 

17 (1) PROHIBITION.—Whoever, other than the 4- 

18 H Program, a 4-H club, the Department of Agri19 culture, a land-grant college or university, and those 

20 authorized by them, uses in commerce the 4-H em21 blem or name or any reproduction, counterfeit, copy, 

22 or colorable imitation of the 4-H emblem or name to 

23 indicate membership in an association, organization, 

24 or other collective group, or in connection with the 

25 sale, offering for sale, distribution, or advertising of 


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1 goods or services, on or in connection with which 

2 that use is likely to cause confusion, to cause mis3 take, or to deceive as to membership or participation 

4 in, an affiliation, connection, or association with, or 

5 authorization or approval by, a 4-H club or the 4- 

6 H Program, shall be subject to the civil action in 

7 paragraph (2). 

8 (2) CIVIL ACTION.—The Attorney General on 

9 behalf of the Secretary, or contract counsel procured 

10 by the Secretary, may bring a civil action in an ap11 propriate district court of the United States against 

12 whoever engages in any of the prohibited acts de13 scribed in paragraph (1) for the remedies provided 

14 in the Act of July 5, 1946 (commonly known as the 

15 ‘‘Trademark Act of 1946’’ or the ‘‘Lanham Act’’) 

16 (15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.). 

17 (e) SAVINGS CLAUSES.— 

18 (1) PRIOR AUTHORIZED USES.—Nothing in this 

19 section makes unlawful the use of any emblem, 

20 name, sign, symbol, insignia, or words that was law21 ful on December 26, 2020. 

22 (2) DELEGATION.—Nothing in this section lim23 its the authority of the Secretary to delegate author24 ity of the Secretary as otherwise authorized by law. 


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1 SEC. 7507. AMENDMENTS TO THE HATCH ACT. 

2 (a) MATCHING FUNDS.—Section 3(d)(1) of the 

3 Hatch Act of 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361c(d)(1)) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘agricultural research’’ and inserting ‘‘agricul5 tural research, for graduate student tuition and fees,’’. 

6 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—Section 4 of the Hatch Act of 

7 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361d) is amended, in the first sentence, 

8 by striking ‘‘administrative planning’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘graduate student tuition and fees, administrative plan10 ning’’. 

11 (c) PAYMENT OF ALLOTMENTS TO STATE AGRICUL12 TURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.—Section 5 of the Hatch 

13 Act of 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361e) is amended— 

14 (1) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘officer 

15 known as a director, and a treasurer or other officer 

16 appointed by the government board of the station’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘officer, to be known as a ‘State Agri18 cultural Experiment Station Director’, and a treas19 urer’’; and 

20 (2) in the third sentence— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘or other officer’’; and 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘director’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘State Agricultural Experiment Station Direc24 tor,’’. 


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1 SEC. 7508. RESEARCH FACILITIES ACT. 

2 Section 6 of the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 

3 390d) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking the section designation and 

5 heading and all that follows through ‘‘Subject to’’ in 

6 subsection (a) and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 6. FUNDING. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

9 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Subject to sub10 sections (b), (c), and (d), out of amounts in the 

11 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is appro12 priated to the Secretary to carry out the competitive 

13 grant program under section 4 $2,500,000,000 for 

14 fiscal year 2025, to remain available until expended. 

15 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 Subject to’’; and 

17 (2) in subsection (a)(2) (as so designated), in 

18 the first sentence, by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7509. PUBLIC CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b)(2) of the Competi22 tive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 

23 3157(b)(2)) is amended— 

24 (1) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by inserting ‘‘re25 gionally adapted cultivar and breed development,’’ 

26 before ‘‘selection theory,’’; and 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (B)(iv), by inserting ‘‘re2 gionally adapted breed development,’’ before ‘‘selec3 tion theory,’’. 

4 (b) REPORT.—Not later than October 1, 2026, the 

5 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

6 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

7 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report 

8 that provides information on all public cultivar and animal 

9 germplasm research funded by the Department of Agri10 culture, including— 

11 (1) an assessment of the research funded by the 

12 Department of Agriculture relating to public cultivar 

13 and animal germplasm development; 

14 (2) identified research gaps relating to public 

15 cultivar and animal germplasm development; and 

16 (3) recommendations to improve coordination of 

17 all public cultivar and animal germplasm work 

18 across the Department of Agriculture, including en19 gagement with relevant stakeholders. 

20 SEC. 7510. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIA21 TIVE. 

22 Subsection (b) of the Competitive, Special, and Fa23 cilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)) is amend24 ed— 

25 (1) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (B)(i), by inserting ‘‘, 

2 including shellfish’’ before the semicolon; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

4 (i) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

5 the end; 

6 (ii) in clause (viii), by striking the pe7 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (iii) by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(ix) measuring, monitoring, report11 ing, and verifying greenhouse gas emis12 sions and carbon sequestration.’’; 

13 (C) in subparagraph (E)— 

14 (i) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (ii) in clause (v), by striking the pe17 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

18 and 

19 (iii) by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(vi) precision agriculture tech22 nologies; 

23 ‘‘(vii) hydroponics, aquaponics, 

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1 nologies used in controlled-environment ag2 ricultural production; and 

3 ‘‘(viii) food loss and waste prevention 

4 and reduction, including new technologies 

5 to extend shelf life and new opportunities 

6 for new upcycled food products.’’; 

7 (D) in subparagraph (F)— 

8 (i) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

9 the end; 

10 (ii) in clause (viii), by striking the pe11 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (iii) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(ix) workforce training, education, 

15 research, and outreach activities relating to 

16 the food and agricultural sciences (as de17 fined in section 1404 of the National Agri18 cultural Research, Extension, and Teach19 ing Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)).’’; 

20 and 

21 (E) adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(G) AGRICULTURAL CLIMATE ADAPTA23 TION AND MITIGATION.—Agricultural climate 

24 adaptation and mitigation, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) strategies for agricultural adapta2 tion to climate change and drought, includ3 ing strategies for small and medium-sized 

4 farms and ranches; 

5 ‘‘(ii) on-farm mitigation strategies and 

6 solutions, including infrastructure, equip7 ment, and ecosystems-based strategies; 

8 ‘‘(iii) economic and social costs and 

9 benefits of adopting conservation practices 

10 to mitigate and adapt to climate change; 

11 ‘‘(iv) ecosystem service co-benefits of 

12 reducing net greenhouse gas emissions and 

13 adapting to climate change; 

14 ‘‘(v) new technologies, methods, and 

15 models to measure and predict greenhouse 

16 gas emissions and soil carbon sequestra17 tion; and 

18 ‘‘(vi) the intersection of agricultural 

19 production, soil health, climate change, and 

20 human health.’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (6)— 

22 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

23 and (F) as subparagraphs (F) and (G), respec24 tively; and 


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1 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(E) to a consortium of junior or commu4 nity colleges (as defined in section 312 of the 

5 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

6 1058)) that may partner with land-grant col7 leges or universities (as defined in section 1404 

8 of the National Agricultural Research, Exten9 sion, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

10 U.S.C. 3103)), to carry out workforce training, 

11 education, research, and outreach priorities de12 scribed in paragraph (2)(F)(ix).’’; and 

13 (3) in paragraph (11)(A), in the matter pre14 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 7511. EXTENSION DESIGN AND DEMONSTRATION INI17 TIATIVE. 

18 Subsection (d)(6) of the Competitive, Special, and 

19 Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(d)(6)) is 

20 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 7512. BIOMASS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

22 Section 9008(h)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural 

23 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8108(h)(2)) is amended 

24 by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7513. RENEWABLE RESOURCES EXTENSION ACT OF 

2 1978. 

3 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

4 6 of the Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978 (16 

5 U.S.C. 1675) is amended in the first sentence by striking 

6 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 (b) TERMINATION DATE.—Section 8 of the Renew8 able Resources Extension Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1671 

9 note; Public Law 95–306) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 7514. NATIONAL AQUACULTURE ACT OF 1980. 

12 Section 10 of the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 

13 (16 U.S.C. 2809) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears 

15 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

16 (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘the’’ before 

17 ‘‘Interior’’. 

18 SEC. 7515. FEDERAL AGRICULTURE RESEARCH FACILITIES. 

19 Section 1431 of the National Agricultural Research, 

20 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act Amendments of 1985 

21 (title XIV of Public Law 99–198; 99 Stat. 1556) is 

22 amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by strik23 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

24 SEC. 7516. ENHANCED USE LEASE AUTHORITY PROGRAM. 

25 Section 308(b)(6)(A) of the Federal Crop Insurance 

26 Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization 


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1 Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 3125a note; Public Law 103–354) 

2 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 7517. AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEMS. 

4 (a) DEFINITION OF AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEM.—In this 

5 section, the term ‘‘agrivoltaic system’’ means a system 

6 under which solar energy production and agricultural pro7 duction, including crop or animal production, occurs in an 

8 integrated manner on the same piece of land through the 

9 duration of a project. 

10 (b) STUDY.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordina12 tion with the Secretary of Energy and relevant ex13 perts, shall conduct a study on agrivoltaic systems 

14 that shall include— 

15 (A) a review of the current research and 

16 gaps in research relating to the regional com17 patibility of different species of livestock with 

18 different agrivoltaic panel and agrivoltaic sys19 tem designs, including— 

20 (i) the optimal height of and distance 

21 between solar panels for— 

22 (I) livestock grazing; and 

23 (II) shade for livestock; 

24 (ii) manure management consider25 ations; 


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1 (iii) fencing requirements; 

2 (iv) other animal handling consider3 ations; and 

4 (v) the incorporation of apiculture; 

5 (B) an assessment of animal breeding re6 search needs with respect to beneficial and com7 patible characteristics and behaviors of different 

8 species of grazing animals in agrivoltaic sys9 tems; 

10 (C) a review of the current research and 

11 gaps in research relating to the regional com12 patibility of different crop types with different 

13 agrivoltaic system designs, including— 

14 (i) the optimal height of and distance 

15 between solar panels for— 

16 (I) plant shading; and 

17 (II) farm equipment use; 

18 (ii) the impact on crop yield; 

19 (iii) the impact on soil moisture and 

20 water availability; and 

21 (iv) market opportunities to sell crops 

22 at a premium price; 

23 (D) an assessment of plant breeding re24 search needs with respect to beneficial and com25 patible characteristics of different crops, includVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00774 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ing specialty and perennial crops, in agrivoltaic 

2 systems; 

3 (E) a risk-benefit analysis of agrivoltaic 

4 systems in different regions of the United 

5 States, including a comparison between the 

6 total greenhouse gas impact of agrivoltaic sys7 tems and solar energy systems that displace ag8 ricultural production; 

9 (F) an assessment of the economic 

10 scalability of agrivoltaic systems across dif11 ferent agricultural land types, production sys12 tems, and regional markets; 

13 (G) an assessment of the types of agricul14 tural land best suited and worst suited for 

15 agrivoltaic systems; 

16 (H) an assessment of how to best develop 

17 agrivoltaic systems on a national and local scale 

18 consistent with— 

19 (i) maintaining or increasing agricul20 tural production; 

21 (ii) increasing agricultural resilience; 

22 (iii) retaining prime farmland; 

23 (iv) increasing economic opportunities 

24 in farming and rural communities; 


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1 (v) reducing nonfarmer ownership of 

2 farmland; and 

3 (vi) enhancing biodiversity; 

4 (I) an assessment of the unique risk man5 agement and crop insurance needs of agrivoltaic 

6 systems; 

7 (J) an assessment of how Federal procure8 ment of agricultural products could help build 

9 a market for agricultural products from farms 

10 with agrivoltaic systems; and 

11 (K) an assessment of appropriate modifica12 tions to better incorporate agrivoltaic systems 

13 into existing Federal— 

14 (i) agricultural conservation pro15 grams; 

16 (ii) agricultural risk management pro17 grams, including Federal crop insurance; 

18 (iii) renewable energy programs; 

19 (iv) agricultural procurement pro20 grams; and 

21 (v) investment tax credits. 

22 (2) 5-YEAR PLAN.—Based on the study under 

23 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall develop a 5-year 

24 plan for using the research, extension, outreach, con25 servation, and renewable energy activities of the DeVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00776 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 partment of Agriculture to better support agrivoltaic 

2 systems that do not displace agricultural production. 

3 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

5 submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

6 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag7 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 

8 report containing the results of the study conducted 

9 under paragraph (1). 

10 SEC. 7518. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT 

11 OF ENERGY, AND NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUN12 DATION JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOP13 MENT ACTIVITIES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out, 

15 with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the Na16 tional Science Foundation, cross-cutting and collaborative 

17 research and development activities focused on the joint 

18 advancement of Department of Agriculture, Department 

19 of Energy, and National Science Foundation mission re20 quirements and priorities. 

21 (b) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Sec22 retary shall carry out and coordinate the activities under 

23 subsection (a) through the establishment of one or more 

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1 agency agreements, with the Secretary of Energy and the 

2 Director of the National Science Foundation. 

3 (c) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the activities 

4 under subsection (a), the Secretary, the Secretary of En5 ergy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation 

6 may— 

7 (1) conduct collaborative research over a variety 

8 of focus areas, such as— 

9 (A) modeling and simulation, machine 

10 learning, artificial intelligence, data assimila11 tion, large-scale data analytics, and predictive 

12 analysis in order to optimize algorithms for 

13 purposes relating to agriculture and rural en14 ergy, such as life cycle analysis of agricultural 

15 or rural energy systems; 

16 (B) fundamental agricultural, biological, 

17 computational, and environmental science and 

18 engineering, including advanced crop science, 

19 crop protection, breeding, and biological pest 

20 control; 

21 (C) integrated natural resources and the 

22 energy-water nexus in agricultural or rural 

23 communities; 

24 (D) advanced biomass, biobased products, 

25 and biofuels, including in collaboration with the 


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1 activities authorized under title IX of the Farm 

2 Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 

3 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.); 

4 (E) diverse feedstocks for economically and 

5 environmentally sustainable fuels, including 

6 aviation and naval fuels; 

7 (F) colocation of agricultural resources and 

8 activities and ecosystem services with diverse 

9 energy technologies and resources, such as geo10 thermal energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, 

11 wind energy, natural gas, hydropower, and en12 ergy storage; 

13 (G) colocation of agricultural resources 

14 and activities with carbon storage and utiliza15 tion technologies; 

16 (H) invasive species management to fur17 ther the work done by the Federal Interagency 

18 Committee for the Management of Noxious and 

19 Exotic Weeds; 

20 (I) long-term and high-risk technological 

21 barriers in the development of transformative 

22 science and technology solutions in the agri23 culture and energy sectors, including in collabo24 ration with the programs authorized under sec25 tion 1473H of the National Agricultural ReVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00779 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

2 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319k) and section 5012 of the 

3 America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538); 

4 (J) grid modernization and grid security 

5 and resiliency for the purpose of improving and 

6 strengthening electric service in rural areas; 

7 (K) agricultural and rural technology de8 velopment, including manufacturing, precision 

9 agriculture technologies, mechanization and au10 tomation technologies, and technologies that 

11 strengthen the food supply chain; 

12 (L) wildfire risks and prevention, including 

13 the power sector’s role in fire prevention and 

14 mitigation and wildfire impacts on energy infra15 structure; 

16 (M) technologies to address food and nutri17 tion security, including food loss and waste; and 

18 (N) other relevant topics, as jointly agreed 

19 to by the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, 

20 and the Director of the National Science Foun21 dation; 

22 (2) develop methods to accommodate large vol23 untary standardized and integrated data sets on ag24 ricultural, environmental, supply chain, and eco25 nomic information with variable accuracy and scale; 


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1 (3) promote collaboration, open community2 based development, and data and information shar3 ing between Federal agencies, National Labora4 tories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit in5 stitutions, industry partners, and other appropriate 

6 entities by providing reliable access to secure data 

7 and information that are in compliance with Federal 

8 rules and regulations; 

9 (4) support research infrastructure and work10 force development as the Secretary, the Secretary of 

11 Energy, and the Director of the National Science 

12 Foundation determine necessary; and 

13 (5) conduct collaborative research, development, 

14 and demonstration of methods and technologies— 

15 (A) to improve the efficiency of agriculture 

16 operations and processing of agricultural prod17 ucts; and 

18 (B) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as19 sociated with such operations and such proc20 essing. 

21 (d) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out the activities 

22 under subsection (a), the Secretary, the Secretary of En23 ergy, and the Director of the National Science Foundation 

24 may— 


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1 (1) carry out reimbursable agreements between 

2 the Department of Agriculture, the Department of 

3 Energy, the National Science Foundation, and other 

4 entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of re5 search and development; and 

6 (2) collaborate with other Federal agencies as 

7 appropriate. 

8 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, the Secretary of 

10 Energy, and the Director of the National Science Founda11 tion shall jointly submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

12 Nutrition, and Forestry, the Committee on Commerce, 

13 Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on En14 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Com15 mittee on Agriculture and the Committee on Science, 

16 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

17 a report detailing the following: 

18 (1) Interagency coordination between each Fed19 eral agency involved in the research and development 

20 activities carried out under this section. 

21 (2) Potential opportunities to expand the tech22 nical capabilities of the Department of Agriculture, 

23 the Department of Energy, and the National Science 

24 Foundation. 

25 (3) Collaborative research achievements. 


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1 (4) Areas of future mutually beneficial suc2 cesses. 

3 (5) Continuation of coordination activities be4 tween the Department of Agriculture, the Depart5 ment of Energy, and the National Science Founda6 tion. 

7 (f) RESEARCH SECURITY.—The activities authorized 

8 under this section shall be carried out in a manner con9 sistent with subtitle D of title VI of the Research and De10 velopment, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 

11 19231 et seq.). 

12 SEC. 7519. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRI13 CULTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

14 ADMINISTRATION PARTNERSHIP ON COOP15 ERATIVE EXTENSION ACTIVITIES. 

16 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a memorandum 

18 of understanding with the Secretary of Commerce that 

19 provides for coordination and collaboration between the 

20 National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Eco21 nomic Development Administration to— 

22 (1) identify Economic Development Administra23 tion funding opportunities for cooperative extension 

24 activities at State cooperative institutions (as de25 fined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural 


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1 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

2 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); 

3 (2) publish a list of the funding opportunities 

4 identified under paragraph (1); and 

5 (3) provide targeted outreach to State coopera6 tive institutions (as so defined) to ensure that the 

7 State cooperative institutions are aware of the fund8 ing opportunities identified under paragraph (1). 

9 TITLE VIII—FORESTRY 

10 Subtitle A—Forest Data 

11 Modernization 

12 SEC. 8101. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(e) of the Forest and 

14 Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 

15 (16 U.S.C. 1642(e)) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘their resources’’ and in18 serting ‘‘the resources of those forests, includ19 ing forest carbon,’’; 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘In compliance’’ and in21 serting the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In compliance’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL METHODS.—Under the 

2 program under this subsection, the Secretary 

3 shall carry out, as a data collection method— 

4 ‘‘(i) a national timber products output 

5 survey; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) a national woodland owner sur7 vey.’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘including 

9 with respect to available forest carbon data,’’ after 

10 ‘‘2 decades,’’; 

11 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

12 (A) in the second sentence, by striking 

13 ‘‘The standards’’ and inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The standards de15 scribed in subparagraph (A)’’; 

16 (B) by striking ‘‘(4) NATIONAL STAND17 ARDS AND DEFINITIONS.—To ensure’’ and in18 serting the following: 

19 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL CONSISTENCY.— 

20 ‘‘(A) STANDARDS AND DEFINITIONS.—To 

21 ensure’’; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(C) TERMINOLOGY.—The Secretary shall 

24 include a clear description of the definition of 

25 ‘forest’ used for purposes of reporting data 


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1 from inventories and analyses of forests and the 

2 resources of forests under this subsection 

3 with— 

4 ‘‘(i) any data or report provided under 

5 the program under this subsection; 

6 ‘‘(ii) Renewable Resource Assessments 

7 prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest 

8 and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan9 ning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)); and 

10 ‘‘(iii) any data or report provided to 

11 an entity outside the United States.’’; 

12 (4) in paragraph (6)— 

13 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

14 (A), by striking ‘‘Not later than 180 days after 

15 the date of enactment of this subsection,’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘In accordance with paragraph (7),’’; 

17 and 

18 (B) by striking subparagraphs (D) and (E) 

19 and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(D) the organization and procedures nec21 essary to understand and report on changes in 

22 land cover and use; 

23 ‘‘(E) the organization and procedures nec24 essary to evaluate carbon-related data variables, 

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1 ventory and analysis plots, timber products out2 put studies, and national woodland owner sur3 veys to ensure that carbon accounting informa4 tion needs can be met; and’’; and 

5 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(7) UPDATES TO STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

8 prepare an update to the strategic plan under 

9 paragraph (6) to include— 

10 ‘‘(i) a plan to implement nationally 

11 consistent data collection protocols and 

12 procedures to improve the statistical preci13 sion of base program estimates; 

14 ‘‘(ii) pathways to integrate and report 

15 on status and trends in— 

16 ‘‘(I) forest carbon pools, includ17 ing below-ground carbon; and 

18 ‘‘(II) rangeland, wetland, wet 

19 meadow, and aquatic carbon sinks; 

20 ‘‘(iii) plans, including the identifica21 tion of challenges, to collaborate with other 

22 Federal agencies, non-Federal partners, 

23 and the private sector to integrate existing 

24 nationally available data sets and best 

25 available commercial technologies, such as 


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1 remote sensing, spatial analysis techniques, 

2 and other new technologies; 

3 ‘‘(iv) a plan to increase transparency 

4 and clarity in reporting in accordance with 

5 paragraph (4)(C); 

6 ‘‘(v) a plan to expand current data 

7 collection, further integrate remote sensing 

8 technology, or both, to include procedures 

9 to improve the statistical precision of esti10 mates at the sub-State level; 

11 ‘‘(vi) a plan to expand current data 

12 collection, further integrate remote sensing 

13 technology, or both, to include information 

14 on renewable biomass supplies and carbon 

15 stocks at the local, State, regional, and na16 tional levels, including by ownership type; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(vii) such other matters as the Sec19 retary determines to be appropriate based 

20 on recommendations of the Forest Inven21 tory and Analysis National User Group. 

22 ‘‘(B) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 

23 days after the date of enactment of this para24 graph, the Secretary shall submit to the Com25 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 


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1 of the Senate and the Committee on Agri2 culture of the House of Representatives the up3 date to the strategic plan prepared under sub4 paragraph (A). 

5 ‘‘(C) FURTHER UPDATES.—Not later than 

6 5 years after the date on which the update is 

7 submitted under subparagraph (B), and every 5 

8 years thereafter, the Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) prepare an additional update to 

10 the strategic plan; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) submit the additional update to 

12 the committees described in subparagraph 

13 (B). 

14 ‘‘(8) ACCESSIBILITY.—The Secretary shall en15 sure that data collected under this subsection is— 

16 ‘‘(A) presented in a manner that is easily 

17 accessible to the general public and technical 

18 experts, including through tools to deliver 

19 smaller area estimates; and 

20 ‘‘(B) collected and made accessible using 

21 means that ensure the confidentiality, in ac22 cordance with section 1770 of the Food Secu23 rity Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276), of— 

24 ‘‘(i) plot locations; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) nonaggregated data of woodland 

2 owners; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) nonaggregated data from the 

4 timber products output survey carried out 

5 under paragraph (1)(B)(i). 

6 ‘‘(9) CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION.—All 

7 data collected through the national timber products 

8 output survey and the national woodland owners 

9 survey under paragraph (1)(B) shall be considered 

10 confidential in accordance with section 1770 of the 

11 Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276). 

12 ‘‘(10) ANNUAL COMPILATIONS.—Annually, the 

13 Secretary shall prepare and make publicly available 

14 a compilation of national forest inventory and anal15 ysis forest statistics, which shall be similar to the ta16 bles contained in the Renewable Resource Assess17 ments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and 

18 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

19 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)) and accompanied by rel20 evant geospatial products. 

21 ‘‘(11) REPORTS.—Each year, the Secretary 

22 shall publish as part of the forest inventory and 

23 analysis business report a detailed description of the 

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1 grammatic elements of the strategic plan described 

2 in paragraph (6), including— 

3 ‘‘(A) the costs and priorities of the stra4 tegic plan; and 

5 ‘‘(B) how the program under this sub6 section leverages new technology, improves and 

7 standardizes collection protocols, and increases 

8 workforce capacity.’’. 

9 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 2(c) of the 

10 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act 

11 of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1641(c)) is amended by inserting ‘‘of 

12 Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the ‘Secretary’)’’ 

13 after ‘‘the Secretary’’. 

14 (c) REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES.—Section 

15 8632(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 

16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 115–334) is amended by 

17 striking ‘‘technologies’’ and inserting ‘‘technologies, such 

18 as microwave, LiDAR, hyperspectral, and high-resolution 

19 remote sensing data, and advanced computing tech20 nologies, such as machine learning, for improved mod21 eling, including to provide tabular statistical estimates and 

22 geospatial products,’’. 

23 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi24 tion to amounts otherwise available, there are authorized 

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1 essary to carry out the amendments made by this section 

2 for each fiscal year. 

3 SEC. 8102. DATA ON FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECTS. 

4 Section 3 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable 

5 Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642) is 

6 amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(f) DATA ON FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) DATA COLLECTION AND MAPPING.—The 

9 Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the 

10 Interior, shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) create a publicly available database 

12 of— 

13 ‘‘(i) forest management activities con14 ducted by the Secretary or the Secretary of 

15 the Interior, including fuel breaks and haz16 ardous fuel reduction projects; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) features on Federal land that are 

18 relevant in the event of a wildland fire, in19 cluding functional roads and bridges, in20 tact wetlands, and wet meadow systems; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(B) develop a publicly available map that 

23 indicates the management activities and fea24 tures described in subparagraph (A). 

25 ‘‘(2) UPDATES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) DATABASE.—The database created 

2 under paragraph (1)(A) shall track the progress 

3 of the forest management activities described in 

4 clause (i) of that paragraph, including antici5 pated completion dates. 

6 ‘‘(B) MAP.—The map developed under 

7 paragraph (1)(B) shall be updated biannually 

8 to indicate the status of the management activi9 ties and features described in that paragraph. 

10 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL COORDINATION.—The Sec11 retary shall coordinate with non-Federal entities, in12 cluding affected State fire protection agencies, to in13 corporate in the map developed under paragraph 

14 (1)(B) management activities or features referred to 

15 in that paragraph that were developed, are main16 tained, or otherwise occur on non-Federal land. 

17 ‘‘(4) PROTECTED TRIBAL INFORMATION.—In18 formation prohibited from disclosure under section 

19 8106 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 

20 2008 (25 U.S.C. 3056) that is included in the data21 base created under paragraph (1)(A) shall not be 

22 made public. 

23 ‘‘(5) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent 

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1 base and map under paragraph (1) not later than 2 

2 years after the date of enactment of this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

4 addition to amounts otherwise available, there are 

5 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 

6 sums as are necessary to carry out this subsection 

7 for each fiscal year.’’. 

8 SEC. 8103. FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCTS CARBON PROVI9 SION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

11 Chief of the Forest Service, in collaboration with the Chief 

12 of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, State for13 esters, and private sector partners, and in consultation 

14 with Indian Tribes, shall establish a publicly available 

15 platform to provide measurement, monitoring, verification, 

16 and reporting of data regarding the carbon emissions, se17 questration, storage, and related atmospheric impacts of 

18 forest management and wood products. 

19 (b) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

20 Secretary shall source data, information, and analyses 

21 from Department of Agriculture programs, including— 

22 (1) the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, 

23 including the Timber Products Output Survey; 

24 (2) Forest Service and Natural Resources Con25 servation Service soil carbon estimations; 


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1 (3) the Forest Products Laboratory; 

2 (4) the Federal Life Cycle Assessment Com3 mons; 

4 (5) Department of Agriculture entity-level 

5 guidelines and subsequent revisions; and 

6 (6) other relevant programmatic data, emerging 

7 science, and information sources that are published 

8 and made available by the Department of Agri9 culture. 

10 (c) PRIORITIES.—The platform established by sub11 section (a) shall provide tools that calculate— 

12 (1) the above- and below-ground forest carbon 

13 stocks and stock changes associated with species 

14 composition, forest management regime, and land15 owner types, including small area estimations for re16 gional and localized geographies across the United 

17 States, which shall be made available through the 

18 Forest Inventory and Analysis program updates and 

19 annual reports; 

20 (2) the embodied carbon involved in the manu21 facturing of products, using data from published en22 vironmental product declarations and life cycle as23 sessments, which shall be updated as new and more 

24 refined data becomes available; 


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1 (3) the long-term stored carbon in manufac2 tured timber products; and 

3 (4) the carbon displacement of wood products, 

4 compared to other materials, using substitution fac5 tors. 

6 (d) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent prac7 ticable, the Secretary shall establish the platform under 

8 subsection (a) not later than 2 years after the date of en9 actment of this Act. 

10 (e) DATA COLLECTION.—The platform established by 

11 subsection (a) shall be distinct from the database estab12 lished under subsection (f)(1)(A) of section 3 of the Forest 

13 and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 

14 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642). 

15 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec17 essary to carry out this section. 

18 Subtitle B—Forest Health and 

19 Management 

20 SEC. 8201. DEFINITION OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM. 

21 In this subtitle, the term ‘‘National Forest System’’ 

22 has the meaning given the term in section 11(a) of the 

23 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

24 of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 


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1 PART I—FOREST SERVICE MANAGEMENT 

2 SEC. 8211. HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION ON FEDERAL 

3 LAND. 

4 Section 108 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

5 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6518) is amended in the matter pre6 ceding paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 8212. INSECT INFESTATIONS AND RELATED DISEASES. 

9 Section 406 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

10 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6556) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 SEC. 8213. INSECT AND DISEASE TREATMENT AREAS. 

13 Section 602(d)(2) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

14 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591a(d)(2)) is amended by strik15 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 8214. STUDY ON PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM 

17 INVASIVE SPECIES. 

18 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary shall seek to enter into 

19 a contract (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Contract’’) 

20 with the National Academy of Sciences, or another non21 governmental entity that the Secretary determines to be 

22 most appropriate, under which the National Academy of 

23 Sciences or other entity, as applicable, not later than 1 

24 year after the date of enactment of this Act, shall conduct, 

25 and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 

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1 trition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the 

2 results of, a study to analyze the available resources that 

3 Federal agencies have to research, and find solutions to, 

4 nonnative invasive plants, insects, and pathogens. 

5 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report submitted pur6 suant to subsection (a) shall include recommendations— 

7 (1) with respect to— 

8 (A) establishing a national policy to effec9 tively counter the threat posed to tree species 

10 and forest ecosystems by invasive species (as 

11 defined in section 1 of Executive Order 13112 

12 (42 U.S.C. 4321 note; relating to invasive spe13 cies)), including plants, insects, and pathogens, 

14 including preventing the introduction and 

15 spread of those invasive species, minimizing the 

16 damage caused by those invasive species, and 

17 restoring affected tree species to forest eco18 systems; 

19 (B) improving coordination and coopera20 tion among Federal agencies with responsibility 

21 for management and repair of the decimation of 

22 tree species affected by invasive species and as23 sociated ecological destruction, including 

24 through activities of the National Invasive Spe25 cies Council; 


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1 (C) addressing the low prioritization by the 

2 Federal agencies described in subparagraph (B) 

3 of invasive species affecting forests and trees; 

4 (D)(i) identifying expertise and site and fa5 cility resources within the Federal agencies de6 scribed in subparagraph (B); and 

7 (ii) improving coordination among those 

8 agencies with respect to the management and 

9 repair described in subparagraph (B), including 

10 coordination with academic institutions and 

11 other appropriate nonprofit organizations; 

12 (E) identifying opportunities for the Na13 tional Invasive Species Council to increase the 

14 provision of advice and technical assistance re15 lating to the control or prevention of invasive 

16 species and the restoration of native species, 

17 with an emphasis on services that are available, 

18 or could be made available through additional 

19 legislation, to the Department of Agriculture, 

20 including the Animal and Plant Health Inspec21 tion Service, the Agricultural Research Service, 

22 the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 

23 the Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

24 and the Forest Service; and 


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1 (F)(i) giving priority to the emergency re2 sponse of the Department of Agriculture to an 

3 emergency relating to invasive species; 

4 (ii) clarifying the coordination of the De5 partment of Agriculture with other Federal 

6 agencies in responding to those emergencies; 

7 and 

8 (iii) identifying funding levels sufficient to 

9 carry out responses to those emergencies; and 

10 (2) that— 

11 (A) take into account existing Federal re12 sources; and 

13 (B) may be implemented through further 

14 legislative and administrative action. 

15 (c) CONSULTATION.—The Contract shall require the 

16 National Academy of Sciences or other entity, as applica17 ble, to consult with specialists in entomology, genetics, for18 est pathology, tree breeding, forest and urban ecology, and 

19 invasive species management. 

20 SEC. 8215. FOREST SERVICE PARTICIPATION IN ACES PRO21 GRAM. 

22 Section 8302(b) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 

23 U.S.C. 3851a(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in24 serting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 8216. TRIBAL CONSULTATION IN LAND USE PLANS. 

2 Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Manage3 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b), by inserting before the pe5 riod at the end the following: ‘‘, in consultation with 

6 the governing body of any Indian tribe or Alaska 

7 Native Corporation that has— 

8 ‘‘(1) rights or interests on the National Forest 

9 System land that may be impacted; or 

10 ‘‘(2) access to participate in traditional or cul11 tural practices, or in the protection of scared sites 

12 or resources, on the National Forest System land.’’; 

13 and 

14 (2) in subsection (c)(9)— 

15 (A) in the second sentence, by inserting 

16 ‘‘and consultation with the governing bodies of 

17 Indian tribes and Alaska Native Corporations,’’ 

18 after ‘‘appointed,’’; and 

19 (B) in the fourth sentence, by striking 

20 ‘‘State’’ and inserting ‘‘State, tribal,’’. 

21 SEC. 8217. PRESCRIBED FIRE CENTERS. 

22 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) CENTER.—The term ‘‘center’’ means a cen24 ter established under subsection (b). 


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1 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 

3 the Interior. 

4 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

5 1 or more centers to train individuals in prescribed fire 

6 methods and other methods relevant to the mitigation of 

7 wildfire risk. 

8 (c) HOST INSTITUTIONS.—The 1 or more centers 

9 shall be developed in collaboration with 1 or more institu10 tions of higher education and located at— 

11 (1) 1 or more institutions of higher education; 

12 or 

13 (2) an existing Federal land management facil14 ity. 

15 (d) GOALS.—The 1 or more centers shall advance the 

16 following goals: 

17 (1) Training individuals, including wildland 

18 firefighters, foresters, scientists, and land managers, 

19 to safely and effectively plan and conduct prescribed 

20 fires and vegetation management activities. 

21 (2) Conducting research on the use of pre22 scribed fire methods in tandem with other forest res23 toration methods to achieve greater forest health 

24 and resiliency outcomes, including coordinating with 

25 research stations, institutions of higher education, 


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1 and Indian Tribes to include the latest research 

2 on— 

3 (A) social science, human dimensions, and 

4 traditional ecological knowledge to best inform 

5 those aspects of prescribed fire; and 

6 (B) fuels, forest health, and resiliency. 

7 (3) Developing and advancing interdisciplinary 

8 science relating to wildfire, including social science 

9 and human dimensions of wildfire, in consultation 

10 with stakeholders who— 

11 (A) will benefit from the outcomes of that 

12 science or use it to benefit populations at risk 

13 from wildfire; and 

14 (B) will coordinate with 1 or more other 

15 centers in developing and advancing that 

16 science. 

17 (4) Conducting ongoing and forward-looking 

18 needs assessments among stakeholders, including 

19 Federal and State agencies and Indian Tribes, to de20 termine common need requirements and emerging 

21 challenges to reduce wildfire risk and adapt commu22 nities to increased risk from wildfire, including the 

23 following hazard-related focus areas: 

24 (A) Increasing disaster resilience. 

25 (B) Mitigation and management methods. 


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1 (C) Air quality. 

2 (D) Firestorm weather forecasting and 

3 burn-area debris flow forecasting, including em4 pirical and modeling research. 

5 (5) Collaborating with Federal wildfire sci6 entists at the Forest Service, the Department of the 

7 Interior, and other relevant agencies. 

8 (6) Identifying, through a detailed engagement 

9 process targeting defined end-users, the require10 ments and delivery mechanisms for products and 

11 services that are practical and will have an impact 

12 on mitigating wildfire risk. 

13 (7) Promoting technology transfer with path14 ways for dissemination, implementation, and applica15 tion of research results on the ground, using and en16 hancing previous research. 

17 (8) Ensuring the connectivity and interoper18 ability of distributed services to maximize synergies 

19 and benefits across services. 

20 (9) Developing open digital infrastructure to 

21 make research data, science, and models open for all 

22 sectors to use. 

23 (10) Understanding the effectiveness of histor24 ical and current wildfire management and suppres25 sion strategies, including on wildfires that start in 


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1 wilderness areas, wilderness study areas, or inven2 toried roadless areas. 

3 (e) LOCATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting the locations for 

5 the 1 or more centers, the Secretary shall prioritize 

6 locations— 

7 (A) with no nearby Federal prescribed fire 

8 training center; 

9 (B) with high wildfire risk; and 

10 (C) that would offer prescribed training in 

11 forest types not accessible through other Fed12 eral prescribed fire training centers. 

13 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con14 sult with the Joint Fire Science Program to solicit 

15 and evaluate proposals for the locations of the 1 or 

16 more centers. 

17 (3) SELECTION.—Not later than 1 year after 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, based on the con19 sultation under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall 

20 select locations for the 1 or more centers. 

21 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 

23 sums as are necessary to carry out this section for each 

24 fiscal year. 


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1 SEC. 8218. COST-SHARE WAIVER FOR REHABILITATION 

2 FROM WILDLAND FIRES. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) COVERED MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The 

5 term ‘‘covered matching requirement’’ means a re6 quirement under a program of the Secretary for 

7 wildland fire recovery for a State, Indian Tribe, lo8 cality, or individual to provide matching funds, in 

9 cash, for a project. 

10 (2) COVERED WILDLAND FIRE.—The term 

11 ‘‘covered wildland fire’’ means a wildland fire that 

12 the Secretary determines to be a result of manage13 ment activities conducted by the Secretary on Na14 tional Forest System land. 

15 (3) WILDLAND FIRE.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘wildland 

17 fire’’ means any non-structure fire that occurs 

18 in vegetation or natural fuels. 

19 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘wildland 

20 fire’’ includes wildfire, prescribed fire, and any 

21 direct or indirect damage resulting in watershed 

22 impairment. 

23 (b) WAIVER.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

24 of law, the Secretary may waive any covered matching re25 quirement for a project in response to a covered wildland 


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1 fire that is in an area affected by that covered wildland 

2 fire. 

3 SEC. 8219. UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE RIGHTS-OF-WAY 

4 VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PILOT PRO5 GRAM. 

6 Section 8630(j) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

7 of 2018 (43 U.S.C. 1772 note; Public Law 115–334) is 

8 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 8220. PERMITS AND AGREEMENTS WITH ELECTRIC 

10 UTILITIES. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—In any special use permit or ease12 ment on National Forest System land provided to an elec13 tric utility, the Secretary may provide permission to cut 

14 and remove trees or other vegetation, including hazardous 

15 vegetation that increases fire risk, from within 150 feet 

16 of distribution lines or transmission lines without requir17 ing a separate timber sale, if that cutting and removal 

18 is consistent with— 

19 (1) the applicable land management plan; and 

20 (2) other applicable environmental laws (includ21 ing regulations). 

22 (b) USE OF PROCEEDS.—A special use permit or 

23 easement that includes permission for cutting and removal 

24 described in subsection (a) shall include a requirement 

25 that, if the applicable electric utility sells any portion of 


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1 the material removed under the permit or easement, the 

2 electric utility shall provide to the Secretary, acting 

3 through the Chief of the Forest Service, any proceeds re4 ceived from the sale, less any transportation costs incurred 

5 in the sale. 

6 (c) EFFECT.—Nothing in subsection (b) shall require 

7 the sale of any material removed under a permit or ease8 ment that includes permission for cutting and removal de9 scribed in subsection (a). 

10 PART II—STATE, PRIVATE, AND TRIBAL 

11 PARTNERSHIPS 

12 SEC. 8231. SUPPORT FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS AND STRAT13 EGIES FOR FOREST RESOURCES. 

14 Section 2A(f)(1) of the Cooperative Forestry Assist15 ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101a(f)(1)) is amended by 

16 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 8232. STATE AND PRIVATE FOREST LANDSCAPE-SCALE 

18 RESTORATION PROGRAM. 

19 Section 13A(l)(3) of the Cooperative Forestry Assist20 ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2109a(l)(3)) is amended by 

21 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 8233. PROMOTING CROSS-BOUNDARY WILDFIRE MITI2 GATION. 

3 Section 103(e)(5) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

4 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6513(e)(5)) is amended by strik5 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 8234. WATER SOURCE PROTECTION PROGRAM. 

7 Section 303 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

8 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

12 (G) and (H) as subparagraphs (K) and 

13 (L), respectively; and 

14 (ii) by inserting after subparagraph 

15 (F) the following: 

16 ‘‘(G) an acequia association; 

17 ‘‘(H) a local, regional, or other public enti18 ty that manages stormwater or wastewater re19 sources or other related water infrastructure; 

20 ‘‘(I) a land-grant mercedes; 

21 ‘‘(J) a local, regional, or other private enti22 ty that has water delivery authority;’’; 

23 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

24 through (7) as paragraphs (2) through (8), re25 spectively; and 


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1 (C) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as 

2 so redesignated) the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) ADJACENT LAND.—The term ‘adjacent 

4 land’ means non-Federal land, including State, local, 

5 and private land— 

6 ‘‘(A) that is adjacent to, and within the 

7 same watershed as, National Forest System 

8 land on which a watershed protection and res9 toration project is carried out under this sec10 tion; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the landowner of which consents to 

12 carrying out a watershed protection and res13 toration project on the land under this sec14 tion.’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) by inserting ‘‘and adjacent land’’ be17 fore the period at the end; 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and 

19 inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall’’; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A watershed protection 

23 and restoration project under the Program shall be 

24 designed to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) protect and restore watershed health, 

2 water supply and quality, a municipal or agri3 cultural water supply system, and water-related 

4 infrastructure; 

5 ‘‘(B) protect and restore forest health from 

6 insect infestation and disease or wildfire; or 

7 ‘‘(C) advance any combination of the pur8 poses described in subparagraphs (A) and (B). 

9 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIES.—In selecting watershed pro10 tection and restoration projects under the Program, 

11 the Secretary shall give priority to projects that 

12 would— 

13 ‘‘(A) provide risk management benefits as14 sociated with drought, wildfire, post-wildfire 

15 conditions, extreme weather, or flooding, includ16 ing minimizing risks to watershed health, water 

17 supply and quality, and water-related infra18 structure, including municipal and agricultural 

19 water supply systems; 

20 ‘‘(B) support aquatic restoration and con21 servation efforts that complement existing or 

22 planned forest restoration or wildfire risk re23 duction efforts; 

24 ‘‘(C) provide quantifiable benefits to water 

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1 based solutions, such as restoring wetland and 

2 riparian ecosystems; 

3 ‘‘(D) improve— 

4 ‘‘(i) resilience to climate change; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) watershed and fire resilience; 

6 ‘‘(E) include— 

7 ‘‘(i) partners with demonstrated ca8 pacity and success in designing and imple9 menting ecological restoration projects, 

10 wildfire risk reduction efforts, or post-wild11 fire restoration projects; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) in the case of communities that 

13 have historically lacked access to adequate 

14 resources, partners with a strong likelihood 

15 of success in designing and implementing a 

16 watershed protection and restoration 

17 project; 

18 ‘‘(F) include a contribution of funds or in19 kind support from non-Federal partners in an 

20 amount greater than the amount required 

21 under subsection (g)(2); or 

22 ‘‘(G) include such other characteristics as 

23 the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(4) CONDITIONS FOR PROJECTS ON ADJACENT

25 LAND.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No project or activity 

2 may be carried out under this section on adja3 cent land unless the owner of the adjacent land 

4 provides express support for, and is a willing 

5 and engaged partner in, carrying out that 

6 project or activity. 

7 ‘‘(B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section 

8 authorizes any change in— 

9 ‘‘(i) the ownership of adjacent land on 

10 which a project or activity is carried out 

11 under this section; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) the management of adjacent land 

13 on which a project or activity is carried out 

14 under this section, except during the car15 rying out of that project or activity.’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (c)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

18 (i) by inserting ‘‘and adjacent land’’ 

19 after ‘‘watersheds’’; 

20 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

21 and inserting ‘‘; or’’; 

22 (iii) by striking ‘‘with end water 

23 users’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘with— 

24 ‘‘(A) end water users’’; and 


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1 (iv) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(B) end waters users to protect and re4 store the condition of National Forest water5 sheds and adjacent land that provide water for 

6 the benefit of another end water user.’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

9 ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon; 

10 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

11 (D) as subparagraph (E); and 

12 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

13 (C) the following: 

14 ‘‘(D) in the case of an agreement with a 

15 State, a county, or an Indian tribe for a project 

16 carried out on National Forest System land, a 

17 good neighbor agreement entered into under 

18 section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

19 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); or’’; and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(3) COOPERATION WITH NON-FEDERAL PART22 NERS.—The Secretary shall cooperate with non-Fed23 eral partners in carrying out assessments, planning, 

24 project design, and project implementation under 

25 this section.’’; 


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1 (4) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘shall be 

3 conducted’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘shall 

4 be— 

5 ‘‘(A) designed to protect and restore eco6 logical integrity (as defined in section 219.19 of 

7 title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in ef8 fect on the date of enactment of this subpara9 graph)); 

10 ‘‘(B) based on the best available scientific 

11 information; and 

12 ‘‘(C) conducted’’; and 

13 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(4) REDUCING REDUNDANCY.—An existing 

15 watershed plan, such as a watershed protection and 

16 restoration action plan developed under section 

17 304(a)(3), or other applicable watershed planning 

18 documents may be used as the basis for a water 

19 source management plan under this subsection.’’; 

20 (5) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘purpose 

21 of—’’ in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and 

22 all that follows through the period at the end of sub23 paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘purpose of advancing 

24 any of the purposes described in subsection (b)(2).’’; 

25 and 


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1 (6) in subsection (g)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘at least equal to’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘not less than 20 percent of’’; 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 

6 inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara8 graph (B), the Secretary’’; and 

9 (iii) by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

12 the requirement under subparagraph (A) at the 

13 discretion of the Secretary.’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (4)— 

15 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

16 ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

17 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000,000 

18 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

19 2029’’; 

20 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

21 (C) as subparagraph (E); and 

22 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

23 (B) the following: 

24 ‘‘(C) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is ap25 propriated, out of amounts in the Treasury not 


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1 otherwise appropriated, $10,000,000 for fiscal 

2 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter to 

3 carry out this section, to remain available until 

4 expended. 

5 ‘‘(D) SET-ASIDE FOR PARTNER PARTICIPA6 TION IN PLANNING AND CAPACITY.—Of the 

7 amounts made available under subparagraphs 

8 (B) and (C) to carry out this section for each 

9 fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less than 

10 10 percent for non-Federal partner technical 

11 assistance participation and capacity-building 

12 efforts in developing or implementing a water 

13 source management plan under subsection 

14 (d).’’; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(5) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Secretary 

17 may include the value of forest restoration and wa18 tershed improvement work implemented on adjacent 

19 land in the project area in determining in-kind con20 tributions from non-Federal partners under para21 graph (4)(A).’’. 

22 SEC. 8235. WATERSHED CONDITION FRAMEWORK. 

23 Section 304 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

24 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6543) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

2 the end; 

3 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe4 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(7) that ensures that management activities 

7 and authorizations do not result in long-term deg8 radation of watershed health or lower the classifica9 tion under paragraph (1) of any watershed in a Na10 tional Forest.’’; and 

11 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.— 

13 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appro14 priated, out of amounts in the Treasury not other15 wise appropriated, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

16 and each fiscal year thereafter to carry out this sec17 tion, to remain available until expended. 

18 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

19 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

20 this section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2025 through 2029.’’. 

22 SEC. 8236. TRIBAL FOREST PROTECTION MANAGEMENT AC23 TIVITIES AND PROJECTS. 

24 Section 8703 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

25 2018 (25 U.S.C. 3115b) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘MAN2 AGEMENT DEMONSTRATION PROJECT’’ and in3 serting ‘‘PROTECTION MANAGEMENT ACTIVI4 TIES AND PROJECTS’’; 

5 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub6 section (c); 

7 (3) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘demonstration’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘federally recognized’’; 

10 (C) by striking ‘‘programs of’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘activities and projects under’’; and 

12 (D) by striking the subsection designation 

13 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘The 

14 Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS.—The Secretary’’; 

16 (4) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so re17 designated) the following: 

18 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

20 means an Indian tribe included on the list published 

21 by the Secretary of the Interior under section 104 

22 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 

23 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 

24 ‘‘(2) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Tribal 

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1 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu2 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).’’; 

3 (5) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), in the 

4 matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub5 section (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; and 

6 (6) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(d) PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec8 retary of the Interior and the Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

10 enactment of this subsection, make available on the 

11 website of the Department of the Interior and the 

12 Department of Agriculture in an easily accessible 

13 format and location a list of the types of activities 

14 and projects that Indian Tribes and Tribal organiza15 tions may contract to perform under subsection (b); 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(2) update the list made available under para18 graph (1) as necessary.’’. 

19 SEC. 8237. INCORPORATION OF TRIBAL MANAGEMENT 

20 PLANS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(b) of the Tribal Forest 

22 Protection Act of 2004 (25 U.S.C. 3115a(b)) is amended 

23 by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(4) INCORPORATION OF TRIBAL MANAGEMENT

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1 ment or contract under this section on receipt of a 

2 request from an Indian tribe, the Secretary shall in3 corporate into the agreement or contract, to the 

4 maximum extent that the Secretary determines is 

5 consistent with Federal law and the purposes of this 

6 Act— 

7 ‘‘(A) Tribal forest land, agriculture, and 

8 rangeland management plans, including forest 

9 management plans (as defined in section 304 of 

10 the National Indian Forest Resources Manage11 ment Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); and 

12 ‘‘(B) integrated resource management 

13 plans (as defined in section 4 of the American 

14 Indian Agricultural Resource Management Act 

15 (25 U.S.C. 3703)), excluding any Tribal codes 

16 that are expressly incorporated into such a 

17 plan, in effect on the Indian forest land or 

18 rangeland of the applicable Indian tribe.’’. 

19 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 2(a)(3) of 

20 the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (25 U.S.C. 

21 3115a(a)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘(25 U.S.C. 450b).’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘(25 U.S.C. 5304).’’. 

23 SEC. 8238. HEALTHY FORESTS RESERVE PROGRAM. 

24 Section 508 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

25 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6578) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, to remain 

2 available until expended’’ before the period at the 

3 end; 

4 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

6 (3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(d) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appropriated, 

9 out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appro10 priated, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal 

11 year thereafter to carry out this section, to remain avail12 able until expended.’’. 

13 SEC. 8239. AUTHORIZATION FOR LEASE OF FOREST SERV14 ICE SITES. 

15 Section 8623 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

16 2018 (16 U.S.C. 580d note; Public Law 115–334) is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘Chief of the Forest Service’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (e)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii)— 

22 (i) in the matter preceding subclause 

23 (I), by inserting ‘‘subject to the terms of a 

24 lease under this section,’’ after ‘‘in-kind,’’; 


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1 (ii) in subclause (II), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (iii) in subclause (III), by striking 

4 ‘‘or’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

5 (iv) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(IV) services occurring outside 

8 of the administrative site that— 

9 ‘‘(aa) occur— 

10 ‘‘(AA) at another ad11 ministrative site; or 

12 ‘‘(BB) on the unit and 

13 within the region of the Na14 tional Forest System in 

15 which the administrative site 

16 is located; and 

17 ‘‘(bb) support Forest Service 

18 activities occurring within the 

19 unit of the National Forest Sys20 tem in which the administrative 

21 site is located; or’’; and 

22 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(6) LEASE TERM.—The term of a lease of an 

24 administrative site under this section shall be up to 

25 100 years.’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (g)— 

2 (A) by inserting ‘‘(or other party)’’ after 

3 ‘‘leaseholder’’; and 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘or constructed’’ after 

5 ‘‘improved’’; and 

6 (4) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

7 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 8240. MODIFICATION OF GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHOR9 ITY. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8206 of the Agricultural 

11 Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (4)(A)(iii), by inserting 

14 ‘‘, including activities by the Governor, Indian 

15 tribe, or county to build capacity to administer 

16 programs under good neighbor agreements,’’ 

17 after ‘‘any other activities’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘or In19 dian tribe’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (b)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, 

22 Indian tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) in subparagraph (C)— 


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1 (I) by striking clause (i) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Funds received 

4 from the sale of timber by a Governor, an 

5 Indian tribe, or a county under a good 

6 neighbor agreement shall be retained and 

7 used by the Governor, Indian tribe, or 

8 county, as applicable— 

9 ‘‘(I) to carry out authorized res10 toration services under the good 

11 neighbor agreement; and 

12 ‘‘(II) if there are funds remain13 ing after carrying out subclause (I), 

14 to carry out authorized restoration 

15 services under other good neighbor 

16 agreements.’’; and 

17 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

18 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

19 (ii) by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(D) LIMITATIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(i) NON-FEDERAL LAND.—Any au23 thorized restoration services under a good 

24 neighbor agreement that are carried out on 


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1 non-Federal land using funds received 

2 under subparagraph (C) shall be— 

3 ‘‘(I) for the benefit of Federal 

4 land; and 

5 ‘‘(II) similar and complementary 

6 to services being performed on adja7 cent Federal land under the good 

8 neighbor agreement, which may in9 clude activities to build capacity to ad10 minister programs under good neigh11 bor agreements. 

12 ‘‘(ii) MAJORITY FEDERAL LAND.—At 

13 any time, not less than 51 percent of the 

14 land on which authorized restoration serv15 ices are carried out under a good neighbor 

16 agreement shall be Federal land.’’; and 

17 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘, In18 dian tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 8206(a) 

20 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)) is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

23 tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and 

24 (2) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

25 tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’. 


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1 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section apply to any project initiated pursuant to a 

3 good neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) 

4 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a))) 

5 after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Improve6 ment Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4490). 

7 SEC. 8241. GAO REPORTS ON GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY. 

8 Section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 

9 U.S.C. 2113a) is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(c) GAO REPORTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

13 ‘‘(A) COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—The term 

14 ‘Comptroller General’ means the Comptroller 

15 General of the United States. 

16 ‘‘(B) PROJECT TYPE.—The term ‘project 

17 type’ means the type of activities described in 

18 clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subsection (a)(4)(A). 

19 ‘‘(2) STUDY.—Not later than 180 days after 

20 the date of enactment of this subsection, and once 

21 every 3 years thereafter, the Comptroller General 

22 shall conduct a study— 

23 ‘‘(A) describing each project conducted 

24 under a good neighbor agreement since the date 

25 of enactment of this Act (Public Law 113–79; 


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1 128 Stat. 649) or the date of the last study 

2 conducted under this paragraph, if applicable, 

3 categorized by the project type; 

4 ‘‘(B) identifying— 

5 ‘‘(i) the number of projects described 

6 in subparagraph (A) that have occurred 

7 exclusively on Federal land; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) the number of those projects that 

9 have occurred on both Federal land and 

10 State, local, Tribal, or private land; 

11 ‘‘(C) determining whether authorized res12 toration services were carried out under each 

13 project described in subparagraph (A), as re14 quired by subsection (b)(1)(A); 

15 ‘‘(D) comparing the acreage of timber har16 vested under each project conducted under a 

17 good neighbor agreement with the total acreage 

18 treated under that project; 

19 ‘‘(E) assessing how non-Federal partners 

20 use funds retained from the sale of timber 

21 under subsection (b)(2)(C), including— 

22 ‘‘(i) a description of the projects con23 ducted using those funds, categorized by 

24 the project type; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) which projects described in 

2 clause (i), if any, have occurred on non3 Federal land, including State, local, Tribal, 

4 and private land; 

5 ‘‘(F) comparing the workforce conditions, 

6 pay, and diversity metrics for workers hired 

7 under Federal procurement authority, including 

8 those hired under the H–2B nonimmigrant pro9 gram, to the workforce conditions, pay, and di10 versity metrics for workers hired under good 

11 neighbor agreements; and 

12 ‘‘(G) assessing how good neighbor agree13 ments contribute to ecosystem health and com14 munity safety. 

15 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 

16 the completion of each study conducted under para17 graph (2), the Comptroller General shall prepare 

18 and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

19 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag20 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 

21 report that contains the findings of that study.’’. 

22 SEC. 8242. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORA23 TION PROGRAM. 

24 Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Manage25 ment Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (b)(3)(D), by striking ‘‘spe2 cies;’’ and inserting ‘‘species or pathogens;’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)(3)(A)— 

4 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

5 end; 

6 (B) in clause (ii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 

7 end; and 

8 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(iii) include a Federal Government 

10 staffing plan for providing staff to support 

11 collaborative engagement and implementa12 tion of the strategy;’’; 

13 (3) in subsection (d)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

16 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

17 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

18 the period at the end and inserting a semi19 colon; and 

20 (iii) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(G) proposals that seek to reduce the risk 

23 of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecologi24 cal restoration activities— 


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1 ‘‘(i) within areas across land owner2 ships, including State, Tribal, and private 

3 land; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) within the wildland-urban inter5 face (as defined in section 101 of the 

6 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 

7 (16 U.S.C. 6511)); and 

8 ‘‘(H) proposals that seek to enhance water9 shed health and drinking water sources.’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

12 ‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘20’’; and 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

14 ‘‘2’’ and inserting ‘‘4’’; 

15 (4) in subsection (e)(3), by inserting ‘‘conflict 

16 resolution or collaborative governance,’’ before ‘‘and 

17 woody’’; and 

18 (5) in subsection (f)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (4)(B)(ii), by striking 

20 ‘‘$4,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$8,000,000’’; and 

21 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 8243. JOINT CHIEFS LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PART2 NERSHIP PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title VI of the Healthy Forests 

4 Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591 et seq.) is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 607. JOINT CHIEFS LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PART7 NERSHIP PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) CHIEFS.—The term ‘Chiefs’ means the 

10 Chief of the Forest Service and the Chief of the 

11 Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

12 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY.—The term ‘eligible 

13 activity’ means an activity— 

14 ‘‘(A) to reduce the risk of wildfire; 

15 ‘‘(B) to protect water quality and supply; 

16 ‘‘(C) to improve wildlife habitat for at-risk 

17 species; 

18 ‘‘(D) to recover from wildfire; or 

19 ‘‘(E) to enhance soil, water, and related 

20 natural resources. 

21 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 

22 the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership 

23 program established under subsection (b)(1). 

24 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

25 the Secretary of Agriculture. 


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1 ‘‘(5) WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.—The term 

2 ‘wildland-urban interface’ has the meaning given the 

3 term in section 101. 

4 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab6 lish a Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partner7 ship program to improve the health and resilience of 

8 forest landscapes across National Forest System 

9 land and State, Tribal, and private land. 

10 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 

11 administer the Program by coordinating eligible ac12 tivities conducted on National Forest System land 

13 and State, Tribal, or private land across a forest 

14 landscape to improve the health and resilience of the 

15 forest landscape by— 

16 ‘‘(A) assisting producers and landowners in 

17 implementing eligible activities on eligible pri18 vate or Tribal land using the applicable pro19 grams and authorities administered by the 

20 Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation 

21 Service under title XII of the Food Security Act 

22 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.), not including 

23 the conservation reserve program established 

24 under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D 

25 of that title (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.); and 


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1 ‘‘(B) conducting eligible activities on Na2 tional Forest System land or assisting land3 owners in implementing eligible activities on 

4 State, Tribal, or private land using the applica5 ble programs and authorities administered by 

6 the Chief of the Forest Service. 

7 ‘‘(3) AGENCY COORDINATION.—In carrying out 

8 the Program, the Chief of the Natural Resources 

9 Conservation Service shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) consider corresponding management 

11 plans from the Chief of the Forest Service; and 

12 ‘‘(B) collaborate with the Chief of the For13 est Service on forestry science and practice, 

14 using the best available science. 

15 ‘‘(c) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—The ap16 propriate Regional Forester and State Conservationist 

17 shall jointly submit to the Chiefs on an annual basis pro18 posals for eligible activities under the Program. 

19 ‘‘(d) EVALUATION CRITERIA.—In evaluating and se20 lecting proposals submitted under subsection (c), the 

21 Chiefs shall consider— 

22 ‘‘(1) criteria including whether the proposal— 

23 ‘‘(A) reduces wildfire risk and post-wildfire 

24 impacts in a municipal watershed or the 

25 wildland-urban interface; 


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1 ‘‘(B) was developed through a collaborative 

2 process with participation from diverse stake3 holders; 

4 ‘‘(C) increases forest workforce capacity or 

5 forest business infrastructure and development; 

6 ‘‘(D) leverages existing authorities and 

7 non-Federal funding; 

8 ‘‘(E) provides measurable outcomes; or 

9 ‘‘(F) supports established State and re10 gional priorities identified in the corresponding 

11 State forest action plan or a similar priority 

12 plan (such as a State wildlife or water plan); 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(2) such other criteria relating to the merits of 

15 the proposals as the Chiefs determine to be appro16 priate. 

17 ‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall provide— 

18 ‘‘(1) public notice on the websites of the Forest 

19 Service and the Natural Resources Conservation 

20 Service describing— 

21 ‘‘(A) the solicitation of proposals under 

22 subsection (c); and 

23 ‘‘(B) the criteria for selecting proposals in 

24 accordance with subsection (d); and 


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1 ‘‘(2) information relating to the Program and 

2 activities funded under the Program to States, In3 dian tribes, units of local government, and private 

4 landowners. 

5 ‘‘(f) EXCLUSIONS.—An eligible activity may not be 

6 carried out under the Program— 

7 ‘‘(1) in a wilderness area or designated wilder8 ness study area; 

9 ‘‘(2) in an inventoried roadless area; 

10 ‘‘(3) on any Federal land on which, by Act of 

11 Congress or Presidential proclamation, the removal 

12 of vegetation is restricted or prohibited; or 

13 ‘‘(4) in an area in which the eligible activity 

14 would be inconsistent with the applicable land and 

15 resource management plan. 

16 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.—For each of fiscal years 2025 

17 through 2029, the Chiefs shall submit to the Committee 

18 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Com19 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee 

20 on Agriculture and the Committee on Appropriations of 

21 the House of Representatives a report describing projects 

22 for which funding is provided under the Program, includ23 ing the status and outcomes of those projects. 

24 ‘‘(h) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec3 retary to carry out the Program $90,000,000 for 

4 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

5 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—In addition to the 

6 funds described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may 

7 obligate available funds from accounts used to carry 

8 out the existing Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration 

9 Partnership prior to November 15, 2021, to carry 

10 out the Program. 

11 ‘‘(3) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds 

12 made available under paragraph (1)— 

13 ‘‘(A) not less than 40 percent shall be allo14 cated to carry out eligible activities through the 

15 Natural Resources Conservation Service; 

16 ‘‘(B) not less than 40 percent shall be allo17 cated to carry out eligible activities through the 

18 Forest Service; and 

19 ‘‘(C) the remaining funds shall be allocated 

20 by the Chiefs to the Natural Resources Con21 servation Service or the Forest Service— 

22 ‘‘(i) to carry out eligible activities; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) for other purposes, such as tech24 nical assistance, project development, or 

25 local capacity building.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 40808 of 

2 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 

3 6592d) is repealed. 

4 SEC. 8244. EMERGENCY FOREST WATERSHED PROGRAM. 

5 (a) FUNDING AND ADMINISTRATION.—Section 

6 404(b) of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

7 2204(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘to carry out section 

8 401’’ after ‘‘for a fiscal year’’. 

9 (b) EMERGENCY FOREST WATERSHED PROGRAM.— 

10 Title IV of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

11 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 408. EMERGENCY FOREST WATERSHED PROGRAM. 

14 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROTECTION

16 MEASURES.—The term ‘emergency watershed pro17 tection measures’ means measures that— 

18 ‘‘(A) are necessary to address runoff, soil 

19 erosion, and flooding caused by a natural dis20 aster or any other natural occurrence that has 

21 caused a sudden impairment to natural re22 sources on National Forest System land, and 

23 the damage, if not treated— 


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1 ‘‘(i) would significantly impair or en2 danger the natural resources on the Na3 tional Forest System land; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) would pose an immediate risk to 

5 water resources or loss of life or property 

6 downstream of the National Forest System 

7 land; and 

8 ‘‘(B) would maintain or restore forest 

9 health and forest-related resources on the Na10 tional Forest System land. 

11 ‘‘(2) NATURAL DISASTER.—The term ‘natural 

12 disaster’ has the meaning given the term in section 

13 407(a). 

14 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

15 the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the For16 est Service. 

17 ‘‘(4) SPONSOR.—The term ‘sponsor’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) a State or local government; 

19 ‘‘(B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 

20 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu21 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and 

22 ‘‘(C) a water district, water conservation 

23 district, water utility, or special district. 

24 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary, acting 

25 through a sponsor, is authorized to undertake emergency 


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1 watershed protection measures on National Forest System 

2 land. 

3 ‘‘(c) AGREEMENTS; PAYMENTS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

5 into an agreement with a sponsor, notwithstanding 

6 chapter 63 of title 31, United States Code, and 

7 make payments to the sponsor, on request of the 

8 sponsor, to carry out emergency watershed protec9 tion measures. 

10 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) PROJECT TIMELINES.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Following a nat13 ural disaster or natural occurrence that ne14 cessitates the carrying out of emergency 

15 watershed protection measures, the Sec16 retary shall execute agreements under 

17 paragraph (1) as expeditiously as possible. 

18 ‘‘(ii) TIMELINE.—An agreement 

19 under paragraph (1) shall contain a 

20 timeline for the sponsor to complete all 

21 emergency watershed protection measures 

22 not later than 2 years after the conclusion 

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1 retary, that necessitated the carrying out 

2 of those measures. 

3 ‘‘(iii) CONTINUED MONITORING.—A 

4 sponsor that has entered into an agree5 ment under paragraph (1) may monitor, 

6 maintain, repair, or replace emergency wa7 tershed protection measures for a period of 

8 not more than 3 years following the con9 clusion of the natural disaster or natural 

10 occurrence, as determined by the Sec11 retary, that necessitated the carrying out 

12 of those measures when failure to do so 

13 would result in unacceptable risk to Na14 tional Forest System land or downstream 

15 water users. 

16 ‘‘(B) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary, in ac17 cordance with an agreement entered into under 

18 paragraph (1)— 

19 ‘‘(i) may make partial payments prior 

20 to completion of the applicable project; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) shall make final payment for the 

22 project not later than 30 days after the 

23 date on which the project is completed. 


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1 ‘‘(d) WAIVED MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec2 retary shall waive any matching requirements for pay3 ments made under subsection (c)(1). 

4 ‘‘(e) LIABILITY.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A sponsor that carries out 

6 emergency watershed protection measures pursuant 

7 to an agreement under subsection (c)(1) shall not be 

8 required to indemnify the United States for any li9 ability resulting from carrying out emergency water10 shed protection measures pursuant to that agree11 ment. 

12 ‘‘(2) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this sub13 section precludes liability for damages or costs relat14 ing to the carrying out of emergency watershed pro15 tection measures by a sponsor pursuant to an agree16 ment entered into under subsection (c)(1) if the 

17 sponsor acted with willful or wanton negligence or 

18 reckless conduct in carrying out those measures. 

19 ‘‘(f) ASSUMPTION OF RISK.—A sponsor that carries 

20 out emergency watershed protection measures prior to en21 tering into an agreement under subsection (c)(1) shall as22 sume the risk of incurring any cost or liability resulting 

23 from carrying out those measures. 


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1 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 

3 sums as are necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

4 SEC. 8245. EMERGENCY FOREST RESTORATION PROGRAM. 

5 Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 

6 (16 U.S.C. 2206) (as amended by section 2403(d)) is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub9 section (h); and 

10 (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(g) PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec13 retary shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

15 enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Secu16 rity Act of 2024, make available in an easily acces17 sible format and location on the website of the De18 partment of Agriculture a list of emergency meas19 ures for which nonindustrial private forest land own20 ers may receive a payment under subsection (b); and 

21 ‘‘(2) update the list described in paragraph (1) 

22 as necessary.’’. 

23 SEC. 8246. NURSERY AND SEED ORCHARD SUPPORT. 

24 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

2 recipient’’ means— 

3 (A) a State forestry agency; 

4 (B) an Indian Tribe; and 

5 (C) a private nursery that has experience, 

6 as determined by the Secretary, growing high7 quality native trees of appropriate genetic 

8 sources in bareroot or container stocktypes spe9 cific for reforestation, restoration, or conserva10 tion, including native plants and seeds that are 

11 of cultural significance to Indian Tribes. 

12 (2) NURSERY.—The term ‘‘nursery’’ means a 

13 tree or native plant nursery. 

14 (3) SEED ORCHARD.—The term ‘‘seed orchard’’ 

15 means a tree or native plant seed orchard. 

16 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

17 (A) each of the several States; 

18 (B) the District of Columbia; 

19 (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

20 and 

21 (D) any territory or possession of the 

22 United States. 

23 (b) PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATION, AND OTHER

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1 retary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, 

2 shall— 

3 (1) partner with Federal and State agencies, 

4 Indian Tribes, institutions of higher education, and 

5 private nurseries to provide training, technical as6 sistance, and research to nursery and tree establish7 ment programs that support natural regeneration, 

8 reforestation, agroforestry, and afforestation; 

9 (2) promote information-sharing to improve 

10 technical knowledge and practices and understand 

11 demands, climate change impacts, and other issues 

12 as necessary to address all facets of the reforestation 

13 supply chain; 

14 (3) provide technical and financial assistance to 

15 international nursery and tree establishment pro16 grams through the Forest Service International Pro17 grams, the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, and 

18 the International Institute of Tropical Forestry; 

19 (4) collaborate with other relevant Federal de20 partments and agencies, including the Foreign Agri21 cultural Service, the United States Agency for Inter22 national Development, and the United States Fish 

23 and Wildlife Service, and international organiza24 tions, including the Food and Agriculture Organiza25 tion of the United Nations, to provide technical and 


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1 financial assistance relating to nurseries and refor2 estation; 

3 (5) coordinate the efforts of the Department of 

4 Agriculture to— 

5 (A) address the challenges associated with 

6 the reforestation supply chain; and 

7 (B) leverage economic development assist8 ance for work with private nurseries; and 

9 (6) expand climate-informed reforestation sup10 ply chains through science and research, seed collec11 tion and storage, and nursery infrastructure and op12 erations. 

13 (c) NURSERY AND SEED ORCHARD GRANTS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

16 shall establish a program to provide grants to eligi17 ble recipients to support nurseries and seed or18 chards. 

19 (2) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—An eligible recipient 

20 that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall 

21 carry out a project that comprises one or more of 

22 the following activities: 

23 (A) The development, expansion, enhance24 ment, or improvement of nursery production ca25 pacity or other infrastructure— 


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1 (i) to improve seed collection and stor2 age; 

3 (ii) to increase seedling production, 

4 storage, and distribution; or 

5 (iii) to enhance seedling survival and 

6 properly manage tree genetic resources. 

7 (B) The establishment or expansion of a 

8 nursery or seed orchard, including by acquiring 

9 equipment for a nursery or seed orchard. 

10 (C) The development or implementation of 

11 quality control measures at nurseries or seed 

12 orchards. 

13 (D) The promotion of workforce develop14 ment within any facet of the reforestation sup15 ply chain. 

16 (E) Such other activities as the Secretary 

17 determines to be appropriate. 

18 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

19 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

20 $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 


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1 SEC. 8247. CONTRACTS, GRANTS, AND AGREEMENTS TO 

2 CARRY OUT CERTAIN ECOSYSTEM RESTORA3 TION ACTIVITIES. 

4 Section 40804 of the Infrastructure Investment and 

5 Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592a) is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘(g) CONTRACTS, GRANTS, AND AGREEMENTS.—To 

8 carry out the ecosystem restoration activities described in 

9 subsection (b), the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

10 through the Chief of the Forest Service, may enter into 

11 contracts, grants, or agreements, as appropriate, with 

12 State agencies, Indian Tribes, institutions of higher edu13 cation (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu14 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), and multistate 

15 coalitions— 

16 ‘‘(1) for the collection and maintenance of na17 tive plant materials, including material from man18 aged seed orchards; and 

19 ‘‘(2) for the production of native plant mate20 rials for revegetation.’’. 

21 PART III—TIMBER INNOVATION 

22 SEC. 8261. WOOD INNOVATIONS GRANT PROGRAM. 

23 Section 8643 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

24 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d) is amended— 

25 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘INNO26 VATION’’ and inserting ‘‘INNOVATIONS’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘equal to the 

2 amount’’ and inserting ‘‘in an amount that is not 

3 less than 50 percent of the amount of Federal 

4 funds’’; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(e) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appropriated, 

7 out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appro8 priated, $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 to carry out this 

9 section, to remain available until expended.’’. 

10 SEC. 8262. COMMUNITY WOOD FACILITIES GRANT PRO11 GRAM. 

12 Section 9013 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest13 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8113) is amended— 

14 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘EN15 ERGY AND WOOD INNOVATION’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘FACILITIES GRANT’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (a)(4), by striking ‘‘Energy 

18 and Wood Innovation’’ and inserting ‘‘Facilities 

19 Grant’’; 

20 (3) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Energy and 

21 Wood Innovation’’ and inserting ‘‘Facilities Grant’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (c)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘35’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘50’’; 

25 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 


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1 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

2 paragraph (2); 

3 (5) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘exceed—’’ in 

4 the matter preceding paragraph (1) and all that fol5 lows through the period at the end of paragraph (2) 

6 and inserting ‘‘exceed $3,000,000.’’; 

7 (6) in subsection (g)(2), by striking ‘‘25 per8 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘50 percent’’; and 

9 (7) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(h) FUNDING.— 

12 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appro13 priated, out of amounts in the Treasury not other14 wise appropriated, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

15 to carry out this section, to remain available until 

16 expended. 

17 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

19 this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

20 2025 through 2029.’’. 

21 SEC. 8263. REPORT ON USE OF MASS TIMBER IN CON22 STRUCTION OF FEDERAL FACILITIES. 

23 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

24 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

25 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the 


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1 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

2 Senate a report— 

3 (1) describing the projects in which the Depart4 ment of Agriculture has used mass timber in the 

5 construction of Department of Agriculture facilities; 

6 (2) describing the factors considered when de7 termining whether to use mass timber in the con8 struction of a Department of Agriculture facility; 

9 and 

10 (3) identifying opportunities for the use of mass 

11 timber in the construction of new Department of Ag12 riculture facilities and other Federal structures. 

13 Subtitle C—Forest Conservation 

14 SEC. 8301. NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGROFORESTRY CEN15 TERS. 

16 Section 1243 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

17 and Trade Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 

18 101–624) is amended— 

19 (1) by striking the section heading and insert20 ing ‘‘NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGRO21 FORESTRY CENTERS’’; 

22 (2) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), (c), 

23 and (d) as subsections (b), (d), (e), and (g), respec24 tively; 


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1 (3) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so re2 designated) the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AGROFORESTRY.—In this sec4 tion, the term ‘agroforestry’ means a management system 

5 that intentionally integrates trees and shrubs into crop 

6 and animal farming systems to build more profitable and 

7 weather-resilient farms, ranches, and communities, ad8 dress natural resource concerns and conservation needs, 

9 and establish productive and sustainable land use prac10 tices, including— 

11 ‘‘(1) riparian forest buffers; 

12 ‘‘(2) alley cropping; 

13 ‘‘(3) silvopasture; 

14 ‘‘(4) forest farming and multistory cropping; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(5) windbreaks, shelterbelts, hedgerows, and 

17 living snow fences.’’; 

18 (4) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated)— 

19 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

20 ‘‘SEMIARID’’ and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL’’; 

21 (B) by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this sec22 tion as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Secretary of Ag23 riculture’’; 

24 (C) by striking ‘‘Semiarid Agroforestry Re25 search, Development, and Demonstration CenVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00852 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ter (hereafter referred to in this section as the 

2 ‘Center’)’’ and inserting ‘‘National Agroforestry 

3 Research, Development, and Demonstration 

4 Center’’; and 

5 (D) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and in6 serting ‘‘subsection (d)’’; 

7 (5) by inserting after subsection (b) (as so re8 designated) the following: 

9 ‘‘(c) REGIONAL AGROFORESTRY CENTERS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting 

11 through the Chief of the Forest Service and in co12 operation with the Natural Resources Conservation 

13 Service, shall, subject to the availability of appro14 priations, establish 1 or more regional agroforestry 

15 centers to advance agroforestry research, outreach, 

16 technical assistance, and adoption. 

17 ‘‘(2) REGIONAL DIRECTORS.—The Secretary, 

18 acting through the Chief of the Forest Service and 

19 in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conserva20 tion Service, shall appoint a regional director to 

21 manage and coordinate each regional agroforestry 

22 center established under paragraph (1). 

23 ‘‘(3) LOCATION.—In selecting the locations for 

24 the 1 or more regional agroforestry centers under 

25 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prioritize locaVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00853 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tions at which the Department has, on the date of 

2 enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Secu3 rity Act of 2024, at least 1 employee providing co4 ordination among a diverse group of research insti5 tutions and other partners.’’; 

6 (6) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

7 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

8 (1)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘Center’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘centers established under subsections (b) 

11 and (c) (referred to in this section as the 

12 ‘Centers’)’’; 

13 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and organizations’’ 

14 after ‘‘nonprofit foundations’’; and 

15 (iii) by inserting ‘‘demonstration 

16 projects,’’ after ‘‘studies,’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands 

19 that’’ and inserting ‘‘that build soil health 

20 and’’; and 

21 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, including agro22 forestry systems on semiarid land and 

23 other fragile agroecosystems where perma24 nent woody perennial plant communities 

25 can enhance carbon sequestration and reVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00854 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 duce greenhouse gas emissions’’ before the 

2 semicolon; 

3 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘forestry 

4 products for commercial sale from semiarid 

5 land’’ and inserting ‘‘agroforestry products for 

6 commercial sale’’; 

7 (D) in paragraph (4)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘in semiarid regions’’; 

9 and 

10 (ii) by striking ‘‘the Great Plains re11 gion’’ and inserting ‘‘particular regions’’; 

12 (E) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘tech13 nical assistance, demonstration projects, and’’ 

14 before ‘‘technology’’; 

15 (F) by redesignating paragraphs (7) 

16 through (11) as paragraphs (8) through (12), 

17 respectively; 

18 (G) by striking paragraph (6) and insert19 ing the following: 

20 ‘‘(6) develop improved silvopasture, alley crop21 ping, forest farming, multistory cropping, riparian 

22 buffer, windbreak and shelterbelt, and other peren23 nial production and conservation systems and tech24 nologies to improve soil health, carbon sequestration, 


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1 drought preparedness, soil and water conservation, 

2 environmental quality, and biological diversity; 

3 ‘‘(7) address barriers to the adoption of agro4 forestry practices, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) insufficient access to plant material; 

6 ‘‘(B) insufficient infrastructure to contain 

7 equipment and plant material; 

8 ‘‘(C) insufficient machinery to implement 

9 agroforestry practices; 

10 ‘‘(D) insufficient technical service assist11 ance; and 

12 ‘‘(E) insufficient research related to agro13 forestry systems, including silvopasture and 

14 alley cropping;’’; 

15 (H) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated), 

16 by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands’’; 

17 (I) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated), 

18 by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands worldwide’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘worldwide, including on semiarid 

20 land’’; and 

21 (J) in paragraph (10) (as so redesig22 nated)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands’’; 

24 and 


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1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and climate change’’ 

2 after ‘‘pollution’’; 

3 (7) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated)— 

4 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

5 ‘‘AND DATA’’ after ‘‘INFORMATION’’; 

6 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph 

7 (1)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘Secretary shall estab9 lish at the Center’’ and inserting ‘‘Sec10 retary, in collaboration with the Economic 

11 Research Service and the National Agricul12 tural Statistics Service, shall establish at 

13 the Centers’’; and 

14 (ii) by striking ‘‘Promotion’’ and in15 serting ‘‘Promotion,’’; 

16 (C) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) by inserting ‘‘and data’’ after ‘‘in18 formation’’; and 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

20 (D) in paragraph (2)— 

21 (i) by inserting ‘‘and data’’ after ‘‘in22 formation’’; 

23 (ii) by striking ‘‘forestry’’ and insert24 ing ‘‘forestry, agroforestry,’’; and 


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1 (iii) by striking the period at the end 

2 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(3) facilitate agroforestry adoption by dissemi5 nating comprehensive information and data on Fed6 eral, State, local, and Tribal programs that provide 

7 support for agroforestry.’’; 

8 (8) by inserting after subsection (e) (as so re9 designated) the following: 

10 ‘‘(f) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall establish at the 

11 Centers regional grant programs to support agroforestry 

12 projects, including demonstration farms.’’; and 

13 (9) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘There are’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘In addition to amounts otherwise available, 

16 there is’’; and 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of 

18 fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

20 through 2029’’. 

21 SEC. 8302. AMERICAN FOREST FARMING ASSOCIATION. 

22 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) ASSOCIATION.—The term ‘‘Association’’ 

24 means the American Forest Farming Association de25 scribed in subsection (b). 


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1 (2) PARTNER INSTITUTIONS.—The term ‘‘part2 ner institutions’’ means the 1 or more institutions of 

3 higher education with which the Secretary collabo4 rates to establish the Association under subsection 

5 (b). 

6 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

7 the Secretary, acting through the National Agro8 forestry Center. 

9 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall collabo10 rate with 1 or more institutions of higher education with 

11 a history of engagement in agroforestry to establish an 

12 American Forest Farming Association. 

13 (c) COMPOSITION AND TYPE.—The Association 

14 shall— 

15 (1) be composed of a network of forest farmers, 

16 institutions of higher education, governmental and 

17 nongovernmental organizations, and private indus18 try; and 

19 (2) not be an agency or instrumentality of the 

20 United States. 

21 (d) PURPOSES AND ACTIVITIES.— 

22 (1) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Associa23 tion shall be— 


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1 (A) to support the advancement of agro2 forestry production opportunities and capabili3 ties among forest farmers; and 

4 (B) to increase awareness, capacity, and 

5 long-term viability for the forest farming indus6 try through education, networking, and con7 servation practices. 

8 (2) ACTIVITIES.—The Association may carry 

9 out activities including— 

10 (A) convening regional and local agro11 forestry stakeholders to spread awareness of 

12 agroforestry-related activities nationwide; 

13 (B) crafting policy notes to share best 

14 practices in cultivating various nontimber forest 

15 products across different regions; 

16 (C) development of business planning and 

17 marketing programs; 

18 (D) drafting science and technical agendas 

19 and working group training initiatives; 

20 (E) leveraging production methods to im21 prove price points in an emerging value-added 

22 market; and 

23 (F) such other activities as the Secretary 

24 and the partner institutions determine to be ap25 propriate. 


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1 (e) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

2 Secretary and the partner institutions shall consult with— 

3 (1) staff of institutions of higher education with 

4 experience in the agroforestry sector; and 

5 (2) individuals from nongovernmental organiza6 tions and private industry that work with agro7 forestry products. 

8 (f) USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary shall use funds 

9 made available under subsection (g) to support the estab10 lishment and operation of the Association in accordance 

11 with this section, including for salaries and expenses of— 

12 (1) an executive director of the Association; 

13 (2) other staff of the Association; 

14 (3) operations; 

15 (4) technical assistance; and 

16 (5) other expenses necessary to support the As17 sociation. 

18 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

19 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

20 $200,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

21 SEC. 8303. RURAL FOREST MARKET INVESTMENT PRO22 GRAM. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en25 tity’’ means an eligible entity for which a bond, loan, 


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1 or other investment vehicle is guaranteed under the 

2 program. 

3 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti4 ty’’ means a private entity, State forestry agency, or 

5 publicly supported, charitable nonprofit organization 

6 described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Rev7 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under 

8 section 501(a) of that Code engaged in or seeking to 

9 engage in the aggregation of sustainable forestry 

10 practices implemented by rural private forest land11 owners to facilitate the sale of environmental credits 

12 in voluntary environmental credit markets. 

13 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

14 the Rural Forest Market Investment Program estab15 lished under subsection (b)(1). 

16 (4) RURAL.—The term ‘‘rural’’ has the mean17 ing given the term in section 343(a) of the Consoli18 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

19 1991(a)). 

20 (5) VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL CREDIT MAR21 KET.—The term ‘‘voluntary environmental credit 

22 market’’ means a voluntary market through which 

23 environmental credits may be bought or sold. 

24 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

2 a program, to be known as the ‘‘Rural Forest Mar3 ket Investment Program’’, to guarantee environ4 mental impact bonds, loans, or other investment ve5 hicles, as determined by the Secretary, issued for the 

6 sole purpose of financing eligible projects described 

7 in subsection (c), to enable rural private forest land8 owners and covered entities to participate in vol9 untary environmental credit markets. 

10 (2) ADMINISTRATION.— 

11 (A) LOAN GUARANTEES.—The Secretary 

12 shall make available and administer guarantees 

13 on environmental impact bonds, loans, or other 

14 investment vehicles, as determined by the Sec15 retary, through the facilities and authorities of 

16 the Under Secretary for Rural Development. 

17 (B) FORESTRY RELATED MATTERS.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

19 carry out through the facilities and au20 thorities of the Under Secretary for Nat21 ural Resources and Environment the re22 quirements and administration under this 

23 section of matters relating to forests, for24 estry, tree planting activities, forest prod25 uct markets, the timber supply, approVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00863 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 priate activities to develop and carry out 

2 an eligible project, and activities to facili3 tate the participation of a rural private 

4 forest landowner or a covered entity in vol5 untary environmental credit markets, and 

6 as otherwise provided in this section, as 

7 determined appropriate by the Secretary. 

8 (ii) COLLABORATION.—The Under 

9 Secretary for Natural Resources and Envi10 ronment shall collaborate with the Under 

11 Secretary for Rural Development, includ12 ing by providing information and technical 

13 assistance, to ensure that the making and 

14 administration of guarantees under this 

15 section is fully informed by the matters de16 scribed in clause (i) and as otherwise pro17 vided in this section, as determined appro18 priate by the Secretary. 

19 (3) CONSIDERATION.—In establishing the pro20 gram, the Secretary shall consider ways to ensure 

21 that the program— 

22 (A) minimizes disruptions to traditional 

23 forest products markets, including by— 


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1 (i) collecting data on commercially 

2 available timber that serves wood proc3 essing facilities, including— 

4 (I) the quantity and species of 

5 timber supply available to wood prod6 ucts facilities in each of the 4 regions 

7 described in the most recent Renew8 able Resource Assessment prepared 

9 under section 3 of the Forest and 

10 Rangeland Renewable Resources 

11 Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 

12 1601); and 

13 (II) any additional information, 

14 as identified by the Secretary; and 

15 (ii) using data collected under clause 

16 (i) to make a determination on whether fi17 nancing each eligible project described in 

18 subsection (c) may impact commercially 

19 available timber supply; 

20 (B) allows for the continued production of 

21 sustainable timber supplies by utilizing meth22 odologies that consider the carbon storage bene23 fits of wood products; 

24 (C) allows for landowners who are not cur25 rently involved in traditional forest products 


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1 markets, including those who have not histori2 cally accessed Department of Agriculture assist3 ance programs, to participate in the program 

4 through activities such as conservation ease5 ments, reforestation, and other appropriate ac6 tivities, as determined by the Secretary; 

7 (D) facilitates participation opportunities 

8 for forest landowners, and ensures program ac9 cess for those who have not historically accessed 

10 Department of Agriculture assistance programs; 

11 and 

12 (E) is carried out in a manner that in13 creases forestland values for participating land14 owners in ways that enable landowners of 

15 small-acreage forests to maintain— 

16 (i) ownership of the land in the family 

17 of the landowner; and 

18 (ii) forest use of the land. 

19 (c) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), an 

21 eligible project referred to in subsection (b)(1) is a 

22 project developed by an eligible entity using meth23 odologies that, as determined by the Secretary— 

24 (A) are approved by a credible, third-party 

25 entity; and 


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1 (B) meet global benchmarks for high-integ2 rity. 

3 (2) USES OF FINANCING.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—A covered entity shall 

5 use the bond, loan, or other investment vehicle 

6 guaranteed for the covered entity under the 

7 program for appropriate activities to develop 

8 and carry out an eligible project described in 

9 paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary. 

10 (B) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR CERTAIN

11 ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of a bond, loan, 

12 or other investment vehicle guaranteed under 

13 the program that supports an eligible project 

14 described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may 

15 allow a portion of the amount of the bond, loan, 

16 or other investment vehicle to cover additional 

17 activities to facilitate the participation of the 

18 covered entity or a rural private forest land19 owner in voluntary environmental credit mar20 kets. 

21 (C) PROHIBITION.—A bond, loan, or other 

22 investment vehicle guaranteed under the pro23 gram shall not be used to create a floor price 

24 or artificial demand for the environmental credVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00867 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 its generated under eligible projects described 

2 in paragraph (1). 

3 (d) REQUIREMENTS.—A project described in sub4 section (c) that includes the practice of tree planting may 

5 only be carried out, as determined by the Secretary— 

6 (1) on land that was historically forested, as de7 termined based on— 

8 (A) data collected through the Forest In9 ventory and Analysis Program of the Forest 

10 Service; and 

11 (B) other appropriate scientific resources, 

12 as determined by the Secretary; 

13 (2) using tree species that are native to the re14 gion and at ecologically appropriate densities; and 

15 (3) in a manner that does not create other neg16 ative impacts to biodiversity or the environment. 

17 (e) GUARANTEE AMOUNT.—With respect to bonds, 

18 loans, and other investment vehicles guaranteed under the 

19 program, the Secretary shall guarantee not more than 

20 $150,000,000 in the aggregate. 

21 (f) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

22 (1) APPRAISALS.—The Secretary may require 

23 an appraisal of an eligible entity requesting a guar24 antee under the program, including to assess the 

25 creditworthiness of the eligible entity, by a specialVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00868 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ized appraiser that uses standards that are similar 

2 to standards used for similar purposes in the private 

3 sector, as determined by the Secretary. 

4 (2) FINANCIAL INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

5 may require financial information from an eligible 

6 entity requesting a guarantee under the program in 

7 the same manner as is generally required by com8 mercial lenders. 

9 (g) AUDITING.—Not less frequently than annually, 

10 the Secretary shall conduct audits of each eligible project 

11 financed under the program to ensure that the method12 ology used with respect to the project continues to comply 

13 with the standards determined by the Secretary under 

14 subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (c)(1). 

15 (h) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue 

17 regulations to implement the program. 

18 (i) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to 

19 guarantee a new bond, loan, or other investment vehicle 

20 under this section terminates on September 30, 2029. 

21 SEC. 8304. FOREST SERVICE LEGACY ROAD AND TRAIL RE22 MEDIATION PROGRAM. 

23 Section 8 of Public Law 88–657 (16 U.S.C. 538a) 

24 (commonly known as the ‘‘Forest Roads and Trails Act’’) 

25 is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (c)(2)— 

2 (A) by striking subparagraph (B) and in3 serting the following: 

4 ‘‘(B) solicit and consider public input re5 gionally in selecting projects for funding under 

6 the Program by— 

7 ‘‘(i) publishing annually for each re8 gion the list of projects considered for 

9 funding under the Program; 

10 ‘‘(ii) accepting public comments on 

11 the projects listed under clause (i); and 

12 ‘‘(iii) considering public comments re13 ceived under clause (ii) in selecting 

14 projects for funding;’’; and 

15 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

16 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

17 by inserting ‘‘annually for each region,’’ 

18 before ‘‘publish’’; and 

19 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

20 (I) by striking ‘‘description and 

21 the proposed’’ and inserting the fol22 lowing: ‘‘description of— 

23 ‘‘(I) each project considered for 

24 funding under the Program; 


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1 ‘‘(II) the public comments re2 ceived with respect to each project 

3 considered for funding under the Pro4 gram; 

5 ‘‘(III) the ranking in the applica6 ble region of each project considered 

7 for funding under the Program; and 

8 ‘‘(IV) the proposed’’; and 

9 (II) in subclause (IV) (as so des10 ignated), by striking ‘‘each fiscal’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘the applicable fiscal’’; and 

12 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(f) DEFINITION OF REGION.—In this section, the 

14 term ‘region’ means 1 of the 9 regions of the Forest Serv15 ice.’’. 

16 Subtitle D—Land Designations 

17 SEC. 8401. CHESTER COUNTY REVERSIONARY AND MIN18 ERAL INTERESTS RELEASE. 

19 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

20 (1) within the parcel of State forest land, lo21 cated in Henderson, Chester County, Tennessee, a 

22 recent survey by the State determined that Bethel 

23 Baptist Church is encroaching on State-owned land 

24 in Chickasaw State Forest by roughly 19 inches; 


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1 (2) that parcel was conveyed to the State by the 

2 United States Department of Agriculture, which re3 tained a reversionary interest in the land; and 

4 (3) it is necessary to release the interests of the 

5 United States in and to that land to resolve the en6 croachment issue described in paragraph (1). 

7 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

9 of Tennessee. 

10 (2) STATE FOREST LAND.—The term ‘‘State 

11 forest land’’ means the approximately 0.62-acre par12 cel of land in Chickasaw State Forest that is identi13 fied as ‘‘State Forest Land’’ on the map prepared 

14 by the Forest Service entitled ‘‘State Forest Land 

15 Detail Map’’ and dated December 13, 2019. 

16 (c) RELEASE OF REVERSIONARY INTEREST.— 

17 (1) RELEASE.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall re19 lease, without consideration, the reversionary 

20 interest of the United States in and to the 

21 State forest land described in paragraph (2). 

22 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—Notwithstanding 

23 any requirements for any grant of land under 

24 section 32(c) of The Bankhead-Jones Farm 

25 Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1011(c)) or any other 


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1 provision of law, the release under subpara2 graph (A) shall occur without any appraisal, 

3 other reports, or environmental or similar re4 views being undertaken. 

5 (2) DESCRIPTION OF REVERSIONARY INTER6 EST.—The reversionary interest referred to in para7 graph (1)(A) is the reversionary interest of the 

8 United States in and to the State forest land that— 

9 (A) takes effect on the State forest land 

10 ceasing to be used for public purposes; and 

11 (B) was created by the deed— 

12 (i) granting from the United States to 

13 the State the State forest land; 

14 (ii) dated August 12, 1955; and 

15 (iii) registered on pages 588 through 

16 591 of book 48 of the record of deeds for 

17 Chester County, Tennessee. 

18 (3) PAYMENT OF COSTS.—As a condition on 

19 the release under paragraph (1)(A), the State shall 

20 pay to the United States any administrative costs in21 curred by the United States in carrying out the re22 lease. 

23 (d) CONVEYANCE OF MINERAL RIGHTS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any re25 quirements for conveyance of Federal mineral interVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00873 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ests in section 209 of the Federal Land Policy and 

2 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1719), part 

3 2720 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (or 

4 successor regulations), or any other provision of law, 

5 the Secretary shall convey to the State, by quitclaim 

6 deed, without warranty, and without consideration, 

7 the mineral interest owned in the State forest land 

8 by the United States. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—Notwithstanding any 

10 other provision of law, the conveyance under para11 graph (1) shall occur— 

12 (A) without any exploratory program as to 

13 the character of the mineral deposits in the 

14 land; 

15 (B) without any findings as to known min16 eral values and mineral development of the 

17 land; and 

18 (C) without any appraisal, other reports, 

19 or environmental or similar reviews being un20 dertaken by the Secretary. 

21 (3) PAYMENT OF COSTS.—As a condition on 

22 the conveyance under paragraph (1), the State shall 

23 pay to the United States any administrative costs in24 curred by the United States in carrying out the con25 veyance. 


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1 SEC. 8402. ROUGH MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS AND RICH 

2 HOLE WILDERNESS DESIGNATIONS. 

3 (a) ROUGH MOUNTAIN ADDITION.—Section 1 of 

4 Public Law 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 

5 584; 114 Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) is amended by add6 ing at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(21) ROUGH MOUNTAIN ADDITION.—Certain 

8 land in the George Washington National Forest 

9 comprising approximately 1,000 acres, as generally 

10 depicted as the ‘Rough Mountain Addition’ on the 

11 map entitled ‘GEORGE WASHINGTON NA12 TIONAL FOREST – South half – Alternative I – 

13 Selected Alternative Management Prescriptions – 

14 Land and Resources Management Plan Final Envi15 ronmental Impact Statement’ and dated March 4, 

16 2014, which is incorporated in the Rough Mountain 

17 Wilderness Area designated by paragraph (1).’’. 

18 (b) RICH HOLE ADDITION.— 

19 (1) POTENTIAL WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.— 

20 In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act 

21 (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), certain land in the George 

22 Washington National Forest comprising approxi23 mately 4,600 acres, as generally depicted as the 

24 ‘‘Rich Hole Addition’’ on the map entitled 

25 ‘‘GEORGE WASHINGTON NATIONAL FOREST 

26 – South half – Alternative I – Selected Alternative 


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1 Management Prescriptions – Land and Resources 

2 Management Plan Final Environmental Impact 

3 Statement’’ and dated March 4, 2014, is designated 

4 as a potential wilderness area for incorporation in 

5 the Rich Hole Wilderness Area designated by section 

6 1(2) of Public Law 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 

7 102 Stat. 584). 

8 (2) WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.—The potential 

9 wilderness area designated by paragraph (1) shall be 

10 designated as wilderness and incorporated in the 

11 Rich Hole Wilderness Area designated by section 

12 1(2) of Public Law 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 

13 102 Stat. 584) on the earlier of— 

14 (A) the date on which the Secretary pub15 lishes in the Federal Register notice that the 

16 activities permitted under paragraph (4) have 

17 been completed; or 

18 (B) the date that is 5 years after the date 

19 of enactment of this Act. 

20 (3) MANAGEMENT.—Except as provided in 

21 paragraph (4), the Secretary shall manage the po22 tential wilderness area designated by paragraph (1) 

23 in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

24 1131 et seq.). 


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1 (4) WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACTIVI2 TIES.— 

3 (A) IN GENERAL.—To enhance natural 

4 ecosystems within the potential wilderness area 

5 designated by paragraph (1) by implementing 

6 certain activities to improve water quality and 

7 aquatic passage, as set forth in the Forest 

8 Service document entitled ‘‘Decision Notice for 

9 the Lower Cowpasture Restoration and Man10 agement Project’’ and dated December 2015, 

11 the Secretary may use motorized equipment 

12 and mechanized transport in the potential wil13 derness area until the date on which the poten14 tial wilderness area is incorporated into the 

15 Rich Hole Wilderness Area under paragraph 

16 (2). 

17 (B) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out sub18 paragraph (A), the Secretary, to the maximum 

19 extent practicable, shall use the minimum tool 

20 or administrative practice necessary to carry 

21 out that subparagraph with the least amount of 

22 adverse impact on wilderness character and re23 sources. 


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1 SEC. 8403. BENJAMIN HARRISON NATIONAL RECREATION 

2 AREA AND WILDERNESS. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Advi5 sory Committee’’ means the advisory committee for 

6 the National Recreation Area established under sub7 section (c)(1)(A). 

8 (2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘Manage9 ment Plan’’ means the management plan for the Na10 tional Recreation Area and Wilderness developed 

11 under subsection (c)(2). 

12 (3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en13 titled ‘‘Benjamin Harrison National Recreation Area 

14 and Wilderness Establishment Act of 2023’’ and 

15 dated March 27, 2024. 

16 (4) NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.—The term 

17 ‘‘National Recreation Area’’ means the Benjamin 

18 Harrison National Recreation Area established by 

19 subsection (b)(1)(B). 

20 (5) NATIONAL RECREATION AREA AND WILDER21 NESS.—The term ‘‘National Recreation Area and 

22 Wilderness’’ means the Benjamin Harrison National 

23 Recreation Area and Wilderness established by sub24 section (b)(1)(A). 

25 (6) NONWILDERNESS CORRIDOR.—The term 

26 ‘‘nonwilderness corridor’’ means the land 100 feet in 


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1 width from either side of the centerline of the exist2 ing trails and roads, as depicted on the map as 

3 ‘‘Non-Wilderness Corridor’’, which is not included as 

4 part of the ‘‘Proposed Wilderness’’, as depicted on 

5 the map. 

6 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

7 the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the For8 est Service. 

9 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

10 of Indiana. 

11 (9) WILDERNESS ADDITION.—The term ‘‘Wil12 derness addition’’ means the land added to the 

13 Charles C. Deam Wilderness by subsection 

14 (b)(1)(C). 

15 (b) BENJAMIN HARRISON NATIONAL RECREATION

16 AREA AND WILDERNESS.— 

17 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—There is established in 

19 the State the Benjamin Harrison National 

20 Recreation Area and Wilderness as a subunit of 

21 the Hoosier National Forest, consisting of— 

22 (i) the National Recreation Area; and 

23 (ii) the Wilderness addition. 

24 (B) BENJAMIN HARRISON NATIONAL

25 RECREATION AREA.—There is established in the 


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1 State the Benjamin Harrison National Recre2 ation Area, consisting of approximately 29,382 

3 acres of National Forest System land depicted 

4 on the map as ‘‘Proposed National Recreation 

5 Area (NRA)’’. 

6 (C) CHARLES C. DEAM WILDERNESS ADDI7 TION.—The approximately 15,300 acres of Na8 tional Forest System land in the State generally 

9 depicted on the map as ‘‘Proposed Wilderness’’ 

10 shall be added to and administered as part of 

11 the Charles C. Deam Wilderness in accordance 

12 with Public Law 97–384 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 

13 96 Stat. 1942), consisting of— 

14 (i) the approximately 2,028.8 acres of 

15 National Forest System land in the State 

16 generally depicted on the map as the 

17 ‘‘Deckard Ridge Units A, B, and C’’; 

18 (ii) the approximately 2,633 acres of 

19 National Forest System land in the State 

20 generally depicted on the map as the 

21 ‘‘Panther Creek Units A and B’’; 

22 (iii) the approximately 5,456.9 acres 

23 of National Forest System land in the 

24 State generally depicted on the map as the 

25 ‘‘Nebo Ridge Units A, B, C, D, and E’’; 


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1 (iv) the approximately 2,141.4 acres 

2 of National Forest System land in the 

3 State generally depicted on the map as the 

4 ‘‘Browning Mountain Unit’’; 

5 (v) the approximately 2,161.9 acres of 

6 National Forest System land in the State 

7 generally depicted on the map as the 

8 ‘‘Hickory Ridge Units A, B, C, D, and E’’; 

9 and 

10 (vi) the approximately 878.3 acres of 

11 National Forest System land in the State 

12 generally depicted on the map as the 

13 ‘‘Mose Ray Branch Unit’’. 

14 (D) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—Not later 

15 than 30 days after the date of enactment of 

16 this Act, the Secretary shall file the map, and 

17 make the map available for public inspection, in 

18 the appropriate offices of the Forest Service. 

19 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 

20 manage— 

21 (A) the Wilderness addition (other than 

22 the nonwilderness corridors) in a manner that 

23 is consistent with the Wilderness Act (16 

24 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); and 


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1 (B) the National Recreation Area in a 

2 manner that ensures— 

3 (i) the protection of the water quality 

4 of the public water supply of Monroe Res5 ervoir in the State in accordance with sec6 tion 303(e)(1) of the Healthy Forests Res7 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 

8 6542(e)(1)); and 

9 (ii) the promotion of recreational op10 portunities in the National Recreation 

11 Area. 

12 (C) HUNTING, FISHING, AND TRAPPING.— 

13 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

14 (ii), the Secretary shall allow hunting, fish15 ing, and trapping in the National Recre16 ation Area and Wilderness. 

17 (ii) LIMITATIONS.—The Secretary, in 

18 consultation with designees from the State 

19 Department of Natural Resources and the 

20 Corps of Engineers, may, for reasons of 

21 public safety, species enhancement, or 

22 management of a species listed as endan23 gered or threatened under the Endangered 

24 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

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1 lish seasons during which, no hunting, 

2 fishing, or trapping is permitted in the Na3 tional Recreation Area and Wilderness. 

4 (iii) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section 

5 affects the jurisdiction of the State with 

6 respect to fish and wildlife in the National 

7 Recreation Area and Wilderness. 

8 (D) RECREATION.— 

9 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

10 (ii), the Secretary shall— 

11 (I) in the National Recreation 

12 Area, continue to permit and provide 

13 for appropriate nonmotorized and mo14 torized recreational uses, including 

15 hiking, viewing of nature and wildlife, 

16 camping, horseback riding, mountain 

17 biking, and other existing recreational 

18 uses; and 

19 (II) permit the nonmechanized 

20 recreational use of the Wilderness ad21 dition, in accordance with the Wilder22 ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) 

23 within the boundary of the ‘‘Proposed 

24 Wilderness’’ indicated on the map. 


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1 (ii) LIMITATIONS.—The Secretary, in 

2 consultation with designees from the State 

3 Department of Natural Resources and the 

4 Corps of Engineers, may designate zones 

5 in which, and establish periods during 

6 which, a recreational use shall not be per7 mitted in the National Recreation Area 

8 and Wilderness under clause (i) for rea9 sons of public safety, species enhancement, 

10 or management of a species listed as en11 dangered or threatened under the Endan12 gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

13 1531 et seq.). 

14 (iii) TRAIL PLAN.—Notwithstanding 

15 any provisions of the Wilderness Act (16 

16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) or any other provision 

17 of law, the Secretary, in consultation with 

18 interested parties, shall establish a trail 

19 plan— 

20 (I) to maintain existing mountain 

21 biking, hiking, and equestrian trails in 

22 the nonwilderness corridors; and 

23 (II) to develop mountain biking, 

24 hiking, and equestrian trails in the 

25 National Recreation Area. 


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1 (E) VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.— 

2 (i) WILDERNESS ADDITION.—Con3 sistent with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

4 1131 et seq.), timber removal or manage5 ment shall not be permitted in the Wilder6 ness addition, except as the Secretary de7 termines to be necessary for public safety 

8 and management of diseases, as described 

9 in section 293.3 of title 36, Code of Fed10 eral Regulations (or a successor regula11 tion). 

12 (ii) NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.— 

13 Vegetation management within the Na14 tional Recreation Area shall be consistent 

15 with— 

16 (I) the Management Plan; and 

17 (II) any applicable Forest Service 

18 land management plan. 

19 (c) NATIONAL RECREATION AREA ADVISORY COM20 MITTEE; MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

21 (1) NATIONAL RECREATION AREA FEDERAL AD22 VISORY COMMITTEE.— 

23 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—As soon as prac24 ticable after the date of enactment of this Act, 

25 the Secretary shall establish an advisory comVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00885 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 mittee to advise the Secretary with respect to 

2 the management of the National Recreation 

3 Area. 

4 (B) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Com5 mittee shall be composed of members appointed 

6 by the Secretary, from among— 

7 (i) representatives of local govern8 ment; 

9 (ii) forest ecologists; 

10 (iii) experts in dispersed recreation; 

11 (iv) local residents who own or reside 

12 in property located not more than 2 miles 

13 from the boundary of the National Recre14 ation Area; 

15 (v) representatives of conservation 

16 and outdoor recreation groups; 

17 (vi) consulting foresters; 

18 (vii) the Director of the State Depart19 ment of Natural Resources (or designees); 

20 (viii) wildlife experts; and 

21 (ix) designees from the Corps of Engi22 neers. 

23 (2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years 

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1 retary shall develop a comprehensive manage2 ment plan for the long-term protection and 

3 management of the National Recreation Area. 

4 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The Management 

5 Plan shall— 

6 (i) be developed— 

7 (I) in consultation with the Advi8 sory Committee; 

9 (II) after providing an oppor10 tunity for public comment; and 

11 (III) after engaging with inter12 ested or affected federally recognized 

13 Indian Tribes, other Federal agencies, 

14 and State and local governments, in15 cluding the State Department of Nat16 ural Resources; 

17 (ii) address management issues associ18 ated with the National Recreation Area, 

19 including— 

20 (I) fires; 

21 (II) invasive species; 

22 (III) the response to insect and 

23 disease infestations; 


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1 (IV) measures needed to protect 

2 the public water supply provided by 

3 Monroe Reservoir; 

4 (V) the establishment, mainte5 nance, and closure of camp sites, 

6 campgrounds, trails, and roadways; 

7 and 

8 (VI) any other issues identified 

9 by the Advisory Committee; and 

10 (iii) include— 

11 (I) measures to preserve and pro12 tect native and historical resources, 

13 flora, fauna, and recreational, scenic, 

14 and aesthetic values within the Na15 tional Recreation Area; and 

16 (II) measures to prevent deg17 radation of the public water supply 

18 provided by Monroe Reservoir. 

19 (d) FUNDING.— 

20 (1) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—No additional 

21 funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

22 this section. 

23 (2) USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.—This section 

24 shall be carried out using amounts otherwise made 

25 available to the Secretary. 


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1 (e) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section— 

2 (1) affects the Corps of Engineers use permits 

3 for flowage rights within the National Recreation 

4 Area and Wilderness established by the order enti5 tled ‘‘Joint Order Interchanging Administrative Ju6 risdiction of Department of the Army Lands and 

7 National Forest Lands’’ (35 Fed. Reg. 10382 (June 

8 25, 1970)); 

9 (2) prevents the Corps of Engineers from car10 rying out the water control management plan of the 

11 Corps of Engineers within the National Recreation 

12 Area and Wilderness as described in the Corps of 

13 Engineers water control manual; 

14 (3) prevents the Corps of Engineers from— 

15 (A) disposing of, or otherwise managing, 

16 real estate interests held by the Corps of Engi17 neers as of the date of enactment of this Act; 

18 or 

19 (B) acquiring additional real estate inter20 ests required to support the operation or main21 tenance of Monroe Lake; 

22 (4) affects the use of motor vessels (as defined 

23 in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code) on 

24 Monroe Lake; 


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1 (5) results in the closure of any State or county 

2 roadway in the National Recreation Area and the 

3 nonwilderness corridors; 

4 (6) precludes the ownership, use, or enjoyment 

5 of private land within the National Recreation Area 

6 and Wilderness; 

7 (7) otherwise affects access to private land or 

8 cemeteries within the National Recreation Area and 

9 Wilderness; 

10 (8) affects the access to land within the non11 wilderness corridors and within 100 feet of the outer 

12 boundary of the Wilderness addition by any State or 

13 private entity or organization with a permit, special 

14 use authorization, or other right to access land with15 in the Wilderness addition, as described in section 

16 5(a) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1134(a)), for 

17 the purpose of maintaining infrastructure located 

18 within the Wilderness addition, including access 

19 by— 

20 (A) the Smithville Telephone Company; 

21 (B) Jackson County Water Utility; 

22 (C) Jackson County Rural Electric; 

23 (D) the ANR Pipeline Company; 

24 (E) the Monroe County commissioners; 

25 (F) Hoosier Trails Council, BSA; and 


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1 (G) the State Department of Natural Re2 sources; or 

3 (9) affects the access to land within the Wilder4 ness addition by the State Department of Natural 

5 Resources or appropriate public safety officers with 

6 the use of motor vehicles, mechanized equipment, or 

7 motorboats for emergencies involving the health and 

8 safety of persons within the Wilderness addition, in 

9 accordance with section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act 

10 (16 U.S.C. 1133(c)). 

11 SEC. 8404. SHENANDOAH MOUNTAIN NATIONAL SCENIC 

12 AREA. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) NATIONAL SCENIC AREA.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘National 

16 Scenic Area’’ means the Shenandoah Mountain 

17 National Scenic Area established by subsection 

18 (b)(1). 

19 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘National 

20 Scenic Area’’ includes— 

21 (i) any National Forest System land 

22 within the boundary of the National Scenic 

23 Area that is administered as part of the 

24 National Scenic Area; and 


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1 (ii) any National Forest System land 

2 within the boundary of the National Scenic 

3 Area that is administered as a component 

4 of the National Wilderness Preservation 

5 System under the amendments made by 

6 subsection (c). 

7 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

8 the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the For9 est Service. 

10 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

11 of Virginia. 

12 (4) WILDERNESS AREA.—The term ‘‘Wilderness 

13 Area’’ means a wilderness area designated by para14 graphs (22) through (26) of section 1 of Public Law 

15 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 584; 114 

16 Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) (as added by subsection 

17 (c)). 

18 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHENANDOAH MOUN19 TAIN NATIONAL SCENIC AREA.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

21 rights, there is established the Shenandoah Moun22 tain National Scenic Area, consisting of approxi23 mately 92,562 acres of National Forest System land 

24 in the George Washington and Jefferson National 


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1 Forests, as generally depicted on the map filed 

2 under subsection (d)(1)(A). 

3 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the National 

4 Scenic Area are— 

5 (A) to ensure the protection and preserva6 tion of the scenic quality, water quality, natural 

7 characteristics, and water resources of the Na8 tional Scenic Area; 

9 (B) to protect wildlife, fish, and plant 

10 habitat in the National Scenic Area; 

11 (C) to protect outstanding natural biologi12 cal values and habitat for plant and animal spe13 cies along the Shenandoah Mountain crest 

14 above 3,000 feet above sea level elevation, in15 cluding the Cow Knob salamander; 

16 (D) to protect forests in the National Sce17 nic Area that may develop characteristics of 

18 old-growth forests; 

19 (E) to protect the Wilderness Areas; and 

20 (F) to provide for a variety of, and im21 prove existing, recreation settings and opportu22 nities in the National Scenic Area in a manner 

23 consistent with the purposes of the National 

24 Scenic Area described in subparagraphs (A) 

25 through (E). 


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1 (3) ADMINISTRATION.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

3 subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall admin4 ister the National Scenic Area in accordance 

5 with— 

6 (i) this subsection; and 

7 (ii) the laws (including regulations) 

8 generally applicable to the National Forest 

9 System. 

10 (B) EXCEPTION.—Subject to valid existing 

11 rights, the Secretary shall administer the Wil12 derness Areas in accordance with the Wilder13 ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and any 

14 other laws applicable to the Wilderness Areas, 

15 except that any reference in that Act to the ef16 fective date of that Act shall be considered to 

17 be a reference to the date of enactment of this 

18 Act for purposes of administering the Wilder19 ness Areas. 

20 (C) EFFECT; CONFLICTS.— 

21 (i) EFFECT.—The establishment of 

22 the National Scenic Area shall not affect 

23 the administration of the Wilderness 

24 Areas. 


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1 (ii) CONFLICTS.—In the case of any 

2 conflict between the laws applicable to the 

3 Wilderness Areas, the Wilderness Act (16 

4 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) shall control. 

5 (D) NO BUFFER ZONES.— 

6 (i) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this 

7 subsection creates a protective perimeter or 

8 buffer zone around the National Scenic 

9 Area or a Wilderness Area. 

10 (ii) ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE NATIONAL

11 SCENIC AREA OR WILDERNESS AREAS.— 

12 The fact that an activity or use on land 

13 outside the National Scenic Area or a Wil14 derness Area can be seen or heard by hu15 mans within the National Scenic Area or 

16 Wilderness Area shall not preclude the ac17 tivity or use outside the boundaries of the 

18 National Scenic Area or Wilderness Area. 

19 (4) RECREATIONAL USES.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise 

21 provided in this subsection or under applicable 

22 law, the Secretary shall authorize the continu23 ation of, or seek to improve, authorized rec24 reational uses of the National Scenic Area in 

25 existence on the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 (B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection 

2 interferes with the authority of the Secretary— 

3 (i) to maintain or improve non4 motorized trails and recreation sites within 

5 the National Scenic Area; 

6 (ii) to construct new nonmotorized 

7 trails and recreation sites within the Na8 tional Scenic Area; 

9 (iii) to adjust recreational uses within 

10 the National Scenic Area for reasons of 

11 sound resource management or public safe12 ty; and 

13 (iv) to evaluate applications for, and 

14 issue or deny, special use authorizations in 

15 connection with recreation within the Na16 tional Scenic Area. 

17 (C) REQUIREMENT.—Recreation within the 

18 National Scenic Area shall be conducted in a 

19 manner consistent with the purposes of the Na20 tional Scenic Area described in paragraph (2). 

21 (5) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM TRAIL PLAN.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

23 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec24 retary shall develop a National Forest System 

25 trail plan for National Forest System land in 


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1 the National Scenic Area that is not located in 

2 a Wilderness Area in order to construct, main3 tain, and improve nonmotorized recreation Na4 tional Forest System trails in a manner con5 sistent with the purposes of the National Scenic 

6 Area described in paragraph (2). 

7 (B) POTENTIAL INCLUSION.—The Sec8 retary may address in the National Forest Sys9 tem trail plan developed under subparagraph 

10 (A) National Forest System land that is near, 

11 but not within the boundary of, the National 

12 Scenic Area. 

13 (C) PUBLIC INPUT.—In developing the Na14 tional Forest System trail plan under subpara15 graph (A), the Secretary shall seek input from 

16 interested parties, including members of the 

17 public. 

18 (D) REQUIREMENTS.—The National For19 est System trail plan developed under subpara20 graph (A) shall— 

21 (i) promote sustainable trail manage22 ment that protects natural resources and 

23 provides diverse, high-quality safe recre24 ation opportunities, which may include loop 

25 trails for nonmotorized uses; 


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1 (ii) consider natural resource protec2 tion, trail sustainability, and trail mainte3 nance needs as primary factors in deter4 mining the location or relocation of Na5 tional Forest System trails; and 

6 (iii) develop a National Forest System 

7 trail outside the Little River Wilderness 

8 Area in the area of the Tillman Road cor9 ridor (along National Forest System road 

10 101) to connect the Wolf Ridge Trail park11 ing area to the Wild Oak National Recre12 ation Trail, as generally depicted on the 

13 applicable map filed under subsection 

14 (d)(1)(B), pending completion of the re15 quired environmental analysis. 

16 (E) IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.—Not later 

17 than 2 years after the date of enactment of this 

18 Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 

19 report that describes the implementation of the 

20 National Forest System trail plan developed 

21 under subparagraph (A), including the identi22 fication of the National Forest System trail de23 scribed in subparagraph (D)(iii) and any other 

24 priority National Forest System trails identified 

25 for development. 


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1 (6) ROADS.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The establishment of 

3 the National Scenic Area shall not— 

4 (i) result in the closure of any Na5 tional Forest System roads, as generally 

6 depicted on the map filed under subsection 

7 (d)(1)(A); or 

8 (ii) modify public access within the 

9 National Scenic Area. 

10 (B) NO NEW ROADS.—No new roads shall 

11 be constructed in the National Scenic Area 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

13 (C) EFFECT.—Nothing in this sub14 section— 

15 (i) denies any owner of private land or 

16 an interest in private land that is located 

17 within the National Scenic Area the right 

18 to access the private land; 

19 (ii) alters the authority of the Sec20 retary to open or close roads in the Na21 tional Scenic Area in existence on the date 

22 of enactment of this Act in furtherance of 

23 the purposes of this section; or 

24 (iii) alters the authority of the 

25 State— 


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1 (I) to maintain the access road to 

2 the crest of Shenandoah Mountain 

3 (Route 924); or 

4 (II) to realign the access road de5 scribed in subclause (I) if necessary 

6 for reasons of sound resource manage7 ment or public safety. 

8 (D) PARKING AREAS.— 

9 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

10 (ii), the reconstruction, minor relocation, 

11 and construction of parking areas and re12 lated facilities within the National Scenic 

13 Area are authorized in a manner consistent 

14 with the purposes of the National Scenic 

15 Area described in paragraph (2). 

16 (ii) LIMITATION.—Additional trail17 head parking areas authorized in the Na18 tional Scenic Area under clause (i) may be 

19 constructed only along National Forest 

20 System roads. 

21 (7) MOTORIZED TRAVEL.—Motorized travel 

22 shall be allowed only on roads within the portions of 

23 the National Scenic Area that are not Wilderness 

24 Areas, in a manner consistent with paragraph (6). 


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1 (8) WATER.—The Secretary shall administer 

2 the National Scenic Area in a manner that main3 tains and enhances water quality. 

4 (9) WATER IMPOUNDMENTS.—The establish5 ment of the National Scenic Area shall not pro6 hibit— 

7 (A) the operation, maintenance, or im8 provement of, or access to, dams, reservoirs, or 

9 related infrastructure in existence on the date 

10 of enactment of this Act, as generally depicted 

11 on the map filed under subsection (d)(1)(A); or 

12 (B) the establishment of new dams, res13 ervoirs, or related infrastructure if necessary 

14 for municipal use. 

15 (10) TIMBER HARVEST.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

17 subparagraph (B), no harvesting of timber shall 

18 be allowed within the National Scenic Area. 

19 (B) EXCEPTIONS.— 

20 (i) NECESSARY HARVESTING.—The 

21 Secretary may authorize harvesting of tim22 ber in the National Scenic Area if the Sec23 retary determines that the harvesting is 

24 necessary— 

25 (I) to control fire; 


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1 (II) to provide for public safety 

2 or trail access; 

3 (III) to construct or maintain 

4 overlooks and vistas; or 

5 (IV) to control insect or disease 

6 outbreaks. 

7 (ii) FIREWOOD FOR PERSONAL USE.— 

8 Firewood may be harvested for personal 

9 use along roads within the National Scenic 

10 Area, subject to any conditions that the 

11 Secretary may require. 

12 (11) INSECT AND DISEASE OUTBREAKS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara14 graph (B), the Secretary may carry out activi15 ties necessary to control insect and disease out16 breaks in a manner consistent with the pur17 poses of the National Scenic Area described in 

18 paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) to maintain scenic quality; 

20 (ii) to reduce hazards to visitors; or 

21 (iii) to protect National Forest Sys22 tem land or private land. 

23 (B) LIMITATIONS.—For purposes of activi24 ties carried out under subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (i) native forest insect and disease 

2 outbreaks shall be controlled only— 

3 (I) to prevent unacceptable dam4 age to resources on adjacent land; or 

5 (II) to protect threatened, endan6 gered, sensitive, or locally rare spe7 cies, with biological control methods 

8 being favored; and 

9 (ii) nonnative insects and diseases 

10 may be eradicated or suppressed only in 

11 order to prevent a loss of a special biologi12 cal community. 

13 (12) VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.—The Sec14 retary may engage in vegetation management prac15 tices within the National Scenic Area in a manner 

16 consistent with the purposes of the National Scenic 

17 Area described in paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) to maintain wildlife clearings and sce19 nic enhancements in existence on the date of 

20 enactment of this Act; or 

21 (B) to construct not more than 100 acres 

22 of additional wildlife clearings by— 

23 (i) expanding wildlife clearings in ex24 istence on the date of enactment of this 

25 Act; or 


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1 (ii) constructing new wildlife clearings 

2 of approximately 2 to 5 acres. 

3 (13) WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this sub5 section prohibits the Secretary, in cooperation 

6 with other Federal, State, and local agencies, as 

7 appropriate, from carrying out wildfire suppres8 sion activities within the National Scenic Area. 

9 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—Wildfire suppres10 sion activities within the National Scenic Area 

11 shall be carried out— 

12 (i) in a manner consistent with the 

13 purposes of the National Scenic Area de14 scribed in paragraph (2); and 

15 (ii) using such means as the Secretary 

16 determines to be appropriate. 

17 (14) PRESCRIBED FIRE.—Nothing in this sub18 section prohibits the Secretary from conducting pre19 scribed burns and necessary burn unit preparation 

20 within the National Scenic Area in a manner con21 sistent with the purposes of the National Scenic 

22 Area described in paragraph (2). 

23 (15) WITHDRAWAL.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid exist2 ing rights, all Federal land within the National 

3 Scenic Area is withdrawn from— 

4 (i) entry, appropriation, or disposal 

5 under the public land laws; 

6 (ii) location, entry, and patent under 

7 the mining laws; 

8 (iii) operation of the mineral leasing 

9 and geothermal leasing laws; 

10 (iv) wind, solar, or other renewable 

11 energy development; and 

12 (v) designation of new utility cor13 ridors, utility rights-of-way, or communica14 tions sites. 

15 (B) EFFECT.—Consistent with paragraph 

16 (6)(C)(i), the withdrawal under subparagraph 

17 (A) shall not deny access to private land or an 

18 interest in private land within the National Sce19 nic Area. 

20 (16) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 

22 after the date of the completion of the National 

23 Forest System trail plan under paragraph (5), 

24 but not later than 2 years after the date of en25 actment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop 


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1 as an amendment to the land management plan 

2 for the George Washington and Jefferson Na3 tional Forests a management plan for the Na4 tional Scenic Area that is consistent with this 

5 subsection. 

6 (B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this paragraph 

7 requires the Secretary to revise the land man8 agement plan for the George Washington and 

9 Jefferson National Forests under section 6 of 

10 the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 

11 Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604). 

12 (c) DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS.—Section 

13 1 of Public Law 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 

14 584; 114 Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) (as amended by sec15 tion 8402(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(22) SKIDMORE FORK WILDERNESS.—Certain 

18 National Forest System land in the George Wash19 ington and Jefferson National Forests comprising 

20 approximately 5,088 acres, as generally depicted on 

21 the applicable map filed under section 8404(d)(1)(B) 

22 of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

23 2024, which shall be known as the ‘Skidmore Fork 

24 Wilderness’. 


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1 ‘‘(23) RAMSEYS DRAFT WILDERNESS ADDI2 TION.—Certain National Forest System land in the 

3 George Washington and Jefferson National Forests 

4 comprising approximately 6,961 acres, as generally 

5 depicted on the applicable map filed under section 

6 8404(d)(1)(B) of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se7 curity Act of 2024, which shall be incorporated into 

8 the Ramseys Draft Wilderness designated by Public 

9 Law 98–586 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 98 Stat. 3106). 

10 ‘‘(24) LYNN HOLLOW WILDERNESS.—Certain 

11 National Forest System land in the George Wash12 ington and Jefferson National Forests comprising 

13 approximately 3,568 acres, as generally depicted on 

14 the applicable map filed under section 8404(d)(1)(B) 

15 of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

16 2024, which shall be known as the ‘Lynn Hollow 

17 Wilderness’. 

18 ‘‘(25) LITTLE RIVER WILDERNESS.—Certain 

19 National Forest System land in the George Wash20 ington and Jefferson National Forests comprising 

21 approximately 12,461 acres, as generally depicted on 

22 the applicable map filed under section 8404(d)(1)(B) 

23 of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

24 2024, which shall be known as the ‘Little River Wil25 derness’. 


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1 ‘‘(26) BEECH LICK KNOB WILDERNESS.—Cer2 tain National Forest System land in the George 

3 Washington and Jefferson National Forests com4 prising approximately 5,779 acres, as generally de5 picted on the applicable map filed under section 

6 8404(d)(1)(B) of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se7 curity Act of 2024, which shall be known as the 

8 ‘Beech Lick Knob Wilderness’.’’. 

9 (d) MAPS AND BOUNDARY DESCRIPTIONS.— 

10 (1) FILING.—As soon as practicable after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

12 file with the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

13 and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on 

14 Natural Resources and the Committee on Agri15 culture of the House of Representatives maps and 

16 boundary descriptions of— 

17 (A) the National Scenic Area; and 

18 (B) each of the Wilderness Areas. 

19 (2) FORCE AND EFFECT.—The maps and 

20 boundary descriptions filed under paragraph (1) 

21 shall have the same force and effect as if included 

22 in this section, except that the Secretary may correct 

23 clerical and typographical errors in the maps and 

24 boundary descriptions. 


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1 (3) MAPS CONTROL.—In the case of any dis2 crepancy between the acreage of the National Scenic 

3 Area or a Wilderness Area and the applicable map 

4 filed under paragraph (1), the applicable map filed 

5 under that paragraph shall control. 

6 (4) AVAILABILITY.—The maps and boundary 

7 descriptions filed under paragraph (1) shall be on 

8 file and available for public inspection in the office 

9 of the Chief of the Forest Service. 

10 SEC. 8405. FLATSIDE-BETHUNE WILDERNESS. 

11 (a) ADDITIONS TO FLATSIDE WILDERNESS.—Section 

12 3(d) of Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98– 

13 508; 98 Stat. 2349; 132 Stat. 5520) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘1984 and’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘1984,’’; and 

16 (2) by inserting ‘‘and certain land in the 

17 Ouachita National Forest, which comprise approxi18 mately 2,215 acres, generally depicted as ‘Land Pro19 posed for Wilderness Designation’ on the map enti20 tled ‘Flatside Wilderness, Proposed Addition Des21 ignation’, dated September 29, 2022,’’ after 

22 ‘‘2018,’’. 

23 (b) FIRE, INSECTS, AND DISEASES.—Nothing in this 

24 section or the amendment made by subsection (a) shall 

25 be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary under 


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1 section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

2 1133(d)(1)) in accordance with existing laws (including 

3 regulations). 

4 (c) DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS ADDITION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The wilderness designated 

6 by section 3(d) of Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 

7 (Public Law 98–508; 98 Stat. 2349) shall be known 

8 as the ‘‘Flatside-Bethune Wilderness’’. 

9 (2) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, 

10 map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of 

11 the United States to the Flatside Wilderness shall be 

12 deemed to be a reference to the ‘‘Flatside-Bethune 

13 Wilderness’’. 

14 SEC. 8406. SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST DESIGNATIONS. 

15 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) DESIGNATED NATURAL AREA.—The term 

17 ‘‘designated natural area’’ means an area deter18 mined to be of exceptional ecological, botanical, geo19 logic, scenic, or archeological value by— 

20 (A) the Secretary; and 

21 (B)(i) the State of Illinois; or 

22 (ii) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 

23 through the Director of the National Park 

24 Service. 


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1 (2) DESIGNATED RESEARCH NATURAL AREA.— 

2 The term ‘‘designated research natural area’’ means 

3 an area that has been selected by the Secretary, and 

4 is managed by the Forest Service, for scientific re5 search value. 

6 (3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map 

7 prepared and submitted by the Forest Service under 

8 subsection (e)(1). 

9 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

10 the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the For11 est Service. 

12 (5) SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.—The term 

13 ‘‘Special Management Area’’ means a Special Man14 agement Area established by subsection (c)(1). 

15 (b) CAMP HUTCHINS WILDERNESS.— 

16 (1) ADDITION TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS

17 PRESERVATION SYSTEM.—In accordance with the 

18 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), certain 

19 land in the Shawnee National Forest in the State of 

20 Illinois managed by the Forest Service, comprising 

21 approximately 750 acres and generally depicted on 

22 the map, is designated as wilderness and as a com23 ponent of the National Wilderness Preservation Sys24 tem, and shall be known as the ‘‘Camp Hutchins 

25 Wilderness’’. 


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1 (2) MANAGEMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

2 rights, the Camp Hutchins Wilderness shall be ad3 ministered by the Secretary in accordance with the 

4 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that 

5 any reference in that Act to the effective date shall 

6 be considered to be a reference to the date of enact7 ment of this Act. 

8 (3) HIKING TRAIL.—Forest Road 211 shall be 

9 closed to public vehicular traffic and shall be main10 tained as a hiking trail, including the eastern exten11 sion of Forest Road 211 formerly known as the 

12 ‘‘Hutchins Creek Spur’’ up to the area known as 

13 ‘‘Hutchins Creek Corridor’’, as generally depicted on 

14 the map. 

15 (4) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing 

16 rights, all Federal land within the Camp Hutchins 

17 Wilderness, including any land or interest in land 

18 that is acquired by the United States within the 

19 Camp Hutchins Wilderness after the date of enact20 ment of this Act, is withdrawn from— 

21 (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under 

22 the public land laws; 

23 (B) location, entry, and patent under the 

24 mining laws; and 


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1 (C) operation of the mineral leasing, min2 eral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. 

3 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

4 AREAS.— 

5 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

6 rights, the following Special Management Areas 

7 within the Shawnee National Forest in the State of 

8 Illinois are established: 

9 (A) CAMP HUTCHINS SPECIAL MANAGE10 MENT AREA.—Certain Federal land managed by 

11 the Forest Service, comprising approximately 

12 2,953 acres and generally depicted on the map. 

13 (B) RIPPLE HOLLOW SPECIAL MANAGE14 MENT AREA.—Certain Federal land managed by 

15 the Forest Service, comprising approximately 

16 3,445 acres and generally depicted on the map. 

17 (C) BURKE BRANCH SPECIAL MANAGE18 MENT AREA.—Certain Federal land managed by 

19 the Forest Service, comprising approximately 

20 6,310 acres and generally depicted on the map. 

21 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Special 

22 Management Areas are— 

23 (A) to conserve, protect, and enhance the 

24 ecological, scenic, wildlife, recreational, cultural, 

25 historic, educational, and scientific resources of 


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1 the Special Management Areas for the benefit 

2 and enjoyment of present and future genera3 tions; 

4 (B) to promote biodiversity and control 

5 invasive species; and 

6 (C) to allow for the continuation of res7 toration efforts and scientific study of the des8 ignated natural areas and designated research 

9 natural areas within the Special Management 

10 Areas. 

11 (d) ADMINISTRATION OF SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

12 AREAS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall admin14 ister the Special Management Areas— 

15 (A) in a manner that conserves, protects, 

16 and enhances the purposes for which the Spe17 cial Management Areas are established; and 

18 (B) in accordance with— 

19 (i) this subsection; and 

20 (ii) other applicable laws. 

21 (2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 3 

22 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

23 Secretary shall develop a comprehensive manage24 ment plan for the long-term protection and manage25 ment of the Special Management Areas. 


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1 (3) USES.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

3 allow only uses of the Special Management 

4 Areas that are consistent with the purposes for 

5 which the Special Management Areas are estab6 lished. 

7 (B) PRESCRIBED FIRE.—The Secretary 

8 may use prescribed fire to sustain the ecological 

9 structure and composition of the Special Man10 agement Areas to sustain the biodiversity of the 

11 Special Management Areas. 

12 (C) MANAGEMENT TOOLS.— 

13 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

14 use herbicides, insecticides, and mecha15 nized equipment in the control of fire, in16 sects, disease, and invasive species, includ17 ing the use of chainsaws, drones, aircraft, 

18 pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicles, and rub19 ber and tracked vehicles to carry out man20 agement of the Special Management Areas 

21 approved by the Secretary. 

22 (ii) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out 

23 management of the Special Management 

24 Areas, the Secretary shall use the best 

25 available technology and science. 


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1 (D) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except in 

2 cases in which motorized vehicles are needed for 

3 administrative purposes, emergency response, or 

4 access on established roads accessing trailheads, 

5 or are essential to provide off-road access for 

6 ecosystem management of habitat, the use of 

7 motor vehicles in the Special Management 

8 Areas shall be prohibited. 

9 (E) ROADS.—The Secretary shall decom10 mission and remove roads within the Special 

11 Management Areas, except roads needed for 

12 management or access to trailheads, as soon as 

13 practicable. 

14 (F) TIMBER.— 

15 (i) IN GENERAL.—Commercial timber 

16 harvesting, except as needed for fire, in17 sect, and disease control, and for visitor 

18 and administrative safety, in the Special 

19 Management Areas shall be prohibited. 

20 (ii) ACTIVITIES PERMITTED.— 

21 Thinning of trees and other vegetation in 

22 the Special Management Areas shall be 

23 permitted for restoration of the designated 

24 natural areas and designated research natVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00916 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ural areas and to further the management 

2 objectives described in this subsection. 

3 (G) INHOLDINGS.— 

4 (i) IN GENERAL.—Access to private 

5 inholdings in the Special Management 

6 Areas shall be preserved. 

7 (ii) ACQUISITIONS.—The Secretary 

8 shall acquire any private inholdings in the 

9 Special Management Areas by purchase or 

10 exchange as soon as feasible. 

11 (H) HUNTING AND TRAPPING.— 

12 (i) HUNTING.—Hunting shall be per13 mitted in the Special Management Areas 

14 as permitted by the State of Illinois and in 

15 accordance with regulations of the State of 

16 Illinois and regulations of the Forest Serv17 ice. 

18 (ii) TRAPPING.—Trapping shall not be 

19 permitted in the Special Management 

20 Areas. 

21 (iii) ACCESS BY MOTORIZED VEHI22 CLES.—Access within the Special Manage23 ment Areas by hunters in motorized vehi24 cles shall be prohibited. 


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1 (I) VOLUNTEER RESTORATION AND RE2 SEARCH.— 

3 (i) VOLUNTEERS.—The Secretary 

4 shall allow organized groups of volunteers 

5 to participate in ecological restoration ac6 tivities under the guidance of Forest Serv7 ice ecologists and botanists within the Spe8 cial Management Areas through coopera9 tive agreements. 

10 (ii) ACCESS FOR RESEARCH PUR11 POSES.—The Secretary shall allow access 

12 to the Special Management Areas for sci13 entific research by qualified individuals 

14 and organizations, as determined by the 

15 Secretary. 

16 (J) ONGOING MANAGEMENT DECISIONS.— 

17 The Supervisor of the Shawnee National Forest 

18 shall have the authority, without requiring the 

19 permission of the Secretary, to make manage20 ment decisions concerning any designated nat21 ural area or designated research natural area 

22 within the Special Management Areas pursuant 

23 to the land and resource management plan for 

24 the Shawnee National Forest. 


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1 (4) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing 

2 rights, all Federal land within the Special Manage3 ment Areas, including any land or interest in land 

4 that is acquired by the United States within the 

5 Special Management Areas after the date of enact6 ment of this Act, is withdrawn from— 

7 (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under 

8 the public land laws; 

9 (B) location, entry, and patent under the 

10 mining laws; and 

11 (C) operation of the mineral leasing, min12 eral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. 

13 (5) MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS.—As soon 

14 as practicable after the date of enactment of this 

15 Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee 

16 on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and 

17 the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

18 of Representatives the maps and legal descriptions 

19 of each of the Special Management Areas filed under 

20 subsection (e)(1). 

21 (6) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—Annually, the Sec22 retary shall make publicly available on the website of 

23 the Shawnee National Forest information describing 

24 the progress in achieving the management objectives 

25 described in this subsection. 


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1 (e) MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 

3 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

4 shall file with the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri5 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

6 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a 

7 map and legal description that contains maps and 

8 boundary descriptions of— 

9 (A) the Camp Hutchins Wilderness; and 

10 (B) each of the Special Management 

11 Areas. 

12 (2) EFFECT.—The map and legal description 

13 filed under paragraph (1) shall have the same force 

14 and effect as if included in this Act, except that the 

15 Secretary may correct clerical and typographical er16 rors in the map and legal description. 

17 (3) AVAILABILITY.—The map and legal descrip18 tion filed under paragraph (1) shall be on file and 

19 available for public inspection in the appropriate of20 fice of the Secretary and on the Forest Service 

21 website. 

22 SEC. 8407. PATRICK LEAHY WILDERNESS. 

23 (a) DESIGNATION OF PATRICK LEAHY WILDER24 NESS.— 


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1 (1) VERMONT WILDERNESS ACT OF 1984

2 AMENDMENT.—Section 102(1) of the Vermont Wil3 derness Act of 1984 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public 

4 Law 98–322; 98 Stat. 254) is amended by striking 

5 ‘‘known as the Breadloaf Wilderness’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘known as the ‘Patrick Leahy Wilderness’ ’’. 

7 (2) NEW ENGLAND WILDERNESS ACT OF 2006

8 AMENDMENT.—Section 211(3) of the New England 

9 Wilderness Act of 2006 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Pub10 lic Law 109–382; 120 Stat. 2675) is amended by 

11 striking ‘‘known as the ‘Breadloaf Wilderness’ ’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘known as the ‘Patrick Leahy Wilder13 ness’ ’’. 

14 (b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, map, 

15 regulation, order, document, paper, or other record of the 

16 United States to the Breadloaf Wilderness shall be deemed 

17 to be a reference to the ‘‘Patrick Leahy Wilderness’’. 

18 SEC. 8408. BLACK RIVER STATE FOREST RELEASE OF RE19 VERSIONARY INTEREST. 

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) DELI, INC..—The term ‘‘Deli, Inc.’’ means 

22 Deli, Inc., a sphagnum moss production business lo23 cated in Millston, Wisconsin. 

24 (2) DELI LAND.—The term ‘‘Deli land’’ means 

25 the approximately 37.27 acres of land owned or 


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1 optioned to acquire, subject to the approval of the 

2 land exchange by the Wisconsin Department of Nat3 ural Resources, the Wisconsin Natural Resources 

4 Board, and the Governor of Wisconsin, in 2 separate 

5 parcels, by Deli, Inc., and located in Millston, Wis6 consin, as depicted on the map and as described as 

7 follows: 

8 (A) A parcel of real property containing 

9 approximately 31.3 acres (which includes land 

10 within the road right-of-way), together with any 

11 improvements— 

(i) comprising the NE1⁄4NE1 12 ⁄4 sec. 

13 29, T. 20 N., R. 2 W., Town of Millston, 

14 Jackson County, Wisconsin; 

15 (ii) excluding— 

16 (I) land lying north of the rail17 road right-of-way; and 

18 (II) a parcel 150 feet wide, with 

19 50 feet lying to the northeast, and 

20 100 feet to the southwest, of a line 

21 commencing at a point 5 feet east of 

22 the northwest corner of the quarter23 quarter section described in clause (i), 

24 thence south 56° east 39’ a distance 


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1 of 222 feet, thence south 57° east 31’ 

2 a distance of 1359 feet; and 

3 (iii) subject to— 

4 (I) any public water use or ease5 ments on Lee Lake; and 

6 (II) any easements or restrictions 

7 of record, public roadways, zoning and 

8 use ordinances, and the railroad right9 of-way. 

10 (B) A parcel of real property containing 

11 approximately 5.97 acres located in the 

SW1⁄4SW1 12 ⁄4 sec. 20, T. 20 N., R. 4 W., Town 

13 of Millston, Jackson County, Wisconsin, com14 prising lot 7 of Certified Survey Map No. 4483, 

15 as recorded in volume 19S of the certified sur16 vey maps, page 334, as Document No. 413440 

17 in the Jackson County Register of Deeds. 

18 (3) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en19 titled ‘‘Black River State Forest – Deli, Inc.’’ and 

20 dated June 26, 2023. 

21 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

22 of Wisconsin. 

23 (5) STATE FOREST LAND.—The term ‘‘State 

24 forest land’’ means the approximately 31.83 acres of 

25 land located in the Black River State Forest in 


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1 Millston, Wisconsin, as depicted on the map and as 

2 described as follows: 

3 (A) A parcel containing 23.13 acres— 

4 (i) comprising the portion of the 

E1⁄2SE1 5 ⁄4 sec. 20, T. 20 N., R. 2. W., 

6 Town of Millston, Jackson County, Wis7 consin, lying south of the Interstate High8 way 94 southern right-of-way; and 

9 (ii) excluding a triangular parcel in 

10 the southwest corner described as com11 mencing at the southwest corner, thence 

12 east 260 feet, thence northwesterly to a 

13 point on the west boundary thereof 200 

14 feet north of the southwest corner, thence 

15 south to the place of beginning. 

16 (B) A parcel containing 8.70 acres comprising the portion of the NE1⁄4NE1 17 ⁄4 sec. 29, 

18 T. 20 N., R. 2. W., Town of Millston, Jackson 

19 County, Wisconsin, lying north of the railroad 

20 right-of-way, forming a triangular piece and de21 scribed as commencing at the northeast corner 

22 of that quarter-quarter section, thence west 

23 1010 feet to the north line of the railroad right24 of-way, thence southeasterly along the boundary 

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1 quarter section, thence north on the east line 

2 750 feet to the place of beginning. 

3 (b) CONDITIONAL RELEASE.— 

4 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

5 (A) the State forest land is subject to a re6 versionary interest of the United States pursu7 ant to section 32(c) of The Bankhead-Jones 

8 Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1011(c)), requiring 

9 that the State forest land be used for public 

10 purposes in perpetuity; and 

11 (B) the State and Deli, Inc. have agreed 

12 that the State will convey the State forest land 

13 in exchange for the Deli land, and the Deli land 

14 will be added to Black River State Forest in the 

15 State. 

16 (2) CONDITIONAL RELEASE.—If the State of17 fers in a written agreement to convey the State for18 est land to Deli, Inc., in exchange for the conveyance 

19 of the Deli land to the State— 

20 (A) the reversionary interest of the United 

21 States in the State forest land shall be released; 

22 and 

23 (B) the Secretary shall provide, as expedi24 tiously as possible, recordable evidence of the 


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1 release under subparagraph (A) in the form of 

2 a quitclaim deed, which shall— 

3 (i) convey any interest of the United 

4 States in the State forest land without 

5 consideration; and 

6 (ii) be provided to the State for re7 cording before the exchange deeds are re8 corded. 

9 (3) CORRECTIONS.—The Secretary, in consulta10 tion with the State, may make any necessary correc11 tions to the legal description of the State forest land 

12 for purposes of the quitclaim deed described in para13 graph (2)(B). 

14 SEC. 8409. BENTON MACKAYE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL 

15 FEASIBILITY STUDY. 

16 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the Benton 

17 MacKaye Trail— 

18 (1) is a scenic, nonmotorized trail that traverses 

19 approximately 287 miles over some of the most re20 nowned forests and mountains in the States of Geor21 gia, Tennessee, and North Carolina; 

22 (2) showcases a wide variety of scenic views, in23 cluding high-elevation peaks, mature forests, and se24 cluded waterfalls; 


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1 (3) passes through wilderness that is rich with 

2 biodiversity; 

3 (4) passes through 6 designated wilderness 

4 areas, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 

5 and the Chattahoochee-Oconee, Cherokee, and 

6 Nantahala National Forests; 

7 (5) provides a wide array of easily accessible 

8 hikes for novice and intermediate hikers, as well as 

9 more challenging trails for backpacking; 

10 (6) supports economic opportunities for numer11 ous rural communities that benefit from the visitors 

12 to the Benton MacKaye Trail spending their money 

13 on accommodations, food, and outdoor supplies; 

14 (7) runs from Springer Mountain in the State 

15 of Georgia, through the State of Tennessee, and ex16 tends through the Great Smoky Mountains National 

17 Park in the State of North Carolina; 

18 (8) is physically accessible; and 

19 (9) can be maintained at a minimal cost be20 cause— 

21 (A) the Benton MacKaye Trail has been 

22 maintained at the same length since 2005; 

23 (B) 95 percent of the Benton MacKaye 

24 Trail is located on Federal land; and 


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1 (C) the Benton MacKaye Trail has been 

2 successfully constructed, maintained, and man3 aged by the Benton MacKaye Trail Association 

4 since 1980. 

5 (b) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—Section 5(c) of the Na6 tional Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) is amended 

7 by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(50) BENTON MACKAYE TRAIL.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Benton MacKaye 

10 Trail, a scenic, nonmotorized trail that tra11 verses approximately 287 miles in the States of 

12 Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. 

13 ‘‘(B) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after 

14 the date of enactment of this paragraph, the 

15 Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with 

16 interested organizations (including the Benton 

17 MacKaye Trail Association), shall complete and 

18 submit to Congress the feasibility study for des19 ignating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a na20 tional scenic trail.’’. 

21 Subtitle E—Other Matters 

22 SEC. 8501. URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 9 of the Cooperative For24 estry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2105) is amend25 ed— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), 

3 (5), and (6) as subparagraphs (A), (D), (E), 

4 and (F), respectively, and indenting appro5 priately; 

6 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (i) in the matter preceding subpara8 graph (A) (as so redesignated), by striking 

9 ‘‘residents’’ and inserting ‘‘residents be10 cause—’’; 

11 (ii) by inserting after subparagraph 

12 (A) (as so redesignated) the following: 

13 ‘‘(B) the maintenance and management of 

14 an urban forest offers additional opportunities 

15 relating to workforce development and job cre16 ation; 

17 ‘‘(C) the presence of a healthy and well18 maintained urban forest can support 

19 stormwater management;’’; 

20 (iii) in subparagraph (E) (as so redes21 ignated)— 

22 (I) by inserting ‘‘improving air 

23 quality,’’ after ‘‘heat island effect,’’; 

24 and 


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1 (II) by adding ‘‘and’’ after the 

2 semicolon at the end; and 

3 (iv) in subparagraph (F) (as so redes4 ignated), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘, including by improving the physical and 

6 mental health of community residents;’’; 

7 (C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘commu8 nities.’’ and inserting ‘‘communities;’’; 

9 (D) by redesignating paragraph (7) as 

10 paragraph (3); and 

11 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(4) according to research by the Forest Serv13 ice, the estimated value of benefits described in 

14 paragraph (2) exceeds $18,000,000,000; 

15 ‘‘(5) urban forest canopy cover is inequitably 

16 distributed among racial groups and income levels, 

17 exacerbating disparities in exposure, for example, to 

18 the urban heat island effect, and increasing related 

19 health risks and financial burdens relating to cool20 ing; 

21 ‘‘(6) the effects of historical discriminatory poli22 cies, such as redlining, continue to have effects on 

23 urban environments; 

24 ‘‘(7) a recent analysis shows that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) urbanized neighborhoods with mostly 

2 people of color have 33 percent less tree canopy 

3 on average than majority white neighborhoods; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(B) low-income neighborhoods have 41 

6 percent less tree cover than neighborhoods with 

7 low rates of poverty; 

8 ‘‘(8) additional analyses of cities in the United 

9 States found that— 

10 ‘‘(A) communities primarily inhabited by 

11 United States-born, White populations contain 

12 more than twice the urban forest canopy cover 

13 of communities primarily inhabited by racial 

14 and ethnic minorities; and 

15 ‘‘(B) there were elevated land tempera16 tures in formerly redlined areas compared to 

17 their nonredlined counterparts, by an average 

18 2.6 degrees Celsius and up to 7 degrees Celsius; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(9) to reduce disparities in the enjoyment of 

21 the social, environmental, and economic benefits of 

22 healthy and well-maintained urban forests and to 

23 manage risks relating to heat exposure and other 

24 urban stressors, the Federal Government should ac25 celerate actions to enhance the health and resilience 


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1 of urban forests, with investment in priority commu2 nities.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘The 

5 Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) ASSISTANCE FOR STATES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

8 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)— 

9 (i) in subparagraph (A) (as so des10 ignated), in the second sentence, by strik11 ing ‘‘In providing such assistance’’ and in12 serting the following: 

13 ‘‘(B) COOPERATION WITH THE PUBLIC.— 

14 In providing assistance under subparagraph 

15 (A)’’; and 

16 (ii) in subparagraph (B) (as so des17 ignated), by striking ‘‘organizations. The 

18 Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘organizations and institutions of higher 

20 education. 

21 ‘‘(C) DIRECT COOPERATION WITH LOCAL

22 GOVERNMENTS.—The Secretary’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(2) OFFICE OF URBAN AND COMMUNITY FOR25 ESTRY.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 establish in the Forest Service an Office of 

3 Urban and Community Forestry. 

4 ‘‘(B) DIRECTOR.—The Chief of the Forest 

5 Service shall appoint a senior official to serve as 

6 the Director of the Office of Urban and Com7 munity Forestry, which shall not be required to 

8 be a Senior Executive Service position (as de9 fined in section 3132(a) of title 5, United 

10 States Code). 

11 ‘‘(C) MISSION.—The mission of the Office 

12 of Urban and Community Forestry shall be to 

13 promote the purposes described in subsection 

14 (b), including administering the programs and 

15 requirements described in this section. 

16 ‘‘(D) DUTIES.—The Director of the Office 

17 of Urban and Community Forestry shall be re18 sponsible for carrying out the mission described 

19 in subparagraph (C), including by— 

20 ‘‘(i) managing urban and community 

21 forest programs, including programs for 

22 State and local tree planting and mainte23 nance; 

24 ‘‘(ii) engaging in stakeholder relations 

25 and developing external partnerships in 


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1 support of urban and community forest 

2 programs; 

3 ‘‘(iii) identifying common State and 

4 municipal best practices for navigating 

5 local policies for urban and community for6 estry; 

7 ‘‘(iv) coordinating the nationwide net8 works of urban and community forest pro9 grams; 

10 ‘‘(v) providing strategic guidance for 

11 workforce development for urban and com12 munity forest programs and longevity of 

13 urban forests; 

14 ‘‘(vi) administering awards provided 

15 under this section; 

16 ‘‘(vii) advising the Chief of the Forest 

17 Service on urban and community forestry; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(viii) coordinating with agencies and 

20 officials of the Department of Agriculture 

21 and the Forest Service to administer or 

22 update urban and community forest pro23 grams.’’; 

24 (3) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘organiza3 tions,’’ and inserting ‘‘organizations and insti4 tutions of higher education,’’; 

5 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘and determining’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘determining’’; and 

8 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and measuring and 

9 monitoring the atmospheric impacts of 

10 urban and community forests’’ before the 

11 semicolon at the end; 

12 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

13 the end; 

14 (D) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe15 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

16 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(6) in connection with the Forest and Inven18 tory Analysis program, analyze data regarding the 

19 carbon emissions, sequestration, storage, and related 

20 atmospheric impacts of urban and community for21 ests.’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (g)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (2)(A)— 

24 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

25 by striking ‘‘15’’ and inserting ‘‘16’’; 


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1 (ii) in each of clauses (i) through 

2 (viii), by striking the comma at the end 

3 and inserting a period; 

4 (iii) in clause (ix), by striking ‘‘, and’’ 

5 at the end and inserting a period; and 

6 (iv) by striking clause (x) and insert7 ing the following: 

8 ‘‘(x) 3 members who are not officers 

9 or employees of any governmental body 

10 and who have expertise and have been ac11 tive in urban and community forestry, of 

12 whom— 

13 ‘‘(I) 1 is a resident of a commu14 nity with a population of less than 

15 50,000 as of the most recent census; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(II) 1 is a resident of an under18 served community, as determined by 

19 the Secretary, with a population of 

20 greater than 50,000 as of the most re21 cent census.’’; and 

22 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(7) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet not 

24 less frequently than annually.’’; 

25 (5) by striking subsection (i); 


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1 (6) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub2 section (j); 

3 (7) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(h) MICROFOREST FUNDING.— 

6 ‘‘(1) AMOUNTS AWARDED.—Of the amount 

7 made available under subsection (k) for each fiscal 

8 year, not less than $150,000, but not more than 1 

9 percent, shall be awarded for projects that establish 

10 microforests and used for other expenses necessary 

11 to support those microforests, as determined by the 

12 Secretary. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting projects 

14 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give pref15 erence to eligible parcels that— 

16 ‘‘(A) are underutilized, degraded, 

17 deindustrialized, barren, or fractional; 

18 ‘‘(B) are located in an area where green 

19 space is lacking; 

20 ‘‘(C) provide ecological benefits, including 

21 storm water management, heat reduction, and 

22 wildlife habitat; and 

23 ‘‘(D) are geographically, economically, and 

24 ecologically diverse. 

25 ‘‘(i) WAIVER OF COST SHARE REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any non-Federal cost-share 

2 requirement otherwise applicable to projects carried 

3 out under this section may be waived at the discre4 tion of the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In providing waivers under 

6 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to a 

7 project carried out by a nonprofit organization or an 

8 Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian 

9 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 

10 (25 U.S.C. 5304)) that benefits an underserved com11 munity.’’; and 

12 (8) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(k) FUNDING.— 

14 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appro15 priated, out of amounts in the Treasury not other16 wise appropriated, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 

17 2025 to carry out this section, to remain available 

18 until expended. 

19 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

21 this section $80,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

22 2025 through 2029.’’. 

23 (b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Nothing in the 

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1 tion 9(c) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 

2 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2105(c)) before the date of enactment 

3 of this Act. 

4 (c) DEFINITION OF MICROFOREST.—Section 13(d) of 

5 the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 

6 U.S.C. 2109(d)) is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and 

8 (3) as paragraphs (3), (1), and (4), respectively; and 

9 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as so re10 designated) the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) MICROFOREST.—The term ‘microforest’ 

12 means a dense planting of diverse, native trees and 

13 related shrubs and vegetative ground covering 

14 that— 

15 ‘‘(A) is no greater than 1 acre; 

16 ‘‘(B) is suitable for local conditions; and 

17 ‘‘(C) provides ecological benefits.’’. 

18 SEC. 8502. NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION ACT. 

19 (a) MATCHING FUNDS.—Section 405(b) of the Na20 tional Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j–3(b)) is 

21 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

23 410(b) of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 

24 583j–8(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 8503. CONVEYANCE OF FOREST SERVICE ADMINISTRA2 TIVE SITES. 

3 Section 503 of the Forest Service Facility Realign4 ment and Enhancement Act of 2005 (16 U.S.C. 580d 

5 note; Public Law 109–54) is amended by striking sub6 section (f). 

7 SEC. 8504. RURAL REVITALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES. 

8 Section 2371(d)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con9 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6601(d)(2)) 

10 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 8505. RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMITTEES. 

12 Section 205 of the Secure Rural Schools and Commu13 nity Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7125) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(4), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

16 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (d)(6)(C), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (g)(5), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 8506. RAPID OHIA DEATH. 

22 (a) DEFINITION OF RAPID OHIA DEATH.—In this 

23 section, the term ‘‘Rapid Ohia Death’’ means the disease 

24 caused by the fungal pathogen known as Ceratocystis 

25 fimbriata that affects the tree of the species Metrosideros 

26 polymorphia. 


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1 (b) COLLABORATION.—The Secretary shall collabo2 rate with the Secretary of the Interior and the Governors 

3 of affected States and territories to address Rapid Ohia 

4 Death. 

5 (c) TRANSMISSION.—The Chief of the Forest Service, 

6 acting through the Forest Service Institute of Pacific Is7 lands Forestry, and in collaboration with the Secretary of 

8 the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 

9 States Geological Survey, shall continue to conduct re10 search on Rapid Ohia Death vectors and transmission. 

11 (d) UNGULATE MANAGEMENT.—The Chief of the 

12 Forest Service, acting through the Forest Service Institute 

13 of Pacific Islands Forestry, shall continue to collaborate 

14 with the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di15 rector of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

16 Governors of affected States and territories, and local 

17 stakeholders to manage ungulates in Rapid Ohia Death 

18 control areas on— 

19 (1) Federal, State, and territorial land; and 

20 (2) private land with the consent of private 

21 landowners. 

22 (e) RESTORATION AND RESEARCH.—The Secretary, 

23 acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall con24 tinue to provide— 


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1 (1) financial assistance, including through 

2 agreements with the Secretary of the Interior— 

3 (A) to prevent the spread of Rapid Ohia 

4 Death; and 

5 (B) to restore the native forests of affected 

6 States and territories; and 

7 (2) staff and necessary infrastructure funding 

8 to the Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands 

9 Forestry to conduct research on Rapid Ohia Death. 

10 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For each 

11 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, there is authorized to 

12 be appropriated $5,000,000 to carry out this section, in13 cluding for activities carried out by the Secretary, the 

14 Chief of the Forest Service, or the Secretary of the Inte15 rior. 

16 SEC. 8507. CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CENTERS. 

17 Public Law 91–378 (16 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘TITLE III—CIVILIAN 

20 CONSERVATION CENTERS 

21 ‘‘SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

22 ‘‘In this title: 

23 ‘‘(1) CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CENTER.—The 

24 term ‘Civilian Conservation Center’ means any resi25 dential workforce development or training facility for 


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1 underserved youth operated by the Department of 

2 Agriculture or the Department of the Interior. 

3 ‘‘(2) COVERED GRADUATE.—The term ‘covered 

4 graduate’ means an individual who successfully com5 pleted a training program at a Civilian Conservation 

6 Center. 

7 ‘‘(3) COVERED STUDENT.—The term ‘covered 

8 student’ means an individual who is enrolled in a 

9 training program at a Civilian Conservation Center. 

10 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

11 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 302. CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CENTERS WILDFIRE 

13 AND CONSERVATION TRAINING PROGRAM. 

14 ‘‘(a) SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS.—The Sec15 retary, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall 

16 offer at Civilian Conservation Centers specialized training 

17 programs focused on— 

18 ‘‘(1) forestry and rangeland management; 

19 ‘‘(2) wildland firefighting; or 

20 ‘‘(3) any other topic relating to the mission of 

21 the Forest Service or the public interest. 

22 ‘‘(b) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary shall prioritize 

23 offering specialized training programs under subsection 

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1 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

2 3197(d)). 

3 ‘‘SEC. 303. WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING WORKFORCE DEVEL4 OPMENT PILOT. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

6 ‘‘(1) EXPERIMENT, RESEARCH, OR DEMONSTRA7 TION PILOTS.—The Secretary, in coordination with 

8 the Secretary of Labor, may carry out experimental, 

9 research, or demonstration pilots to provide career 

10 and technical curricula and course offerings to ad11 vance the missions of the Department of Agriculture 

12 at Civilian Conservation Centers operated by the De13 partment of Agriculture under section 147(d) of the 

14 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

15 U.S.C. 3197(d)). 

16 ‘‘(2) CURRICULA AND COURSES.—Curricula and 

17 courses described in paragraph (1) include— 

18 ‘‘(A) incident management and emergency 

19 response logistics; 

20 ‘‘(B) disaster response; 

21 ‘‘(C) forest products measurement; 

22 ‘‘(D) timber sale administration and prepa23 ration; 

24 ‘‘(E) heavy equipment operation; 

25 ‘‘(F) equipment and mechanical services; 


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1 ‘‘(G) industrial electrical systems; 

2 ‘‘(H) machining; 

3 ‘‘(I) mill operations; 

4 ‘‘(J) forest restoration; 

5 ‘‘(K) habitat and water quality monitoring; 

6 ‘‘(L) watershed and habitat enhancement; 

7 ‘‘(M) range management; 

8 ‘‘(N) recreation access improvement; 

9 ‘‘(O) volunteer and visitor enhancement; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(P) historic preservation. 

12 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out subsection 

13 (a), the Secretary shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) identify, after consulting with State gov15 ernments and agencies, Federal emergency manage16 ment and land management agencies, local commu17 nities, institutions of higher education, and Indian 

18 Tribes, workforce needs in— 

19 ‘‘(A) land management agencies; 

20 ‘‘(B) forest, conservation, and recreation 

21 industries; and 

22 ‘‘(C) rural communities; 

23 ‘‘(2) develop marketing, recruitment, and reten24 tion materials for the curricula and courses offered 

25 under subsection (a); and 


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1 ‘‘(3) to the extent practicable, provide special2 ized staff necessary to teach curricula and courses 

3 offered under subsection (a). 

4 ‘‘SEC. 304. WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING WORKFORCE EN5 HANCEMENT. 

6 ‘‘(a) RECRUITMENT GOALS AND INVESTMENTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) RECRUITMENT GOAL.—The Secretary— 

8 ‘‘(A) shall set goals of— 

9 ‘‘(i) hiring 300 covered graduates an10 nually to contribute to wildland firefighting 

11 or other critical workforce needs within the 

12 Department of Agriculture; 

13 ‘‘(ii) a certain percentage of covered 

14 graduates annually attaining employment 

15 in wildland firefighting, natural resources, 

16 forestry, or a related field; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) a certain percentage of covered 

18 graduates annually attaining employment; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) may make investments to support the 

21 recruitment, training, hiring, and retention of 

22 covered graduates. 

23 ‘‘(2) SIGNING BONUS.—The Secretary may pro24 vide for a signing bonus to enable the successful em25 ployment and transition of covered graduates, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00946 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 cluding for the purpose of securing housing in rural 

2 and remote communities. 

3 ‘‘(b) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.—For fiscal year 

4 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary may 

5 appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I 

6 of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, other than 

7 sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a covered graduate 

8 directly to a position for which the covered graduate meets 

9 Office of Personnel Management qualification standards. 

10 ‘‘(c) PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT.—The Secretary 

11 shall ensure that appropriate career pathways are devel12 oped for covered graduates of Civilian Conservation Cen13 ter training programs. 

14 ‘‘(d) UNDERSERVED YOUTH EMPLOYMENT.—Not15 withstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary 

16 may employ covered students at regular rates of pay for 

17 necessary hours of work. 

18 ‘‘(e) USE OF COVERED STUDENTS FOR CONTRACTS, 

19 AGREEMENTS, AND GRANTS.—To the maximum extent 

20 practicable, the Secretary shall encourage the use of cov21 ered students to fulfill obligations under contracts, agree22 ments, and grants relevant to the training provided at a 

23 Civilian Conservation Center. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 305. WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING HOUSING PILOT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

4 pilot program to employ covered students to improve and 

5 expand the housing stock owned by the Federal Govern6 ment for the purpose of housing wildland firefighters, vol7 unteers, partner crewmembers, interns, and other Federal 

8 agency employees. 

9 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pilot pro10 gram under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) identify properties currently owned by the 

12 Federal Government that would be appropriate 

13 housing for wildland firefighters, volunteers, partner 

14 crewmembers, interns, and other Federal agency em15 ployees; 

16 ‘‘(2) identify areas where the construction of 

17 new housing described in paragraph (1) would be 

18 appropriate and sustainable; and 

19 ‘‘(3) submit to Congress a prioritized list of 

20 projects for renovation with a plan for how the Sec21 retary will employ covered students to repair, ren22 ovate, and remediate the properties identified under 

23 paragraph (1). 

24 ‘‘SEC. 306. REPORT. 

25 ‘‘Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

26 of this title, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 


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1 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and 

2 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representa3 tives a report— 

4 ‘‘(1) describing underutilized capacity at Civil5 ian Conservation Centers, based on an assessment 

6 conducted by the Secretary; and 

7 ‘‘(2) identifying the investments, improvements, 

8 and efficiencies necessary to utilize the full capacity 

9 of Civilian Conservation Centers. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec12 retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this title 

13 for each fiscal year.’’. 

14 SEC. 8508. SPECIAL USE AUTHORIZATION RENTAL FEE 

15 WAIVERS. 

16 Section 504(g) of the Federal Land Policy and Man17 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1764(g)) is amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘(g) The holder’’ and inserting 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘(g) RENTAL PAYMENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The holder’’; and 

22 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(2) WAIVER.—The rental fee and other fees 

24 related to a special use authorization for the use and 

25 occupancy of National Forest System land shall be 


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1 waived by the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

2 through the Chief of the Forest Service, when equi3 table and in the public interest, in any of the fol4 lowing circumstances: 

5 ‘‘(A) The holder of the special use author6 ization is a State or local government or any 

7 agency or instrumentality thereof, excluding 

8 municipal utilities and cooperatives whose prin9 cipal source of revenue from the authorized use 

10 is customer charges. 

11 ‘‘(B) The holder of the special use author12 ization— 

13 ‘‘(i) is a nonprofit association or non14 profit corporation that— 

15 ‘‘(I) is not controlled or owned by 

16 a profitmaking corporation or busi17 ness enterprise; and 

18 ‘‘(II) is engaged in public or 

19 semi-public activity to further public 

20 health, safety, or welfare; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) does not use funds derived 

22 through the special use authorization— 

23 ‘‘(I) to increase the value of the 

24 authorized improvements owned by 

25 the holder; or 


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1 ‘‘(II) to support other activities 

2 of the holder. 

3 ‘‘(C) The holder of the special use author4 ization is an amateur station, is an amateur op5 erator, or provides amateur radio services (as 

6 those terms are defined in section 97.3 of title 

7 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor 

8 regulations)). 

9 ‘‘(D) Such other circumstances as the Sec10 retary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief 

11 of the Forest Service, may establish by regula12 tion.’’. 

13 SEC. 8509. SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS PROGRAM. 

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCT.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘forest bo17 tanical product’’ means any naturally occurring 

18 mushroom, fungus, flower, seed, root, bark, 

19 leaf, berry, bough, bryophyte, bulb, burl, cone, 

20 epiphyte, fern, forb, grass, moss, nut, pine 

21 straw, sedge, shrub, transplant, tree sap, or 

22 other vegetation (or portion thereof) that grows 

23 on National Forest System land. 

24 (B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘forest bo25 tanical product’’ does not include trees, or porVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00951 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tions of trees, except as provided in regulations 

2 issued under section 339 of the Department of 

3 the Interior and Related Agencies Appropria4 tions Act, 2000 (16 U.S.C. 528 note; Public 

5 Law 106–113), by the Secretary before the date 

6 of enactment of this Act. 

7 (2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 

8 ‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 

9 the term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range10 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 

11 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 

12 (b) RECOVERY OF FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR PROD13 UCTS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

15 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall estab16 lish and carry out a program to charge and collect 

17 fees under subsection (c) for forest botanical prod18 ucts harvested on National Forest System land. 

19 (2) APPRAISAL METHODS; BIDDING PROCE20 DURES.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of 

21 the Forest Service, shall establish a fee system based 

22 on fair market value for forest botanical products 

23 harvested on National Forest System land. 

24 (c) FEES.— 


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1 (1) IMPOSITION AND COLLECTION.—The Sec2 retary shall charge and collect fees from persons who 

3 harvest forest botanical products on National Forest 

4 System land. 

5 (2) AMOUNT OF FEE.—The fees collected under 

6 paragraph (1) shall be based on the fair market 

7 value of the harvested forest botanical products de8 scribed in that paragraph and the costs incurred by 

9 the Secretary associated with the administration of 

10 the program under this section, including the costs 

11 of granting, modifying, monitoring, and other envi12 ronmental or other analyses. 

13 (3) SECURITY.—The Secretary, acting through 

14 the Chief of the Forest Service, may require a per15 son assessed a fee under this subsection to provide 

16 security to ensure that the Secretary receives the 

17 fees imposed under this subsection from the person. 

18 (d) SUSTAINABLE HARVEST LEVELS FOR FOREST

19 BOTANICAL PRODUCTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

21 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall— 

22 (A) conduct appropriate analyses to deter23 mine whether and how the harvest of forest bo24 tanical products on National Forest System 


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1 land can be conducted on a sustainable basis; 

2 and 

3 (B) establish procedures and timeframes to 

4 monitor and revise the harvest levels established 

5 for forest botanical products. 

6 (2) PROHIBITION ON HARVEST IN EXCESS OF

7 SUSTAINABLE LEVELS.—The Secretary, acting 

8 through the Chief of the Forest Service, may not 

9 permit under the program under this section the 

10 harvest of forest botanical products on National 

11 Forest System land at levels in excess of the sus12 tained yield of the several products and services (as 

13 defined in section 4 of the Multiple-Use Sustained14 Yield Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 531)). 

15 (e) WAIVER AUTHORITY.— 

16 (1) PERSONAL USE.—The Secretary, acting 

17 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall estab18 lish a personal use harvest level for each forest bo19 tanical product, and the harvest of a forest botanical 

20 product below that level by a person for personal use 

21 shall not be subject to charges and fees under sub22 sections (b) and (c). 

23 (2) OTHER EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary, act24 ing through the Chief of the Forest Service, may 

25 also waive the application of subsection (b) or (c) 


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1 pursuant to such regulations as the Secretary may 

2 prescribe. 

3 (f) DEPOSIT AND USE OF FUNDS.— 

4 (1) DEPOSIT.—Funds collected under the pro5 gram in accordance with subsections (b) and (c) 

6 shall be deposited into a special account in the 

7 United States Treasury. 

8 (2) FUNDS AVAILABLE.—Funds deposited into 

9 the special account in accordance with paragraph (1) 

10 shall remain available until expended without further 

11 appropriation. 

12 (3) AUTHORIZED USES.—The funds made avail13 able under paragraph (2) shall be expended at units 

14 of the National Forest System in proportion to the 

15 charges and fees collected at that unit under the 

16 program under this section to pay for— 

17 (A) the costs of conducting inventories of 

18 forest botanical products, determining sustain19 able levels of harvest, monitoring and assessing 

20 the impacts of harvest levels and methods, and 

21 for restoration activities, including any nec22 essary revegetation; and 

23 (B) the costs described in subsection 

24 (c)(2). 


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1 (4) TREATMENT OF FEES.—Funds collected 

2 under the program in accordance with subsections 

3 (b) and (c) shall not be taken into account for the 

4 purposes of the following laws: 

5 (A) The sixth paragraph under the head6 ing ‘‘FOREST SERVICE’’ in the Act of May 23, 

7 1908 (35 Stat. 260, chapter 192; 16 U.S.C. 

8 500), and section 13 of the Act of March 1, 

9 1911 (commonly known as the ‘‘Weeks Act’’) 

10 (36 Stat. 963, chapter 186; 16 U.S.C. 500). 

11 (B) The fourteenth paragraph under the 

12 heading ‘‘FOREST SERVICE’’ in the Act of 

13 March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 843, chapter 145; 16 

14 U.S.C. 501). 

15 (C) Section 33 of the Bankhead-Jones 

16 Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1012). 

17 (D) The Act of August 28, 1937 (50 Stat. 

18 874, chapter 876; 43 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.), and 

19 the Act of May 24, 1939 (53 Stat. 753, chapter 

20 144; 43 U.S.C. 2621 et seq.). 

21 (E) Section 6 of the Act of June 14, 1926 

22 (commonly known as the Recreation and Public 

23 Purposes Act) (44 Stat. 741, chapter 578; 73 

24 Stat. 111; 43 U.S.C. 869–4). 


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1 (F) Chapter 69 of title 31, United States 

2 Code. 

3 (G) Section 401 of the Act of June 15, 

4 1935 (49 Stat. 383, chapter 261;16 U.S.C. 

5 715s). 

6 (H) Section 100904 of title 54, United 

7 States Code. 

8 (I) Any other provision of law relating to 

9 revenue allocation. 

10 (g) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—As soon as prac11 ticable after the end of each fiscal year in which the Sec12 retary collects charges and fees under the program in ac13 cordance with subsections (b) and (c) or expends funds 

14 from the special account under subsection (f), the Sec15 retary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, 

16 shall submit to Congress a report summarizing the activi17 ties of the Secretary under the program under this section, 

18 including— 

19 (1) the funds collected under the program in 

20 accordance with subsections (a) and (b); 

21 (2) the expenses incurred to carry out the pro22 gram under this section; and 

23 (3) the expenditures made from the special ac24 count during that fiscal year. 


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1 SEC. 8510. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

2 Section 7(l) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance 

3 Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103c(l)) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘of Vermont’’ each place it ap5 pears; and 

6 (2) in paragraph (3)(B)(i)(II), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

7 after the semicolon at the end. 

8 TITLE IX—ENERGY 

9 SEC. 9001. DEFINITIONS. 

10 Section 9001 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest11 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (13) through 

13 (17) as paragraphs (14) through (18), respectively; 

14 (2) by inserting after paragraph (12) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(13) LIFECYCLE GREENHOUSE GAS EMIS17 SIONS.—The term ‘lifecycle greenhouse gas emis18 sions’ means the aggregate quantity of greenhouse 

19 gas related to the full fuel lifecycle, as determined 

20 under the most recent Greenhouse gases, Regulated 

21 Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation model 

22 (commonly referred to as the ‘GREET model’) de23 veloped by Argonne National Laboratory.’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(19) ULTRA-LOW-CARBON BIOETHANOL.—The 

2 term ‘ultra-low-carbon bioethanol’ means ethanol 

3 that— 

4 ‘‘(A) has a carbon intensity of 30 kilo5 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per MMBtu 

6 or less; and 

7 ‘‘(B) to reduce the carbon intensity of the 

8 ethanol produced, uses 1 or more of— 

9 ‘‘(i) carbon capture, utilization, or se10 questration; 

11 ‘‘(ii) renewable electricity; 

12 ‘‘(iii) biomass energy; 

13 ‘‘(iv) renewable natural gas thermal 

14 energy; 

15 ‘‘(v) low-carbon farming practices; 

16 ‘‘(vi) cover crops; or 

17 ‘‘(vii) any other practice recognized 

18 under the model described in paragraph 

19 (13) to reduce the carbon intensity of eth20 anol production. 

21 ‘‘(20) ZERO-CARBON BIOETHANOL.—The term 

22 ‘zero-carbon bioethanol’ means ethanol that— 

23 ‘‘(A) has a carbon intensity of 0 kilograms 

24 or less of carbon dioxide equivalent per MMBtu; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) to reduce the carbon intensity of the 

2 ethanol produced, uses 1 or more of the prac3 tices described in clauses (i) through (vii) of 

4 paragraph (19)(B).’’. 

5 SEC. 9002. BIOBASED MARKETS PROGRAM. 

6 Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest7 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) in subparagraph (A)(i)— 

11 (I) in subclause (II)(bb), by 

12 striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

13 (II) in subclause (III), by strik14 ing the period at the end and insert15 ing ‘‘; and’’; and 

16 (III) by adding at the end the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(IV) on an annual basis, update 

19 the procurement requirement de20 scribed in subclause (III) by increas21 ing the number of biobased-only con22 tracts or the volume purchased under 

23 those contracts by not less than 5 per24 cent above the requirement applicable 

25 for the previous year.’’; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 clause (iii) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(iii) are available only at prices that 

4 exceed the price preferences established 

5 under paragraph (3)(B)(viii) for those 

6 items.’’; and 

7 (iii) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(G) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary, in co10 ordination with the Office of Federal Procure11 ment Policy, shall issue guidance to procuring 

12 agencies to consider product lifespan, savings, 

13 and efficacy when making procurement deci14 sions under this subsection.’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

17 (I) in clause (vii), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

19 (II) by redesignating clause (viii) 

20 as clause (ix); and 

21 (III) by inserting after clause 

22 (vii) the following: 

23 ‘‘(viii) establish price preferences for 

24 different types of biobased products; and’’; 

25 and 


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1 (ii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(G) MINIMUM BIOBASED CONTENT LEV4 ELS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

6 shall determine whether to increase the 

7 minimum biobased content for each des8 ignated product category by up to 5 per9 cent by the end of the 5-year period fol10 lowing the date of enactment of this sub11 paragraph and every 5 years thereafter. 

12 ‘‘(ii) NOTICE AND COMMENT RULE13 MAKING.—The Secretary shall issue regu14 lations in accordance with section 553 of 

15 title 5, United States Code, to carry out 

16 clause (i) and implement any increase in 

17 the minimum biobased content for a des18 ignated product category pursuant to a de19 termination made under clause (i).’’; 

20 (C) in paragraph (4)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

22 (I) by striking clause (ii); and 

23 (II) by redesignating clauses (iii) 

24 and (iv) as clauses (ii) and (iii), re25 spectively; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

2 (I) in the matter preceding sub3 clause (I)— 

4 (aa) by inserting ‘‘and the 

5 Secretary’’ after ‘‘Policy’’; and 

6 (bb) by striking ‘‘informa7 tion concerning—’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘a report that describes, for the 

9 year covered by the report—’’; 

10 (II) in subclause (I), by inserting 

11 ‘‘, including the actions taken by the 

12 procuring agency to establish and im13 plement the biobased procurement 

14 program of the procuring agency 

15 under that paragraph’’ before the 

16 semicolon; 

17 (III) in subclause (IV), by strik18 ing ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

19 (IV) in subclause (V), by striking 

20 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

21 (V) by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(VI)(aa) the specific categories 

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1 able to meet the procurement needs of 

2 the procuring agency; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) the desired performance 

4 standards and other relevant speci5 fications for those products; and 

6 ‘‘(VII) if applicable, the procure7 ment requirement or updated procure8 ment requirement established under 

9 paragraph (2)(A)(i) that the pro10 curing agency failed to meet and rea11 sons for the failure; and’’; and 

12 (iii) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(D) VERIFICATION.—The Office of Fed15 eral Procurement Policy, in consultation with 

16 the Secretary, shall annually— 

17 ‘‘(i) collect the information required to 

18 be reported under subparagraph (B) and 

19 make the information publicly available; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(ii) verify, using the information col22 lected under clause (i), that each procuring 

23 agency under paragraph (2)(A)(i), as ap24 plicable, has established a procurement 


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1 program in accordance with subclause (I) 

2 of that paragraph. 

3 ‘‘(E) TRAINING.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 

5 years after the date of enactment of this 

6 subparagraph, each procuring agency shall 

7 have completed training on biobased prod8 uct purchasing for the appropriate staff of 

9 the procuring agency, including contracting 

10 officers, purchase card managers, and pur11 chase card holders. 

12 ‘‘(ii) MATERIALS.—The Office of Fed13 eral Procurement Policy, in cooperation 

14 with the Secretary, shall provide training 

15 materials for procuring agencies con16 ducting training pursuant to clause (i). 

17 ‘‘(F) FEDERAL CATALOG UPDATES.—Not 

18 later than 2 years after the date of the enact19 ment of this subparagraph, the Administrator 

20 for Federal Procurement Policy, in cooperation 

21 with the Secretary, shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) direct the Administrator of Gen23 eral Services to update the Federal Pro24 curement Data System described in section 

25 1122(a)(4) of title 41, United States Code, 


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1 or any successor system, to include 

2 biobased product designations; 

3 ‘‘(ii) direct that the System for Award 

4 Management collect biobased product pur5 chasing data; 

6 ‘‘(iii) direct that Federal online pro7 curement systems, including GSA Advan8 tage! and FedMall, include designations for 

9 products that meet the guidelines under 

10 paragraph (3); 

11 ‘‘(iv) require, to the maximum extent 

12 practicable, that Federal online procure13 ment systems, including GSA Advantage! 

14 and FedMall, use North American Indus15 try Classification System codes, North 

16 American Product Classification System17 based product codes, and other product 

18 codes, as determined in consultation with 

19 the Secretary, when identifying products 

20 that meet the guidelines under paragraph 

21 (3); and 

22 ‘‘(v) require agencies with online Fed23 eral sales platforms to include reporting of 

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1 ucts that meet the guidelines under para2 graph (3).’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(C) REVIEW AND REGULATIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 

8 days after the date of enactment of the 

9 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

10 2024, the Secretary shall conduct a review 

11 of the use of the terms ‘bio-attributed plas12 tic’, ‘bio-attributed product’, ‘biobased 

13 plastic’, ‘biobased product’, ‘renewable 

14 chemical’, and any other similar terms, to 

15 determine— 

16 ‘‘(I) how those terms are used on 

17 products with the label described in 

18 paragraph (1) and products without 

19 that label; and 

20 ‘‘(II) the extent to which there is 

21 public confusion regarding the use of 

22 those terms. 

23 ‘‘(ii) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary 

24 shall promulgate such regulations as the 

25 Secretary determines to be appropriate to 


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1 ensure the integrity of the label described 

2 in paragraph (1), including regulations to 

3 define additional terms necessary to avoid 

4 or reduce public confusion relating to the 

5 label.’’; and 

6 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(5) PUBLIC MARKETING AND EDUCATION.— 

8 The Secretary may conduct outreach to educate the 

9 public on, and promote the use of, biobased prod10 ucts, including by— 

11 ‘‘(A) conducting outreach to small busi12 nesses producing biobased products that seek a 

13 label under this subsection; 

14 ‘‘(B) providing information about biobased 

15 product procurement preferences to State pro16 curement agencies; and 

17 ‘‘(C) establishing public-private partner18 ships to further increase awareness and use of 

19 biobased products. 

20 ‘‘(6) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF CONTRIBU21 TIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may es23 tablish an account to accept contributions of 

24 non-Federal funds to carry out public mar25 keting and education under paragraph (5). 


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1 ‘‘(B) DEPOSIT AND USE OF CONTRIBU2 TIONS.—Contributions of non-Federal funds re3 ceived to carry out the activities under para4 graph (5) shall— 

5 ‘‘(i) be deposited into the account es6 tablished under this paragraph for those 

7 activities; 

8 ‘‘(ii) be available to, and subject to 

9 the control of, the Secretary, without fur10 ther appropriation and until expended, to 

11 carry out those activities; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) supplement any funding made 

13 available under subsection (k) and allo14 cated by the Secretary for those activities. 

15 ‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 

16 2025, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 

17 make publicly available on the website of the De18 partment of Agriculture and submit to the Com19 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 

20 the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the 

21 House of Representatives a report that includes— 

22 ‘‘(A) a list of the biobased products that 

23 were authorized to use the label described in 

24 paragraph (1) during the preceding fiscal year; 


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1 ‘‘(B) a description of the audit and compli2 ance activities conducted under paragraph 

3 (3)(B) during the preceding fiscal year, includ4 ing any findings of noncompliance and any ac5 tions taken by the Secretary to address the 

6 noncompliance; 

7 ‘‘(C)(i) a description of the public mar8 keting and education conducted by the Sec9 retary under paragraph (5); and 

10 ‘‘(ii) a plan for conducting public mar11 keting and education under that paragraph for 

12 the following 2 fiscal years that is designed to 

13 increase the use of the label described in para14 graph (1) and the purchase of biobased prod15 ucts; and 

16 ‘‘(D) the total amount of contributions of 

17 non-Federal funds accepted into the account es18 tablished under paragraph (6).’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (f)(1), in the matter preceding 

20 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘The Secretary and 

21 the Secretary of Commerce shall jointly’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation 

23 with the Secretary, shall’’; 

24 (4) in subsection (j)(3)— 

25 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (i) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘, including greenhouse gas 

3 emissions reduced and avoided;’’; 

4 (ii) in clause (vi), by striking the pe5 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (iii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(vii) identifying available industry 

9 methodologies to establish a lifecycle 

10 greenhouse gas emissions assessment 

11 methodology for biobased products.’’; and 

12 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘this 

13 subparagraph’’ and inserting ‘‘the Rural Pros14 perity and Food Security Act of 2024 and every 

15 5 years thereafter’’; 

16 (5) in subsection (k)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking 

18 ‘‘$3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 

19 through 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000 for 

20 fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year there21 after’’; and 

22 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2019 

23 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

24 2029’’; and 

25 (6) in subsection (l)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘In this section’’ and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section’’; and 

4 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) STANDARD.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

7 use the most recent version of the ASTM Inter8 national Standard D6866 to determine the con9 tents of biobased products. 

10 ‘‘(B) ALTERNATIVE STANDARDS.—In addi11 tion to the standard described in subparagraph 

12 (A), the Secretary may, by notice and comment 

13 rulemaking under section 553 of title 5, United 

14 States Code, establish alternative standards to 

15 determine the contents of biobased products.’’. 

16 SEC. 9003. BIOREFINERY, RENEWABLE CHEMICAL, AND 

17 BIOBASED PRODUCT MANUFACTURING AS18 SISTANCE. 

19 Section 9003 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest20 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8103) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

22 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘to assist’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘to develop advanced biofuels (which, for purposes 

24 of this section, shall include ultra-low-carbon bioeth25 anol and zero-carbon bioethanol), renewable chemiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00972 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 cals, and biobased product manufacturing and as2 sist’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘technologically new’’; 

6 and 

7 (ii) by striking ‘‘end-user products’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘end-user products, renew9 able chemicals, and biobased products’’; 

10 and 

11 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

12 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

13 (I) by indenting the margins of 

14 clauses (i) through (iii) appropriately; 

15 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

16 ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

17 (III) in clause (iii), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘or’’; 

19 and 

20 (IV) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(iv) sustainable aviation fuel; and’’; 

23 and 

24 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (I) by indenting the margins of 

2 clauses (i) through (iii) appropriately; 

3 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

4 ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

5 (III) in clause (iii), by striking 

6 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

7 or’’; and 

8 (IV) by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(iv) sustainable aviation fuel.’’; 

11 (3) in subsection (c)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall make 

13 available to eligible entities guarantees’’ and in14 serting the following: ‘‘Subject to the avail15 ability of funding, the Secretary shall make 

16 available to eligible entities— 

17 ‘‘(1) on a year-round basis, guarantees’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

19 striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘, 

20 in accordance with subsection (d); and’’; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(2) grants, on a competitive basis, to develop 

23 and construct demonstration-scale biorefineries to 

24 demonstrate the commercial viability of 1 or more 

25 processes for converting renewable biomass to 1 or 


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1 more of the products described in clauses (i) through 

2 (iv) of subsection (b)(3)(A), in accordance with sub3 section (e).’’; 

4 (4) in subsection (d)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) by striking subparagraphs (A) and 

7 (C); 

8 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

9 (B) and (D) as subparagraphs (A) and 

10 (B), respectively; 

11 (iii) in subparagraph (A) (as so redes12 ignated)— 

13 (I) by striking ‘‘In approving a 

14 loan guarantee application’’ and in15 serting the following: 

16 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In approving an 

17 application for a loan guarantee under sub18 section (c)(1)’’; and 

19 (II) by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER.—The Secretary may 

22 waive the feasibility study under clause (i) 

23 for proven or otherwise commercially avail24 able technologies.’’; and 


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1 (iv) in subparagraph (B) (as so redes2 ignated), by striking ‘‘loan guarantee ap3 plications’’ and inserting ‘‘applications for 

4 loan guarantees under subsection (c)(1)’’; 

5 and 

6 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

8 ‘‘$250,000,000’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘$400,000,000’’; and 

10 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (c)’’ each 

11 place it appears and inserting ‘‘subsection 

12 (c)(1)’’; 

13 (5) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub14 section (k) and moving the subsection so as to ap15 pear after subsection (j); 

16 (6) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(e) GRANTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In approving applica21 tions for grants under subsection (c)(2), the 

22 Secretary shall establish a priority scoring sys23 tem that assigns priority scores to each applica24 tion and only approve applications that exceed 


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1 a specified minimum score, as determined by 

2 the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(B) FEASIBILITY.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In approving an 

5 application for a grant under subsection 

6 (c)(2), the Secretary shall determine the 

7 technical and economic feasibility of the 

8 project based on a feasibility study of the 

9 project described in the application con10 ducted by an independent third party. 

11 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER.—The Secretary may 

12 waive the feasibility study under clause (i) 

13 for proven or otherwise commercially avail14 able technologies. 

15 ‘‘(C) SCORING SYSTEM.—The priority scor16 ing system established under subparagraph (A) 

17 shall consider, with respect to a project pro18 posed in an application for a grant under sub19 section (c)(2)— 

20 ‘‘(i) the potential market for the ad21 vanced biofuel and the byproducts pro22 duced; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the level of financial participation 

24 by the eligible entity, including support 

25 from non-Federal and private sources; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) whether the eligible entity is 

2 proposing to use— 

3 ‘‘(I) a feedstock not previously 

4 used in the production of advanced 

5 biofuels or sustainable aviation fuels; 

6 or 

7 ‘‘(II) a feedstock, process, or 

8 technology not widely used in the pro9 duction of renewable chemicals or 

10 biobased products; 

11 ‘‘(iv) whether the eligible entity is pro12 posing to work with producer associations 

13 or cooperatives; 

14 ‘‘(v) whether the eligible entity has es15 tablished that the adoption of the process 

16 proposed in the application will have a 

17 positive impact on resource conservation, 

18 public health, and the environment; 

19 ‘‘(vi) the potential for rural economic 

20 development; 

21 ‘‘(vii) whether the project can be rep22 licated; and 

23 ‘‘(viii) scalability for commercial use. 

24 ‘‘(2) COST SHARING.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) LIMITS.—The amount of a grant 

2 awarded under subsection (c)(2) shall not ex3 ceed an amount that is 30 percent of the cost 

4 of the project carried out using the grant. 

5 ‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non6 Federal share of the cost of a project may be 

7 provided in the form of cash or material, sub8 ject to the condition that the material provided 

9 does not exceed 15 percent of the non-Federal 

10 share.’’; 

11 (7) in subsection (g)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

15 (i), by inserting ‘‘and grants’’ after 

16 ‘‘loan guarantees’’; 

17 (II) in clause (iii), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

19 (III) in clause (iv), by striking 

20 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

21 and’’; and 

22 (IV) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(v) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2025.’’; and 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 ‘‘Of the total’’ and all that follows through 

3 ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘Of the 

4 total amount of funds made available for 

5 fiscal year 2025 under subparagraph (A)’’; 

6 and 

7 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2014 

8 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

9 2029’’; 

10 (8) in subsection (h)(1), by striking ‘‘sub11 sections (a) through (e), and (g)’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘subsections (a) through (e), (g), and (k)’’; 

13 (9) in subsection (i)(1), by striking ‘‘subsections 

14 (a) through (e) and subsection (g)’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘subsections (a) through (e), (g), and (k)’’; and 

16 (10) in subsection (j)(1), by striking ‘‘sub17 sections (a) through (e) and (g)’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘subsections (a) through (e), (g), and (k)’’. 

19 SEC. 9004. BIOENERGY PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED 

20 BIOFUELS. 

21 Section 9005(g)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural 

22 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8105(g)(2)) is amended 

23 by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

24 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 9005. BIODIESEL FUEL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 

2 Section 9006(d) of the Farm Security and Rural In3 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106(d)) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

5 through 2029’’. 

6 SEC. 9006. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 9007 of the Farm Secu8 rity and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) 

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

12 ‘‘ENERGY AUDITS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘PROJECT’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

15 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

16 (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec17 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

18 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) 

19 (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘provide 

20 assistance’’ and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘provide— 

22 ‘‘(A) assistance’’; 

23 (iii) in subparagraph (A)(ii) (as so re24 designated), by striking the period at the 

25 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (iv) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(B) technical assistance to agricultural 

4 producers and rural small businesses to apply 

5 for financial assistance under subsection (c).’’; 

6 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (i) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

9 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

10 (E) as subparagraph (F); and 

11 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

12 (D) the following: 

13 ‘‘(E) an agricultural producer cooperative; 

14 and’’; 

15 (D) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

17 ‘‘audits and’’ and inserting ‘‘audits, rel18 evant technical assistance, and’’; 

19 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

20 (A) through (F) as clauses (i) through (vi), 

21 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

22 and 

23 (iii) by striking the paragraph des24 ignation and heading and all that follows 

25 through ‘‘In reviewing applications’’ in the 


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1 matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesig2 nated) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION AND SELECTION CRI4 TERIA.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

6 use a single application for grants under this 

7 subsection for 1 or more of the activities de8 scribed in paragraph (4). 

9 ‘‘(B) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In reviewing 

10 applications’’; and 

11 (E) in paragraph (4)— 

12 (i) in subparagraph (B), by redesig13 nating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) 

14 and (II), respectively, and indenting appro15 priately; 

16 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

17 (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respec18 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

19 (iii) in the matter preceding clause (i) 

20 (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘funds to 

21 assist’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘funds— 

23 ‘‘(A) to assist’’; 

24 (iv) in subparagraph (A)(ii) (as so re25 designated)— 


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1 (I) in subclause (I) (as so redes2 ignated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

3 end; 

4 (II) in subclause (II) (as so re5 designated), by striking the period at 

6 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

7 (III) by adding at the end the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(III) to apply for assistance 

10 under subsection (c); and’’; and 

11 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(B) to provide training for individuals to 

13 perform the activities described in subpara14 graph (A).’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (c)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i)(II), by inserting 

17 ‘‘that result in a significant reduction in 

18 lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions’’ after ‘‘im19 provements’’; 

20 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

22 ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘50’’; 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

24 ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘$50,000,000’’; and 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

2 ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

3 (g)’’; and 

4 (C) by striking paragraph (4) and insert5 ing the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For projects carried 

8 out using assistance under this subsection, the 

9 Secretary shall establish an application, evalua10 tion, and oversight process that is— 

11 ‘‘(i) the most simplified for projects 

12 for which the cost of the activity funded 

13 under this subsection is less than $50,000; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(ii) more comprehensive for projects 

16 for which the cost of the activity funded 

17 under this subsection is more than 

18 $50,000. 

19 ‘‘(B) SINGLE APPLICATION.—The Sec20 retary shall use a single application for assist21 ance under this subsection for agricultural pro22 ducers seeking assistance under clauses (i) and 

23 (ii) of paragraph (1)(A).’’; 

24 (3) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and 

25 (f) as subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively; 


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1 (4) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(d) REGIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

5 out regional demonstration projects that incentivize 

6 agricultural producers to reduce their carbon foot7 print or overall carbon equivalent emissions to the 

8 maximum extent practicable through the use of en9 ergy efficiency improvements and renewable energy 

10 systems. 

11 ‘‘(2) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct, and 

12 make publicly available on the website of the De13 partment of Agriculture a report describing the re14 sults of, a study on the results of the regional dem15 onstration projects carried out under paragraph 

16 (1).’’; 

17 (5) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘conducted at the’’ and in19 serting the following: ‘‘conducted— 

20 ‘‘(1) at the’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

22 striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

23 and’’; and 

24 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

25 ‘‘(2) toward limited resource producers.’’; 


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1 (6) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘20’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘25’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (f) to pro6 vide grants of $20,000’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘subsection (g) to provide grants of 

8 $50,000’’; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sub10 section (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (g)’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(3) REBATE PILOT PROJECT.— 

13 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

14 ‘‘(i) COVERED REBATE.—The term 

15 ‘covered rebate’ means a rebate provided 

16 by the Secretary to an eligible entity for 

17 the purchase of certain energy efficient 

18 equipment described in subsection 

19 (c)(1)(A), to be determined by the Sec20 retary, that was made by an eligible enti21 ty— 

22 ‘‘(I) as part of a project com23 pleted not more than 12 months be24 fore the provision of the rebate; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) to meet the immediate 

2 needs of the eligible entity, which were 

3 not anticipated while the application 

4 period for assistance under subsection 

5 (c) was open but would otherwise 

6 meet the requirements for projects eli7 gible for assistance under that sub8 section. 

9 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term 

10 ‘eligible entity’ means any entity eligible to 

11 receive financial assistance under sub12 section (c). 

13 ‘‘(iii) PILOT PROJECT.—The term 

14 ‘pilot project’ means the pilot project es15 tablished under subparagraph (B). 

16 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT.—Using not more 

17 than 2 percent of the funds made available to 

18 carry out subsection (c) for each of fiscal years 

19 2025 and 2026, the Secretary shall carry out a 

20 pilot project under which the Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) award covered rebates to eligible 

22 entities; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) test and evaluate a simplified ap24 plication process for eligible entities to 

25 apply for those covered rebates. 


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1 ‘‘(C) NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO COMMENCE2 MENT.—Not later than 30 days before the com3 mencement of the pilot project, the Secretary 

4 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

5 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the 

6 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep7 resentatives a notification containing — 

8 ‘‘(i) the commencement date of the 

9 pilot project; 

10 ‘‘(ii) a detailed description of the pilot 

11 project; 

12 ‘‘(iii) a copy of the simplified applica13 tion to be used under the pilot project; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) a list of the equipment for which 

15 covered rebates will be provided under the 

16 pilot project. 

17 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than June 30, 

18 2027, the Secretary shall submit to the Com19 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

20 of the Senate and the Committee on Agri21 culture of the House of Representatives, and 

22 make publicly available, a report on the pilot 

23 project, which shall include— 

24 ‘‘(i) the total number of each type of 

25 equipment for which an application for a 


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1 covered rebate was submitted, and the 

2 total number of each type of equipment for 

3 which a covered rebate was provided; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the extent to which applications 

5 for covered rebates exceeded the avail6 ability of funding, if applicable. 

7 ‘‘(E) PROCEDURES.—The administration 

8 of this paragraph shall be— 

9 ‘‘(i) made without regard to chapter 

10 35 of title 44, United States Code; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) carried out by the Secretary 

12 using the authority provided under section 

13 808 of title 5, United States Code.’’; and 

14 (7) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (i) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

17 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

19 ‘‘fiscal year 2014 and each fiscal year 

20 thereafter.’’ and inserting ‘‘each of fiscal 

21 years 2014 through 2024; and’’; and 

22 (iii) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(F) $130,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

25 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking 

2 ‘‘paragraph (1), 4 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘this 

3 subsection, 5 percent’’; 

4 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2019 

5 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

6 2029’’; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(4) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds 

9 made available to carry out this section for a fiscal 

10 year, the Secretary may reserve— 

11 ‘‘(A) not more than 10 percent for award12 ing grants under subsection (c) that support 

13 the adoption of underutilized but proven com14 mercial technologies; 

15 ‘‘(B) not more than 5 percent to carry out 

16 subsection (d); and 

17 ‘‘(C) not more than 5 percent for adminis18 trative costs.’’. 

19 (b) RESCISSION.—The amounts made available by 

20 section 22002 of Public Law 117–169 (136 Stat. 2019) 

21 that are unobligated or unawarded as of the date of enact22 ment of this Act are rescinded. 


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1 SEC. 9007. FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY PROGRAM FOR BIO2 ENERGY PRODUCERS. 

3 Section 9010(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In4 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110(b)) is amended, in 

5 paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A), by striking ‘‘2024’’ each 

6 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 9008. BIOMASS CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

8 Section 9011(f)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural 

9 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8111(f)(1)) is amended 

10 by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

11 through 2029’’. 

12 SEC. 9009. CARBON UTILIZATION AND BIOGAS EDUCATION 

13 PROGRAM. 

14 Section 9014(c) of the Farm Security and Rural In15 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8115(c)) is amended, in 

16 the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2019 

17 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

18 SEC. 9010. AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEM PROJECTS. 

19 Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

20 Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding 

21 at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 9015. AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEM PROJECTS. 

23 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEM.—In this 

24 section, the term ‘agrivoltaic system’ means a system 

25 under which solar energy production and agricultural pro26 duction, including crop or animal production, occurs in an 


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1 integrated manner on the same piece of land for the dura2 tion of the production of solar energy. 

3 ‘‘(b) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

4 outreach and education relating to agrivoltaic systems is 

5 conducted at the State and local levels for— 

6 ‘‘(1) programs that provide financial assistance 

7 under section 9007; and 

8 ‘‘(2) applicable programs administered by the 

9 Rural Utilities Service and the Rural Business-Coop10 erative Service. 

11 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 2025, 

12 and each December 31 of the 4 years thereafter, the Sec13 retary shall make publicly available a report that de14 scribes— 

15 ‘‘(1) each project that incorporates an 

16 agrivoltaic system carried out by recipients of a pro17 gram described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection 

18 (b) during the preceding fiscal year; and 

19 ‘‘(2) the total amount of funding expended on 

20 those projects during the preceding fiscal year. 

21 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION.—Not later than December 31, 

22 2027, the Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary 

23 of Energy to issue guidance on best practices for 

24 agrivoltaic systems, which shall incorporate lessons 

25 learned from the projects described in subsection (c)(1).’’. 


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1 SEC. 9011. INDUSTRIAL HEAT PUMP PROGRAM. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

3 a program— 

4 (1) to raise awareness of the use of industrial 

5 heat pumps; 

6 (2) to create materials for, and provide tech7 nical support to, farmers, ranchers, and rural small 

8 businesses relating to— 

9 (A) the use of industrial heat pumps; and 

10 (B) the availability of Federal programs to 

11 assist in the adoption of industrial heat pumps; 

12 (3) to support an improved technical under13 standing of the opportunities for, and applications 

14 of, industrial heat pumps in the agricultural experi15 ment station network at land-grant colleges and uni16 versities for the purpose of providing training and 

17 assistance to State-level programs serving farmers, 

18 ranchers, and rural small businesses; 

19 (4) to increase knowledge of industrial heat 

20 pump applications and benefits for rural utilities to 

21 support applications of industrial heat pumps for 

22 farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses; and 

23 (5) to support education on, and awareness of, 

24 industrial heat pump opportunities, applications, and 

25 benefits among extension specialists and extension 

26 agents. 


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1 (b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

2 Secretary— 

3 (1) shall coordinate with the Administrator of 

4 the Rural Utilities Service; and 

5 (2) may coordinate with the Secretary of En6 ergy. 

7 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

8 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

9 such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2025 

10 through 2029. 

11 TITLE X—HORTICULTURE 

12 SEC. 10001. SPECIALTY CROPS MARKET NEWS ALLOCATION. 

13 Section 10107(b) of the Food, Conservation, and En14 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1622b(b)) is amended by strik15 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 10002. FOOD LOSS AND WASTE PROCESS 

17 VERIFICATION. 

18 Section 203(h) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

19 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622(h)) is amended— 

20 (1) by striking the subsection designation and 

21 all that follows through ‘‘To inspect’’ in paragraph 

22 (1) and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(h) To inspect’’; 


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1 (2) in the matter preceding paragraph (2), by 

2 striking ‘‘subsection.’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘subsection, and subject to the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) SCOPE OF AUTHORITY.—In interpreting 

5 the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture under 

6 this subsection, the class, quality, quantity, and con7 dition of agricultural products that the Secretary 

8 may inspect, certify, and identify shall be interpreted 

9 to include process-related claims related to avoided 

10 food loss and food waste achieved through the pro11 duction of such agricultural products.’’; 

12 (3) in paragraph (2)— 

13 (A) by striking the paragraph designation 

14 and all that follows through ‘‘Any’’ in subpara15 graph (A) and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(2) FEES.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘services.’’ in subpara19 graph (A) and all that follows through ‘‘Such’’ 

20 in subparagraph (B) and inserting the fol21 lowing: ‘‘services. 

22 ‘‘(B) INVESTMENT.—Such’’; 

23 (4) in paragraph (3), by striking the paragraph 

24 designation and all that follows through ‘‘Any’’ and 

25 inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENT.—Any’’; 

2 (5) in paragraph (4), by striking the paragraph 

3 designation and all that follows through ‘‘Whoever’’ 

4 and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(4) PENALTIES.—Whoever’’; and 

6 (6) in paragraph (5), by striking the paragraph 

7 designation and all that follows through ‘‘Shell’’ and 

8 inserting the following: 

9 ‘‘(5) SHELL EGGS.—Shell’’. 

10 SEC. 10003. LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM. 

11 Section 210A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

12 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a)— 

14 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (5) 

15 through (13) as paragraphs (6) through (14), 

16 respectively; and 

17 (B) by inserting after paragraph (4), the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(5) FOOD HUB.—The term ‘food hub’ means 

20 a business or organization that actively manages the 

21 aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source22 identified food products to multiple buyers from 

23 multiple producers, who are primarily local and re24 gional producers, to strengthen the ability of those 


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1 producers to satisfy local and regional wholesale, re2 tail, and institutional demands.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)(4), by striking ‘‘collabora4 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘collaboration, regional food 

5 chain coordination,’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) by striking paragraph (2); and 

8 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

9 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; 

10 (4) in subsection (d)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

13 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking subpara14 graph (E); and 

15 (C) in paragraph (6)— 

16 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

17 (I) by redesignating clauses (vii) 

18 and (viii) as clauses (viii) and (ix), re19 spectively; and 

20 (II) by inserting after clause (vi) 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(vii) a food hub;’’; 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (C)— 

24 (I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

25 at the end; 


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1 (II) by redesignating clause (ii) 

2 as clause (iii); and 

3 (III) by inserting after clause (i) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(ii) provide geographic balance, 

6 among States and within each State, rel7 ative to the benefits of the Program; or’’; 

8 (iii) by striking subparagraph (E); 

9 (iv) by redesignating subparagraph 

10 (D) as subparagraph (E); 

11 (v) by inserting after subparagraph 

12 (C) the following: 

13 ‘‘(D) SIMPLIFIED APPLICATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

15 shall establish a simplified application form 

16 for eligible entities described in subpara17 graph (B) that— 

18 ‘‘(I) request less than $100,000; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(II) choose from the project cat21 egories described in clause (ii), which 

22 shall include a specific, limited set of 

23 key activities with predefined require24 ments established by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) PROJECT CATEGORIES.—The 

2 Secretary shall establish a simplified appli3 cation form for the following project cat4 egories, but may include additional project 

5 categories as necessary: 

6 ‘‘(I) DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER

7 PROJECTS.—In the case of a direct-to8 consumer project, an application form 

9 described in clause (i) may be avail10 able for the following categories of 

11 projects: 

12 ‘‘(aa) An outreach and pro13 motion project. 

14 ‘‘(bb) A project to provide 

15 funding for farmers market man16 ager staff time. 

17 ‘‘(cc) A project to provide 

18 vendor training. 

19 ‘‘(dd) A planning and design 

20 project. 

21 ‘‘(ee) A data collection and 

22 evaluation project. 

23 ‘‘(II) LOCAL AND REGIONAL

24 FOOD MARKET AND ENTERPRISE

25 PROJECTS.—In the case of a local or 


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1 regional food market or enterprise 

2 project, an application form described 

3 in clause (i) may be available for the 

4 following categories of projects: 

5 ‘‘(aa) A food hub feasibility 

6 study project. 

7 ‘‘(bb) A project to provide 

8 funding for regional food chain 

9 coordination staff time. 

10 ‘‘(cc) A project to provide 

11 technical assistance. 

12 ‘‘(dd) A data collection and 

13 evaluation project. 

14 ‘‘(ee) A project to support 

15 the purchase of special purpose 

16 equipment.’’; and 

17 (vi) in subparagraph (E) (as so redes18 ignated)— 

19 (I) by striking clause (ii); and 

20 (II) by striking the subparagraph 

21 designation and heading and all that 

22 follows through ‘‘Except as provided 

23 in clause (ii), an’’ in clause (i) and in24 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 

2 An’’; 

3 (5) in subsection (e)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

5 (i) by redesignating clauses (x) and 

6 (xi) as clauses (xi) and (xii), respectively; 

7 and 

8 (ii) by inserting after clause (ix) the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(x) a food hub;’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking 

12 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

13 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

14 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (I) by striking ‘‘determine the’’ 

16 and inserting the following: ‘‘deter17 mine— 

18 ‘‘(i) the geographical’’; and 

19 (II) in clause (i) (as so des20 ignated), by striking ‘‘, including 

21 goals’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(ii) goals’’; 

24 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B); and 


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1 (iii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

2 (C) through (H) as subparagraphs (B) 

3 through (G), respectively; 

4 (6) in subsection (f)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 

6 ‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000’’; and 

7 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(3) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.—In developing the 

9 simplified application and reporting process under 

10 this subsection, the Secretary shall engage with 

11 stakeholders to receive input on how the simplified 

12 application and reporting process can be streamlined 

13 for eligible entities without affecting program integ14 rity.’’; 

15 (7) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘this sec16 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘the Rural Prosperity and Food 

17 Security Act of 2024’’; and 

18 (8) in subsection (i)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking 

20 ‘‘$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2019’’ and insert21 ing ‘‘$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking 

23 ‘‘$20,000,000 for fiscal year 2019’’ and insert24 ing ‘‘$30,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’; and 

25 (C) in paragraph (3)(B)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘Of the funds’’ and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds’’; 

4 and 

5 (ii) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(ii) SIMPLIFIED APPLICATIONS.—Of 

8 the funds made available for grants under 

9 subsection (d)(6) for a fiscal year, not 

10 more than 50 percent shall be used to pro11 vide grants to eligible entities that submit 

12 an application in accordance with sub13 section (d)(6)(D).’’. 

14 SEC. 10004. LOCAL FOOD PURCHASE ASSISTANCE COOPER15 ATIVE AGREEMENTS. 

16 Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 

17 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 210B. LOCAL FOOD PURCHASE ASSISTANCE. 

20 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 ‘‘(1) COOPERATING PARTNER.—The term ‘co22 operating partner’ means any of the following enti23 ties partnering with an eligible entity: 

24 ‘‘(A) A State agency. 


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1 ‘‘(B) A Tribal government agency, Tribal 

2 organization, or Native Hawaiian organization. 

3 ‘‘(C) A nonprofit organization engaged in 

4 food distribution. 

5 ‘‘(D) Any other entity that, in the deter6 mination of the Secretary, is capable of ensur7 ing that the requirements of this section are 

8 met. 

9 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en10 tity’ means— 

11 ‘‘(A) a State agency that has demonstrated 

12 partnerships with farmers and target audiences 

13 within the State; and 

14 ‘‘(B) a Tribal government agency that has 

15 demonstrated partnerships with farmers and 

16 target audiences within the area under the ju17 risdiction of the applicable Tribal government. 

18 ‘‘(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

19 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

20 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

21 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

22 ‘‘(4) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

23 term ‘Native Hawaiian organization’ has the mean24 ing given the term in section 6207 of the Native Ha25 waiian Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7517). 


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1 ‘‘(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

2 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Ad3 ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service. 

4 ‘‘(6) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

5 ‘‘(A) a State; 

6 ‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; 

7 ‘‘(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(D) any other territory or possession of 

10 the United States. 

11 ‘‘(7) TARGET AUDIENCE.—The term ‘target au12 dience’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) members of food insecure commu14 nities, including, as determined by the Sec15 retary— 

16 ‘‘(i) rural, remote, and underserved 

17 communities; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) communities not normally served 

19 through traditional food distribution net20 works; 

21 ‘‘(B) representatives of food insecure com22 munities; 

23 ‘‘(C) nonprofit organizations engaged in 

24 food distribution to members of food insecure 

25 communities; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) any other appropriate individuals or 

2 entities, as determined by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(8) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Tribal 

4 government’ means the governing body of an Indian 

5 Tribe, including— 

6 ‘‘(A) any applicable Tribal organization; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(B) any agency of the governing body of 

9 an Indian Tribe. 

10 ‘‘(9) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Tribal 

11 organization’ has the meaning given the term in sec12 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu13 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

14 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY AND PURPOSE OF COOPERATIVE

15 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary shall enter into cooperative 

16 agreements with eligible entities— 

17 ‘‘(1) for the purposes of— 

18 ‘‘(A) providing an opportunity for States 

19 and Tribal governments to build capacity to 

20 support their local and regional food systems; 

21 ‘‘(B) building and expanding economic op22 portunities for small producers, local and re23 gional producers, and historically underserved 

24 producers; 


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1 ‘‘(C) establishing and broadening partner2 ships with farmers, producers, the food dis3 tribution community, and local food networks, 

4 including nonprofit organizations, to ensure dis5 tribution of fresh and nutritious foods to target 

6 audiences; 

7 ‘‘(D) strengthening local and regional food 

8 supply chains; and 

9 ‘‘(E) increasing the use of Federal funds 

10 to procure local and regional food, including 

11 fresh fruits and vegetables; and 

12 ‘‘(2) pursuant to which the Secretary shall 

13 make awards, in accordance with subsection (f), for 

14 the purposes described in paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) DUTIES OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligi17 ble entity entering into a cooperative agreement 

18 under subsection (b) shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) procure locally and regionally pro20 duced food, as defined by the Secretary; and 

21 ‘‘(B) distribute food procured under this 

22 section to members of food insecure commu23 nities, as determined by the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may be 

2 a party to— 

3 ‘‘(i) not more than 1 cooperative 

4 agreement under this section per State at 

5 any 1 time; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) not more than 1 cooperative 

7 agreement under this section per Indian 

8 Tribe at any 1 time. 

9 ‘‘(B) COORDINATION.—If more than 1 eli10 gible entity of the same State or Indian Tribe 

11 desires to enter into a cooperative agreement 

12 under this section for a fiscal year, the eligible 

13 entities shall coordinate, with 1 eligible entity 

14 serving as the lead agency and each other eligi15 ble entity participating as a cooperating part16 ner. 

17 ‘‘(C) CLARIFICATION.—A cooperative 

18 agreement entered into with an eligible entity 

19 described in subsection (a)(2)(B) shall not be 

20 considered to be a cooperative agreement in or 

21 relating to a State for purposes of subpara22 graph (A)(i). 

23 ‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring 

25 to enter into a cooperative agreement under this secVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tion shall submit to the Secretary an application at 

2 such time, in such a manner, and containing such 

3 information as the Secretary may require, includ4 ing— 

5 ‘‘(A) a plan to purchase and distribute lo6 cally and regionally produced food as required 

7 under subsection (c)(1); 

8 ‘‘(B) an assurance that the eligible entity 

9 will comply with the requirements of the plan; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(C) an assurance that Federal funds re12 ceived under this section shall supplement, and 

13 not supplant, the expenditure of State or Tribal 

14 funds in support of local and regional food pro15 duction in the applicable State or the area 

16 under the jurisdiction of the applicable Tribal 

17 government. 

18 ‘‘(2) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—A plan submitted 

19 by an eligible entity under paragraph (1)(A) shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) identify the lead agency charged with 

21 the responsibility of carrying out the plan; and 

22 ‘‘(B) indicate how funds provided pursuant 

23 to a cooperative agreement under this section 

24 will be used to carry out the purposes described 

25 in subsection (b)(1). 


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1 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY FOR CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In entering into coop3 erative agreements under this section, the Sec4 retary shall prioritize applications for coopera5 tive agreements that prioritize— 

6 ‘‘(i) establishing food purchasing con7 tracts with producers and distributors 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(I) grow, process, or distribute 

10 local and regional food, as defined by 

11 the Secretary; and 

12 ‘‘(II) are, or source from— 

13 ‘‘(aa) beginning farmers or 

14 ranchers (as defined in section 

15 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, 

16 Conservation, and Trade Act of 

17 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))); 

18 ‘‘(bb) small or mid-sized 

19 farms; or 

20 ‘‘(cc) historically under21 served farmers, as defined by the 

22 Secretary; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) targeting distributions of food 

24 purchased pursuant to those contracts to 


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1 underserved communities, as determined 

2 by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATION.—In determining 

4 whether an application prioritizes targeting dis5 tributions of food to underserved communities 

6 under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary may 

7 consider socioeconomic metrics maintained by 

8 the Federal Government, including the social 

9 vulnerability index and area deprivation index 

10 maintained by the Department of Health and 

11 Human Services. 

12 ‘‘(4) NONCOMPETITIVE PROCESS.—The Sec13 retary shall establish a simplified, noncompetitive 

14 process for the submission and selection of applica15 tions for establishing cooperative agreements under 

16 this section. 

17 ‘‘(e) DISTRIBUTION OF PURCHASED FOOD.—An eli18 gible entity may distribute food procured pursuant to a 

19 cooperative agreement entered into under this section to 

20 members of food insecure communities— 

21 ‘‘(1) directly; or 

22 ‘‘(2) through cooperative agreements, sub23 contracts, or subawards with 1 or more cooperating 

24 partners. 

25 ‘‘(f) AWARDS AND DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) AWARDS TO STATE AGENCIES.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

3 establish a noncompetitive process for deter4 mining the amount to be awarded, from the 

5 amounts made available under subsection (h) 

6 for a fiscal year, to eligible entities described in 

7 subsection (a)(2)(A) with which the Secretary 

8 has entered or plans to enter into a cooperative 

9 agreement under this section. 

10 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(i) CORRESPONDENCE TO NUTRITION

12 ASSISTANCE NEEDS.—To ensure that the 

13 distribution of awards under this section 

14 corresponds to the nutrition assistance 

15 needs in each State, the noncompetitive 

16 process established under subparagraph 

17 (A) shall take into consideration— 

18 ‘‘(I) the poverty rate and unem19 ployment levels in each State; and 

20 ‘‘(II) other socioeconomic metrics 

21 maintained by the Federal Govern22 ment, including the social vulner23 ability index and area deprivation 

24 index maintained by the Department 

25 of Health and Human Services. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATION.—The Secretary 

2 shall take into consideration the funding 

3 formula of the emergency food assistance 

4 program established under the Emergency 

5 Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 

6 7501 et seq.) in ensuring that the non7 competitive process established under sub8 paragraph (A) complies with the require9 ment described in clause (i). 

10 ‘‘(2) AWARDS TO TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Before applying the 

12 process established under paragraph (1) for a 

13 fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 15 per14 cent of the total amount made available to 

15 carry out this section for that fiscal year for 

16 making awards to eligible entities described in 

17 subsection (a)(2)(B) with which the Secretary 

18 has entered or plans to enter into a cooperative 

19 agreement under this section. 

20 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall 

21 make awards to eligible entities described in 

22 subsection (a)(2)(B)— 

23 ‘‘(i) through a noncompetitive process; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) at a prorated amount based on 

2 the proposals submitted by eligible entities 

3 described in that subsection. 

4 ‘‘(3) TIMING OF DISTRIBUTIONS FOR INITIAL

5 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary shall distribute funds 

6 awarded in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) 

7 incrementally in order to ensure that all interested 

8 eligible entities have an opportunity to be selected 

9 for entering into a cooperative agreement and receiv10 ing an award under this section. 

11 ‘‘(4) ADJUSTMENTS AND DISTRIBUTION OF RE12 MAINING FUNDS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) ADJUSTMENT OF AWARD

14 AMOUNTS.—The total amount of an award 

15 made or proposed to be made to an eligible en16 tity under this subsection may be amended or 

17 adjusted, or additional amounts may be sepa18 rately awarded to that eligible entity, depending 

19 on— 

20 ‘‘(i) demand for cooperative agree21 ments, as determined by the Secretary 

22 based on the number of applications sub23 mitted or other factors; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) the availability of funds. 


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1 ‘‘(B) POST-APPLICATION ADJUSTMENTS.— 

2 The Secretary may adjust the amount of an 

3 award made or proposed to be made under this 

4 section after the application period has closed. 

5 ‘‘(g) TERM OF AGREEMENT; COMPLETION OF

6 PROJECTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2)— 

8 ‘‘(A) a cooperative agreement under this 

9 section shall be for a term of not more than 2 

10 years; and 

11 ‘‘(B) any projects carried out pursuant to 

12 that cooperative agreement shall be completed 

13 by the end of that term. 

14 ‘‘(2) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may, as the 

15 Secretary determines to be appropriate, extend the 

16 term of a cooperative agreement entered into under 

17 this section for not more than 2 additional years. 

18 ‘‘(h) FUNDING.— 

19 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

20 addition to any other amounts available to the Sec21 retary, there is authorized to be appropriated to 

22 carry out this section $40,000,000 for each of fiscal 

23 years 2025 through 2029, to remain available until 

24 expended. 


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1 ‘‘(2) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts 

2 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

3 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec4 tion $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fis5 cal year thereafter, to remain available until ex6 pended.’’. 

7 SEC. 10005. ORGANIC MARKET DEVELOPMENT GRANT. 

8 Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 

9 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) (as amended by section 10004) 

10 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 210C. ORGANIC MARKET DEVELOPMENT GRANT. 

12 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 ‘‘(1) CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCT.—The term 

14 ‘certified organic product’ means an agricultural 

15 product (as defined in section 2103 of the Organic 

16 Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502)) 

17 that is organically produced (as defined in that sec18 tion). 

19 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible en21 tity’ means an entity described in subparagraph 

22 (B) that— 

23 ‘‘(i) is owned and operated within— 

24 ‘‘(I) a State; 

25 ‘‘(II) the District of Columbia; 


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1 ‘‘(III) the Commonwealth of 

2 Puerto Rico; 

3 ‘‘(IV) the United States Virgin 

4 Islands; 

5 ‘‘(V) Guam; 

6 ‘‘(VI) American Samoa; 

7 ‘‘(VII) the Commonwealth of the 

8 Northern Mariana Islands; or 

9 ‘‘(VIII) the jurisdiction of an In10 dian Tribe; and 

11 ‘‘(ii)(I) is certified in accordance with 

12 subpart E of part 205 of title 7, Code of 

13 Federal Regulations (or successor regula14 tions); or 

15 ‘‘(II) is in transition to certification, 

16 as defined by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(B) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—An entity re18 ferred to in subparagraph (A) is— 

19 ‘‘(i) a producer, producer cooperative, 

20 or other commercial entity that produces 

21 or handles certified organic products; 

22 ‘‘(ii) a nonprofit corporation; 

23 ‘‘(iii) a trade association; 

24 ‘‘(iv) a public benefit corporation; 

25 ‘‘(v) a philanthropic organization; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) a unit of Tribal, State, terri2 torial, or local government; or 

3 ‘‘(vii) such other entity as the Sec4 retary may designate. 

5 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘eligible enti6 ty’ does not include an entity described in sub7 paragraph (B) the operations of which are sus8 pended or revoked under section 205.662 of 

9 title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or a suc10 cessor regulation). 

11 ‘‘(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

12 has the meanings given the term in section 4 of the 

13 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

14 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

15 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

16 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Ad17 ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service. 

18 ‘‘(5) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Tribal 

19 government’ means the governing body of an Indian 

20 Tribe. 

21 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Sec22 retary shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘Or23 ganic Market Development Grant Program’, that— 

24 ‘‘(1) increases the capacity of the domestic or25 ganic product supply chain for producers, handlers, 


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1 suppliers, and processors of certified organic prod2 ucts; 

3 ‘‘(2) modernizes manufacturing, tracking, stor4 age, and information technology systems specific to 

5 the purposes described in this subsection, such as 

6 process control or organic product ingredient track7 ing systems; 

8 ‘‘(3) improves the capacity of eligible entities to 

9 comply with applicable regulatory requirements or 

10 quality standards required to access markets, such 

11 as requirements and standards relating to food safe12 ty and organic product certification; 

13 ‘‘(4) expands capacity for storage, processing, 

14 aggregation, and distribution of certified organic 

15 products to create more and better markets for pro16 ducers of certified organic products; 

17 ‘‘(5) facilitates market development for domesti18 cally produced certified organic products; 

19 ‘‘(6) provides for the conduct of feasibility stud20 ies and market viability assessments to inform or21 ganic transition strategies and opportunities; 

22 ‘‘(7) ameliorates barriers to entry to organic 

23 product certification for historically underserved en24 tities; 


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1 ‘‘(8) supports market and promotional activities 

2 that help build commercial markets for certified or3 ganic products in the United States; 

4 ‘‘(9) provides technical assistance and outreach 

5 to program stakeholders and participants; and 

6 ‘‘(10) addresses additional barriers and bottle7 necks in the domestic organic product supply chain 

8 for producers, handlers, suppliers, and processors of 

9 certified organic products, as determined by the Sec10 retary. 

11 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.—For each fiscal year for which 

12 amounts are made available to carry out this section under 

13 subsection (k), the Secretary shall provide grants to sup14 port eligible entities in conducting activities in accordance 

15 with the purposes of the program described in subsection 

16 (b). 

17 ‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

19 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub20 mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 

21 such manner, and containing such information as 

22 the Secretary may require. 

23 ‘‘(2) SIMPLIFIED PROCESS.—The Secretary 

24 shall implement a simplified application and award 


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1 process under this section for use by any eligible en2 tity seeking to carry out an equipment-only project. 

3 ‘‘(3) BENEFITS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

5 subparagraph (B), an application submitted 

6 under this subsection shall include a description 

7 of the direct or indirect producer or food busi8 ness benefits intended by the eligible entity to 

9 result from the proposed project within a rea10 sonable period of time after the receipt of a 

11 grant under this section. 

12 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) 

13 shall not apply to any feasibility study or mar14 ket viability assessment conducted pursuant to 

15 this section. 

16 ‘‘(4) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish 

17 such criteria for the evaluation and funding of pro18 posed projects under this section as the Secretary 

19 determines to be appropriate. 

20 ‘‘(5) COMPETITIVE PROCESS.—The Secretary— 

21 ‘‘(A) shall conduct a competitive process to 

22 select applications submitted under this sub23 section; 

24 ‘‘(B) may assess and rank applications 

25 with similar purposes as a group; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) before accepting any application 

2 under this subsection, shall make publicly avail3 able the criteria to be used in evaluating the ap4 plications. 

5 ‘‘(e) PROJECT TYPES.—An eligible entity may use 

6 amounts received under this section to carry out, in ac7 cordance with such goals and deadlines for completion as 

8 the Secretary may establish, the following types of 

9 projects: 

10 ‘‘(1) Market development and promotion of cer11 tified organic products. 

12 ‘‘(2) Certified organic product storage (includ13 ing cold storage), aggregation, processing, and dis14 tribution capacity expansion. 

15 ‘‘(3) Equipment-only. 

16 ‘‘(f) TERM.—Unless otherwise determined by the 

17 Secretary, a grant provided under this section shall have 

18 a term of not longer than 3 years. 

19 ‘‘(g) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant 

21 provided under this section for a project described in 

22 paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (e) shall be not 

23 more than $3,000,000. 

24 ‘‘(2) SIMPLIFIED EQUIPMENT-ONLY

25 PROJECTS.—The amount of a grant provided under 


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1 this section for a project described in subsection 

2 (e)(3) shall be not more than $100,000. 

3 ‘‘(h) MATCHING FUNDS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that re5 ceives a grant under this section to carry out a 

6 project described in paragraph (1) or (2) of sub7 section (e) shall provide a non-Federal share equal 

8 to not less than 50 percent of the cost of the project. 

9 ‘‘(2) SIMPLIFIED EQUIPMENT-ONLY

10 PROJECTS.—An eligible entity that receives a grant 

11 under this section to carry out a project described 

12 in subsection (e)(3) shall not be required to con13 tribute a non-Federal share to the cost of the 

14 project. 

15 ‘‘(3) RULE FOR CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.—The 

16 Secretary may waive or lower the non-Federal share 

17 required under this subsection for small and under18 served eligible entities applying for a grant under 

19 this section. 

20 ‘‘(i) AWARDS TO MULTIPLE ENTITIES.—The Sec21 retary may provide a grant under this section to more 

22 than 1 eligible entity, as the Secretary determines to be 

23 appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(j) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

25 provide to eligible entities technical assistance under this 


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1 section, directly or through 1 or more cooperative agree2 ments. 

3 ‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In ad4 dition to amounts otherwise available, there is authorized 

5 to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec6 tion $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

7 2029, to remain available until expended.’’. 

8 SEC. 10006. ORGANIC PRODUCTION AND MARKET DATA INI9 TIATIVES. 

10 Section 7407(d) of the Farm Security and Rural In11 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5925c(d)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

14 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

15 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

16 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal 

19 years 2025 through 2029.’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 10007. NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM. 

23 (a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 2107 of the 

24 Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6506) 

25 is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) 

2 as subsections (d) through (f), respectively; and 

3 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the national or7 ganic program established under this title, the Sec8 retary may provide technical assistance, education, 

9 and outreach to— 

10 ‘‘(A) farmers on certified organic farms; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) farmers who are transitioning to or13 ganic (as determined by the Secretary). 

14 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out paragraph 

15 (1), the Secretary may— 

16 ‘‘(A) coordinate with the heads of agencies 

17 within the Department of Agriculture, including 

18 the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency, 

19 the Chief of the Natural Resources Conserva20 tion Service, the Administrator of the Risk 

21 Management Agency, and the Director of the 

22 National Institute of Food and Agriculture; and 

23 ‘‘(B) enter into cooperative agreements 

24 with, or provide grants to, nonprofit organiza25 tions, State cooperative extension services, or 


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1 other qualified entities with expertise in work2 ing with organic stakeholders to provide region3 ally-specific training, education, and outreach.’’. 

4 (b) IMPROVEMENT OF ORGANIC STANDARDS.—Sec5 tion 2122 of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 

6 (7 U.S.C. 6521) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(a) IMPROVEMENT OF ORGANIC STANDARDS.—Not 

10 later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 

11 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Sec12 retary shall publish in the Federal Register a request for 

13 information soliciting public input on which regulations 

14 promulgated pursuant to this Act should be prioritized for 

15 revision.’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (d)— 

17 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

18 through (3) as subparagraphs (A) through (C), 

19 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

20 (B) by inserting before subparagraph (A) 

21 (as so redesignated) the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) INVESTIGATIONS AND COMPLIANCE RE23 PORT.—’’; and 

24 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT.—Not 

2 later than January 1, 2026, and each fiscal year 

3 thereafter through fiscal year 2029, the Secretary 

4 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri5 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

6 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and 

7 make publicly available on the website of the De8 partment of Agriculture, a report— 

9 ‘‘(A) listing all recommendations received 

10 by the Secretary, acting through the Deputy 

11 Administrator of the national organic program, 

12 under section 2119(k); 

13 ‘‘(B) describing all regulatory and adminis14 trative actions taken to implement those rec15 ommendations, including the status of each rec16 ommendation at the time of the report; and 

17 ‘‘(C) any relevant justifications from the 

18 Secretary, acting through the Deputy Adminis19 trator of the national organic program or the 

20 Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing 

21 Service, for the implementation status of those 

22 recommendations, particularly for recommenda23 tions not yet acted on by the Secretary, acting 

24 through the Deputy Administrator of the na25 tional organic program.’’; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(e) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE3 PORT ON ORGANIC RULEMAKING.—Not later than 1 year 

4 after the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and 

5 Food Security Act of 2024, the Comptroller General of 

6 the United States shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) conduct a study on the efforts of the Sec8 retary, acting through the Deputy Administrator of 

9 the national organic program, to improve organic 

10 standards, including— 

11 ‘‘(A) the recommendations received from 

12 the National Organic Standards Board that 

13 were implemented through rulemaking, the 

14 issuance of guidance, or other administrative 

15 actions; 

16 ‘‘(B) any instances in which the Secretary, 

17 acting through the Deputy Administrator of the 

18 national organic program, formally declined to 

19 take action on any recommendations received 

20 from the National Organic Standards Board; 

21 ‘‘(C) for the 20-year period ending on that 

22 date of enactment, the average length of time 

23 between— 

24 ‘‘(i) the receipt by the Secretary, act25 ing through the Deputy Administrator of 


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1 the national organic program, of a rec2 ommendation from the National Organic 

3 Standards Board; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) as applicable— 

5 ‘‘(I) the initiation of the rule6 making requested by the recommenda7 tion; 

8 ‘‘(II) the issuance of guidance or 

9 the taking of other administrative ac10 tions based on the recommendation; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(III) formally declining to act 

13 on the recommendation; and 

14 ‘‘(D) for all matters identified under sub15 paragraph (B), any justifications of the Sec16 retary, acting through the Deputy Adminis17 trator of the national organic program, for de18 clining to take action on the applicable rec19 ommendation; and 

20 ‘‘(2) based on the results of the study con21 ducted under paragraph (1), provide recommenda22 tions on how the Secretary, acting through the Dep23 uty Administrator of the national organic program, 

24 in consultation with the National Organic Standards 


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1 Board, can ensure that national organic program 

2 standards evolve in a timely manner— 

3 ‘‘(A) to assure consumers that organically 

4 produced products meet a consistent standard; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(B) to benefit organic producers.’’. 

7 (c) FUNDING.—Section 2123 of the Organic Foods 

8 Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6522) is amended— 

9 (1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

13 provision of law, in order to carry out activities 

14 under the national organic program established 

15 under this title, there are authorized to be appro16 priated— 

17 ‘‘(A) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

18 ‘‘(B) $28,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

19 ‘‘(C) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

20 ‘‘(D) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(E) $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 

23 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Notwith24 standing any other provision of law, in order to 

25 carry out activities under section 2107(c), there is 


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1 authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each 

2 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (c)(4), in the matter preceding 

4 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘$5,000,000 for fiscal 

5 year 2019 and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2024’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2019, 

7 $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, and $10,000,000 

8 for fiscal year 2025’’. 

9 SEC. 10008. ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL ORGANIC PRO10 GRAM ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY. 

11 The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

12 6501 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 2120 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 2120A. ASSESSMENT OF FRAUDULENT ORGANIC CER15 TIFICATES. 

16 ‘‘(a) ASSESSMENT.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

18 after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec19 retary shall complete— 

20 ‘‘(A) an assessment of all fraudulent or21 ganic certificates issued for a dietary supple22 ment (as defined in section 201 of the Federal 

23 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 

24 321)); and 


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1 ‘‘(B) an assessment of any fraudulent la2 bels, complaints, and other data considered as 

3 part of drafting the assessment under subpara4 graph (A). 

5 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out para6 graph (1), the Secretary shall assess— 

7 ‘‘(A) the number of complaints received by 

8 the Secretary, a State organic certification pro9 gram, or a certifying agent pertaining to— 

10 ‘‘(i) suspected fraudulent use of a 

11 label or other market information de12 scribed in section 2106(a)(2); or 

13 ‘‘(ii) suspected fraudulent representa14 tions claiming that products meet organic 

15 standards established under the national 

16 organic program despite those products 

17 falling outside of the enforcement authority 

18 of the national organic program; 

19 ‘‘(B) staffing and resource needs within 

20 the national organic program if the enforcement 

21 responsibilities of the national organic program 

22 were broadened to include the products identi23 fied under paragraph (1); and 

24 ‘‘(C) any potential effects of broadening 

25 the enforcement authority of the national orVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ganic program on domestic organic farmers, 

2 handlers, and consumers. 

3 ‘‘(b) REPORT.—Not later than 45 days after the date 

4 on which the assessment under subsection (a) is com5 pleted, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and make 

6 publicly available on the website of the Department of Ag7 riculture a report that— 

8 ‘‘(1) describes in detail the results of the as9 sessment required by subsection (a); and 

10 ‘‘(2) makes recommendations to Congress based 

11 on that assessment. 

12 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

14 out this section $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 

15 2025 through 2029, to remain available until expended.’’. 

16 SEC. 10009. NATIONAL ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST17 SHARE PROGRAM. 

18 Section 10606 of the Farm Security and Rural In19 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘$750’’ 

21 and inserting $1,500; and 

22 (2) in subsection (d)(1), by striking subpara23 graphs (A) through (C) and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

25 2022 through 2024; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) such sums as are necessary for the 

2 Secretary to carry out this section for fiscal 

3 year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’. 

4 SEC. 10010. FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION INITIATIVES. 

5 Section 10105(c) of the Food, Conservation, and En6 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7655a(c)) is amended by strik7 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 10011. SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANTS. 

9 Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness 

10 Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108–465) 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

13 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2029’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (i)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘in accordance with 

18 paragraph (2)’’; and 

19 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, by adding such un20 obligated or unexpended amounts to the al21 location funding pool for the current or fol22 lowing fiscal year, as determined by the 

23 Secretary’’ after ‘‘determined by the Sec24 retary’’; 

25 (B) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘funds described in 

2 paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘such 

3 funds’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘If funds described in paragraph 

6 (1) are distributed in the current fiscal 

7 year, the Secretary’’; and 

8 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘this 

9 subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; 

10 (3) in subsection (k)— 

11 (A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

12 paragraph (4); and 

13 (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

14 following— 

15 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATIONS.—The Secretary of Agri16 culture shall encourage State departments of agri17 culture to consult annually with specialty crop pro18 ducers and producer groups in establishing pro19 grammatic and funding priorities for the fiscal 

20 year.’’; and 

21 (4) in subsection (l)(1)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

24 (B) by striking subparagraph (E) and in25 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) $85,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

2 2018 through 2024; and 

3 ‘‘(F) $170,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

4 and each fiscal year thereafter, to remain avail5 able until expended by the Secretary.’’. 

6 SEC. 10012. MULTIPLE CROP AND PESTICIDE USE SURVEY. 

7 Section 10109(c)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement 

8 Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4907; 137 

9 Stat. 118) is amended by striking ‘‘2019 and $100,000 

10 for fiscal year 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2019, $100,000 for 

11 fiscal year 2024, and $500,000 for fiscal year 2025’’. 

12 SEC. 10013. DEFINING PLANT BIOSTIMULANTS. 

13 Section 2 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

14 Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking subsection (v) and inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(v) PLANT REGULATOR.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘plant regulator’ 

19 means any substance or mixture of substances in20 tended, through physiological action, for accelerating 

21 or retarding the rate of growth or rate of matura22 tion, or for otherwise altering the behavior, of plants 

23 or the produce thereof. 

24 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘plant regulator’ 

25 does not include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) substances to the extent that they are 

2 intended as plant nutrients, trace elements, nu3 tritional chemicals, plant inoculants, soil 

4 amendments, or vitamin hormone products; or 

5 ‘‘(B) plant biostimulants that— 

6 ‘‘(i) have a low-hazard profile in rela7 tion to humans and other microorganisms, 

8 as determined by the Administrator; and 

9 ‘‘(ii)(I) are of biological origin; or 

10 ‘‘(II) include chemical compounds that 

11 are synthetically derived but are struc12 turally similar and functionally identical to 

13 substances of biological origin.’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (hh)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

16 the end; 

17 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

18 (i) in the matter preceding subpara19 graph (A), by striking ‘‘substances.’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘substances’’; 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

22 (I) by inserting ‘‘, or’’ after ‘‘vol23 atilization’’; and 

24 (II) by striking the period at the 

25 end and inserting a semicolon; and 


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1 (C) by inserting before the undesignated 

2 matter following paragraph (3) the following: 

3 ‘‘(4) a plant biostimulant; or 

4 ‘‘(5) a nutritional chemical.’’; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(pp) PLANT BIOSTIMULANT.—The term ‘plant bio7 stimulant’ means any substance or mixture of substances 

8 that, when applied to seeds, plants, the rhizosphere, or soil 

9 or other growth media, acts to support the natural nutri10 tion processes of a plant independently of the nutrient con11 tent of that substance or mixture of substances, and that 

12 thereby improves— 

13 ‘‘(1) nutrient availability, uptake, or use effi14 ciency; 

15 ‘‘(2) tolerance to abiotic stress; or 

16 ‘‘(3) consequent growth, development, quality, 

17 or yield. 

18 ‘‘(qq) NUTRITIONAL CHEMICAL.—The term ‘nutri19 tional chemical’ means any substance or mixture of sub20 stances that interacts with plant nutrients in a manner 

21 that improves nutrient availability or aids the plant in ac22 quiring or utilizing plant nutrients. 

23 ‘‘(rr) VITAMIN HORMONE PRODUCT.—The term ‘vi24 tamin hormone product’ means a product that— 


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1 ‘‘(1) consists of a mixture of plant hormones, 

2 plant nutrients, plant inoculants, soil amendments, 

3 trace elements, nutritional chemicals, plant biostimu4 lants, or vitamins that is intended for the improve5 ment, maintenance, survival, health, and propaga6 tion of plants; 

7 ‘‘(2) is nontoxic and nonpoisonous in the undi8 luted packaged concentrations of the product; and 

9 ‘‘(3) is not intended for use on food crop sites 

10 and is labeled accordingly.’’. 

11 SEC. 10014. SOIL HEALTH STUDY. 

12 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a study to 

13 assess the types of, and practices using, plant biostimu14 lants (as defined in section 2 of the Federal Insecticide, 

15 Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136)) that best 

16 achieve the following: 

17 (1) Increasing organic matter content. 

18 (2) Reducing atmospheric volatilization. 

19 (3) Promotion of nutrient management prac20 tices. 

21 (4) Limiting or eliminating runoff or leaching 

22 of soil or nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitro23 gen, into groundwater or other water sources. 

24 (5) Restoring beneficial bioactivity or healthy 

25 nutrients to the soil. 


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1 (6) Aiding in carbon sequestration, nutrient use 

2 efficiency, and other climate-related benefits. 

3 (7) Supporting innovative approaches to im4 proving agricultural sustainability, including the 

5 adoption of performance-based outcome standards 

6 and criteria. 

7 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date 

8 on which funds are first made available for the study 

9 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make publicly 

10 available and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of 

11 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri12 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 

13 that describes the results of the study. 

14 SEC. 10015. REPORT ON PLANT-INCORPORATED 

15 PROTECTANTS. 

16 (a) REPORT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

19 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

20 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag21 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 

22 report that identifies any potential regulatory, non23 regulatory, and legislative recommendations, includ24 ing the appropriateness of any definitions for plant25 incorporated protectants, to ensure the efficient and 


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1 appropriate review, approval, and availability of 

2 plant-incorporated protectants for use in agricultural 

3 and horticultural production. 

4 (2) INCLUSIONS.—In compiling the report re5 quired under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall in6 clude an assessment of the potential impacts of 

7 plant-incorporated protectants on— 

8 (A) the environment, including nearby eco9 systems that may be affected by the production 

10 of plants that contain plant-incorporated 

11 protectants; 

12 (B) wildlife, including pollinator species; 

13 and 

14 (C) human health, including potential im15 pacts on human health through food tolerances 

16 or residues of plant-incorporated protectants in17 troduced into the food supply or other commer18 cial products through processing. 

19 (b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall prepare 

20 the report required by subsection (a) in consultation with 

21 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen22 cy, the several States, industry stakeholders, and such 

23 other public interest stakeholders as the Secretary deter24 mines necessary. 


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1 (c) PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANT.—For the 

2 purposes of the report under subsection (a), the Sec3 retary— 

4 (1) shall consider ‘‘plant-incorporated protect5 ant’’ to be a pesticidal substance that is intended to 

6 be produced and used in a living plant, or in the 

7 produce of a living plant, and the genetic material 

8 necessary for production of such a pesticidal sub9 stance, including any inert ingredient contained in 

10 the applicable plant or produce; and 

11 (2) may modify the description of plant-incor12 porated protectant, as appropriate. 

13 SEC. 10016. HEMP PRODUCTION. 

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 297A of the Agricul16 tural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639o) is 

17 amended— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘delta-9’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘total’’; 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘concentration’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘concentration (including 

23 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)’’; 

24 (iii) by striking the period at the end 

25 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 


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1 (iv) by striking ‘‘means the plant’’ 

2 and inserting the following: ‘‘means— 

3 ‘‘(A) the plant’’; and 

4 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(B) industrial hemp.’’; 

6 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 

7 through (6) as paragraphs (4) through (7), re8 spectively; and 

9 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(3) INDUSTRIAL HEMP.—The term ‘industrial 

12 hemp’ means the plant Cannabis sativa L. if the 

13 harvested material— 

14 ‘‘(A) is only— 

15 ‘‘(i) the stalks of that plant, fiber pro16 duced from those stalks, or any other man17 ufactured product, derivative, mixture, or 

18 preparation of those stalks (except 

19 cannabinoid resin extracted from those 

20 stalks); 

21 ‘‘(ii) whole grain, oil, cake, nut, hull, 

22 or any other compound, manufactured 

23 product, derivative, mixture, or preparation 

24 of the seeds of that plant (except 


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1 cannabinoid resin extracted from the seeds 

2 of that plant); or 

3 ‘‘(iii) viable seeds of that plant pro4 duced solely for production or manufacture 

5 of any material described in clause (i) or 

6 (ii); and 

7 ‘‘(B) will not be used in the manufacturing 

8 or synthesis of natural or synthetic cannabinoid 

9 products.’’. 

10 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

11 (A) Section 297B of the Agricultural Mar12 keting Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639p) is amend13 ed— 

14 (i) in subsection (a)(2)(A)(ii)— 

15 (I) by striking ‘‘delta-9’’ and in16 serting ‘‘total’’; and 

17 (II) by striking ‘‘concentration’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘concentration (includ19 ing tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)’’; and 

20 (ii) in subsection (e)(2)(A)(iii)— 

21 (I) by striking ‘‘delta-9’’ and in22 serting ‘‘total’’; and 

23 (II) by striking ‘‘concentration’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘concentration (includ25 ing tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)’’. 


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1 (B) Section 297C(a)(2)(B) of the Agricul2 tural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 

3 1639q(a)(2)(B)) is amended— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘delta-9’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘total’’; and 

6 (ii) by striking ‘‘concentration’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘concentration (including 

8 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)’’. 

9 (b) INDUSTRIAL HEMP.— 

10 (1) STATE AND TRIBAL PLANS.—Section 297B 

11 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 

12 1639p) is amended— 

13 (A) in subsection (a)— 

14 (i) paragraph (2)(A)— 

15 (I) by redesignating clauses (ii) 

16 through (vii) as clauses (iii) through 

17 (viii), respectively; 

18 (II) by inserting after clause (i) 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘(ii) a procedure by which a hemp 

21 producer may be licensed to produce— 

22 ‘‘(I) only industrial hemp, in 

23 which case the industrial hemp pro24 ducer shall not be required to undergo 


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1 a background check to apply for the 

2 license; or 

3 ‘‘(II) hemp for any purpose;’’; 

4 (III) in clause (iii) (as so redesig5 nated)— 

6 (aa) by inserting ‘‘, exclud7 ing industrial hemp,’’ after 

8 ‘‘hemp’’; 

9 (bb) by adding ‘‘and’’ after 

10 the semicolon at the end; 

11 (cc) by striking ‘‘(iii) a pro12 cedure’’ and inserting ‘‘(iii)(I) a 

13 procedure’’; and 

14 (dd) by adding at the end 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘(II) in the case of a producer li17 censed to produce only industrial hemp 

18 under clause (ii)(I), a procedure for testing 

19 compliance with the definition of industrial 

20 hemp in section 297A using relaxed regu21 latory requirements, which may include— 

22 ‘‘(aa) visual inspections; 

23 ‘‘(bb) performance-based sam24 pling methodologies; 


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1 ‘‘(cc) certified seed, if the appli2 cable State or Indian tribe is partici3 pating in the pilot program estab4 lished under paragraph (4); or 

5 ‘‘(dd) any other similar proce6 dure, as approved by the Secretary, 

7 when developing sampling plans for 

8 any producer that elects to be des9 ignated as a producer of only indus10 trial hemp under clause (ii)(I);’’; and 

11 (IV) in clause (viii) (as so redes12 ignated), by striking ‘‘(vi)’’ and in13 serting ‘‘(vii)’’; and 

14 (ii) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(4) CERTIFIED SEED PILOT PROGRAM.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, in 

18 up to 5 States or Indian tribes, establish a pilot 

19 program under which the State department of 

20 agriculture of a selected State, or the equivalent 

21 Tribal government agency, may certify genetic 

22 purity (within the meaning of the Federal Seed 

23 Act (7 U.S.C. 1551 et seq.)) and identity as to 

24 variety (as defined in section 101 of that Act (7 

25 U.S.C. 1561)) of varieties of seeds that have 


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1 been bred to produce plants with a total 

2 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration (including 

3 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) of not more than 

4 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. 

5 ‘‘(B) EXEMPTION.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A hemp producer 

7 that produces hemp using a variety of seed 

8 certified under subparagraph (A) in the 

9 State or on the land of the Indian tribe by 

10 which the variety of seed is certified may 

11 submit to the applicable State department 

12 of agriculture, or equivalent Tribal govern13 ment agency, an application for an exemp14 tion from the testing requirements under 

15 paragraph (2)(A)(iii)(I). 

16 ‘‘(ii) EXPIRATION.—An exemption ap17 proved under clause (i) shall expire on the 

18 date that is 3 years after the date of the 

19 approval. 

20 ‘‘(iii) REAPPLICATION.—A hemp pro21 ducer may reapply under clause (i) to be 

22 exempt under that clause after the expira23 tion of the exemption under clause (ii). 

24 ‘‘(C) APPROVAL.—If the State department 

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1 mitted under subparagraph (B)(i), the applica2 ble hemp producer shall not be subject to the 

3 testing requirements under paragraph 

4 (2)(A)(iii)(I). 

5 ‘‘(D) REGULATION OF VENDORS.—Each 

6 State or Indian tribe selected to participate in 

7 the pilot program under this paragraph shall 

8 regulate vendors of seed certified under sub9 paragraph (A) operating in that State or on the 

10 land of that Indian tribe.’’; and 

11 (B) in subsection (e)(3)— 

12 (i) by striking subparagraph (B); 

13 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

14 (C) as subparagraph (B); and 

15 (iii) by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(C) PRODUCTION INCONSISTENT WITH

18 INDUSTRIAL HEMP DESIGNATION.—Any person 

19 licensed to produce only industrial hemp as de20 scribed in subsection (a)(2)(A)(ii)(I) who, with 

21 a culpable mental state greater than negligence, 

22 produces a crop of hemp that is inconsistent 

23 with that license shall be ineligible to partici24 pate in the program established under this sec25 tion for a period of 5 years beginning on the 


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1 date of the violation, as determined by the Sec2 retary.’’. 

3 (2) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PLAN.— 

4 Section 297C(a)(2) of the Agricultural Marketing 

5 Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639q(a)(2)) is amended— 

6 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

7 through (F) as subparagraphs (C) through (G), 

8 respectively; 

9 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(B) a procedure by which a hemp pro12 ducer may be licensed to produce— 

13 ‘‘(i) only industrial hemp, in which 

14 case the industrial hemp producer shall not 

15 be required to undergo a background check 

16 to apply for the license; or 

17 ‘‘(ii) hemp for any purpose;’’; and 

18 (C) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesig19 nated)— 

20 (i) by inserting ‘‘, excluding industrial 

21 hemp,’’ after ‘‘hemp’’; 

22 (ii) by adding ‘‘and’’ after the semi23 colon at the end; 

24 (iii) by striking ‘‘(C) a procedure’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘(C)(i) a procedure’’; and 


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1 (iv) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a producer licensed to 

4 produce only industrial hemp under subpara5 graph (B)(i), a procedure for testing compliance 

6 with the definition of industrial hemp in section 

7 297A using relaxed regulatory requirements, 

8 which may include— 

9 ‘‘(I) visual inspections; 

10 ‘‘(II) performance-based sampling 

11 methodologies; 

12 ‘‘(III) certified seed, if the applicable 

13 State or Indian tribe is participating in the 

14 pilot program established under section 

15 297B(a)(4); or 

16 ‘‘(IV) any other similar procedure, as 

17 approved by the Secretary, when devel18 oping sampling plans for any producer that 

19 elects to be designated as a producer of 

20 only industrial hemp under subparagraph 

21 (B)(i);’’. 

22 (3) REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES; EFFECT

23 ON OTHER LAW.—Section 297D of the Agricultural 

24 Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639r) is amended 

25 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(d) EFFECT ON STATE OR TRIBAL LAW.—Except 

2 as provided in section 297B, nothing in this subtitle pre3 empts or limits any law of a State or Indian tribe that 

4 regulates any activity involving hemp or hemp products, 

5 including with respect to the production, manufacture, or 

6 sale of hemp or hemp products.’’. 

7 SEC. 10017. FIFRA INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 

8 Section 3(c)(11)(D)(iv) of the Federal Insecticide, 

9 Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 

10 136a(c)(11)(D)(iv)) is amended, in the matter preceding 

11 subclause (I), by striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and all that 

12 follows through ‘‘beginning on that date’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘Not less frequently than annually for each of fiscal years 

14 2025 through 2029’’. 

15 SEC. 10018. INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OUTSIDE OF THE CON16 TINENTAL UNITED STATES. 

17 Section 433(c)(1) of the Plant Protection Act (7 

18 U.S.C. 7753(c)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘or interstate 

19 movement from areas outside of the continental United 

20 States,’’ after ‘‘United States,’’. 

21 SEC. 10019. PLANT PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND 

22 DISASTER PREVENTION. 

23 Section 420(f) of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 

24 7721(f)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (2) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para4 graph (7); 

5 (3) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(6) $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 

8 through 2024; and’’; and 

9 (4) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), by 

10 striking ‘‘$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2018’’ and in11 serting ‘‘$90,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’. 

12 SEC. 10020. AGRICULTURE QUARANTINE AND INSPECTION 

13 PROGRAM RESERVE FEE. 

14 Section 2509(a)(1) of the Food, Agriculture, Con15 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (21 U.S.C. 136a(a)(1)) 

16 is amended by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(C) to maintain a reasonable balance in 

19 the Department of Agriculture accounts de20 scribed in paragraph (6).’’. 

21 TITLE XI—CROP INSURANCE 

22 Subtitle A—Producer Affordability 

23 SEC. 11101. ENHANCING SUBSIDIES FOR BEGINNING AND 

24 VETERAN FARMERS AND RANCHERS. 

25 (a) DEFINITIONS.— 


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1 (1) BEGINNING FARMER OR RANCHER.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 502(b)(3) of 

3 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

4 1502(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘5’’ and in5 serting ‘‘10’’. 

6 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

7 522(c)(7) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(7)) is amended by striking sub9 paragraph (F). 

10 (2) VETERAN FARMER OR RANCHER.—Section 

11 502(b)(14)(B) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

12 U.S.C. 1502(b)(14)(B)) is amended— 

13 (A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘5 years’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘10 years’’; and 

15 (B) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘5-year’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘10-year’’. 

17 (b) INCREASE IN ASSISTANCE.—Section 508(e)(8) of 

18 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(e)(8)) is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding’’; 

23 (2) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by 

24 striking ‘‘is 10 percentage points greater than’’ and 


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1 inserting ‘‘is the number of percentage points speci2 fied in subparagraph (B) greater than’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(B) PERCENTAGE POINTS ADJUST5 MENTS.—The percentage points referred to in 

6 subparagraph (A) are the following: 

7 ‘‘(i) For each of the first and second 

8 reinsurance years that a beginning farmer 

9 or rancher or veteran farmer or rancher 

10 participates as a beginning farmer or 

11 rancher or veteran farmer or rancher, re12 spectively, in the applicable policy or plan 

13 of insurance, 15 percentage points. 

14 ‘‘(ii) For the third reinsurance year 

15 that a beginning farmer or rancher or vet16 eran farmer or rancher participates as a 

17 beginning farmer or rancher or veteran 

18 farmer or rancher, respectively, in the ap19 plicable policy or plan of insurance, 13 per20 centage points. 

21 ‘‘(iii) For the fourth reinsurance year 

22 that a beginning farmer or rancher or vet23 eran farmer or rancher participates as a 

24 beginning farmer or rancher or veteran 

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1 plicable policy or plan of insurance, 11 per2 centage points. 

3 ‘‘(iv) For each of the fifth through 

4 tenth reinsurance years that a beginning 

5 farmer or rancher or veteran farmer or 

6 rancher participates as a beginning farmer 

7 or rancher or veteran farmer or rancher, 

8 respectively, in the applicable policy or 

9 plan of insurance, 10 percentage points.’’. 

10 SEC. 11102. HIGHER AREA-BASED PREMIUM SUBSIDY OP11 TION. 

12 Section 508 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

13 U.S.C. 1508) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (c)(4)(C)— 

15 (A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘14’’ and in16 serting ‘‘12’’; 

17 (B) in clause (iii)(I), by striking ‘‘86’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘88’’; 

19 (C) by redesignating clause (v) as clause 

20 (vi); and 

21 (D) by inserting after clause (iv) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(v) PRIORITIES FOR EXPANSION OF

24 COVERAGE.—The Corporation shall 

25 prioritize expansion of coverage under this 


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1 section or similar coverage options to crops 

2 for which, and regions of the United States 

3 in which— 

4 ‘‘(I) insurance options are lim5 ited; and 

6 ‘‘(II) average buy-up levels on in7 dividual insurance policies are less 

8 than 75 percent.’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (e)(2)(H)(i), by striking ‘‘65’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘80’’. 

11 SEC. 11103. EXPANSION OF PERFORMANCE-BASED DIS12 COUNT. 

13 Section 508(d)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

14 (7 U.S.C. 1508(d)(3)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘The Corporation’’ and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation’’; 

18 and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(B) RISK-REDUCING PRACTICE DIS21 COUNT.— 

22 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with 

23 the 2026 reinsurance year, the Corporation 

24 may offer discounts under subparagraph 


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1 (A) for practices that can be demonstrated 

2 to reduce risk, relative to other practices. 

3 ‘‘(ii) REVIEW.—In determining prac4 tices for which to offer discounts under 

5 clause (i), the Corporation shall— 

6 ‘‘(I) for the 2026 reinsurance 

7 year, consider precision irrigation or 

8 fertilization, crop rotations, cover 

9 crops, and any other practices deter10 mined to be appropriate by the Cor11 poration; and 

12 ‘‘(II) on an annual basis, seek ex13 pert opinions and consider additional 

14 practices based on new evidence.’’. 

15 SEC. 11104. HIGHER PREMIUM SUBSIDY RATES. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 508(e)(2) of the Federal 

17 Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(e)(2)) is amended— 

18 (1) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ‘‘67’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘80’’; 

20 (2) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking ‘‘64’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘70’’; 

22 (3) in subparagraph (D)(i), by striking ‘‘59’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘62’’; 

24 (4) in subparagraph (E)(i), by striking ‘‘55’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘58’’; 


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1 (5) in subparagraph (F)(i), by striking ‘‘48’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘50’’; and 

3 (6) in subparagraph (G)(i), by striking ‘‘38’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘40’’. 

5 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The higher premium subsidy 

6 rates specified in the amendments made by subsection (a) 

7 shall be implemented by the Secretary beginning with the 

8 2024 reinsurance year. 

9 Subtitle B—Producer Accessibility 

10 and Representation 

11 SEC. 11201. COMPOSITION OF FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE 

12 CORPORATION BOARD. 

13 Section 505 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

14 U.S.C. 1505) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘One 

17 additional Under Secretary of Agriculture (as 

18 designated by the Secretary)’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘The Under Secretary of Agriculture respon20 sible for marketing and regulatory programs’’; 

21 (B) in each of subparagraphs (E) and (F), 

22 by striking ‘‘One’’ and inserting ‘‘1’’; and 

23 (C) in subparagraph (G)— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘Four’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘5’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘including at least one 

2 specialty crop producer.’’ and inserting the 

3 following: ‘‘including at least— 

4 ‘‘(i) 1 specialty crop producer; 

5 ‘‘(ii) 1 producer that actively engages 

6 in both livestock production and crop pro7 duction of agricultural commodities; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) 1 underserved producer.’’; 

9 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(b) VACANCIES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Vacancies in the Board 

13 shall not impair the power of the Board to execute 

14 the functions of the Corporation, subject to the con15 dition that there are at least 6 members in office. 

16 ‘‘(2) QUORUM.—6 of the members in office 

17 shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the 

18 business of the Board.’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘(c) The Di20 rectors’’ and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(c) COMPENSATION FOR DIRECTORS.—The Direc22 tors’’; 

23 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘(d) The man24 ager’’ and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(d) MANAGER OF CORPORATION.—The manager’’; 

2 and 

3 (5) in subsection (e)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘The Board’’ and in6 serting the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board’’; and 

8 (ii) by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(B) SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE.—To 

11 the maximum extent practicable, the Board 

12 shall seek to include at least 1 expert reviewer 

13 with subject matter expertise on the policy, plan 

14 of insurance, or related material being re15 viewed.’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (i) in the matter preceding subpara18 graph (A), by striking ‘‘five’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘5’’; 

20 (ii) by striking ‘‘one’’ each place it ap21 pears and inserting ‘‘1’’; 

22 (iii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (iv) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

3 and’’; and 

4 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(C) at least 1 person shall be a licensed 

6 actuary.’’; and 

7 (C) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

8 (i) in clause (i)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘one’’ and insert10 ing ‘‘1’’; and 

11 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 and 

13 (ii) by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(iii) at least 1 person shall be a li16 censed actuary; and’’. 

17 SEC. 11202. ENSURING ACCESS FOR PRODUCERS. 

18 Section 520 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

19 U.S.C. 1520) is amended— 

20 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

21 striking ‘‘Except as’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(b) ACCESS FOR PRODUCERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An approved insurance pro2 vider shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) offer and market all plans of insur4 ance for all agricultural commodities in any 

5 State in which actuarial documents are avail6 able and in which the approved insurance pro7 vider writes an eligible crop insurance or live8 stock price insurance contract; and 

9 ‘‘(B) shall accept and approve applications 

10 from all eligible producers. 

11 ‘‘(2) CANCELLATION.—An approved insurance 

12 provider may not cancel an eligible crop insurance or 

13 livestock price insurance contract held by a policy14 holder so long as the policyholder remains an eligible 

15 producer and the approved insurance provider con16 tinues to write eligible crop insurance or livestock 

17 price insurance contracts within the State, except— 

18 ‘‘(A) as authorized by the Corporation; or 

19 ‘‘(B) as required by law. 

20 ‘‘(3) OFFERING OF PLANS.—The approved in21 surance provider is not required to offer such plans 

22 of insurance as may be approved by the Corporation 

23 under the authority of section 508(h), except that if 

24 the approved insurance provider chooses to offer any 

25 such plan, the approved insurance provider shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) offer the plan in all approved States 

2 in which the approved insurance provider writes 

3 an eligible crop insurance or livestock price in4 surance contract where such plan is made avail5 able; and 

6 ‘‘(B) comply with all provisions of this sub7 section as to such plan. 

8 ‘‘(4) COMPLIANCE.— 

9 ‘‘(A) SANCTIONS.—The procedural require10 ments and sanctions prescribed in section 

11 515(h) shall apply to the prosecution of a viola12 tion of this subsection. 

13 ‘‘(B) MATERIAL BREACH.—Beginning with 

14 reinsurance year 2026, failure of an approved 

15 insurance provider to comply with this sub16 section may be considered a material breach 

17 under the Standard Reinsurance Agreement 

18 and the Livestock Price Reinsurance Agree19 ment, as determined by the Corporation.’’. 

20 SEC. 11203. IMPROVEMENTS TO WHOLE FARM AND MICRO 

21 FARM INSURANCE PLANS. 

22 Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

23 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

4 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(D) increase participation by producers 

7 marketing products direct-to-consumer in local 

8 and regional markets or using farm identity9 preserved marketing, including by undertaking 

10 producer education on how to use direct market 

11 prices.’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (7) (as amended by section 

13 11101(a)(1)(B))— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

15 ‘‘plan, with a liability limitation of 

16 $1,500,000,’’ and inserting ‘‘plan’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (C), in the matter 

18 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘may’’ and in19 serting ‘‘shall’’; 

20 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

21 ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’; 

22 (D) in subparagraph (E)— 

23 (i) in clause (i), in the matter pre24 ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘18 

25 months after the date of enactment of the 


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1 Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘1 year after the date of en3 actment of the Rural Prosperity and Food 

4 Security Act of 2024’’; 

5 (ii) in clause (ii), in the matter pre6 ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘sub7 clause’’ and inserting ‘‘clause’’; and 

8 (iii) by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(iii) ADDITIONAL REVIEW.—Not 

11 later than 1 year after the date of enact12 ment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se13 curity Act of 2024, and annually there14 after, the Corporation shall— 

15 ‘‘(I) review any limitations on in16 surable revenue (including the overall 

17 limitation and limitations specific to 

18 animals, animal products, greenhouse 

19 and nursery, and aquaculture) to en20 sure the limitations are adequate to 

21 cover the financial risks associated 

22 with the production of high-value agri23 cultural products; and 

24 ‘‘(II) submit to the Committee on 

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1 resentatives and the Committee on 

2 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

3 of the Senate a report that includes a 

4 summary of the most recent review 

5 conducted under subclause (I) and 

6 any expected changes to the policy for 

7 the following reinsurance year. 

8 ‘‘(iv) PUBLIC REPORT.—Not later 

9 than 18 months after the date of enact10 ment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se11 curity Act of 2024, the Board shall make 

12 publicly available a report describing the 

13 decisions made by the Board with respect 

14 to each factor described in clause (ii).’’; 

15 and 

16 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(F) MODIFICATIONS TO IMPROVE EFFEC18 TIVENESS FOR SPECIALTY CROPS AND DIVERSI19 FIED FARMS.—Not later than 180 days after 

20 the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

21 and Food Security Act of 2024, the Corpora22 tion shall implement the following modifications 

23 to the plans developed under subparagraph (A) 

24 and paragraph (18): 


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1 ‘‘(i) Establish that appropriate income 

2 reported on Internal Revenue Service Tax 

3 Form Schedule F, or successor forms, shall 

4 be sufficient for the establishment of his5 torical adjusted revenue, subject to the 

6 condition that insurance providers may re7 quest additional verifiable records in cases 

8 where there is documented evidence, made 

9 clear to the applicant, that farm tax 

10 records are incomplete. 

11 ‘‘(ii) Require that the adjustment of 

12 the revenue guarantee by an approved in13 surance provider, after the approved insur14 ance provider accepts the revised farm op15 eration report, is contingent on approval 

16 from the Risk Management Agency, and 

17 allow the insured an opportunity to appeal 

18 decisions to the National Appeals Division. 

19 ‘‘(iii) Presume that declines in local 

20 market price are due to unavoidable nat21 ural causes, unless the Corporation can 

22 prove the extent to which the decline in 

23 local market price is the direct result of an 

24 uninsured manmade event. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) With respect to whole farm rev2 enue protection policies, raise the limit on 

3 growth expansion for all producers to the 

4 lower of— 

5 ‘‘(I) 100 percent of historic rev6 enue; and 

7 ‘‘(II) $500,000. 

8 ‘‘(v)(I) Require approved insurance 

9 providers to accept or reject applications, 

10 by written decision, within 75 days of re11 ceipt of the application, with failure to do 

12 so resulting in a reduction by 15 percent 

13 of the amount of the administrative and 

14 operating subsidy that the approved insur15 ance provider receives from the Corpora16 tion for that policy. 

17 ‘‘(II) A rejection of an application 

18 shall include a written rationale with suffi19 cient detail for the producer to understand 

20 any deficiencies in the application and how 

21 to cure those deficiencies. 

22 ‘‘(vi) Require the Risk Management 

23 Agency and approved insurance providers 

24 to treat different cultivation cycles of a 

25 single crop, such as peppers, as separate 


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1 crops to recognize the difference in perils 

2 at different periods of the year for pur3 poses of calculating the diversification pre4 mium discount. 

5 ‘‘(vii) Provide additional educational 

6 and training opportunities to approved in7 surance providers and insurance agents, 

8 which may include entering into agree9 ments with 1 or more entities— 

10 ‘‘(I) to provide technical assist11 ance to producers interested in a 

12 whole farm revenue protection policy 

13 similar to the plan described in this 

14 paragraph; 

15 ‘‘(II) to conduct education and 

16 outreach to agents and insurance pro17 viders for a whole farm revenue pro18 tection policy similar to the plan de19 scribed in this paragraph; and 

20 ‘‘(III) to develop best practices 

21 for underwriting. 

22 ‘‘(viii)(I) Conduct a pilot program to 

23 create a pricing library for agents and in24 surance providers using data from— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) the Agricultural Marketing 

2 Service; 

3 ‘‘(bb) the noninsured crop dis4 aster assistance program established 

5 by section 196 of the Federal Agri6 culture Improvement and Reform Act 

7 of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333); 

8 ‘‘(cc) approved policies of the 

9 Board; 

10 ‘‘(dd) land-grant colleges or uni11 versities and other institutions of 

12 higher education; 

13 ‘‘(ee) grower boards or commis14 sions; or 

15 ‘‘(ff) other relevant sources, as 

16 determined by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(II) The Risk Management Agency 

18 may, as determined by the Secretary, offer 

19 the pricing library described in subclause 

20 (I) to agents and insurance providers in 

21 connection with policies other than policies 

22 developed under subparagraph (A) or para23 graph (18). 

24 ‘‘(ix) Allow prices and yields used to 

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1 surance policies to be used as prices and 

2 yields for whole farm revenue protection 

3 policies. 

4 ‘‘(x) Establish a process for records 

5 and acreage reports submitted by pro6 ducers for the noninsured crop assistance 

7 program under section 196 of the Federal 

8 Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act 

9 of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333) to be accepted as 

10 documentation for the requisite actual pro11 duction history for whole farm revenue 

12 protection policies. 

13 ‘‘(xi) Create a web-accessible tool for 

14 producers to locate agents experienced in 

15 selling a whole farm revenue protection 

16 policy. 

17 ‘‘(G) DISASTER YEARS.—The Corporation 

18 shall moderate the impact of disaster years, as 

19 determined by the Secretary, on historic rev20 enue by considering— 

21 ‘‘(i) using an average of the historic 

22 and projected revenue; 

23 ‘‘(ii) counting indemnities as historic 

24 revenue for loss years; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) counting payments under section 

2 196 of the Federal Agriculture Improve3 ment and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 

4 7333) as historic revenue for loss years; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(iv) using an assigned yield floor 

7 similar to the limitation described in sec8 tion 508(g)(6)(A)(i), as determined by the 

9 Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(H) REVENUE GUARANTEES.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation 

12 shall carry out research and development, 

13 or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts 

14 with 1 or more qualified persons to carry 

15 out research and development, regarding 

16 the use of alternative records for estab17 lishing a revenue guarantee of a producer, 

18 including— 

19 ‘‘(I) any farm loan records, in20 cluding business plans or other mate21 rials, to establish expected revenue 

22 and cash flow used for a Farm Serv23 ice Agency direct or guaranteed loan; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(II) any business plans devel2 oped in consultation with an accept3 able source, as determined by the Sec4 retary, such as an extension service, a 

5 farm business management service, a 

6 Farm Credit System institution, a 

7 community development financial in8 stitution, or a private lender. 

9 ‘‘(ii) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

10 after the date of enactment of the Rural 

11 Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, 

12 the Corporation shall submit to the Com13 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep14 resentatives and the Committee on Agri15 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

16 Senate a report that describes— 

17 ‘‘(I) the results of the research 

18 and development carried out under 

19 clause (i); 

20 ‘‘(II) any changes being imple21 mented by the Corporation, either 

22 permanently or on a pilot basis; and 

23 ‘‘(III) any recommendations to 

24 Congress with respect to those re25 sults.’’; and 


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1 (3) in paragraph (18), by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(D) CONTINUATION OF PLAN.—The Ad4 ministrator of the Risk Management Agency 

5 shall continue to offer the micro farm insurance 

6 plan offered pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii) 

7 in all States and counties of the United States. 

8 ‘‘(E) REVIEW OF MODIFICATION TO IM9 PROVE EFFECTIVENESS OF MICRO FARM

10 PLAN.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 

12 year after the date of enactment of the 

13 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

14 2024, the Administrator of the Risk Man15 agement Agency shall— 

16 ‘‘(I) conduct stakeholder meet17 ings to solicit producer and agent 

18 feedback on the performance of, chal19 lenges in purchasing and servicing, 

20 and opportunities for improving, the 

21 micro farm insurance plan offered 

22 pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii); and 

23 ‘‘(II) review procedure and pa24 perwork requirements for agents and 

25 producers and make modifications, as 


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1 appropriate, to decrease burdens and 

2 increase flexibility and effectiveness of 

3 that plan. 

4 ‘‘(ii) REPORT.—Not later than 18 

5 months after the date of enactment of the 

6 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

7 2024, the Corporation shall submit to the 

8 Committee on Agriculture of the House of 

9 Representatives and the Committee on Ag10 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

11 Senate a report that describes— 

12 ‘‘(I) any feedback received under 

13 clause (i)(I); 

14 ‘‘(II) the results of the review 

15 carried out under clause (i)(II); and 

16 ‘‘(III) any recommendations with 

17 respect to that feedback or those re18 sults. 

19 ‘‘(F) MODIFICATIONS TO IMPROVE EFFEC20 TIVENESS FOR MICRO FARM.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 

22 180 days after the date of enactment of 

23 the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

24 Act of 2024, the Corporation shall imple25 ment the following modifications to the 


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1 micro farm insurance plan offered pursu2 ant to subparagraph (A)(ii): 

3 ‘‘(I) Allow vertically integrated 

4 operations to access coverage under a 

5 micro farm policy. 

6 ‘‘(II) Allow producers with a 

7 micro farm policy to also purchase 

8 crop-specific Federal crop insurance 

9 policies for crops insured under the 

10 micro farm policy. 

11 ‘‘(ii) LESS PAPERWORK.—Not later 

12 than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

13 the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

14 Act of 2024, under the micro farm insur15 ance plan offered pursuant to subpara16 graph (A)(ii), the Corporation shall imple17 ment an option for producers with not 

18 more than $1,000,000 in gross revenue 

19 that requires significantly less paperwork 

20 and recordkeeping.’’. 

21 SEC. 11204. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW CROPS 

22 AND COVERAGES. 

23 Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

24 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(20) WALNUTS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

3 carry out research and development, or offer to 

4 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

5 qualified persons to carry out research and de6 velopment— 

7 ‘‘(i) regarding improvements to 1 or 

8 more policies to insure walnuts, includ9 ing— 

10 ‘‘(I) coverage for shelled walnuts; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(II) quality issues, including 

13 revenue losses, caused by heat and 

14 other factors for both in-shell and 

15 shelled walnuts; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) to assess, by county, the dif17 ference in the rate, average yield, and cov18 erage level of walnut policies compared to 

19 policies for other nuts in that county. 

20 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

21 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros22 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor23 poration shall publish a report that describes— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

2 development carried out under subpara3 graph (A); and 

4 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re5 spect to those results. 

6 ‘‘(21) WINE GRAPES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

8 carry out research and development, or offer to 

9 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

10 qualified persons to carry out research and de11 velopment, regarding a policy to insure wine 

12 grapes (including wine grapes produced in the 

13 States of California, Oregon, and Washington) 

14 against losses due to wildfire smoke exposure. 

15 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwith16 standing the second sentence of section 

17 508(a)(1) and section 508(a)(2), not later than 

18 18 months after the date of enactment of the 

19 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

20 2024, the Corporation shall make available a 

21 policy described in subparagraph (A) if the re22 quirements of section 508(h) are met with re23 spect to that policy. 

24 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—If the Corporation does 

25 not offer a policy described in subparagraph (A) 


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1 by the date that is 2 years after the date of en2 actment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se3 curity Act of 2024, the Corporation shall pub4 lish a report that includes the results of the re5 search and development carried out under that 

6 subparagraph. 

7 ‘‘(22) CUT FLOWERS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

9 carry out research and development, or offer to 

10 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

11 qualified persons to carry out research and de12 velopment, regarding a policy to insure cut 

13 flowers. 

14 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

15 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros16 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor17 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

18 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

19 development carried out under subpara20 graph (A); and 

21 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re22 spect to those results. 

23 ‘‘(23) MUSHROOMS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

25 carry out research and development, or offer to 


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1 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

2 qualified persons to carry out research and de3 velopment, regarding a policy to insure the pro4 duction of mushrooms or revenue derived from 

5 the production of mushrooms. 

6 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros8 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor9 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

10 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

11 development carried out under subpara12 graph (A); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re14 spect to those results. 

15 ‘‘(24) DOUBLE CROPPING OF CERTAIN OILSEED

16 CROPS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF COVERED OILSEED

18 CROPS.—In this paragraph, the term ‘covered 

19 oilseed crops’ means rapeseed, canola, carinata, 

20 camelina, and other oilseed crops, as deter21 mined by the Corporation. 

22 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

23 The Corporation shall carry out research and 

24 development, or offer to enter into 1 or more 

25 contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to 


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1 carry out research and development, regarding 

2 the inclusion of covered oilseed crops under 

3 double cropping practices. 

4 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS.—The research 

5 under subparagraph (B) shall be carried out in 

6 consultation with stakeholders to evaluate— 

7 ‘‘(i) the economic and environmental 

8 benefits of incorporating covered oilseed 

9 crops into double cropping practices; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the potential risks associated 

11 with incorporating covered oilseed crops 

12 into double cropping practices, specifically 

13 with respect to winter-planted covered oil14 seed crops, including risks to soil health, 

15 biodiversity, and the profitability of farm16 ing operations. 

17 ‘‘(D) PRIORITY.—In awarding contracts 

18 under subparagraph (B), the Corporation may 

19 give priority to persons and institutions that— 

20 ‘‘(i) have previous research experience 

21 with covered oilseed crops; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) have access to a facility with the 

23 capacity to do the applicable research. 

24 ‘‘(E) REPORT.—Not later than 13 months 

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1 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor2 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

3 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

4 development carried out under subpara5 graph (B); and 

6 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re7 spect to those results. 

8 ‘‘(25) ALFALFA REVENUE INSURANCE.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

10 carry out research and development, or offer to 

11 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

12 qualified persons to carry out research and de13 velopment, regarding a revenue crop insurance 

14 policy for alfalfa. 

15 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The research and devel16 opment carried out under subparagraph (A) 

17 shall include research relating to— 

18 ‘‘(i) individual-based yield coverage; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) coverage against fluctuations in 

21 the price of alfalfa relative to the price ex22 pected at the beginning of the crop year 

23 using a regional alfalfa price index. 


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1 ‘‘(C) INDEX.—The alfalfa price index for 

2 purposes of the research and development under 

3 this paragraph shall use— 

4 ‘‘(i) a combination of commodities 

5 traded on the futures market that provides 

6 an indication of feed market value; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) other alternatives that provide a 

8 similar indication, as determined by the 

9 Corporation. 

10 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

11 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros12 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor13 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

14 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

15 development carried out under subpara16 graph (A); and 

17 ‘‘(ii) any decisions made in connection 

18 with those results. 

19 ‘‘(26) AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

21 carry out research and development, or offer to 

22 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

23 qualified persons to carry out research and de24 velopment, regarding a policy to insure aqua25 culture products with a market. 


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1 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

2 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros3 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor4 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

5 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

6 development carried out under subpara7 graph (A); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) any decisions made in connection 

9 with those results. 

10 ‘‘(27) TRADITIONAL FOODS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

12 carry out research and development, or offer to 

13 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

14 qualified persons to carry out research and de15 velopment, regarding a policy to insure tradi16 tional foods. 

17 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

18 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros19 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor20 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

21 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

22 development carried out under subpara23 graph (A); and 

24 ‘‘(ii) any decisions made in connection 

25 with those results. 


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1 ‘‘(28) MULTIPERIL INDEX.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

3 carry out research and development, or offer to 

4 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

5 qualified persons to carry out research and de6 velopment, regarding an index insurance policy 

7 to insure crops, including specialty crops, 

8 against losses due to— 

9 ‘‘(i) abnormal quantities of rainfall; 

10 ‘‘(ii) extreme heat; 

11 ‘‘(iii) wildfire; 

12 ‘‘(iv) hail; 

13 ‘‘(v) drought; and 

14 ‘‘(vi) any other severe weather or 

15 growing condition, as determined by the 

16 Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

18 The research and development under subpara19 graph (A) shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) evaluate the feasibility of devel21 oping a single index policy to insure 

22 against multiple hazards, such as drought 

23 and excessive moisture; 

24 ‘‘(ii) consider the ability to insure 

25 commodities for which— 


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1 ‘‘(I) a policy or plan of insurance 

2 does not exist; or 

3 ‘‘(II) an existing policy or plan of 

4 insurance does not cover all counties; 

5 ‘‘(iii) study and evaluate potentially 

6 relevant data sources, such as the National 

7 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

8 or other federally or State-certified weath9 er sources, public and private satellite 

10 data, and weather and climate data and 

11 models; and 

12 ‘‘(iv) consider consultation with li13 censed actuaries with experience in devel14 oping index policies insuring agricultural 

15 production. 

16 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

17 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros18 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor19 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

20 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

21 development carried out under subpara22 graph (A); and 

23 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re24 spect to those results, including— 


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1 ‘‘(I) any challenges to developing 

2 the policy described in subparagraph 

3 (A); and 

4 ‘‘(II) options to address those 

5 challenges. 

6 ‘‘(29) FROST, FREEZE, OR COLD WEATHER IN7 SURANCE.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

9 carry out research and development, or offer to 

10 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

11 qualified persons to carry out research and de12 velopment, regarding an index-based policy to 

13 insure crops during the growing season and 

14 prior to harvest (such as apples, blueberries, 

15 cherries, citrus, melons, peaches, peppers, 

16 strawberries, sugarcane, and tomatoes) against 

17 losses due to a frost, freeze, or cold weather 

18 event. 

19 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

20 The research and development under subpara21 graph (A) shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) evaluate the effectiveness of risk 

23 management tools, such as the use of an 

24 index, with respect to low-frequency and 

25 catastrophic loss weather events; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) if the requirements of section 

2 508(h) are met, make available a policy de3 scribed in subparagraph (A) that provides 

4 protection for at least 1 of the following: 

5 ‘‘(I) Production loss. 

6 ‘‘(II) Revenue loss. 

7 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

8 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros9 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor10 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

11 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

12 development carried out under subpara13 graph (A); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re15 spect to those results. 

16 ‘‘(30) COVER CROPS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

18 carry out research and development, or offer to 

19 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

20 qualified persons to carry out research and de21 velopment, regarding a policy to insure crops on 

22 fields that regularly use cover crops. 

23 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—The research and 

24 development under subparagraph (A) shall in25 clude— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a review of prevented planting 

2 coverage factors and an evaluation of 

3 whether to include cover crop seed costs 

4 and costs relating to grazing in the cal5 culation of a factor; 

6 ‘‘(ii) the extent to which cover crops 

7 reduce the risk of subsequent prevented 

8 planting; 

9 ‘‘(iii) the extent to which cover crops 

10 make crops more resilient to, or otherwise 

11 reduce the risk of, loss resulting from nat12 ural disasters such as drought; 

13 ‘‘(iv) the extent to which consistent 

14 use of cover crops, type of cover crop, 

15 cover crop management, or interactions 

16 with other practices, such as tillage or ro17 tation, affects risk reduction; 

18 ‘‘(v) whether rotational, adaptive, or 

19 other prescribed grazing of cover crops can 

20 maintain or improve risk reduction; and 

21 ‘‘(vi) the best method to account for 

22 any reduced risk associated with using 

23 cover crops, and to provide a benefit to 

24 producers using cover crops, through prac25 tice-based rating. 


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1 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

2 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros3 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor4 poration shall make available on the website of 

5 the Corporation, and submit to the Committee 

6 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

7 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

8 and Forestry of the Senate, a report that de9 scribes— 

10 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

11 development carried out under subpara12 graph (A); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re14 spect to those results. 

15 ‘‘(31) ORGANIC CROP INSURANCE.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

17 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros18 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor19 poration shall carry out research and develop20 ment, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts 

21 with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out 

22 research and development, regarding— 

23 ‘‘(i) ways to increase participation of 

24 organic producers in Federal crop insur25 ance; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) impediments that organic pro2 ducers face in participating in Federal 

3 crop insurance. 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The research and devel5 opment under subparagraph (A) shall include 

6 research relating to, with respect to organic 

7 crops— 

8 ‘‘(i) production history; 

9 ‘‘(ii) contract price addendums; 

10 ‘‘(iii) pesticide drift; 

11 ‘‘(iv) revenue history; 

12 ‘‘(v) crop termination dates, as com13 pared with summer fallow eligibility; 

14 ‘‘(vi) the compatibility of Federal crop 

15 insurance requirements with organic stand16 ards; and 

17 ‘‘(vii) other factors, as determined by 

18 the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(C) REGULATIONS.—Notwithstanding the 

20 second sentence of section 508(a)(1) and sec21 tion 508(a)(2), the Secretary shall revise appli22 cable regulations based on the findings of the 

23 research and development carried out under 

24 subparagraph (A) if the results of that research 

25 and development are viable. 


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1 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

2 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros3 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor4 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

5 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

6 development carried out under subpara7 graph (A); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) any decisions made in connection 

9 with those results 

10 ‘‘(32) LARGE COUNTIES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

12 carry out research and development, or offer to 

13 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

14 qualified persons to carry out research and de15 velopment, regarding the feasibility of dividing 

16 large counties into smaller administrative units 

17 for purposes of plans of insurance that trigger 

18 indemnities based on an area-wide loss. 

19 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

20 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros21 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Cor22 poration shall publish a report that describes— 

23 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

24 development carried out under subpara25 graph (A); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) any decisions made in connection 

2 with those results. 

3 ‘‘(33) CLIMATE-SMART COMMODITIES AND

4 OTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

6 carry out research and development, or offer to 

7 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

8 qualified persons to carry out research and de9 velopment, regarding a policy or endorsement to 

10 insure the additional value of climate-smart 

11 commodities and other commodities with eco12 system markets or other value-added opportuni13 ties, including consideration of 1 or more of the 

14 following factors: 

15 ‘‘(i) Inability to complete climate16 smart practices, such as tillage to control 

17 weeds, due to factors outside the control of 

18 a producer. 

19 ‘‘(ii) Weather-related factors affecting 

20 conservation rotation, use of a cover crop, 

21 or use of split nitrogen fertilization. 

22 ‘‘(iii) Other factors, as determined by 

23 the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwith25 standing the second sentence of section 


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1 508(a)(1) and section 508(a)(2), not later than 

2 18 months after the date of enactment of the 

3 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

4 2024, the Corporation shall make available 1 or 

5 more policies or endorsements described in sub6 paragraph (A) if the requirements of section 

7 508(h) are met with respect to that policy. 

8 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—If the Corporation does 

9 not offer a policy described in subparagraph (A) 

10 by the date that is 2 years after the date of en11 actment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se12 curity Act of 2024, the Corporation shall pub13 lish a report that includes the results of the re14 search and development carried out under that 

15 subparagraph.’’. 

16 SEC. 11205. RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION AND OUT17 REACH. 

18 (a) CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR LOSS ADJUST19 ERS.—Section 515(k)(2)(C) of the Federal Crop Insur20 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1515(k)(2)(C)) is amended— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘including conservation’’ and in22 serting the following: ‘‘including— 

23 ‘‘(i) conservation’’; 

24 (2) in clause (i) (as so designated), by striking 

25 the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(ii) policies and plans of insurance 

3 for specialty crop producers (including 

4 whole farm revenue protection policies de5 veloped under section 522(c)(7) and indi6 vidual plans of insurance); and 

7 ‘‘(iii) language translation services, as 

8 appropriate.’’. 

9 (b) PARTNERSHIPS FOR RISK MANAGEMENT DEVEL10 OPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION.—Section 522 of the 

11 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) in subsection (d)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘The 

15 Corporation may’’ and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘The Corporation— 

17 ‘‘(A) shall enter into 1 or more partner18 ships with appropriate public and private enti19 ties with demonstrated capabilities— 

20 ‘‘(i) in developing and implementing 

21 risk management and marketing opportu22 nities for underserved agricultural pro23 ducers; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) in training and credentialing 

2 crop insurance agents and adjusters within 

3 underserved agricultural communities; and 

4 ‘‘(B) may’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

6 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

7 (A) through (H) as clauses (i) through 

8 (viii), respectively, and indenting appro9 priately; and 

10 (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) 

11 (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The Cor12 poration may enter into a partnership 

13 under paragraph (2)—’’ and inserting the 

14 following: ‘‘The Corporation— 

15 ‘‘(A) shall enter into 1 or more partner16 ships under paragraph (2)(A)— 

17 ‘‘(i) to provide strategic outreach and 

18 engage underserved agricultural popu19 lations about crop insurance; 

20 ‘‘(ii) to increase adoption of risk man21 agement tools in underserved agricultural 

22 communities; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) to increase the representation of 

24 underserved insurance agents and loss adVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01098 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 justers providing service to underserved 

2 communities; and 

3 ‘‘(B) may enter into 1 or more partner4 ships under paragraph (2)(B)—’’; and 

5 (2) in subsection (e)(2)— 

6 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

7 end; 

8 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

9 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’ and in10 serting ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2019 through 

11 2024; and’’; and 

12 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(iii) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

14 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’. 

15 (c) EDUCATION ASSISTANCE.—Section 524(a) of the 

16 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(a)) is amend17 ed— 

18 (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘for the 

19 purpose of educating agricultural producers and pro20 viding technical assistance to agricultural producers’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘for the purpose of educating and pro22 viding technical assistance to agricultural producers, 

23 including language translation services, as appro24 priate,’’; 

25 (2) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

2 (A), by striking ‘‘and outreach’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘outreach, and language translation services, as 

4 appropriate,’’; 

5 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

6 (i) in clause (ii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 

7 the end; and 

8 (ii) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

9 at the end; 

10 (C) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

11 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (D) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 

13 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

14 and 

15 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(G) specialty crop farmers; and 

17 ‘‘(H) approved insurance providers and 

18 agents, for the purpose of facilitating the selling 

19 and servicing of whole farm revenue protection 

20 policies developed under section 522(c)(7).’’; 

21 and 

22 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(5) REPORT.—The Secretary shall make pub24 licly available an annual report that contains, with 

25 respect to the year covered by the report— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a description of the grants and fund2 ing provided under this subsection; and 

3 ‘‘(B) an overview and analysis of the edu4 cational activities conducted under this sub5 section.’’. 

6 SEC. 11206. UNDERSERVED PRODUCERS REPORT. 

7 Section 508(a)(7) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

8 (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(7)) is amended— 

9 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘Using’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘On an annual basis, using’’; and 

11 (2) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking ‘‘the re12 view under subparagraph (B), and not less fre13 quently than once every 3 years thereafter’’ and in14 serting ‘‘an annual review under subparagraph (B)’’. 

15 SEC. 11207. VOLUNTARY GOOD FARMING PRACTICES. 

16 Section 508(a)(3)(A)(iii) of the Federal Crop Insur17 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(3)(A)(iii)) is amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘including scientifically’’ and in19 serting the following: ‘‘including— 

20 ‘‘(I) scientifically’’; 

21 (2) in subclause (I) (as so designated), by strik22 ing the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(II) conservation practices and 

25 enhancements that are approved by— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) the Natural Resources 

2 Conservation Service; or 

3 ‘‘(bb) an agricultural expert, 

4 as determined by the Secretary.’’. 

5 SEC. 11208. STATE COVER CROP AND SOIL HEALTH MATCH6 ING PAYMENTS. 

7 The Federal Crop Insurance Act is amended by in8 serting after section 508D (7 U.S.C. 1508d) the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 508E. STATE COVER CROP AND SOIL HEALTH MATCH10 ING PAYMENTS. 

11 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 ‘‘(1) COVERED INSURANCE PROGRAM.—The 

13 term ‘covered insurance program’ means a policy or 

14 plan of insurance offered by the Corporation. 

15 ‘‘(2) QUALIFYING COVER CROP.—The term 

16 ‘qualifying cover crop’ means a crop that— 

17 ‘‘(A) is cereal or another grass, legumes, 

18 brassica, nonlegume broadleaf, or any combina19 tion of those crops; 

20 ‘‘(B) is planted for conservation purposes 

21 in accordance with— 

22 ‘‘(i) guidance of the Natural Re23 sources Conservation Service; or 

24 ‘‘(ii) any other expert guidance, as de25 termined by the Secretary; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) is not an insured crop. 

2 ‘‘(3) SOIL HEALTH CONSERVATION PRACTICE.— 

3 The term ‘soil health conservation practice’ means 

4 any in-field conservation practice that improves soil 

5 health and is expected to improve the long-term via6 bility of a producer through risk reduction, improved 

7 yields, reduced costs, or increased revenue through 

8 ecosystem markets. 

9 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with crop year 

11 2026, the Secretary shall provide additional pre12 mium subsidies to producers for each acre— 

13 ‘‘(A) in a covered insurance program, in14 cluding through a whole farm revenue protec15 tion policy developed under section 522(c)(7), 

16 on which— 

17 ‘‘(i) a qualifying cover crop was plant18 ed— 

19 ‘‘(I) after June 15 of the pre20 ceding calendar year; or 

21 ‘‘(II) during the current crop 

22 year; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) a similar in-field soil health con24 servation practice is implemented; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) that was enrolled in a qualifying 

2 cover crop or similar in-field soil health con3 servation practice program administered by a 

4 State to provide premium subsidies under an 

5 agreement or memorandum of understanding 

6 with the Risk Management Agency pursuant to 

7 section 508(c)(8). 

8 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—A producer that receives an ad9 ditional premium subsidy under paragraph (1) for a 

10 crop year shall submit to the Secretary a report of 

11 acreage form for each acre described in paragraph 

12 (1) with respect to that crop year. 

13 ‘‘(c) PREMIUM SUBSIDY AMOUNT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 

15 and (3), an additional premium subsidy provided to 

16 a producer under subsection (b)(1) shall be— 

17 ‘‘(A) calculated on a common land unit 

18 basis or an equivalent or more-precise basis; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) in an amount equal to the product 

21 obtained by multiplying— 

22 ‘‘(i) the number of acres of the pro23 ducer for which the additional premium 

24 subsidy is provided; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the amount of the premium sub2 sidy provided by the State program per 

3 acre, up to $5 per acre. 

4 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—An additional premium sub5 sidy provided to a producer under subsection (b)(1) 

6 for an acre described in that subsection shall not ex7 ceed the amount of the premium owed by the pro8 ducer with respect to that acre. 

9 ‘‘(3) PRODUCER-SHARES.—The amount of an 

10 additional premium subsidy provided to a producer 

11 under subsection (b)(1) shall be modified to reflect 

12 the individual producer-share of the acres covered by 

13 the subsidy. 

14 ‘‘(4) INCLUSION.—Participation by a producer 

15 in a State program that provides premium subsidies 

16 for conservation practices, including cover crops, 

17 shall not disqualify a producer from receiving assist18 ance under this section. 

19 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

21 the Corporation, the Secretary shall use such sums 

22 as are necessary to carry out this section. 

23 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, OUTREACH, AND

24 PROGRAM SUPPORT.—Of the amounts made avail25 able under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01105 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 retary shall use not more than $5,000,000 to pro2 vide technical assistance, outreach, and program 

3 support with respect to this section.’’. 

4 SEC. 11209. ENTERPRISE UNITS FOR FALLOW AND CONTIN5 UOUS PRACTICES. 

6 Section 508(e)(5) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

7 (7 U.S.C. 1508(e)(5)) is amended by adding at the end 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(F) ENTERPRISE UNITS FOR FALLOW

10 AND CONTINUOUS ROTATIONS.—Beginning with 

11 the 2026 crop year, the Corporation may allow 

12 a producer to establish separate enterprise units 

13 for fallow and continuous practices of crops.’’. 

14 SEC. 11210. ELIGIBILITY FOR PREVENTED PLANTING IN15 SURANCE UNDER CERTAIN DROUGHT CONDI16 TIONS. 

17 Section 508A(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

18 (7 U.S.C. 1508a(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(6) WAIVER FOR CERTAIN DROUGHT CONDI21 TIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(i) COVERED COUNTY.—The term 

24 ‘covered county’ means a county that expe25 rienced, in each of 3 consecutive years, in 


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1 any area of the county, extreme drought 

2 (D3 or worse intensity), as measured by, 

3 and indicated in a report of, the United 

4 States Drought Monitor, that may impact 

5 the ability of a producer to plant during 

6 the normal planting period, as determined 

7 by the Secretary. 

8 ‘‘(ii) COVERED RULE.—The term ‘cov9 ered rule’ means the eligibility requirement 

10 for prevented planting insurance, as de11 scribed in section 17(f)(8) of the most re12 cent version of the Common Crop Insur13 ance Policy Basic Provisions, under which 

14 planting of a crop must have occurred once 

15 in the 4 most recent crop years preceding 

16 the current crop year (commonly referred 

17 to as the ‘1-in-4 rule’). 

18 ‘‘(B) WAIVER.—The covered rule may be 

19 waived in a covered county in response to ex20 traordinary circumstances, as determined by 

21 the Secretary.’’. 


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1 Subtitle C—Agent Incentives and 

2 Options 

3 SEC. 11301. OPTION FOR CORPORATION TO UNDERWRITE 

4 POLICIES. 

5 Section 508(a)(7) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

6 (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(7)) (as amended by section 11206) is 

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(D) PILOT PROGRAM FOR CORPORATION

9 TO UNDERWRITE POLICIES.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

11 subsections (b)(4), (c)(1), and (c)(2), not 

12 later than 1 year after the date of enact13 ment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se14 curity Act of 2024, the Corporation shall 

15 establish a pilot program under which the 

16 Corporation may underwrite whole farm 

17 revenue protection, micro farm, and other 

18 policies, as determined by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(ii) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out 

20 the pilot program under clause (i), the 

21 Corporation shall give priority to under22 served producers, commodities, and geo23 graphic areas, including underserved pro24 ducers, commodities, and geographic areas 


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1 identified in the most recent report sub2 mitted under subparagraph (C)(i). 

3 ‘‘(iii) INAPPLICABILITY OF SRA OR

4 LPRA.—A policy underwritten pursuant to 

5 the pilot program under clause (i) shall not 

6 be subject to the terms of the Standard 

7 Reinsurance Agreement or the Livestock 

8 Price Reinsurance Agreement. 

9 ‘‘(iv) A&O SUBSIDY.—The Corpora10 tion may pay agents that sell a policy un11 derwritten pursuant to the pilot program 

12 under clause (i) up to the total amount of 

13 the administrative and operating subsidy 

14 that the Corporation would have paid an 

15 approved insurance provider if the policy 

16 were subject to the Standard Reinsurance 

17 Agreement or the Livestock Price Reinsur18 ance Agreement.’’. 

19 SEC. 11302. UPDATES TO ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPER20 ATING SUBSIDIES. 

21 (a) MINIMUM PAID TO AGENCY OR AGENTS.—Sec22 tion 508(a)(10) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

23 U.S.C. 1508(a)(10)) is amended by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(F) MINIMUM ADMINISTRATIVE AND OP2 ERATING SUBSIDY PAID TO AGENCY OR

3 AGENTS.—An approved insurance provider shall 

4 pay to the agency or agent, as determined by 

5 the Corporation, that sells a Federal crop insur6 ance policy not less than 80 percent but not 

7 more than 100 percent of the administrative 

8 and operating subsidy that the approved insur9 ance provider receives from the Corporation for 

10 that policy.’’. 

11 (b) AREA-BASED PLANS.—Section 508(k)(4)(F) of 

12 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)(4)(F)) 

13 is amended by striking ‘‘through (E)’’ and all that follows 

14 through the period at the end and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘through (E)— 

16 ‘‘(i) for each of the 2009 through 

17 2025 reinsurance years, the reimbursement 

18 rate for area policies and plans of insur19 ance widely available as of the date of en20 actment of the Food, Conservation, and 

21 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8701 et 

22 seq.) or authorized under subsection 

23 (c)(4)(C) or section 508B shall be 12 per24 cent of the premium used to define loss 

25 ratio for that reinsurance year; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) for the 2026 reinsurance year, 

2 and each reinsurance year thereafter, the 

3 reimbursement rate for area policies and 

4 plans of insurance widely available as of 

5 the date of enactment of the Rural Pros6 perity and Food Security Act of 2024 or 

7 authorized under subsection (c)(4)(C) or 

8 section 508B shall be 17 percent of the 

9 premium used to define loss ratio for that 

10 reinsurance year.’’. 

11 (c) WHOLE FARM REVENUE PROTECTION, MICRO

12 FARM, AND PRODUCERS NOT ADEQUATELY SERVED.— 

13 Section 508(k)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

14 U.S.C. 1508(k)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(G) WHOLE FARM REVENUE PROTECTION

17 AND MICRO FARM AGENT INCENTIVES.—Begin18 ning with the 2026 reinsurance year, in the 

19 case of an agent that sells a whole farm revenue 

20 or micro farm policy (or a successor policy), the 

21 Corporation shall provide to the approved insur22 ance provider, to pay entirely to the agent, an 

23 additional amount, determined in accordance 

24 with the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) If the maximum compensation of 

2 the agent authorized under the Standard 

3 Reinsurance Agreement, the Livestock 

4 Price Reinsurance Agreement, or a suc5 cessor agreement for the policy is less than 

6 $1,000, the additional amount of agent 

7 compensation shall be equal to the dif8 ference between— 

9 ‘‘(I) $1,000; and 

10 ‘‘(II) the maximum amount au11 thorized under the Standard Reinsur12 ance Agreement, the Livestock Price 

13 Reinsurance Agreement, or a suc14 cessor agreement for the policy, as ap15 plicable. 

16 ‘‘(ii) If the producer, or any entity in 

17 which the producer has an insurable inter18 est, has never previously obtained coverage 

19 under a whole farm revenue or micro farm 

20 policy (or a successor policy), the addi21 tional amount of agent compensation shall 

22 be $300 for each whole farm revenue or 

23 micro farm policy (or successor policy), in 

24 addition to any amount authorized under 

25 clause (i). 


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1 ‘‘(H) ADDITIONAL AGENT INCENTIVES.— 

2 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION OF COVERED

3 AGENT.—In this subparagraph, the term 

4 ‘covered agent’ means an agent that sells 

5 a policy to— 

6 ‘‘(I) an underserved producer; or 

7 ‘‘(II) a producer of an agricul8 tural commodity in a State identified 

9 as not adequately served in the most 

10 recent review required under sub11 section (a)(7)(B). 

12 ‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE.—Be13 ginning with the 2026 reinsurance year, if 

14 the maximum compensation of a covered 

15 agent authorized under the Standard Rein16 surance Agreement, the Livestock Price 

17 Reinsurance Agreement, or a successor 

18 agreement for a policy described in clause 

19 (i) is less than $500, the Corporation shall 

20 provide to the approved insurance provider, 

21 to pay entirely to the covered agent, an ad22 ditional amount equal to the difference be23 tween— 

24 ‘‘(I) $500; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) the maximum amount au2 thorized under the Standard Reinsur3 ance Agreement, the Livestock Price 

4 Reinsurance Agreement, or a suc5 cessor agreement for the policy, as ap6 plicable.’’. 

7 (d) REIMBURSEMENT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND OP8 ERATING EXPENSES WITH RESPECT TO SPECIALTY

9 CROPS CONTRACTS.—Section 508(k) of the Federal Crop 

10 Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)) is amended by adding 

11 at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(10) SPECIALTY CROPS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) MINIMUM REIMBURSEMENT.—Begin14 ning with the 2025 reinsurance year and for 

15 each reinsurance year thereafter, the rate of re16 imbursement to approved insurance providers 

17 for administrative and operating expenses with 

18 respect to crop insurance contracts covering ag19 ricultural commodities described in section 101 

20 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 

21 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108– 

22 465) shall be equal to or greater than the per23 cent that is the greater of— 

24 ‘‘(i) 17 percent of the premium used 

25 to define loss ratio; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the percent of the premium used 

2 to define loss ratio that is otherwise appli3 cable for the reinsurance year under the 

4 terms of the Standard Reinsurance Agree5 ment in effect for that reinsurance year. 

6 ‘‘(B) OTHER CONTRACTS.—In carrying out 

7 subparagraph (A), the Corporation shall not re8 duce, with respect to any reinsurance year, the 

9 amount or the rate of reimbursement to ap10 proved insurance providers under the Standard 

11 Reinsurance Agreement described in clause (ii) 

12 of that subparagraph for administrative and op13 erating expenses with respect to contracts cov14 ering agricultural commodities that are not sub15 ject to that subparagraph. 

16 ‘‘(C) ADMINISTRATION.—No adjustment 

17 made pursuant to this paragraph shall be con18 sidered a renegotiation under paragraph 

19 (8)(A).’’. 

20 (e) COMPENSATION DATA COLLECTION.—Section 

21 508(k) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

22 1508(k)) (as amended by subsection (d)) is amended by 

23 adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(11) COMPENSATION DATA COLLECTION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) DATA FROM CORPORATION.—The 

2 Corporation shall submit to the Secretary, on 

3 an annual basis, such data as are required by 

4 the Secretary relating to the subsidies for ad5 ministrative and operating expenses paid during 

6 the relevant year by the Corporation on behalf 

7 of a policyholder to the applicable approved in8 surance provider for eligible crop insurance con9 tracts for additional coverage levels, in accord10 ance with paragraph (4). 

11 ‘‘(B) DATA FROM APPROVED INSURANCE

12 PROVIDERS.—An approved insurance provider 

13 shall submit to the Secretary, on an annual 

14 basis, such data relating to agent compensation 

15 as are required by the Secretary.’’. 

16 (f) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—Section 516 of the 

17 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1516) is amended 

18 by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPER20 ATING COSTS AND EXPENSES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

22 the combined total amount of reimbursements for 

23 administrative and operating costs provided by the 

24 Corporation under section 508(k)(4), administrative 

25 and operating expenses of the Corporation described 


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1 in subsection (a)(2)(A), and administrative and op2 erating expenses of an approved insurance provider 

3 described in subsection (a)(2)(B) shall not exceed— 

4 ‘‘(A) for reinsurance year 2026, 

5 $1,900,000,000; and 

6 ‘‘(B) for each reinsurance year thereafter, 

7 an amount equal to 101.5 percent of the max8 imum allowable amount for the preceding rein9 surance year. 

10 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSIONS FROM CALCULATION.—A 

11 payment made pursuant to subparagraph (G) or (H) 

12 of section 508(k)(4) shall not be included in calcu13 lating the combined total amount of reimbursements 

14 for a reinsurance year under paragraph (1).’’. 

15 Subtitle D—Specialty Crops 

16 SEC. 11401. SPECIALTY CROP INSURANCE ADVISORY COM17 MITTEE. 

18 Section 507 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

19 U.S.C. 1507) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the Classi21 fication Act of 1923, as amended’’ each place it ap22 pears and inserting ‘‘chapter 51 and subchapter III 

23 of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (g), by indenting paragraphs 

25 (2) and (3) appropriately; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(h) SPECIALTY CROP INSURANCE ADVISORY COM3 MITTEE.— 

4 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Corporation shall 

5 establish a committee, to be known as the ‘Specialty 

6 Crop Insurance Advisory Committee’ (referred to in 

7 this subsection as the ‘Committee’). 

8 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The Committee shall con9 sist of not more than 10 members who represent the 

10 interests of a wide range of specialty crop insurance 

11 stakeholders in different geographical areas of the 

12 United States, including with respect to— 

13 ‘‘(A) different types and sizes of agricul14 tural operations; and 

15 ‘‘(B) a variety of specialty crops. 

16 ‘‘(3) APPOINTMENT.—The members of the 

17 Committee— 

18 ‘‘(A) shall be appointed by the Secretary; 

19 ‘‘(B) shall be appointed to staggered 4- 

20 year terms, as determined by the Secretary; and 

21 ‘‘(C) may serve not more than 2 consecu22 tive terms. 

23 ‘‘(4) COMPENSATION.—A member of the Com24 mittee shall serve without compensation. 


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1 ‘‘(5) ENGAGEMENT WITH OTHER SPECIALTY

2 CROP POSITIONS.—The Committee shall regularly 

3 engage with the Specialty Crops Coordinator and 

4 Specialty Crop Liaisons under subsection (g)— 

5 ‘‘(A) to discuss the crop insurance needs of 

6 specialty crop producers; and 

7 ‘‘(B) to explore opportunities for the De8 partment to better serve specialty crop pro9 ducers. 

10 ‘‘(6) RECOMMENDATIONS TO BOARD.—The 

11 Committee may submit to the Board recommenda12 tions regarding consideration by the Board of new 

13 specialty crop policies, or the expansion of available 

14 specialty crop policies, on a broad range of issues re15 lating to specialty crops, including— 

16 ‘‘(A) the selection of expert reviewers for 

17 proposals to develop new specialty crop policies; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(B) the percentage of advance payment 

20 approved to be paid to the developer of a spe21 cialty crop policy.’’. 

22 SEC. 11402. ADDITION AND EXPANSION OF SPECIALTY 

23 CROP POLICIES. 

24 Section 508(a)(6) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

25 (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(6)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter pre2 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘1 of each’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘2 of each’’; 

4 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘report to 

5 Congress on’’ and inserting ‘‘publish a report with 

6 respect to’’; 

7 (3) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub8 paragraph (C); and 

9 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION WITH SPECIALTY

12 CROP INSURANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—To 

13 the maximum extent practicable, the Corpora14 tion shall consult with the Specialty Crop Insur15 ance Advisory Committee established under sec16 tion 507(h)(1) regarding— 

17 ‘‘(i) the expansion of existing policies 

18 or plans of insurance for specialty crops; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) research and development of new 

21 policies or plans of insurance for specialty 

22 crops.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11403. PRIORITIES FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT OF 

2 NEW POLICIES AND EXPANSION OF EXISTING 

3 POLICIES. 

4 Section 508(h)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

5 (7 U.S.C. 1508(h)(3)) is amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ‘‘includ7 ing commodities for which there is no insurance;’’ 

8 and inserting the following: ‘‘including— 

9 ‘‘(I) commodities for which there 

10 is no insurance; and 

11 ‘‘(II) specialty crops;’’; and 

12 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘approval, 

13 the Board’’ in the matter preceding clause (i) and 

14 all that follows through the period at the end of 

15 clause (iv) and inserting the following: ‘‘approval, 

16 the Board shall prioritize the development, improve17 ment, expansion, and approval of coverage for— 

18 ‘‘(i) specialty crop producers to ensure 

19 that coverage for at least 1 new specialty 

20 crop and 1 new State is available to pro21 ducers each year; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) cost-of-production risk to ensure 

23 that such coverage options are available to 

24 additional producers.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11404. ADVANCE PAYMENTS FOR SPECIALTY CROP IN2 SURANCE POLICIES IN DEVELOPMENT. 

3 Section 522(b)(2)(E)(ii) of the Federal Crop Insur4 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(b)(2)(E)(ii)) is amended— 

5 (1) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘(I) the in6 tended’’ and inserting ‘‘(I)(aa) the intended’’; 

7 (2) in subclause (II)— 

8 (A) by striking the period at the end and 

9 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘(II) the submitter’’ and 

11 inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(bb) the submitter’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(II) the Specialty Crop Insur15 ance Advisory Committee established 

16 under section 507(h)(1) has rec17 ommended the policy or plan of insur18 ance for development.’’. 

19 SEC. 11405. PRIORITIES FOR INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT OF 

20 NEW POLICIES AND EXPANSION OF EXISTING 

21 POLICIES. 

22 Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

23 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is amended by striking paragraph (6) and 

24 inserting the following: 

25 ‘‘(6) PRIORITIES.—The Corporation shall gen26 erally prioritize the development and expansion of 


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1 policies that increase participation by underserved 

2 producers and producers of underserved agricultural 

3 commodities (such as sweet sorghum, biomass sor4 ghum, rice, peanuts, sugarcane, alfalfa, pennycress, 

5 dedicated energy crops, and specialty crops), includ6 ing, with respect to specialty crops— 

7 ‘‘(A) expansion of the production revenue 

8 history policy or similar policies to additional 

9 specialty crops and States to ensure that cov10 erage is available to producers for at least 1 

11 new specialty crop and 1 new State each year; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(B) increasing participation in whole-farm 

14 revenue protection policies by addressing bar15 riers to producers from purchasing whole-farm 

16 revenue protection and micro farm policies, in17 cluding barriers between agents and approved 

18 insurance providers in marketing and servicing 

19 those policies.’’. 

20 Subtitle E—Program Integrity 

21 SEC. 11501. ACTUARIAL SOUNDNESS OF FEDERAL CROP IN22 SURANCE PROGRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 506(n) of the Federal 

24 Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1506(n)) is amended by 

25 adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) NEW POLICIES OR MATERIALS.—The Cor2 poration shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) not less frequently than once each 

4 year, review for actuarial soundness any policies 

5 or plans of insurance developed pursuant to sec6 tion 508(h) that had more than $500,000,000 

7 in liability annually; 

8 ‘‘(B) take necessary actions to align those 

9 policies or plans of insurance with the applica10 ble standard for actuarial soundness, if needed; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(C) make publicly available a report that 

13 describes— 

14 ‘‘(i) the results of the review con15 ducted under subparagraph (A); 

16 ‘‘(ii) the performance of the policies or 

17 plans of insurance described in that sub18 paragraph; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) any actions carried out under 

20 subparagraph (B).’’. 

21 (b) SPECIALIZED EXPERTS.—Section 507 of the Fed22 eral Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1507) (as amended by 

23 section 11401(3)) is amended by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) SPECIALIZED EXPERTS.—The annual rate of 

2 basic pay for up to 3 specialized experts, such as actuaries, 

3 as determined by the Administrator of the Risk Manage4 ment Agency, may be established and adjusted by the Ad5 ministrator of the Risk Management Agency without re6 gard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III 

7 of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code.’’. 

8 (c) SUBMISSION OF POLICIES AND MATERIALS TO

9 BOARD.—Section 508(h) of the Federal Crop Insurance 

10 Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(h)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

12 (A) in clause (i)(I), by striking ‘‘clause 

13 (ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘clauses (ii) and (iii)’’; and 

14 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(iii) WAIVER FOR CERTAIN POLICIES

16 FOR SPECIALTY CROPS PRODUCERS.—The 

17 Corporation may waive the viability and 

18 marketability requirement under clause 

19 (i)(I) in the case of a policy or pilot pro20 gram for which an urgent need has been 

21 identified, or recommendation has been 

22 provided, by a majority of members of the 

23 Specialty Crop Insurance Advisory Com24 mittee established under section 507(h).’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)(ii)(I), by inserting ‘‘, as 

2 determined in accordance with paragraph (4)(F)’’ 

3 before the semicolon at the end; and 

4 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (D), by adding at the 

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘(iv) MARKETABILITY DEADLINE.— 

8 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as 

9 provided in subclause (II), any policy, 

10 plan of insurance, or material ap11 proved and finalized fewer than 120 

12 days prior to the applicable sales clos13 ing date— 

14 ‘‘(aa) shall be implemented 

15 for the next reinsurance year; but 

16 ‘‘(bb) shall not be imple17 mented for the current reinsur18 ance year. 

19 ‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—The Sec20 retary may allow a policy, plan of in21 surance, or material described in sub22 clause (I) to be implemented during 

23 the current reinsurance year if the 

24 Secretary finds that the policy, plan 


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1 of insurance, or material will address 

2 an urgent need of producers. 

3 ‘‘(III) FINALIZATION.—The fi4 nalization of a policy, plan of insur5 ance, or material under subclause (I) 

6 shall include making available hand7 books, training materials, and other 

8 resources required for the effective 

9 sale of approved policies, plans of in10 surance, or materials.’’; and 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(F) MARKETABILITY ASSESSMENT.—For 

13 purposes of determining marketability under 

14 paragraph (3)(A)(ii)(I), if a policy or plan of in15 surance submitted to the Board under this sub16 section includes a favorable marketability as17 sessment from an approved insurance provider, 

18 not earlier than 30 days before the Board takes 

19 final action on that policy or plan of insurance, 

20 that approved insurance provider shall have an 

21 opportunity to provide to the Board an updated 

22 marketability assessment.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11502. RATING METHODOLOGY AND DATA REPORTING 

2 UPDATES. 

3 Section 508(i) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

4 U.S.C. 1508(i)) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking paragraphs (1), (2), and (4); 

6 (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para7 graph (2); 

8 (3) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so re9 designated) the following: 

10 ‘‘(1) REVIEW OF RATING METHODOLOGIES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To maximize partici12 pation in the Federal crop insurance program 

13 and to ensure equity for producers, the Cor14 poration shall review the methodologies em15 ployed for rating plans of insurance under this 

16 Act in accordance with section 507(c)(2)— 

17 ‘‘(i) not later than December 31, 

18 2025; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) not less frequently than once 

20 every 9 years thereafter. 

21 ‘‘(B) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION.—In 

22 conducting a review under subparagraph (A), 

23 the Corporation shall ensure that the rating 

24 methodology used by the Corporation— 


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1 ‘‘(i) achieves regionally consistent out2 comes in insurance participation and rein3 surance; 

4 ‘‘(ii) appropriately models and weighs 

5 changes in risk from— 

6 ‘‘(I) crop genetics; 

7 ‘‘(II) increasing frequency of ex8 treme weather events and climatic im9 pacts; and 

10 ‘‘(III) other factors known to be 

11 changing farm risks; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) engenders premium rates region13 ally and on a national basis in accordance 

14 with subsection (d)(1). 

15 ‘‘(C) EXPERT REVIEW.—The Corporation 

16 shall make the rating methodology used by the 

17 Corporation, and any changes to that method18 ology, available for review and comment by at 

19 least 3 outside experts before implementing a 

20 change.’’; 

21 (4) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), by 

22 inserting ‘‘and coverage level’’ before the period at 

23 the end; and 

24 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

25 ‘‘(3) RATE REVIEW AND ADJUSTMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) REVIEW.— 

2 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 

3 January 1, 2026, and not less frequently 

4 than once every 3 years thereafter, subject 

5 to clause (ii), the Administrator of the 

6 Risk Management Agency (referred to in 

7 this paragraph as the ‘Administrator’) 

8 shall review the premium rates for all 

9 crops and policies and plans of insurance, 

10 by county. 

11 ‘‘(ii) MORE FREQUENT REVIEWS.— 

12 The Administrator shall conduct a review 

13 under clause (i) more frequently for any 

14 policy, plan of insurance, or region of the 

15 United States that meets 1 or more of the 

16 following criteria: 

17 ‘‘(I) Policies or plans of insur18 ance with more than $500,000,000 in 

19 liability annually. 

20 ‘‘(II) Policies, plans of insurance, 

21 or regions with consistently high or 

22 low loss ratios, as determined by the 

23 Administrator. 

24 ‘‘(III) Policies, plans of insur25 ance, or regions that, as determined 


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1 by the Administrator, have been con2 sistently placed in the assigned risk 

3 pool. 

4 ‘‘(IV) Such other criteria as the 

5 Administrator determines to be appro6 priate. 

7 ‘‘(B) RATE ADJUSTMENTS.—In conducting 

8 rate reviews under subparagraph (A), the Ad9 ministrator shall— 

10 ‘‘(i) take necessary actions to align 

11 the reviewed policies or plans of insurance 

12 with standards for actuarial soundness, if 

13 needed, including by modifying rates by 

14 the percentage indicated by the rating 

15 model of the Risk Management Agency, 

16 subject to the conditions that— 

17 ‘‘(I) if the rating model of the 

18 Risk Management Agency indicates 

19 that rates must increase, the Adminis20 trator shall increase the rates by not 

21 more than 20 percent, as compared to 

22 the comparable rate of the preceding 

23 crop year; and 

24 ‘‘(II) if the rating model of the 

25 Risk Management Agency indicates 


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1 that rates must decrease, the Admin2 istrator shall decrease the rates by the 

3 full amount indicated; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) make publicly available a report 

5 that describes— 

6 ‘‘(I) each review under subpara7 graph (A); 

8 ‘‘(II) the performance of the poli9 cies and plans of insurance subject to 

10 the review; and 

11 ‘‘(III) any actions carried out 

12 pursuant to clause (i).’’. 

13 SEC. 11503. DATA ANALYTICS AND IMPROVEMENT. 

14 Section 515 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

15 U.S.C. 1515) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (j)(2)— 

17 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

18 ‘‘TECHNOLOGIES’’ and inserting ‘‘TECH19 NOLOGIES; DATA ANALYTICS AND IMPROVE20 MENT’’; 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘shall use’’ and inserting 

22 the following: ‘‘shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) use’’; 


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1 (C) in subparagraph (A) (as so des2 ignated), by striking the period at the end and 

3 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

4 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(B) support advancing and improving the 

6 development and application of remote sensing, 

7 machine learning, and computational modeling 

8 to continually improve the administration and 

9 enforcement of this subtitle.’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (l)(2)— 

11 (A) in the paragraph heading, by inserting 

12 ‘‘AND DATA ANALYTICS INNOVATION AND IM13 PROVEMENT’’ after ‘‘MINING’’; 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘$4,000,000 for fiscal year 

15 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000 for fiscal 

16 year 2025’’; and 

17 (C) by inserting ‘‘, of which not less than 

18 $4,000,000 shall be used in each fiscal year to 

19 carry out subparagraph (B) of that subsection’’ 

20 before the period at the end. 

21 SEC. 11504. REIMBURSEMENT OF PRIVATELY DEVELOPED 

22 PLANS. 

23 Section 522(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

24 U.S.C. 1522(b)) is amended— 

25 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)— 


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1 (A) in clause (ii)— 

2 (i) in the matter preceding subclause 

3 (I), by striking ‘‘costs of the applicant 

4 shall be considered reasonable costs if the 

5 costs are based on’’ and inserting ‘‘reason6 able costs may include’’; and 

7 (ii) in subclause (I)— 

8 (I) by striking ‘‘wage rates equal 

9 to not more than’’ and inserting ‘‘ac10 tual wage rates up to’’; and 

11 (II) by striking ‘‘incurred,’’ and 

12 all that follows through ‘‘2016’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘incurred’’; and 

14 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(iii) SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS.—On 

16 the request of the Board, applicants shall 

17 provide third-party documents, such as tax 

18 documents and receipts, as support for a 

19 request for reimbursement of actual 

20 costs.’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph 

22 (K); 

23 (3) in paragraph (4) adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(E) MAINTENANCE BY CORPORATION.— 

2 The Corporation may assume responsibility for 

3 maintenance of the policy if the Corporation de4 termines that the applicant has failed to main5 tain the policy, or to make adjustments to im6 prove actuarial soundness, after appropriate no7 tice and due process.’’; and 

8 (4) in paragraph (6)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘based on the complexity’’ 

10 and inserting the following: ‘‘based on— 

11 ‘‘(A) the complexity’’; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (A) (as so des13 ignated), by striking the period at the end and 

14 inserting a semicolon; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(B) the quantity of work required to 

17 maintain the policy; 

18 ‘‘(C) whether the policy has had consistent, 

19 unexplainable, and high loss ratios; and 

20 ‘‘(D) whether the developer has dem21 onstrated a pattern or practice of noncompli22 ance with requests from the Board or the De23 partment.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11505. STANDARD REINSURANCE AGREEMENT NEGO2 TIATION. 

3 Section 508(k)(8) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

4 (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)(8)) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(G) ENGAGEMENT WITH CROP INSUR7 ANCE AGENTS.—The Corporation shall engage 

8 with entities representing crop insurance agents 

9 during any renegotiation under subparagraph 

10 (A).’’. 

11 SEC. 11506. PROTECTION AGAINST RETALIATION. 

12 Section 515 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

13 U.S.C. 1515) is amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(m) PROTECTION AGAINST RETALIATION.— 

16 ‘‘(1) PROHIBITION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No person may take 

18 any action, including an action described in 

19 subparagraph (B)— 

20 ‘‘(i) to impede an individual, including 

21 an agent, a loss adjuster, or a producer, 

22 from reporting to the Secretary, the Cor23 poration, or the Risk Management Agen24 cy— 


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1 ‘‘(I) a possible violation of this 

2 subtitle or the regulations promul3 gated thereunder; or 

4 ‘‘(II) fraud, waste, or abuse re5 lating to the Federal crop insurance 

6 program; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) to penalize or discriminate 

8 against an individual for reporting under 

9 clause (i). 

10 ‘‘(B) ACTIONS.—An action referred to in 

11 subparagraph (A) includes— 

12 ‘‘(i) any action relating to the terms 

13 and conditions of employment of an indi14 vidual described in clause (i) of that sub15 paragraph; 

16 ‘‘(ii) any action relating to the obtain17 ing of any policy or plan of insurance by 

18 such an individual; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) any changes to the compensa20 tion of such an individual for the sale or 

21 service of a policy or plan of insurance. 

22 ‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.— 

23 ‘‘(A) CAUSE OF ACTION.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro25 vided in clause (ii), an individual who alVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01137 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 leges that a person has taken an action in 

2 violation of paragraph (1) may bring an 

3 action under this subsection against that 

4 person in the appropriate district court of 

5 the United States for the relief provided in 

6 paragraph (3). 

7 ‘‘(ii) FEDERAL EMPLOYEE.—If the in8 dividual who is alleging that a person has 

9 taken an action in violation of paragraph 

10 (1) is an employee of the Federal Govern11 ment, the individual may only bring an ac12 tion under section 1221 of title 5, United 

13 States Code. 

14 ‘‘(B) SUBPOENAS.—A subpoena requiring 

15 the attendance of a witness at a trial or hearing 

16 conducted pursuant to this subsection may be 

17 served at any place in the United States. 

18 ‘‘(C) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—An ac19 tion under this subsection may not be brought 

20 more than 2 years after the date on which the 

21 alleged violation of paragraph (1) is committed. 

22 ‘‘(3) RELIEF.—Relief for an individual pre23 vailing in an action brought under paragraph (2) 

24 shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) reinstatement with the same seniority 

2 status that the individual would have had but 

3 for the discrimination; 

4 ‘‘(B) the amount of back pay or compensa5 tion otherwise owed to the individual, with in6 terest; and 

7 ‘‘(C) compensation for any special damages 

8 sustained as a result of prohibited action, in9 cluding litigation costs, expert witness fees, and 

10 reasonable attorney’s fees. 

11 ‘‘(4) CONFIDENTIALITY.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

13 subparagraph (B), the Secretary, the Corpora14 tion, and the Risk Management Agency shall 

15 not disclose any information that may reason16 ably be expected to reveal the identity of an in17 dividual who reports a possible violation or 

18 fraud, waste, or abuse described in subclauses 

19 (I) and (II) of paragraph (1)(A)(i), respectively, 

20 including information provided by that indi21 vidual. 

22 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.— 

23 ‘‘(i) RECORDS MAINTAINED ON INDI24 VIDUALS.—The Secretary, the Corporation, 

25 and the Risk Management Agency shall 


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1 only disclose information described in sub2 paragraph (A) in accordance with section 

3 552a of title 5, United States Code. 

4 ‘‘(ii) PUBLIC PROCEEDING.—The Sec5 retary, the Corporation, and the Risk Man6 agement Agency shall disclose information 

7 described in subparagraph (A) if that in8 formation is required to be disclosed to a 

9 defendant or respondent in connection with 

10 a public proceeding instituted by the Com11 mission or any entity described in items 

12 (aa) through (dd) of clause (iii)(I). 

13 ‘‘(iii) AVAILABILITY TO GOVERNMENT

14 AGENCIES.— 

15 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Sec16 retary, the Corporation, and the Risk 

17 Management Agency may, if deter18 mined by the Secretary to be nec19 essary or appropriate to accomplish 

20 the purposes of this subtitle, make the 

21 information described in subpara22 graph (A) available to— 

23 ‘‘(aa) the Department of 

24 Justice; 


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1 ‘‘(bb) an appropriate depart2 ment or agency of the Federal 

3 Government; 

4 ‘‘(cc) a State attorney gen5 eral in connection with any crimi6 nal investigation; and 

7 ‘‘(dd) an appropriate depart8 ment or agency of any State. 

9 ‘‘(II) CONFIDENTIAL STATUS.— 

10 The provision of information under 

11 subclause (I) to the entities described 

12 in that subclause shall not affect the 

13 status of the information as confiden14 tial. 

15 ‘‘(III) MAINTENANCE OF INFOR16 MATION.—Each entity described in 

17 items (aa) through (dd) of subclause 

18 (I) shall maintain the information 

19 provided under that subclause as con20 fidential in the same manner as the 

21 information is maintained by the Sec22 retary, the Corporation, and the Risk 

23 Management Agency under subpara24 graph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

2 in this paragraph limits the ability of the Attor3 ney General to present evidence containing in4 formation described in subparagraph (A) to a 

5 grand jury or share such evidence with poten6 tial witnesses or defendants in the course of an 

7 ongoing criminal investigation. 

8 ‘‘(D) APPLICABILITY.—For purposes of 

9 subparagraph (A), this section shall be consid10 ered a statute described in section 552(b)(3)(B) 

11 of title 5, United States Code. 

12 ‘‘(5) RIGHTS RETAINED.—Nothing in this sub13 section shall diminish the rights, privileges, or rem14 edies of any whistleblower under any Federal or 

15 State law or any collective bargaining agreement. 

16 ‘‘(6) NONENFORCEABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVI17 SIONS WAIVING RIGHTS AND REMEDIES OR REQUIR18 ING ARBITRATION OF DISPUTES.— 

19 ‘‘(A) WAIVER OF RIGHTS AND REM20 EDIES.—The rights and remedies provided for 

21 in this subsection may not be waived by any 

22 agreement, policy form, or condition of employ23 ment, including a predispute arbitration agree24 ment. 


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1 ‘‘(B) PREDISPUTE ARBITRATION AGREE2 MENTS.—A predispute arbitration agreement 

3 shall not be valid or enforceable if the 

4 predispute arbitration agreement requires arbi5 tration of a dispute arising under this sub6 section.’’. 

7 Subtitle F—Other Matters 

8 SEC. 11601. NATIVE SOD. 

9 Section 508(o) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

10 U.S.C. 1508(o)) is amended by striking paragraph (3) and 

11 inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(3) NATIVE SOD CONVERSION CERTIFI13 CATION.— 

14 ‘‘(A) CERTIFICATION.—As a condition on 

15 the receipt of benefits under this subtitle, a pro16 ducer that has tilled native sod acreage for the 

17 production of an insurable crop as described in 

18 paragraph (2)(A) shall certify to the Secretary 

19 that acreage using— 

20 ‘‘(i) an acreage report form of the 

21 Farm Service Agency (FSA–578 or any 

22 successor form); and 

23 ‘‘(ii) 1 or more maps. 

24 ‘‘(B) CORRECTIONS.—Beginning on the 

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1 cation under subparagraph (A), as soon as 

2 practicable after the producer discovers a 

3 change in tilled native sod acreage described in 

4 that subparagraph, the producer shall submit to 

5 the Secretary any appropriate corrections to a 

6 form or map described in clause (i) or (ii) of 

7 that subparagraph. 

8 ‘‘(C) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 

9 January 1, 2026, and each January 1 there10 after, the Secretary shall submit to the Com11 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep12 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

13 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 

14 that describes the tilled native sod acreage that 

15 has been certified under subparagraph (A) in 

16 each county and State as of the date of submis17 sion of the report.’’. 

18 SEC. 11602. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 

19 (a) Section 508 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

20 (7 U.S.C. 1508) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2)(A), in the matter 

23 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘subparagraph 

24 (B)—’’ and all that follows through ‘‘cataVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01144 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 strophic’’ in clause (ii) and inserting ‘‘subpara2 graph (B), for each crop year, catastrophic’’; 

3 (B) by striking paragraph (8); and 

4 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (9) and 

5 (10) as paragraphs (8) and (9), respectively; 

6 (2) in subsection (d)(1), in the matter pre7 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘than—’’ and 

8 all that follows through the period at the end and 

9 inserting ‘‘than 1.0.’’; and 

10 (3) in subsection (k)(4)(A), in the matter pre11 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘exceed—’’ and all that 

12 follows through ‘‘24.5’’ in clause (ii) and inserting 

13 ‘‘exceed, for each insurance year, 24.5’’. 

14 (b) Subsection (a) of section 520 of the Federal Crop 

15 Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1520) (as designated by section 

16 11202(1)) is amended, in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘not 

17 less than’’ before ‘‘18’’. 

18 (c) Section 523 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

19 (7 U.S.C. 1523) is amended— 

20 (1) by striking subsections (e) and (f); and 

21 (2) by redesignating subsections (g) through (i) 

22 as subsections (e) through (g), respectively. 


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1 TITLE XII—MISCELLANEOUS 

2 Subtitle A—Livestock 

3 SEC. 12101. ANIMAL DISEASE PREVENTION AND MANAGE4 MENT. 

5 Section 10409A(d) of the Animal Health Protection 

6 Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

9 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SUB10 SEQUENT FISCAL YEARS’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘FISCAL YEARS 2023 AND 2024’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2023 and 

13 each fiscal year thereafter’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024’’; and 

15 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(C) SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEARS.—Of the 

17 funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the 

18 Secretary shall make available to carry out this 

19 section $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

20 each fiscal year thereafter, of which not less 

21 than $18,000,000 shall be made available for 

22 each of those fiscal years to carry out sub23 section (b).’’; and 

24 (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

25 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 12102. SHEEP PRODUCTION AND MARKETING GRANT 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 Section 209(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

4 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627a(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘and 

5 $400,000 for fiscal year 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘$400,000 

6 for fiscal year 2024, and $3,000,0000 for fiscal year 

7 2025’’. 

8 SEC. 12103. RESOURCES AND GRANT PROGRAM FOR SMALL 

9 AND MEDIUM POULTRY AND MEAT ESTAB10 LISHMENTS. 

11 (a) HACCP GUIDANCE.— 

12 (1) POULTRY ESTABLISHMENTS.—The Poultry 

13 Products Inspection Act is amended by inserting 

14 after section 14 (21 U.S.C. 463) the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 14A. SMALL AND MEDIUM ESTABLISHMENT GUID16 ANCE AND RESOURCES. 

17 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) MEDIUM ESTABLISHMENT.—The term 

19 ‘medium establishment’ means an official establish20 ment that has fewer than 500 employees but more 

21 than 50 employees. 

22 ‘‘(2) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT.—The term 

23 ‘small establishment’ means an official establishment 

24 that has fewer than 50 employees. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DATABASE OF STUDIES; MODEL PLANS.—Not 

2 later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 

3 section, the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) establish a free, searchable database of ap5 proved peer-reviewed validation studies accessible to 

6 small establishments and medium establishments 

7 subject to inspection under this Act for use in devel8 oping a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points 

9 plan; and 

10 ‘‘(2) publish online scale-appropriate model 

11 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans 

12 for small establishments and medium establish13 ments, including model plans for— 

14 ‘‘(A) slaughter-only establishments; 

15 ‘‘(B) processing-only establishments; and 

16 ‘‘(C) slaughter and processing establish17 ments. 

18 ‘‘(c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 2 years after the 

19 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall pub20 lish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity 

21 for public comment, providing information on the require22 ments that need to be met for small establishments and 

23 medium establishments to receive approval for a Hazard 

24 Analysis and Critical Control Points plan pursuant to this 

25 Act. 


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1 ‘‘(d) DATA CONFIDENTIALITY.—In carrying out sub2 sections (b) and (c), the Secretary shall not publish con3 fidential business information, including a Hazard Anal4 ysis and Critical Control Points plan of an establishment, 

5 unless the establishment provides express written consent 

6 to publish the applicable information, which shall be pub7 lished in a manner that does not identify the applicable 

8 establishment.’’. 

9 (2) MEAT ESTABLISHMENTS.—The Federal 

10 Meat Inspection Act is amended by inserting after 

11 section 25 (21 U.S.C. 625) the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 26. SMALL AND MEDIUM ESTABLISHMENT GUIDANCE 

13 AND RESOURCES. 

14 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) MEDIUM ESTABLISHMENT.—The term 

16 ‘medium establishment’ means a slaughtering or 

17 meat processing establishment that has fewer than 

18 500 employees but more than 50 employees. 

19 ‘‘(2) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT.—The term 

20 ‘small establishment’ means a slaughtering or meat 

21 processing establishment that has fewer than 50 em22 ployees. 

23 ‘‘(b) DATABASE OF STUDIES; MODEL PLANS.—Not 

24 later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 

25 section, the Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) establish a free, searchable database of ap2 proved peer-reviewed validation studies accessible to 

3 small establishments and medium establishments 

4 subject to inspection under this Act for use in devel5 oping a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points 

6 plan; and 

7 ‘‘(2) publish online scale-appropriate model 

8 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans 

9 for small establishments and medium establish10 ments, including model plans for— 

11 ‘‘(A) slaughter-only establishments; 

12 ‘‘(B) processing-only establishments; and 

13 ‘‘(C) slaughter and processing establish14 ments. 

15 ‘‘(c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 2 years after the 

16 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall pub17 lish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity 

18 for public comment, providing information on the require19 ments that need to be met for small establishments and 

20 medium establishments to receive approval for a Hazard 

21 Analysis and Critical Control Points plan pursuant to this 

22 Act. 

23 ‘‘(d) DATA CONFIDENTIALITY.—In carrying out sub24 sections (b) and (c), the Secretary shall not publish con25 fidential business information, including a Hazard AnalVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01150 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ysis and Critical Control Points plan of an establishment, 

2 unless the establishment provides express written consent 

3 to publish the applicable information, which shall be pub4 lished in a manner that does not identify the applicable 

5 establishment.’’. 

6 (b) INCREASING MAXIMUM FEDERAL SHARE FOR

7 EXPENSES OF STATE INSPECTION.— 

8 (1) POULTRY PRODUCTS.—Section 5(a)(3) of 

9 the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 

10 454(a)(3)) is amended in the second sentence by 

11 striking ‘‘50 per centum’’ and inserting ‘‘55 per12 cent’’. 

13 (2) MEAT AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS.—Sec14 tion 301(a)(3) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act 

15 (21 U.S.C. 661(a)(3)) is amended in the second sen16 tence by striking ‘‘50 per centum’’ and inserting ‘‘55 

17 percent’’. 

18 (c) COOPERATIVE INTERSTATE SHIPMENT OF POUL19 TRY AND MEAT.— 

20 (1) POULTRY PRODUCTS.—Section 31 of the 

21 Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 472) is 

22 amended— 

23 (A) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (i) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘25 

2 employees’’ each place it appears and in3 serting ‘‘50 employees’’; and 

4 (ii) in paragraph (3)— 

5 (I) in the paragraph heading, by 

6 striking ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘50’’; 

7 (II) in subparagraph (A), by 

8 striking ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘50’’; and 

9 (III) in subparagraph (B)— 

10 (aa) in clause (i), by striking 

11 ‘‘more than 25 employees but 

12 less than 35 employees’’ and in13 serting ‘‘more than 50 employees 

14 but less than 70 employees’’; and 

15 (bb) in clause (ii), by strik16 ing ‘‘subsection (i)’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘subsection (j)’’; 

18 (B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘60 per19 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘80 percent’’; 

20 (C) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘sub21 section (i)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (j)’’; 

22 (D) by redesignating subsections (f) 

23 through (i) as subsections (g) through (j), re24 spectively; and 


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1 (E) by inserting after subsection (e) the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(f) FEDERAL OUTREACH.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In each of fiscal years 

5 2025 through 2029, for the purpose of State partici6 pation in the Cooperative Interstate Shipment pro7 gram, the Secretary shall conduct outreach to, and, 

8 as appropriate, subsequent negotiation with, not 

9 fewer than 25 percent of the States that— 

10 ‘‘(A) have a State poultry product inspec11 tion program pursuant to section 5; but 

12 ‘‘(B) do not have a selected establishment. 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—At the conclusion of each of fis14 cal years 2025 through 2029, the Secretary shall 

15 submit a report detailing the activities and results of 

16 the outreach conducted during that fiscal year under 

17 paragraph (1) to— 

18 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Agriculture of the 

19 House of Representatives; 

20 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri21 tion, and Forestry of the Senate; 

22 ‘‘(C) the Subcommittee on Agriculture, 

23 Rural Development, Food and Drug Adminis24 tration, and Related Agencies of the Committee 


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1 on Appropriations of the House of Representa2 tives; and 

3 ‘‘(D) the Subcommittee on Agriculture, 

4 Rural Development, Food and Drug Adminis5 tration, and Related Agencies of the Committee 

6 on Appropriations of the Senate.’’. 

7 (2) MEAT AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS.—Sec8 tion 501 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 

9 U.S.C. 683) is amended— 

10 (A) in subsection (b)— 

11 (i) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘25 

12 employees’’ each place it appears and in13 serting ‘‘50 employees’’; and 

14 (ii) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (I) in the paragraph heading, by 

16 striking ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘50’’; 

17 (II) in subparagraph (A), by 

18 striking ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘50’’; and 

19 (III) in subparagraph (B)(i), by 

20 striking ‘‘more than 25 employees but 

21 fewer than 35 employees’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘more than 50 employees but 

23 fewer than 70 employees’’; 

24 (B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘60 per25 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘80 percent’’; and 


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1 (C) in subsection (f), by adding at the end 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL OUTREACH.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In each of fiscal years 

5 2025 through 2029, for the purpose of State 

6 participation in the Cooperative Interstate Ship7 ment program, the Secretary shall conduct out8 reach to, and, as appropriate, subsequent nego9 tiation with, not fewer than 25 percent of the 

10 States that— 

11 ‘‘(i) have a State meat inspection pro12 gram pursuant to section 301; but 

13 ‘‘(ii) do not have a selected establish14 ment. 

15 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—At the conclusion of each 

16 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, the Sec17 retary shall submit a report detailing the activi18 ties and results of the outreach conducted dur19 ing that fiscal year under paragraph (1) to— 

20 ‘‘(i) the Committee on Agriculture of 

21 the House of Representatives; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Agriculture, 

23 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; 

24 ‘‘(iii) the Subcommittee on Agri25 culture, Rural Development, Food and 


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1 Drug Administration, and Related Agen2 cies of the Committee on Appropriations of 

3 the House of Representatives; and 

4 ‘‘(iv) the Subcommittee on Agri5 culture, Rural Development, Food and 

6 Drug Administration, and Related Agen7 cies of the Committee on Appropriations of 

8 the Senate.’’. 

9 (d) PROCESSING RESILIENCE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

10 Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 

11 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) (as amended by section 10005) is 

12 amended by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 210D. PROCESSING RESILIENCE GRANT PROGRAM. 

14 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) BUSINESS ENTERPRISE OWNED AND CON16 TROLLED BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DIS17 ADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘business en18 terprise owned and controlled by socially and eco19 nomically disadvantaged individuals’ has the mean20 ing given the term in section 3002 of the State 

21 Small Business Credit Initiative Act of 2010 (12 

22 U.S.C. 5701). 

23 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en24 tity’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a slaughtering or processing estab2 lishment with fewer than 500 employees; 

3 ‘‘(B) a slaughtering or processing estab4 lishment subject to— 

5 ‘‘(i) a State meat inspection program 

6 pursuant to section 301 of the Federal 

7 Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 661); or 

8 ‘‘(ii) a State poultry product inspec9 tion program pursuant to section 5 of the 

10 Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 

11 U.S.C. 454); 

12 ‘‘(C) a person engaging in custom oper13 ations that is exempt from inspection under— 

14 ‘‘(i) section 23 of the Federal Meat 

15 Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 623); or 

16 ‘‘(ii) section 15 of the Poultry Prod17 ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 464); and 

18 ‘‘(D) a person seeking— 

19 ‘‘(i) to establish and operate an estab20 lishment described in subparagraph (A) or 

21 (B); or 

22 ‘‘(ii) to engage in custom operations 

23 described in subparagraph (C). 


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1 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

2 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Ad3 ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service. 

4 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

6 after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec7 retary shall award competitive grants to eligible enti8 ties for activities to increase resiliency and diver9 sification of the meat processing system, including 

10 activities that— 

11 ‘‘(A) support the health and safety of meat 

12 and poultry plant employees, suppliers, and cus13 tomers; 

14 ‘‘(B) support increased processing capac15 ity; and 

16 ‘‘(C) otherwise support the resilience of the 

17 small meat and poultry processing sector. 

18 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The maximum 

19 amount of a grant awarded under this section shall 

20 not exceed $500,000. 

21 ‘‘(3) DURATION.—The term of a grant awarded 

22 under this section shall not exceed 3 years. 

23 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a 

25 grant under this section shall submit to the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01158 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 retary an application at such time, in such manner, 

2 and containing such information as the Secretary 

3 may require. 

4 ‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS FOR SMALL GRANTS.—The 

5 Secretary shall establish a separate, simplified appli6 cation process for eligible entities applying for a 

7 grant under this section of not more than $100,000. 

8 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall en9 sure that any application for a grant under this sec10 tion is— 

11 ‘‘(A) simple and practicable; 

12 ‘‘(B) accessible online; and 

13 ‘‘(C) available through local staff of the 

14 Department of Agriculture. 

15 ‘‘(4) NOTICE.—Not later than 14 days before 

16 the date on which the Secretary begins to accept ap17 plications under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

18 publish a notice of funding opportunity with respect 

19 to the grants available under this section. 

20 ‘‘(5) REAPPLICATION.—If an application of an 

21 eligible entity under this subsection is denied by the 

22 Secretary, the eligible entity may submit a revised 

23 application. 


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1 ‘‘(6) PRIORITY.—In reviewing applications sub2 mitted under this subsection, the Secretary shall 

3 give priority to proposals that will— 

4 ‘‘(A) increase farmer and rancher access to 

5 animal slaughter options within a 200-mile ra6 dius of the location of the farmer or rancher; 

7 ‘‘(B) support an eligible entity described in 

8 subsection (a)(2)(A); or 

9 ‘‘(C) support an eligible entity that is a 

10 business enterprise owned and controlled by so11 cially and economically disadvantaged individ12 uals. 

13 ‘‘(d) USE OF GRANT.—An eligible entity that receives 

14 a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to 

15 carry out activities in support of the purposes described 

16 in subsection (b)(1), including through— 

17 ‘‘(1) the development and issuance of a Hazard 

18 Analysis and Critical Control Points plan for the eli19 gible entity, which may be developed by a consultant; 

20 ‘‘(2) the purchase or establishment, as applica21 ble, of facilities, equipment, processes, and oper22 ations necessary for the eligible entity to comply 

23 with applicable requirements under the Federal 

24 Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or the 


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1 Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et 

2 seq.); 

3 ‘‘(3) the purchase of cold storage, equipment, or 

4 transportation services; 

5 ‘‘(4) the purchase of temperature screening 

6 supplies, testing for communicable diseases, dis7 infectant, sanitation systems, hand washing stations, 

8 and other sanitizing supplies; 

9 ‘‘(5) the purchase and decontamination of per10 sonal protective equipment; 

11 ‘‘(6) the construction or purchase of humane 

12 handling infrastructure, including holding space for 

13 livestock prior to slaughter, shade structures, and 

14 knock box structures; 

15 ‘‘(7)(A) the purchase of software and computer 

16 equipment for record keeping, production data, Haz17 ard Analysis and Critical Control Points record re18 view, and facilitation of marketing and sales of prod19 ucts in a manner consistent with the social 

20 distancing guidelines of the Centers for Disease Con21 trol and Prevention; and 

22 ‘‘(B) the provision of guidelines and training re23 lating to that software and computer equipment; 


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1 ‘‘(8) the provision of staff time and training for 

2 implementing and monitoring health and safety pro3 cedures; 

4 ‘‘(9) the development of a feasibility study or 

5 business plan for, or the carrying out of any other 

6 activity associated with, establishing or expanding a 

7 small meat or poultry processing facility; 

8 ‘‘(10) the purchase of equipment that enables 

9 the further use or value-added sale of coproducts or 

10 byproducts, such as organs, hides, and other rel11 evant products; and 

12 ‘‘(11) other activities associated with expanding 

13 or establishing an eligible entity described in sub14 section (a)(2)(A), as determined by the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—During the period beginning on 

16 the date on which the Secretary publishes the notice under 

17 subsection (c)(4) and ending on the date on which the Sec18 retary begins to accept applications under subsection 

19 (c)(1), the Secretary shall perform outreach to States and 

20 eligible entities relating to grants under this section. 

21 ‘‘(f) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the ac22 tivities carried out using a grant awarded under this sec23 tion shall not exceed— 

24 ‘‘(1) 90 percent in the case of a grant in the 

25 amount of $100,000 or less; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) 75 percent in the case of a grant in an 

2 amount greater than $100,000. 

3 ‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATION.—The promulgation of regula4 tions under, and administration of, this section shall be 

5 made without regard to— 

6 ‘‘(1) the notice and comment provisions of sec7 tion 553 of title 5, United States Code; and 

8 ‘‘(2) chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code 

9 (commonly known as the ‘Paperwork Reduction 

10 Act’). 

11 ‘‘(h) FUNDING.— 

12 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—There is appro13 priated, out of amounts in the Treasury not other14 wise appropriated, to the Secretary of Agriculture to 

15 carry out this section $25,000,000 for fiscal year 

16 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, to remain 

17 available until expended. 

18 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

19 addition to amounts made available under paragraph 

20 (1), there is authorized to be appropriated to the 

21 Secretary of Agriculture to carry out this section 

22 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

23 2029.’’. 


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1 SEC. 12104. EXEMPTION FOR MEAT PROCESSORS OF LIVE2 STOCK MARKET OWNERSHIP UNDER THE 

3 PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ACT, 1921. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise 

6 section 201.67 of title 9, Code of Federal Regulations (as 

7 in effect on the date of enactment of this Act), to exempt 

8 the packers described in subsection (b) from the prohibi9 tion described in that section. 

10 (b) PACKERS DESCRIBED.—A packer referred to in 

11 subsection (a) is a packer that— 

12 (1) purchases live animals per year for a total 

13 amount that is less than $50,000,000; or 

14 (2) owns less than 10 percent of a packer that 

15 purchases live animals per year for a total amount 

16 that is not less than $50,000,000. 

17 SEC. 12105. PROMPT PAYMENT. 

18 Section 409 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 

19 (7 U.S.C. 228b), is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 409. PROMPT PAYMENT FOR PURCHASE OF LIVE21 STOCK. 

22 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF COVERED PAYER.—In this sec23 tion, the term ‘covered payer’ means— 

24 ‘‘(1) a packer; 

25 ‘‘(2) a market agency; and 

26 ‘‘(3) a dealer. 


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1 ‘‘(b) PROMPT PAYMENT FOR LIVESTOCK.—Except as 

2 provided in subsection (c), each covered payer that pur3 chases livestock shall promptly deliver to the seller or their 

4 duly authorized representative the full amount owed for 

5 that livestock by the close of— 

6 ‘‘(1) the next business day following price deter7 mination and transfer of possession of the livestock, 

8 if payment for the full amount owed is made by— 

9 ‘‘(A) presenting a check or cash to the sell10 er; 

11 ‘‘(B) placing a check in the United States 

12 mail (or equivalent mail service) properly ad13 dressed to the seller; or 

14 ‘‘(C) transferring the full amount by any 

15 other expeditious method determined appro16 priate by the Secretary; or 

17 ‘‘(2) the third business day following price de18 termination and transfer of possession of the live19 stock, if payment for the full amount owed is made 

20 by— 

21 ‘‘(A) Automated Clearing House; or 

22 ‘‘(B) wire transfer. 

23 ‘‘(c) WAIVER OF PROMPT PAYMENT.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to such terms and 

25 conditions as the Secretary may require, a covered 


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1 payer and seller may expressly agree in writing, be2 fore a purchase or sale of livestock, to effect pay3 ment in a manner other than a manner required 

4 under subsection (b). 

5 ‘‘(2) DISCLOSURE.—Any agreement under 

6 paragraph (1) shall be disclosed in the records of the 

7 covered payer and the seller, including any docu8 ments issued by the covered payer relating to the 

9 transaction. 

10 ‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—A payment made by 

11 a covered payer pursuant to subsection (b) shall be consid12 ered— 

13 ‘‘(1) a cash sale for purposes of this Act; and 

14 ‘‘(2) to be made in contemporaneous exchange 

15 for new value for other relevant purposes. 

16 ‘‘(e) UNFAIR PRACTICE.— 

17 ‘‘(1) DELAY IN PAYMENT OR ATTEMPT TO

18 DELAY.—Any delay in making, or attempt to delay 

19 making, full payment for livestock by a covered 

20 payer in accordance with this section, including any 

21 such delay or attempt to delay for the purpose of, 

22 or that results in, extending the required period of 

23 payment under this section, shall be considered an 

24 unfair practice in violation of this Act. 


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1 ‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

2 this section limits the meaning of the term ‘unfair 

3 practice’ as used in this Act.’’. 

4 SEC. 12106. ANIMAL DISEASE REGIONAL EXPORT BAN 

5 AGREEMENTS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 10405 of the Animal 

7 Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8304) is amended— 

8 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub9 section (e); and 

10 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(d) ENGAGEMENT WITH KEY EXPORT MARKETS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

14 through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant 

15 Health Inspection Service and the Under Secretary 

16 of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural 

17 Affairs, in coordination with the Administrator of 

18 the Food Safety and Inspection Service, may pre19 emptively negotiate, to the extent practicable, re20 gionalization agreements regarding outbreaks of 

21 known animal disease threats with the governments 

22 of countries with key export markets for any animal, 

23 article, or associated means of conveyance from the 

24 United States. 


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1 ‘‘(2) RESEARCH.—A negotiation carried out 

2 under paragraph (1) is encouraged to take into ac3 count accepted global research advances.’’. 

4 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec5 tion or the amendments made by this section— 

6 (1) limits the ability of the Secretary to nego7 tiate trade agreements; or 

8 (2) requires the Secretary to condition other 

9 trade agreements on the inclusion of language relat10 ing to regionalization as described in subsection 

11 (d)(1) of section 10405 of the Animal Health Pro12 tection Act (7 U.S.C. 3804). 

13 SEC. 12107. OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR FOR 

14 COMPETITION MATTERS. 

15 The Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act 

16 of 1994 is amended by inserting after section 216 (7 

17 U.S.C. 6916) the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 217. OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR FOR 

19 COMPETITION MATTERS. 

20 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

21 Department an office, to be known as the ‘Office of the 

22 Special Investigator for Competition Matters’ (referred to 

23 in this section as the ‘Office’). 

24 ‘‘(b) SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR FOR COMPETITION

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1 vestigator for Competition Matters (referred to in this sec2 tion as the ‘Special Investigator’), who shall be a senior 

3 career employee appointed by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The Special Investigator shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) use all available tools, including subpoenas, 

6 to investigate and prosecute violations of the Pack7 ers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et 

8 seq.), by packers and live poultry dealers with re9 spect to competition and trade practices in the food 

10 and agriculture sector; 

11 ‘‘(2) serve as a Department liaison to, and act 

12 in consultation with, the Department of Justice and 

13 the Federal Trade Commission with respect to com14 petition and trade practices in the food and agricul15 tural sector; 

16 ‘‘(3) act in consultation with the Department of 

17 Homeland Security with respect to national security 

18 and critical infrastructure security in the food and 

19 agricultural sector; 

20 ‘‘(4) maintain a staff of attorneys and other 

21 professionals with appropriate expertise; and 

22 ‘‘(5) in carrying out paragraphs (1) through 

23 (4), coordinate with the Office of the General Coun24 sel and the Packers and Stockyards Division of the 

25 Agricultural Marketing Service. 


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1 ‘‘(d) PROSECUTORIAL AUTHORITY.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding title 28, 

3 United States Code, the Special Investigator shall 

4 have the authority to bring any civil or administra5 tive action authorized under the Packers and Stock6 yards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), against a 

7 packer or a live poultry dealer. 

8 ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—With respect to any ac9 tion brought under this section in Federal district 

10 court, the Special Investigator shall notify the Attor11 ney General. 

12 ‘‘(3) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section alters 

13 the authority of the Secretary to issue a subpoena 

14 pursuant to the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 

15 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.). 

16 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON SCOPE.—The Special Investi17 gator may not bring an action under this section with re18 spect to an entity that is not regulated under the Packers 

19 and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).’’. 

20 SEC. 12108. PRODUCT OF USA LABEL. 

21 The final rule of the Food Safety and Inspection 

22 Service entitled ‘‘Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated 

23 Products with U.S.-Origin Claims’’ (89 Fed. Reg. 19470 

24 (March 18, 2024)) shall have the force and effect of law. 


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1 SEC. 12109. CATTLE CONTRACTS LIBRARY. 

2 The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 is amend3 ed— 

4 (1) by redesignating section 223 (7 U.S.C. 

5 1635f) as section 224; and 

6 (2) by inserting after section 222 (7 U.S.C. 

7 1635e) the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 223. CATTLE CONTRACTS LIBRARY. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after 

10 the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food 

11 Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall establish and 

12 maintain, through the Livestock Mandatory Price Report13 ing program, a library or catalog (referred to in this sec14 tion as the ‘library’), of each type of covered contract en15 tered into between packers and producers for the purchase 

16 of fed cattle (including cattle that are purchased or com17 mitted for delivery), including any schedules of premiums 

18 or discounts associated with the covered contract. 

19 ‘‘(b) INFORMATION COLLECTION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To maintain the library, 

21 the Secretary shall obtain information from each 

22 packer on each type of existing covered contract of 

23 the packer by requiring a filing or other form of in24 formation submission from each packer. 

25 ‘‘(2) CONTRACT INFORMATION.—Information 

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1 graph (1) shall include, with respect to each existing 

2 covered contract of a packer— 

3 ‘‘(A) the type of contract; 

4 ‘‘(B) the duration of the contract; 

5 ‘‘(C) a summary of the contract terms; 

6 ‘‘(D) provisions in the contract that may 

7 affect the price of cattle covered by the con8 tract, including schedules, premiums and dis9 counts, financing and risk-sharing arrange10 ments, and transportation arrangements; 

11 ‘‘(E) the total number of cattle covered by 

12 the contract solely committed to the packer 

13 each week within the 6-month and 12-month 

14 periods following the date of the contract and 

15 the percentage of cattle each week that may 

16 vary for delivery or nondelivery at the discretion 

17 of the packer, organized by reporting region or 

18 in such other manner as the Secretary may de19 termine; 

20 ‘‘(F) in the case of a contract in which a 

21 specific number of cattle are not solely com22 mitted to the packer— 

23 ‘‘(i) an indication that the contract is 

24 an open commitment; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) any weekly, monthly, annual, or 

2 other limitations or requirements on the 

3 number of cattle that may be delivered to 

4 the packer under the contract, including 

5 the percentage of cattle that may vary for 

6 delivery or nondelivery in a given time pe7 riod at the discretion of the packer; and 

8 ‘‘(G) a description of the provisions in the 

9 contract that provide for expansion in the num10 bers of fed cattle to be delivered under the con11 tract for the 6-month and 12-month periods fol12 lowing the date of the contract. 

13 ‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

15 publicly available to producers and other interested 

16 persons information (including the information de17 scribed in subsection (b)(2)), in a user-friendly for18 mat, on the types of covered contracts in the library, 

19 including notice (on a real-time basis, if practicable) 

20 of the types of covered contracts that are entered 

21 into between packers and producers for the purchase 

22 of fed cattle. 

23 ‘‘(2) MONTHLY REPORT.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning 30 days 

25 after the library is established, the Secretary 


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1 shall make the information obtained each 

2 month in the library available in a monthly re3 port to producers and other interested persons. 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The monthly report de5 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall include— 

6 ‘‘(i) based on the information collected 

7 under subsection (b)(2)(E), an estimate by 

8 the Secretary of the total number of fed 

9 cattle committed under covered contracts 

10 for delivery to packers within the 6-month 

11 and 12-month periods following the date of 

12 the report, organized by reporting region 

13 and type of contract; 

14 ‘‘(ii) based on the information col15 lected under subsection (b)(2)(F), the 

16 number of covered contracts with an open 

17 commitment and any weekly, monthly, an18 nual, or other limitations or requirements 

19 on the number of cattle that may be deliv20 ered under such contracts, including the 

21 percentage of cattle that may vary for de22 livery or nondelivery in a given time period 

23 at the discretion of the packer; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) based on the information col25 lected under subsection (b)(2)(G), an estiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01174 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 mate by the Secretary of the total max2 imum number of fed cattle that may be de3 livered within the 6-month and 12-month 

4 periods following the date of the report, or5 ganized by reporting region and type of 

6 contract. 

7 ‘‘(d) MAINTENANCE OF LIBRARY.—Information in 

8 the library about types of contracts that are no longer of9 fered or in use shall be removed from the library. 

10 ‘‘(e) CONFIDENTIALITY.—The reporting require11 ments for packers under this section shall be subject to 

12 the confidentiality protections provided under section 251. 

13 ‘‘(f) VIOLATIONS.—It shall be unlawful and a viola14 tion of this Act for any packer to willfully fail or refuse— 

15 ‘‘(1) to provide to the Secretary accurate infor16 mation required under this section; or 

17 ‘‘(2) to comply with any other requirement of 

18 this section. 

19 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 

21 sums as are necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

22 SEC. 12110. LIVESTOCK CONSOLIDATION RESEARCH. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

24 date on which each latest Census of Agriculture is made 

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1 search Service shall publish a report on consolidation and 

2 concentration in the livestock industry, including— 

3 (1) changes in the size and location of ranches, 

4 farms, processing facilities, and packers throughout 

5 the United States; and 

6 (2) the impact of the changes described in para7 graph (1) on farmers, ranchers, and downstream 

8 consumers, including— 

9 (A) financial impacts; 

10 (B) market entry impacts; and 

11 (C) access to resources and inputs, includ12 ing processing facilities. 

13 (b) SOURCES OF INFORMATION.—In preparing a re14 port under subsection (a), the Administrator of the Eco15 nomic Research Service shall draw on data available to 

16 the Secretary of Agriculture, including the Census of Agri17 culture, inspection records of the Food Safety and Inspec18 tion Service, and the packing plant data of the Packers 

19 and Stockyards Division of the Agricultural Marketing 

20 Service. 

21 (c) REPORT ORGANIZATION.—The report under sub22 section (a) shall separate information on beef cattle by 

23 cow-calf and fed cattle operations. 


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1 (d) CONFIDENTIALITY.—A report published under 

2 subsection (a) shall not contain any confidential business 

3 information. 

4 (e) DEFINITION OF LIVESTOCK.—In this section, the 

5 term ‘‘livestock’’ includes beef, dairy, pork, lamb, and 

6 poultry production (including broilers, eggs, and turkeys). 

7 Subtitle B—Historically 

8 Underserved Producers 

9 SEC. 12201. FARMING OPPORTUNITIES TRAINING AND OUT10 REACH. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2501 of the Food, Agri12 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

13 2279) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (c)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre16 ceding subparagraph (A)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Agri18 culture’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary, acting 

19 through the Director of the National Insti20 tute of Food and Agriculture,’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘2029’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

24 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

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1 ship and succession on farmland that has 

2 multiple owners’’ after ‘‘programs’’; and 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(i), by insert4 ing ‘‘, including by providing interpretation 

5 and translation services when appropriate’’ 

6 before ‘‘; and’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (d)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

11 (i) in the matter preceding subpara12 graph (A), by striking ‘‘services,’’ and in13 serting ‘‘services (including interpretation 

14 and translation services),’’; 

15 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

16 ‘‘, including strategies to resolve ownership 

17 and succession on land that has multiple 

18 owners’’ after ‘‘strategies’’; and 

19 (iii) in subparagraph (D)— 

20 (I) by striking ‘‘ranchers ac21 quire’’ and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘ranchers— 

23 ‘‘(i) acquire’’; 


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1 (II) in clause (i) (as so des2 ignated), by adding ‘‘and’’ after the 

3 semicolon; and 

4 (III) by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(ii) with other land access issues;’’; 

7 and 

8 (3) in subsection (l)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

10 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

11 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

12 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

13 ‘‘fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting the fol14 lowing: ‘‘each of fiscal years 2023 and 

15 2024; and 

16 ‘‘(E) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’; 

17 and 

18 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

21 (1) Section 226B(d) of the Department of Agri22 culture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

23 6934(d)) is amended— 

24 (A) by striking paragraph (2); and 


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

2 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively. 

3 (2) Section 201(a)(3)(D) of division HH of the 

4 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (7 U.S.C. 

5 6712(a)(3)(D)), is amended— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘2501’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘2501(a)’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘2279)).’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘2279(a))).’’. 

10 (3) Section 1235(f)(1) of the Food Security Act 

11 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3835(f)(1)) is amended, in the 

12 matter preceding subparagraph (A)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘2501(e)’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2501(a)’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘2279(e))),’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘2279(a))),’’. 

17 (4) Section 1240B(d)(4)(A) of the Food Secu18 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(4)(A)) is 

19 amended, in the matter preceding clause (i)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘2501(e)’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘2501(a)’’; and 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘2279(e))),’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘2279(a))),’’. 

24 (5) Section 1241(h)(4) of the Food Security 

25 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(h)(4)) is amended— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘2501(e)’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘2501(a)’’; and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘2279(e)))’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘2279(a)))’’. 

5 (6) Section 1244(a)(2)(E) of the Food Security 

6 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(a)(2)(E)) is amend7 ed— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘2501(e)’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘2501(a)’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘2279(e))).’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘2279(a))).’’. 

12 SEC. 12202. STRENGTHENING THE TRANSPARENCY AND AC13 COUNTABILITY REPORT. 

14 Section 2501A(c)(4) of the Food, Agriculture, Con15 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279–1(c)(4)) 

16 is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

20 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(B) ACCESSIBILITY.—Not later than 1 

22 year after the date of enactment of this sub23 paragraph, the Secretary shall, in coordination 

24 with the Office of Customer Experience and the 

25 Office of Digital Service, ensure that the design 


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1 of the report described in paragraph (3) is user2 friendly, such that the data in the report is easy 

3 for users to use and analyze. 

4 ‘‘(C) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—The 

5 Secretary shall annually submit to the Com6 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

7 of the Senate and the Committee on Agri8 culture of the House of Representatives, as the 

9 Secretary determines to be appropriate— 

10 ‘‘(i) the report described in paragraph 

11 (3); or 

12 ‘‘(ii) the web address of the website 

13 described in subparagraph (A).’’. 

14 SEC. 12203. USDA OMBUDSPERSON. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of the Department of 

16 Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 

17 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 224B. USDA OMBUDSPERSON. 

19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab21 lish in the Department the position of USDA 

22 Ombudsperson (referred to in this section as the 

23 ‘Ombudsperson’), which shall be a career reserved 

24 position (as defined in section 3132(a) of title 5, 

25 United States Code) in the Senior Executive Service. 


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1 ‘‘(2) INDEPENDENT POSITION.—The Secretary 

2 shall take appropriate actions to ensure the inde3 pendence of the Ombudsperson within the Depart4 ment, including ensuring that the Ombudsperson 

5 shall be independent of other Department agencies 

6 and offices. 

7 ‘‘(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Ombudsperson shall 

8 have— 

9 ‘‘(1) a background in civil rights and agri10 culture; and 

11 ‘‘(2) comprehensive knowledge of or experience 

12 working with the Department. 

13 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the 

14 Ombudsperson shall be— 

15 ‘‘(1) to assist farmers, ranchers, and forest 

16 landowners with navigating agencies and offices 

17 within the Department, including— 

18 ‘‘(A) the civil rights offices within the farm 

19 production and conservation mission area and 

20 the Forest Service; and 

21 ‘‘(B) the Office of the Assistant Secretary 

22 for Civil Rights; 

23 ‘‘(2) to work with the Office of the Assistant 

24 Secretary for Civil Rights to review progress of com25 plaints referred by the Ombudsperson; 


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1 ‘‘(3) to track the response of the Department 

2 to, and the progress of the Department with respect 

3 to implementing, recommendations made by Depart4 ment advisory committees, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) the Advisory Committee on Minority 

6 Farmers; 

7 ‘‘(B) the Tribal Advisory Committee; and 

8 ‘‘(C) the Advisory Committee on Beginning 

9 Farmers and Ranchers; and 

10 ‘‘(4) to ensure that the functions performed by 

11 the Ombudsperson are complementary to existing 

12 functions within the Department. 

13 ‘‘(d) REFERRALS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.— 

15 The Ombudsperson shall refer to the Office of the 

16 Inspector General of the Department systemic issues 

17 that may affect the program delivery by the Depart18 ment to members of protected classes. 

19 ‘‘(2) OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.—The 

20 Ombudsperson shall refer individual complaints of 

21 discrimination to the Office of the Assistant Sec22 retary for Civil Rights for processing. 

23 ‘‘(e) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 31, 

25 2025, and annually thereafter, the Ombudsperson 


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1 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri2 tion, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

3 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, 

4 without prior comment or amendment from the Sec5 retary or any other officer or employee of the De6 partment, or any officer or employee of the Office of 

7 Management and Budget, a report that describes the 

8 activities of the Ombudsperson during the preceding 

9 fiscal year, including— 

10 ‘‘(A) the number of program complaints 

11 received by the Ombudsperson; 

12 ‘‘(B) the number of program complaints 

13 referred to the Office of the Assistant Secretary 

14 for Civil Rights by the Ombudsperson; and 

15 ‘‘(C) the final determinations of the com16 plaints described in subparagraphs (A) and (B). 

17 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The annual re18 port described in paragraph (1) shall be made pub19 licly available on the website of the Department. 

20 ‘‘(f) FUNDING.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is appropriated, out 

22 of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appro23 priated, $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 

24 2025 through 2029 to carry out this section, to re25 main available until expended. 


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1 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

2 addition to amounts otherwise made available, there 

3 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 

4 section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

5 through 2029, to remain available until expended.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subtitle A of the 

7 Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is 

8 amended by redesignating section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) 

9 (relating to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A. 

10 SEC. 12204. FARMLAND OWNERSHIP. 

11 Section 12607(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

12 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204i(c)) is amended— 

13 (1) by inserting ‘‘of’’ before ‘‘fiscal’’; and 

14 (2) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 12205. CIVIL RIGHTS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR USDA EM16 PLOYEES. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) CORRECTIVE ACTION.—The term ‘‘correc19 tive action’’ means any action taken to respond to 

20 any covered action, violation, or misconduct that— 

21 (A) would enhance civil rights at the De22 partment of Agriculture, including any policy or 

23 programmatic changes to prevent similar mis24 conduct from occurring in the future; and 


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1 (B) may include disciplinary actions, in2 cluding— 

3 (i) removal from Federal service; 

4 (ii) suspension without pay; 

5 (iii) any reduction in grade or pay; 

6 and 

7 (iv) a letter of reprimand. 

8 (2) COVERED ACTION, VIOLATION, OR MIS9 CONDUCT.—The term ‘‘covered action, violation, or 

10 misconduct’’ means a discriminatory action, a retal11 iatory action, harassment, a civil rights violation, or 

12 related misconduct, including the following: 

13 (A) Failure to provide a receipt for service 

14 in accordance with section 2501A(e) of the 

15 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 

16 of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279–1(e)) to any current or 

17 prospective applicant for, or participant in, a 

18 Department of Agriculture program. 

19 (B) Providing an inaccurate receipt for 

20 service under such section 2501A(e) to any 

21 such current or prospective applicant or partici22 pant. 

23 (C) Failure to provide appropriate infor24 mation regarding relevant programs and serv25 ices at the Department of Agriculture, when reVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01187 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 quested by any such current or prospective ap2 plicant or participant. 

3 (D) Failure to timely process applications 

4 or otherwise delaying program services to any 

5 such current or prospective applicant or partici6 pant. 

7 (b) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

8 appropriate corrective action is taken with respect to any 

9 official or employee of the Department of Agriculture who 

10 has been found to have engaged in any covered action, 

11 violation, or misconduct while in the course of the employ12 ment of such official or employee or in administering a 

13 Department of Agriculture program or service— 

14 (1) in any administrative finding by the Depart15 ment of Agriculture, including any final agency deci16 sion issued by the Assistant Secretary for Civil 

17 Rights and any civil rights compliance review or mis18 conduct investigation conducted by the Department 

19 of Agriculture; 

20 (2) in any Federal administrative or judicial 

21 proceeding; 

22 (3) in any settlement with respect to civil 

23 rights; 


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1 (4) in any audit or investigation conducted by 

2 the Office of the Inspector General of the Depart3 ment of Agriculture; or 

4 (5) in any investigation conducted by the Office 

5 of the Special Counsel. 

6 SEC. 12206. EQUITABLE RELIEF RECOMMENDATIONS BY 

7 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CIVIL 

8 RIGHTS. 

9 (a) EQUITABLE RELIEF FROM INELIGIBILITY FOR

10 LOANS, PAYMENTS, OR OTHER BENEFITS.—Section 1613 

11 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 

12 (7 U.S.C. 7996) is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subsections (f), (g), and 

14 (h) as subsections (g), (h), and (k), respectively; 

15 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(f) EQUITABLE RELIEF RECOMMENDATIONS BY

18 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary for 

20 Civil Rights (or a designee of the Secretary in the 

21 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, if 

22 no Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights is appointed 

23 and confirmed in accordance with section 218(b) of 

24 the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act 

25 of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6918(b))) may recommend that 


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1 the Secretary grant relief in accordance with sub2 sections (b) through (d) to a participant who files a 

3 civil rights program complaint. 

4 ‘‘(2) DECISIONS.—The Secretary shall provide 

5 a written explanation describing in detail why equi6 table relief was not granted to a participant who 

7 filed a civil rights program complaint if the Assist8 ant Secretary for Civil Rights (or the designee of the 

9 Secretary) makes a recommendation to the Sec10 retary to grant relief to that participant in accord11 ance with paragraph (1) and such relief was not 

12 granted. 

13 ‘‘(3) OTHER AUTHORITY.—The authority pro14 vided to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (or 

15 the designee of the Secretary) under this subsection 

16 is in addition to any other applicable authority and 

17 does not limit other authority provided to the Assist18 ant Secretary for Civil Rights by law or by the Sec19 retary.’’; and 

20 (3) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and 

22 (e)’’ and all that follows through the semicolon 

23 and inserting ‘‘and (e), the number of rec24 ommendations for equitable relief under subVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01190 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 section (f), and the dispositions of those re2 quests and those recommendations;’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘for eq4 uitable relief’’ and all that follows through the 

5 period at the end and inserting ‘‘and rec6 ommendations for equitable relief under section 

7 366 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Devel8 opment Act (7 U.S.C. 2008a) and the disposi9 tion of those requests and those recommenda10 tions.’’. 

11 (b) EQUITABLE RELIEF FOR ACTIONS TAKEN IN

12 GOOD FAITH.—Section 366 of the Consolidated Farm and 

13 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008a) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may only provide 

17 relief to a farmer or rancher under subsection (a) if the 

18 Secretary determines that the farmer or rancher— 

19 ‘‘(1) acted in good faith and relied on an action 

20 of, or the advice of, the Secretary (including any au21 thorized representative of the Secretary) to the det22 riment of the farming or ranching operation of the 

23 farmer or rancher; or 

24 ‘‘(2)(A) failed to comply fully with the require25 ments to receive a loan described in subsection 


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1 (a)(1), but made a good faith effort to comply with 

2 the requirements; and 

3 ‘‘(B) is otherwise in compliance with the eligi4 bility requirements for a direct farm ownership loan 

5 under subtitle A, a direct operating loan under sub6 title B, or an emergency loan under subtitle C.’’; 

7 (2) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub8 section (f); and 

9 (3) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(e) EQUITABLE RELIEF RECOMMENDATIONS BY

12 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary for 

14 Civil Rights (or a designee of the Secretary in the 

15 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, if 

16 no Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights is appointed 

17 and confirmed in accordance with section 218(b) of 

18 the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act 

19 of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6918(b))) may recommend that 

20 the Secretary grant relief in accordance with sub21 sections (a) through (d) to an individual who files a 

22 complaint with respect to civil rights regarding a di23 rect farm ownership, operating, or emergency loan 

24 under this title. 


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1 ‘‘(2) DECISIONS.—The Secretary shall provide 

2 a written explanation describing in detail why equi3 table relief was not granted to an individual who 

4 filed a complaint described in paragraph (1) if the 

5 Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (or the designee 

6 of the Secretary) makes a recommendation to the 

7 Secretary to grant relief to the individual in accord8 ance with paragraph (1) and such relief was not 

9 granted. 

10 ‘‘(3) OTHER AUTHORITY.—The authority pro11 vided to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (or 

12 the designee of the Secretary) under this subsection 

13 is in addition to any other applicable authority and 

14 does not limit other authority provided to the Assist15 ant Secretary for Civil Rights by law or by the Sec16 retary.’’. 

17 SEC. 12207. ADVISORY COMMITTEE IMPROVEMENTS AND 

18 TRANSPARENCY. 

19 (a) MINORITY FARMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

20 Section 14008 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act 

21 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2279 note; Public Law 110–246) is 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

25 by inserting ‘‘, and make recommendations to 


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1 the Secretary with respect to’’ after ‘‘Secretary 

2 on’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

4 the end; 

5 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe6 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(4) ways to eliminate systemic issues and bar9 riers that contribute to limited participation among 

10 minority farmers and ranchers in such programs; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(5) engagement with community-based organi13 zations, civil rights organizations, institutions of 

14 higher education, and faith-based organizations to 

15 improve outreach and technical assistance to minor16 ity farmers and ranchers.’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

20 once each year, the Committee shall submit to the 

21 Secretary a report that describes— 

22 ‘‘(A) the advice provided and recommenda23 tions made to the Secretary under subsection 

24 (b) during the previous year; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the activities of the Committee dur2 ing the previous year; and 

3 ‘‘(C) recommendations for legislative or ad4 ministrative action for the following year. 

5 ‘‘(2) RESPONSE FROM THE SECRETARY.—Not 

6 later than 90 days after the date on which the Sec7 retary receives a report under paragraph (1), the 

8 Secretary shall submit a written response to that re9 port to the Committee. 

10 ‘‘(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

11 shall make the report under paragraph (1) and the 

12 written responses under paragraph (2) publicly 

13 available on the website of the Department of Agri14 culture.’’. 

15 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON BEGINNING FARMERS

16 AND RANCHERS.—Section 5(b) of the Agricultural Credit 

17 Improvement Act of 1992 (7 U.S.C. 1929 note; Public 

18 Law 102–554) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

21 (A), by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this subsection 

22 as the ‘Advisory Committee’)’’ after ‘‘Ranch23 ers’ ’’; and 

24 (B) by striking subparagraphs (A) through 

25 (E) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) improvements to— 

2 ‘‘(i) the program of coordinated as3 sistance to qualified beginning farmers and 

4 ranchers under section 309(i) of the Con5 solidated Farm and Rural Development 

6 Act (7 U.S.C. 1929(i)); 

7 ‘‘(ii) the Beginning Farmer and 

8 Rancher Development Grant Program 

9 under section 2501(d) of the Food, Agri10 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 

11 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(d)); 

12 ‘‘(iii) direct operating loans under 

13 subtitle B of the Consolidated Farm and 

14 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1941 et 

15 seq.) provided to qualified beginning farm16 ers and ranchers (as defined in section 

17 343(a) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a))); 

18 ‘‘(iv) the Local Agriculture Market 

19 Program under section 210A of the Agri20 cultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 

21 1627c); and 

22 ‘‘(v) other programs administered by 

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1 ers and ranchers, as identified by the Advi2 sory Committee; 

3 ‘‘(B) methods of maximizing the number of 

4 new farming and ranching opportunities created 

5 through the programs described in subpara6 graph (A); and 

7 ‘‘(C) other methods of creating new farm8 ing or ranching opportunities.’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘Farmers 

10 Home Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service 

11 Agency’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(3) REPORTS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

15 than once each year, the Advisory Committee 

16 shall submit to the Secretary a report that de17 scribes— 

18 ‘‘(i) the advice provided to the Sec19 retary under paragraph (1) during the pre20 vious year; 

21 ‘‘(ii) the activities of the Advisory 

22 Committee during the previous year; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) recommendations for legislative 

24 or administrative action for the following 

25 year. 


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1 ‘‘(B) RESPONSE FROM THE SECRETARY.— 

2 Not later than 90 days after the date on which 

3 the Secretary receives a report under subpara4 graph (A), the Secretary shall submit a written 

5 response to that report to the Advisory Com6 mittee. 

7 ‘‘(C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec8 retary shall make the report under subpara9 graph (A) and the written responses under sub10 paragraph (B) publicly available on the website 

11 of the Department of Agriculture.’’. 

12 SEC. 12208. OFFICE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE AND INNOVA13 TIVE PRODUCTION. 

14 (a) OFFICE.—Section 222(a) of the Department of 

15 Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

16 6923(a)) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (4)— 

18 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 

19 and (G) as subparagraphs (G) and (H), respec20 tively; 

21 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(F) providing guidance on barriers to 

24 business establishment and operation;’’; 


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1 (C) in subparagraph (G) (as so redesig2 nated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (D) in subparagraph (H) (as so redesig4 nated), by striking the period at the end and in5 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (E) by adding the following at the end: 

7 ‘‘(I) promoting conservation tech8 niques unique to urban agriculture 

9 and urban environmental impacts.’’; 

10 and 

11 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(5) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 

14 In this paragraph, the term ‘eligible entity’ 

15 means any of the following: 

16 ‘‘(i) A nonprofit organization. 

17 ‘‘(ii) An agricultural cooperative. 

18 ‘‘(iii) A unit of local government. 

19 ‘‘(iv) An Indian Tribe or Tribal orga20 nization (as those terms are defined in sec21 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 

22 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

23 5304)). 

24 ‘‘(v) Any other Tribal entity (as deter25 mined by the Secretary). 


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1 ‘‘(vi) A Native Hawaiian organization 

2 (as defined in section 6207 of the Elemen3 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

4 (20 U.S.C. 7517)). 

5 ‘‘(vii) An agricultural producer group, 

6 farmer or rancher cooperative, or majority7 controlled producer-based business venture 

8 (as determined by the Secretary). 

9 ‘‘(viii) Any school that serves any of 

10 grades kindergarten through grade 12. 

11 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.— 

12 ‘‘(i) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

13 The Director shall enter into cooperative 

14 agreements with eligible entities to support 

15 the implementation of 1 or more respon16 sibilities described in paragraph (4) 

17 through outreach, education, technical as18 sistance, or other activities that support 

19 the expansion and success of urban agri20 culture and innovative production oper21 ations. 

22 ‘‘(ii) STREAMLINING.—To the max23 imum extent practicable, the Director shall 

24 utilize any existing cooperative agreements 

25 or collaborations with eligible entities to 


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1 fulfill the responsibilities described in para2 graph (4) effectively and efficiently. 

3 ‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—In entering into coopera4 tive agreements under subparagraph (B), the 

5 Director shall give priority to cooperative agree6 ments with an eligible entity that— 

7 ‘‘(i) serves geographic areas with high 

8 concentrations of urban or suburban 

9 farms; 

10 ‘‘(ii) has established relationships 

11 with, or a history of serving, historically 

12 underserved populations; 

13 ‘‘(iii) has experience working with in14 dividuals with limited English proficiency; 

15 or 

16 ‘‘(iv) demonstrates experience pro17 viding urban agriculture technical assist18 ance in their geographic region. 

19 ‘‘(D) MICROGRANTS.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity 

21 may use funds from a cooperative agree22 ment established under this paragraph to 

23 provide microgrants to urban and innova24 tive producers for purchases of farm and 

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1 ture, or other investments to support the 

2 growth of the farm or farm business of the 

3 urban or innovative producer. 

4 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATION ON USE OF

5 FUNDS.—An urban or innovative producer 

6 receiving a microgrant under clause (i) 

7 may not use the grant for the purchase or 

8 construction of— 

9 ‘‘(I) a building; 

10 ‘‘(II) general purpose equipment; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(III) a nonagricultural struc13 ture.’’. 

14 (b) URBAN AGRICULTURE AND INNOVATIVE PRO15 DUCTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—Section 222(b) of the 

16 Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 

17 U.S.C. 6923(b)) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ‘‘1 year 

19 after the date on which the Committee is estab20 lished, and every 2 years through 2023’’ and insert21 ing ‘‘2 years after the date of enactment of the 

22 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, 

23 and every 2 years thereafter through 2029’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (7)(A), by striking ‘‘the date 

2 that’’ and all that follows through the period at the 

3 end and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2029.’’. 

4 (c) GRANTS.—Section 222 of the Department of Ag5 riculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923) is 

6 amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

11 award competitive grants to support the devel12 opment of urban agriculture and innovative pro13 duction, such as community gardens, urban 

14 farms, rooftop farms, indoor farms, controlled15 environment agriculture, urban agroforestry, 

16 and vertical production. 

17 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In awarding competitive 

18 grants under this subsection, the Director shall 

19 prioritize projects that improve access to local 

20 foods in areas where access to fresh, healthy 

21 food is limited. 

22 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligible to 

23 receive a grant under paragraph (1)(A) is any of the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(A) A nonprofit organization. 


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1 ‘‘(B) A unit of local government. 

2 ‘‘(C) An Indian Tribe or Tribal organiza3 tion (as those terms are defined in section 4 of 

4 the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

5 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)). 

6 ‘‘(D) Any other Tribal entity (as deter7 mined by the Secretary). 

8 ‘‘(E) A Native Hawaiian organization (as 

9 defined in section 6207 of the Elementary and 

10 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 7517)). 

12 ‘‘(F) An agricultural producer group, 

13 farmer or rancher cooperative, or majority-con14 trolled producer-based business venture (as de15 termined by the Secretary). 

16 ‘‘(G) Any school that serves any of grades 

17 kindergarten through grade 12.’’. 

18 (d) URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.—Section 

19 222(d) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization 

20 Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923(d)) is amended— 

21 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking 

22 ‘‘PILOT PROJECTS’’ and inserting ‘‘PROJECTS’’; and 

23 (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(1) URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF URBAN AND SUBUR2 BAN COMMITTEE.—In this paragraph, the term 

3 ‘urban and suburban committee’ means a coun4 ty committee in an urban or suburban area es5 tablished under— 

6 ‘‘(i) this subparagraph (as in effect on 

7 the day before the date of enactment of the 

8 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

9 2024) before that date of enactment; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) subparagraph (B)(ii) on or after 

11 that date of enactment. 

12 ‘‘(B) MAINTENANCE AND ESTABLISHMENT

13 OF URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.— 

14 ‘‘(i) MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING

15 URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.— 

16 The Secretary shall maintain— 

17 ‘‘(I) each urban and suburban 

18 committee existing as of the date of 

19 enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

20 and Food Security Act of 2024; and 

21 ‘‘(II) each urban and suburban 

22 committee established under clause 

23 (ii). 

24 ‘‘(ii) ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW URBAN

25 AND SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.—Not later 


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1 than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

2 the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

3 Act of 2024, and annually thereafter, as 

4 appropriate, the Secretary shall establish 

5 new urban and suburban committees in ac6 cordance with subparagraph (C). 

7 ‘‘(iii) PHYSICAL OFFICE LOCATIONS

8 FOR URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMIT9 TEES.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

10 each urban and suburban committee has a 

11 physical office location to service the needs 

12 of urban, suburban, or innovative agricul13 tural producers. 

14 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS FOR MAINTENANCE

15 AND ESTABLISHMENT OF URBAN AND SUBUR16 BAN COMMITTEES.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The maintenance 

18 and establishment of urban and suburban 

19 committees under subparagraph (B) shall 

20 be carried out in accordance with section 

21 8(b)(5)(B) of the Soil Conservation and 

22 Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 

23 590h(b)(5)(B)). 

24 ‘‘(ii) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.—In de25 termining where to establish a new urban 


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1 and suburban committee under subpara2 graph (B)(ii), the Secretary shall consider 

3 feedback from local stakeholders on the 

4 need for a new urban and suburban com5 mittee in the applicable area. 

6 ‘‘(D) PURPOSE OF URBAN AND SUBURBAN

7 COMMITTEES.—The purpose of an urban and 

8 suburban committee shall be— 

9 ‘‘(i) to operate in an urban or subur10 ban area with a high concentration of 

11 urban, suburban, or innovative farms; 

12 ‘‘(ii) to carry out the responsibilities 

13 described in subparagraph (G); and 

14 ‘‘(iii) to operate with a committee 

15 membership that is fairly representative of 

16 the producers in the applicable urban or 

17 suburban area. 

18 ‘‘(E) OFFICES OF URBAN AND SUBURBAN

19 COMMITTEES.— 

20 ‘‘(i) STRUCTURE.—The office of an 

21 urban and suburban committee shall be 

22 structured— 

23 ‘‘(I) as a non-regional office that 

24 serves— 

25 ‘‘(aa) a single county; 


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1 ‘‘(bb) a group of contiguous 

2 counties; or 

3 ‘‘(cc) a contiguous area that 

4 includes portions of 2 or more 

5 counties; or 

6 ‘‘(II) as a regional office that 

7 serves a group of noncontiguous 

8 urban or suburban areas that cover a 

9 region. 

10 ‘‘(ii) MINIMUM STAFF ALLOCATIONS

11 IN NON-REGIONAL OFFICES OF URBAN AND

12 SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.— 

13 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The staff in 

14 the physical office of an urban and 

15 suburban committee structured as de16 scribed in clause (i)(I) shall include, 

17 at a minimum— 

18 ‘‘(aa) urban and suburban 

19 committee members based on 

20 whether the office serves a single 

21 county or multiple counties; 

22 ‘‘(bb) an Executive Director; 

23 ‘‘(cc) at least 1 employee of 

24 the Natural Resources Conserva25 tion Service; 


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1 ‘‘(dd) subject to subclause 

2 (II), a farm loan officer; and 

3 ‘‘(ee) such additional staff 

4 equal to the national average 

5 number of additional staff of 

6 county offices. 

7 ‘‘(II) FARM LOAN OFFICER.—In 

8 lieu of having a farm loan officer on 

9 staff under subclause (I)(dd), the of10 fice of an urban and suburban com11 mittee may provide dedicated weekly, 

12 publicly advertised, office hours by a 

13 farm loan officer that is not on the 

14 staff of the urban and suburban com15 mittee. 

16 ‘‘(iii) MINIMUM STAFF ALLOCATIONS

17 IN REGIONAL OFFICES OF URBAN AND

18 SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.—The staff in the 

19 physical office of an urban and suburban 

20 committee structured as described in 

21 clause (i)(II) shall include, at a min22 imum— 

23 ‘‘(I) urban and suburban com24 mittee members, the number of which 

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1 lished by the Secretary for combined 

2 county offices; 

3 ‘‘(II) an Executive Director of 

4 the office established in an area 

5 served by the urban and suburban 

6 committee; 

7 ‘‘(III) at least 2 employees of the 

8 Natural Resources Conservation Serv9 ice; 

10 ‘‘(IV) a farm loan officer; and 

11 ‘‘(V) such additional staff as are 

12 necessary to equal the national aver13 age number of staff present in com14 bined offices nationwide. 

15 ‘‘(iv) DEDICATED SPACE FOR DUTY

16 STATIONS.— 

17 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The office of 

18 an urban and suburban committee 

19 shall maintain at least 1 dedicated, 

20 publicly accessible space in the area 

21 served by the urban and suburban 

22 committee— 

23 ‘‘(aa) to act as the duty sta24 tion for the staff of the office; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) at which the staff of 

2 the office may meet with and 

3 serve customers of the office. 

4 ‘‘(II) ACCEPTABLE FORMS.—A 

5 dedicated space described in subclause 

6 (I) may be— 

7 ‘‘(aa) a space colocated with 

8 the offices of— 

9 ‘‘(AA) a State, local, or 

10 Tribal government; or 

11 ‘‘(BB) a nonprofit or12 ganization; or 

13 ‘‘(bb) a space, including a 

14 shared space, at which a staff 

15 member of the office is present at 

16 least 1 day each week pursuant 

17 to a rotational schedule type of 

18 arrangement. 

19 ‘‘(F) STATE OFFICES.— 

20 ‘‘(i) STATES WITH MULTIPLE OFFICES

21 OF URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMIT22 TEES.— 

23 ‘‘(I) DISTRICT DIRECTORS.—The 

24 Secretary shall ensure that an urban 

25 district director is stationed at each 


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1 Farm Service Agency State office that 

2 serves a State in which more than 1 

3 office described in subparagraph (E) 

4 is established. 

5 ‘‘(II) FSA STATE SPECIALISTS.— 

6 In order to provide specialized support 

7 for outreach and technical assistance 

8 to urban and suburban committees 

9 and offices established under this sub10 section, the Secretary may station a 

11 State specialist in the Farm Service 

12 Agency State office of a State de13 scribed in subclause (I). 

14 ‘‘(III) SERVICE OF MULTIPLE

15 STATES.—Subject to subclause (II), a 

16 State specialist stationed at a Farm 

17 Service Agency State office described 

18 in that subclause may serve 1 or more 

19 States described in clause (ii)(I) in 

20 addition to the State described in that 

21 subclause. 

22 ‘‘(ii) NRCS STATE SPECIALISTS.— 

23 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Sec24 retary may station an urban agri25 culture and innovative production 


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1 State specialist in a State office of the 

2 Natural Resources Conservation Serv3 ice that serves a State in which only 

4 1 office described in subparagraph 

5 (E) is established. 

6 ‘‘(II) SERVICE OF MULTIPLE

7 STATES.—The Secretary may require 

8 a State specialist described in sub9 clause (I) stationed at a State office 

10 described in that subclause to serve 1 

11 or more States described in that sub12 clause. 

13 ‘‘(G) RESPONSIBILITIES OF URBAN AND

14 SUBURBAN COMMITTEES.—Each urban and 

15 suburban committee shall— 

16 ‘‘(i) assist the Department in improv17 ing the delivery and performance of pro18 grams administered by the Secretary for 

19 urban, suburban, and innovative producers 

20 by identifying local, urban, and suburban 

21 agriculture and innovative production 

22 needs; 

23 ‘‘(ii) conduct, in coordination with the 

24 Farm Service Agency and the Natural Re25 sources Conservation Service, outreach to 


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1 local stakeholders to provide education on 

2 and promote Department programs and 

3 services, with an emphasis on field level 

4 Farm Service Agency and Natural Re5 sources Conservation Service programs in 

6 urban and suburban areas; 

7 ‘‘(iii) advise the staff of the office of 

8 the urban and suburban committee; 

9 ‘‘(iv) select an Executive Director, 

10 who shall— 

11 ‘‘(I) execute the policies estab12 lished by the urban and suburban 

13 committee; and 

14 ‘‘(II) be responsible for the day15 to-day operations of the office of the 

16 urban and suburban committee; 

17 ‘‘(v) recommend and review local ad18 ministrative area boundaries based on the 

19 structure of the office of the urban and 

20 suburban committee, as described in sub21 paragraph (E)(i); 

22 ‘‘(vi) facilitate general session meet23 ings at least once per quarter; 

24 ‘‘(vii) make recommendations on pro25 ducer applications, as appropriate; 


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1 ‘‘(viii) provide committee data to 

2 other government agencies, on request; 

3 ‘‘(ix) inform State committees and 

4 others in the Farm Service Agency and the 

5 Natural Resources Conservation Service 

6 about suggestions made by agricultural 

7 producers relating to Department pro8 grams; and 

9 ‘‘(x) conduct hearings as directed by 

10 the applicable Farm Service Agency State 

11 committees. 

12 ‘‘(H) URBAN AND SUBURBAN COMMITTEE

13 ELECTIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) ELECTIONS.—The election of 

15 members to an urban and suburban com16 mittee shall be administered according to 

17 section 8(b)(5)(B)(iii) of the Soil Con18 servation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 

19 U.S.C. 590h(b)(5)(B)(iii)). 

20 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for 

21 nomination and election to an urban and 

22 suburban committee, an agricultural pro23 ducer— 

24 ‘‘(I) shall— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) be located within the 

2 area under the jurisdiction of the 

3 urban and suburban committee; 

4 ‘‘(bb) participate in pro5 grams administered within that 

6 area; 

7 ‘‘(cc) produce, sell, or dis8 tribute goods using urban, in9 door, or other innovative and 

10 emerging agricultural practices, 

11 as determined by the Secretary; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(II) shall not participate in any 

14 other county committee established by 

15 the Farm Service Agency. 

16 ‘‘(iii) TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT.—In 

17 establishing a new urban and suburban 

18 committee under subparagraph (B)(ii), the 

19 Secretary may appoint initial members of 

20 that urban and suburban committee for an 

21 initial term of office not to exceed 1 year, 

22 until such time as the members of the 

23 urban and suburban committee are elected 

24 in accordance with clauses (i) and (ii). 

25 ‘‘(I) EFFECT.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this 

2 paragraph requires or precludes the estab3 lishment of a Farm Service Agency or Nat4 ural Resources Conservation Service office 

5 in a county in which an urban and subur6 ban committee is established. 

7 ‘‘(ii) COLOCATION.—In cases in which 

8 the office of an urban and suburban com9 mittee is colocated with a county com10 mittee that is not an urban and suburban 

11 committee, farm loan staff of the Farm 

12 Service Agency shall provide assistance to 

13 the urban, suburban, and innovative pro14 ducers in the service area of that urban 

15 and suburban committee. 

16 ‘‘(J) REPORT.—For fiscal year 2025 and 

17 each fiscal year thereafter through fiscal year 

18 2029, the Secretary shall submit to the Com19 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep20 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

21 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 

22 describing— 

23 ‘‘(i) the status of the urban and sub24 urban committees; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) any meetings and other activities 

2 of the urban and suburban committees; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(iii) the types and volume of assist5 ance and services provided to farmers in 

6 counties in which urban and suburban 

7 committees are established. 

8 ‘‘(K) LIMITATION ON CLOSURE.—The of9 fice of an urban and suburban committee re10 ferred to in subparagraph (E) shall not be 

11 closed unless an Act making appropriations for 

12 the Department of Agriculture or another Act 

13 of Congress specifically authorizes such clo14 sure.’’. 

15 (e) INCREASING COMMUNITY COMPOST AND REDUC16 ING FOOD WASTE.—Section 222(d) of the Department of 

17 Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

18 6923(d)) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and insert19 ing the following— 

20 ‘‘(2) INCREASING COMMUNITY COMPOST AND

21 REDUCING FOOD WASTE.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

23 through the Director, shall offer to enter into 

24 cooperative agreements with eligible entities de25 scribed in subparagraph (C)(i) in not fewer 


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1 than 10 States to develop and test strategies 

2 for— 

3 ‘‘(i) planning and implementing mu4 nicipal compost plans and food waste re5 duction plans; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the construction of at-scale 

7 composting or anaerobic digestion food 

8 waste-to-energy facilities. 

9 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—An entity that receives 

10 assistance under this paragraph shall not use 

11 that assistance for an anaerobic digester that 

12 uses manure as the majority of its undigested 

13 biomass. 

14 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES AND PURPOSES

15 OF PROJECTS.— 

16 ‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity 

17 eligible to enter into a cooperative agree18 ment under subparagraph (A) is— 

19 ‘‘(I) a State, local, or municipal 

20 government; 

21 ‘‘(II) a special district govern22 ment (including a soil and water con23 servation district); 

24 ‘‘(III) an Indian Tribe or Tribal 

25 organization (as those terms are deVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01219 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 fined in section 4 of the Indian Self2 Determination and Education Assist3 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); 

4 ‘‘(IV) any other Tribal entity (as 

5 determined by the Secretary); or 

6 ‘‘(V) a Native Hawaiian organi7 zation (as defined in section 6207 of 

8 the Elementary and Secondary Edu9 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517)). 

10 ‘‘(ii) PURPOSES OF PROJECTS.— 

11 Under a cooperative agreement entered 

12 into under this paragraph, the Secretary 

13 shall provide assistance to eligible entities 

14 described in clause (i), as the Secretary de15 termines to be appropriate, to carry out 

16 planning and implementing activities that 

17 will— 

18 ‘‘(I) generate compost; 

19 ‘‘(II) increase access to compost 

20 for agricultural producers; 

21 ‘‘(III) reduce reliance on, and 

22 limit the use of, fertilizer; 

23 ‘‘(IV) improve soil quality; 


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1 ‘‘(V) encourage waste manage2 ment and permaculture business de3 velopment; 

4 ‘‘(VI) develop food waste-to-en5 ergy operations; 

6 ‘‘(VII) increase rainwater absorp7 tion; 

8 ‘‘(VIII) reduce municipal food 

9 waste; and 

10 ‘‘(IX) divert food waste from 

11 landfills. 

12 ‘‘(D) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF AP13 PLICATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) CRITERIA.—Not later than 180 

15 days after the date of enactment of the 

16 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

17 2024, the Secretary shall establish criteria 

18 for the selection of projects under this 

19 paragraph. 

20 ‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATION.—In selecting, 

21 undertaking, or funding projects under this 

22 paragraph, the Secretary shall consider 

23 any commonly known significant impact on 

24 existing food waste recovery and disposal 


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1 by commercial, marketing, or business re2 lationships. 

3 ‘‘(iii) PRIORITY.—In selecting a 

4 project under this paragraph, the Sec5 retary shall give priority to an application 

6 for a project that— 

7 ‘‘(I) anticipates or demonstrates 

8 economic benefits; 

9 ‘‘(II) incorporates plans to make 

10 compost easily accessible to agricul11 tural producers, including community 

12 gardeners; 

13 ‘‘(III) integrates other food waste 

14 strategies, including food recovery ef15 forts; and 

16 ‘‘(IV) provides for collaboration 

17 with multiple partners. 

18 ‘‘(iv) LIMITATION.—Each fiscal year, 

19 not more than 40 percent of the amounts 

20 awarded by the Secretary under this para21 graph for that fiscal year may be awarded 

22 to State governments. 

23 ‘‘(E) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The re24 cipient of assistance for a project under this 

25 paragraph shall provide funds, in-kind contribuVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01222 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tions, or a combination of both from sources 

2 other than funds provided through the grant in 

3 an amount equal to not less than 25 percent of 

4 the amount of the grant. 

5 ‘‘(F) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 

6 conduct an evaluation of the projects funded 

7 under this paragraph to assess different solu8 tions for increasing access to compost and re9 ducing municipal food waste, including an eval10 uation of— 

11 ‘‘(i) the amount of Federal funds used 

12 for each project; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) a measurement of the outcomes 

14 of each project.’’. 

15 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

16 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act 

17 of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923) is amended by striking sub18 section (e) and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts 

21 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

22 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out sub23 sections (a), (b), (c), and (d)(2) $15,000,000 for fis24 cal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, to re25 main available until expended. 


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1 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

2 addition to any other amounts available to the Sec3 retary, there is authorized to be appropriated to 

4 carry out the provisions referred to in paragraph (1) 

5 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

6 2029, to remain available until expended. 

7 ‘‘(3) EFFECT.—For purposes of any appropria8 tions and provisos thereto regarding the salaries and 

9 expenses of the Farm Service Agency, an office of 

10 an urban and suburban committee referred to in 

11 subsection (d)(1)(E) shall be deemed to be a county 

12 office unless that provision differentiates between a 

13 county office and an office of an urban and subur14 ban committee.’’. 

15 SEC. 12209. OFFICE OF SMALL FARMS. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subtitle D of title VII of the 

17 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 is 

18 amended by inserting after section 7404 (7 U.S.C. 6934a) 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 7404A. OFFICE OF SMALL FARMS. 

21 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

23 the Director of the Office of Small Farms estab24 lished under subsection (b)(2)(A). 


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1 ‘‘(2) STATE OFFICE.—The term ‘State office’ 

2 means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a State office of— 

4 ‘‘(i) the Farm Service Agency; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the Natural Resources Conserva6 tion Service; or 

7 ‘‘(iii) the rural development mission 

8 area; or 

9 ‘‘(B) a regional office of the Risk Manage10 ment Agency. 

11 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab13 lish in the Department the Office of Small Farms. 

14 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary shall establish 

15 in the Office of Small Farms the position of Direc16 tor, who shall be appointed by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL SMALL FARMS COORDINA18 TORS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

20 designate in each agency, office, and mission 

21 area described in subparagraph (B) a National 

22 Small Farms Coordinator. 

23 ‘‘(B) AGENCIES, OFFICES, AND MISSION

24 AREAS DESCRIBED.—The agencies, offices, and 


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1 mission areas referred to in subparagraph (A) 

2 are— 

3 ‘‘(i) the Farm Service Agency; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the Natural Resources Conserva5 tion Service; 

6 ‘‘(iii) the Rural Business-Cooperative 

7 Service; 

8 ‘‘(iv) the Rural Utilities Service; 

9 ‘‘(v) the Forest Service; 

10 ‘‘(vi) the Agricultural Marketing Serv11 ice; and 

12 ‘‘(vii) any other agency, office, or mis13 sion area of the Department that the Sec14 retary determines to be appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(c) DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—The Director— 

16 ‘‘(1) shall, not later than 180 days after the 

17 date of enactment of this section, coordinate with 

18 the relevant agencies, offices, and mission areas of 

19 the Department— 

20 ‘‘(A) to examine and update the definitions 

21 of ‘small farm’, ‘small-sized farm’, ‘small agri22 cultural operation’, ‘small-scale farmer’, ‘small 

23 farmer’, and other similar terms, such that the 

24 definitions include a limited resource farmer, 

25 rancher, or forest landowner or a farm, a 


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1 ranch, or forest land owned or operated by a 

2 limited resource farmer, rancher, or forest land3 owner; 

4 ‘‘(B) to examine, update, and streamline 

5 the definition of ‘limited resource farmer or 

6 rancher’, such that the definition includes— 

7 ‘‘(i) farmers, ranchers, or forest land8 owners receiving assistance under— 

9 ‘‘(I) the Food and Nutrition Act 

10 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 

11 ‘‘(II) title XIX of the Social Se12 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.); 

13 ‘‘(III) the low-income home en14 ergy assistance program established 

15 under the Low-Income Home Energy 

16 Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 

17 8621 et seq.); or 

18 ‘‘(IV) any other need-based Fed19 eral or State assistance programs; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) other economically distressed 

21 farmers, ranchers, or forest landowners, as 

22 determined by the Secretary; and 

23 ‘‘(C) to create a list of Department pro24 grams with set-asides, targeted funding, or priVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01227 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 orities for small farmers, ranchers, and forest 

2 landowners; 

3 ‘‘(2) shall advise the Secretary and coordinate 

4 activities of the Department regarding programs, 

5 policies, and issues relating to small farmers, ranch6 ers, and forest landowners; 

7 ‘‘(3) shall track application and participation 

8 rates of small farmers, ranchers, and forest land9 owners, including a breakdown of limited resource 

10 farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, for the 

11 programs identified under paragraph (1)(C); 

12 ‘‘(4) shall determine whether to approve a plan 

13 submitted by a State small farms coordinator under 

14 subsection (f)(3)(A)(ii); 

15 ‘‘(5) shall facilitate interagency and inter16 departmental collaboration on issues relating to 

17 small farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners at 

18 the national level; 

19 ‘‘(6) shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) regularly review Department pro21 grams and policies and identify statutes, regula22 tions, policies, and guidance that disadvantage 

23 small farm, ranch, or forest operation participa24 tion; 


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1 ‘‘(B) recommend changes to ensure that 

2 those programs and policies adequately serve 

3 small farms, ranches, and forest operations; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(C) regularly review and update the list 

6 created under paragraph (1)(C), in coordination 

7 with the relevant agencies, offices, and mission 

8 areas of the Department; 

9 ‘‘(7) shall regularly review Department research 

10 agendas and proposed research agendas on topics 

11 that are of special interest to small farms, ranches, 

12 and forest operations; 

13 ‘‘(8) shall establish a program to provide grants 

14 of not more than $25,000, through the authority 

15 under subsection (e), a State small farms coordi16 nator designated under subsection (f)(1)(A), or both, 

17 to operators of small farms, ranches, and forest op18 erations for equipment and infrastructure repairs 

19 and upgrades, uninsured losses, business planning 

20 and market development assistance, conservation 

21 practice adoption, down payments for land acquisi22 tion, and such other purposes as the Secretary de23 termines to be appropriate; 

24 ‘‘(9) shall, not later than December 31, 2025, 

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1 retary a report that contains a summary of the re2 views and recommendations described in paragraphs 

3 (6) and (7) and the total amount of grants awarded 

4 under paragraph (8) to small farms, ranches, and 

5 forest operations by State, which the Secretary shall 

6 make publicly available on the website of the De7 partment; and 

8 ‘‘(10) shall carry out other duties to improve 

9 access to, and participation in, programs of the De10 partment by small farmers, ranchers, and forest 

11 landowners. 

12 ‘‘(d) DUTIES OF THE NATIONAL SMALL FARMS CO13 ORDINATORS.—Each National Small Farms Coordinator 

14 shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) coordinate with the Office of Small Farms 

16 and the other National Small Farms Coordinators to 

17 develop and implement new strategies for outreach 

18 to and education of small farmers, ranchers, and 

19 forest landowners; 

20 ‘‘(2) coordinate within the agency, office, or 

21 mission area of the National Small Farms Coordi22 nator on issues and outreach relating to small farm23 ers, ranchers, and forest landowners; and 

24 ‘‘(3) assist the Director in tracking application 

25 and participation rates pursuant to subsection (c)(3) 


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1 within the agency, office, or mission area of the Na2 tional Small Farms Coordinator. 

3 ‘‘(e) CONTRACTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREE4 MENTS.—In carrying out the duties under subsections (c) 

5 and (d), the Director may enter into a contract or coopera6 tive agreement with an institution of higher education (as 

7 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 

8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), cooperative extension services (as 

9 defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Re10 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

11 U.S.C. 3103)), or a nonprofit organization— 

12 ‘‘(1) to develop educational materials; 

13 ‘‘(2) to conduct workshops, courses, training, or 

14 certified vocational training; 

15 ‘‘(3) to conduct mentoring activities; or 

16 ‘‘(4) to provide grants under subsection (c)(8). 

17 ‘‘(f) STATE SMALL FARMS COORDINATORS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

19 ‘‘(A) DESIGNATION.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in 

21 consultation with State food and agri22 culture councils and directors of State of23 fices, shall designate in each State a State 

24 small farms coordinator from among the 

25 employees of State offices. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) EMPLOYEES.—The employee of a 

2 State office designated to be a State small 

3 farms coordinator may be the same em4 ployee designated to be the State beginning 

5 farmer and rancher coordinator under sec6 tion 7404(c). 

7 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—To be designated 

8 as a State small farms coordinator, an employee 

9 shall— 

10 ‘‘(i) be familiar with issues relating to 

11 small farmers, ranchers, and forest land12 owners; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) have the ability to coordinate 

14 with other Federal departments and agen15 cies. 

16 ‘‘(2) TRAINING.—The Secretary shall develop a 

17 training plan to provide to each State small farms 

18 coordinator knowledge of programs and services 

19 available from the Department for small farmers, 

20 ranchers, and forest landowners, taking into consid21 eration the needs of all types of production methods. 

22 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State small farms 

24 coordinator— 


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1 ‘‘(i) shall coordinate technical assist2 ance at the State level to assist small 

3 farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners 

4 in accessing programs of the Department; 

5 ‘‘(ii) shall develop and submit to the 

6 Director for approval a State plan to im7 prove the coordination, delivery, and effi8 cacy of programs of the Department to 

9 small farmers, ranchers, and forest land10 owners, taking into consideration the needs 

11 of all types of production methods, at each 

12 county and area office in the State; 

13 ‘‘(iii) shall oversee implementation of 

14 an approved State plan described in clause 

15 (ii); 

16 ‘‘(iv) may facilitate interagency and 

17 interdepartmental collaboration on issues 

18 relating to small farmers, ranchers, and 

19 forest landowners at the State or regional 

20 level; 

21 ‘‘(v) shall work with outreach coordi22 nators in the State offices to ensure appro23 priate information about technical assist24 ance is available at outreach events and ac25 tivities; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) shall coordinate partnerships 

2 and joint outreach efforts with other orga3 nizations and government agencies serving 

4 small farmers, ranchers, and forest land5 owners; and 

6 ‘‘(vii) may provide grants under sub7 section (c)(8), in accordance with criteria 

8 established by the Director. 

9 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL DUTIES.—Not less than 

10 50 percent of the duties of an employee des11 ignated to be a State small farms coordinator 

12 shall be the duties described in subparagraph 

13 (A) or other duties relating to small farms, 

14 ranches, and forest operations. 

15 ‘‘(g) FUNDING FOR GRANTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts 

17 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

18 appropriated to the Secretary for grants under sub19 section (c)(8) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

20 each fiscal year thereafter, to remain available until 

21 expended. 

22 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

23 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec24 retary for grants under subsection (c)(8) $5,000,000 


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1 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to re2 main available until expended.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 226B(e)(2) 

4 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 

5 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934(e)(2)) is amended— 

6 (1) by striking subparagraph (A); and 

7 (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

8 through (D) as subparagraphs (A) through (C), re9 spectively. 

10 SEC. 12210. STRENGTHENING THE FARM AND FOOD SYS11 TEM WORKFORCE. 

12 (a) FARM AND FOOD SYSTEM WORKFORCE COORDI13 NATOR.—Section 226B of the Department of Agriculture 

14 Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (d)(2)(B) (as redesignated by 

16 section 12201(b)(1)(B)), by striking ‘‘Farmworker 

17 Coordinator’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm and Food System 

18 Workforce Coordinator’’; and 

19 (2) in subsection (f)— 

20 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

21 ‘‘FARMWORKER’’ and inserting ‘‘FARM AND

22 FOOD SYSTEM WORKFORCE’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Farm24 worker Coordinator’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm and 

25 Food System Workforce Coordinator’’; 


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1 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

3 ‘‘organizations’’ and inserting ‘‘organiza4 tions, institutions of higher education, and 

5 local educational agencies’’; 

6 (ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

7 ‘‘institutions on research, program im8 provements, or agricultural education op9 portunities’’ and inserting ‘‘institutions or 

10 community-based nonprofit organizations 

11 on research, program improvements, agri12 cultural education opportunities, or tech13 nical skills and job training programs’’; 

14 and 

15 (iii) by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(G) Developing and implementing a plan 

18 to coordinate outreach activities and services 

19 provided by the Department with respect to 

20 farmworkers and food system workers. 

21 ‘‘(H) Collaborating with and providing 

22 input to the agencies and offices of the Depart23 ment on programmatic and policy decisions re24 lating to farmworkers and food system workers. 


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1 ‘‘(I) Communicating information to em2 ployers of farmworkers and food system work3 ers about Federal programs for which the em4 ployees of those employers may be eligible. 

5 ‘‘(J) Collaborating with the agencies and 

6 offices of the Department, as appropriate, to in7 form research priorities and activities of the 

8 Department relating to farmworkers and food 

9 system workers. 

10 ‘‘(K) Measuring and analyzing outcomes of 

11 the programs and activities, including outreach 

12 programs and activities, of the Department on 

13 farmworkers and food system workers. 

14 ‘‘(L) Recommending new initiatives and 

15 programs to the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(M) Carrying out any other related duties 

17 that the Secretary determines to be appro18 priate.’’; and 

19 (D) by striking paragraph (3) and insert20 ing the following: 

21 ‘‘(3) REPORT.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

23 than once each year, the Coordinator shall sub24 mit to the Secretary a report (in English, Span25 ish, and any other languages that the CoordiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01237 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 nator determines to be appropriate) that de2 scribes— 

3 ‘‘(i) the activities of the Coordinator 

4 during the previous year; 

5 ‘‘(ii) any identified barriers that farm6 workers or food system workers face in ac7 cessing Department programs; 

8 ‘‘(iii) recommendations for legislative 

9 or administrative action for the following 

10 year that will improve the work and liveli11 hoods of farmworkers or food system work12 ers; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) any other appropriate informa14 tion, as determined by the Coordinator. 

15 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec16 retary shall make each report under subpara17 graph (A) publicly available on the website of 

18 the Department of Agriculture. 

19 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

21 this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

22 2025 through 2029.’’. 

23 (b) FARMWORKER AND FOOD SYSTEM WORKER AD24 VISORY COMMITTEE.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 2 years 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary shall establish an advisory committee, to be 

4 known as the ‘‘Farmworker and Food System Work5 er Advisory Committee’’ (referred to in this sub6 section as the ‘‘Advisory Committee’’). 

7 (2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall 

8 provide to the Secretary advice on— 

9 (A) integrating farmworker and food sys10 tem worker perspectives, concerns, and interests 

11 into the ongoing programs of the Department; 

12 and 

13 (B) improving— 

14 (i) farmworker and food system work15 er safety; 

16 (ii) research programs relating to 

17 farmworkers and food system workers; 

18 (iii) agricultural education and tech19 nical skills opportunities for farmworkers 

20 and food system workers; and 

21 (iv) job training programs that assist 

22 farmworkers and food system workers. 

23 (3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Committee 

24 shall be composed of not more than 20 members, 

25 who shall be appointed by the Secretary from among 


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1 individuals nominated by the public, and shall in2 clude— 

3 (A) not fewer than 5 farmworkers or food 

4 system workers; 

5 (B) not fewer than 2 civil rights represent6 atives with a history of working on issues relat7 ing to farmworkers or food system workers; 

8 (C) not fewer than 4 representatives of 

9 nonprofit organizations with a history of work10 ing on issues faced by farmworkers or food sys11 tem workers, of whom 2 shall have focused ex12 pertise on issues faced by women farmworkers 

13 or food system workers; 

14 (D) not fewer than 2 representatives of 

15 labor unions with a history of representing 

16 farmworkers or food system workers; 

17 (E) not fewer than 2 representatives of in18 stitutions of higher education with dem19 onstrated experience working with farmworkers 

20 or food system workers; and 

21 (F) such other individuals as the Secretary 

22 considers to be appropriate. 

23 (4) LIMITATION.—No member of the Advisory 

24 Committee shall be an officer or employee of the 

25 Federal Government. 


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1 (5) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each member of the 

3 Advisory Committee— 

4 (i) subject to clause (ii) and subpara5 graph (B), shall be appointed to a 3-year 

6 term; and 

7 (ii) may be reappointed to not more 

8 than 3 consecutive terms. 

9 (B) INITIAL STAGGERING.—The first 6 ap10 pointments by the Secretary under paragraph 

11 (3) shall be for a 2-year term. 

12 (C) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Advi13 sory Committee shall be filled— 

14 (i) in the same manner as the original 

15 appointment was made; and 

16 (ii) not more than 90 days after the 

17 date on which the position becomes vacant. 

18 (6) MEETINGS.— 

19 (A) IN-PERSON MEETINGS.—To the extent 

20 practicable, not less than twice each year, the 

21 Advisory Committee shall meet in person. 

22 (B) FARM AND FOOD SYSTEM

23 WORKFORCE COORDINATOR.—The Farm and 

24 Food System Workforce Coordinator shall be 


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1 present in a nonvoting capacity at each meeting 

2 of the Advisory Committee. 

3 (C) LANGUAGE ACCESS.—Each meeting of 

4 the Advisory Committee shall include simulta5 neous interpretation and translation of the 

6 meeting, and the provision of a copy of any 

7 agenda of the meeting, in such languages as are 

8 requested by— 

9 (i) any member of the Advisory Com10 mittee; or 

11 (ii) any member of the public observ12 ing the meeting. 

13 (7) REPORTS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

15 than once each year, the Advisory Committee 

16 shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee on 

17 Agriculture of the House of Representatives, 

18 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

19 and Forestry of the Senate a report that de20 scribes— 

21 (i) the activities of the Advisory Com22 mittee during the previous year; and 

23 (ii) recommendations for legislative or 

24 administrative action for the following 

25 year. 


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1 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

2 shall make the report under subparagraph (A) 

3 publicly available (in English, Spanish, and any 

4 other languages that the Farm and Food Sys5 tem Workforce Coordinator determines to be 

6 appropriate) on the website of the Department 

7 of Agriculture. 

8 (c) FARM AND FOOD SYSTEM WORKFORCE INTER9 AGENCY COUNCIL.— 

10 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es11 tablish within the Department of Agriculture the 

12 Farm and Food System Workforce Interagency 

13 Council (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Inter14 agency Council’’). 

15 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Interagency 

16 Council is to facilitate interagency, cabinet-level 

17 leadership in planning, policymaking, coordination, 

18 and program development for services available to 

19 farmworkers and food system workers. 

20 (3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Council 

21 shall comprise— 

22 (A) 1 representative from each of— 

23 (i) the Department of Agriculture; 

24 (ii) the Department of Health and 

25 Human Services; 


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1 (iii) the Department of Housing and 

2 Urban Development; 

3 (iv) the Department of Labor; 

4 (v) the Department of Education; 

5 (vi) the Environmental Protection 

6 Agency; 

7 (vii) the Department of Homeland Se8 curity; 

9 (viii) the Department of Justice; 

10 (ix) the Department of the Treasury; 

11 (x) the Department of Commerce; and 

12 (xi) the Department of State; and 

13 (B) subject to paragraph (4)(B), the Farm 

14 and Food System Workforce Coordinator. 

15 (4) MEETINGS.— 

16 (A) IN-PERSON MEETINGS.—To the extent 

17 practicable, not less than twice each year, the 

18 Interagency Council shall meet in person. 

19 (B) FARM AND FOOD SYSTEM

20 WORKFORCE COORDINATOR.—The Farm and 

21 Food System Workforce Coordinator shall be 

22 present in a nonvoting capacity at each meeting 

23 of the Interagency Council. 

24 (5) REPORTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

2 than once each year, the Interagency Council 

3 shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee on 

4 Agriculture of the House of Representatives, 

5 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

6 and Forestry of the Senate a report that de7 scribes recommendations for legislative or ad8 ministrative action to be taken during the fol9 lowing year to increase accountability, coordina10 tion, compliance, and culture changes at the 

11 Federal level to address inequities faced by 

12 farmworkers and food system workers. 

13 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

14 shall make the report under subparagraph (A) 

15 publicly available (in English, Spanish, and any 

16 other languages that the Farm and Food Sys17 tem Workforce Coordinator determines to be 

18 appropriate) on the website of the Department 

19 of Agriculture. 

20 (d) FARMWORKER AND FOOD SYSTEM WORKER LI21 AISONS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The heads of each of the 

23 agencies and offices of the Department of Agri24 culture described in paragraph (2) shall designate a 


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1 liaison within that agency or office on matters relat2 ing to farmworkers and food system workers. 

3 (2) AGENCIES AND OFFICES DESCRIBED.—The 

4 agencies and offices referred to in paragraph (1) 

5 are— 

6 (A) the Farm Service Agency; 

7 (B) the Natural Resources Conservation 

8 Service; 

9 (C) each agency under the rural develop10 ment mission area; 

11 (D) the National Institute of Food and Ag12 riculture; 

13 (E) the Food and Nutrition Service; 

14 (F) the Agricultural Marketing Service; 

15 (G) the Forest Service; 

16 (H) the National Agricultural Statistics 

17 Service; and 

18 (I) any other agency or office of the De19 partment of Agriculture, as determined by the 

20 Secretary. 

21 (3) RESPONSIBILITY.—Each liaison designated 

22 under paragraph (1) shall be responsible for coordi23 nating with the Farm and Food System Workforce 

24 Coordinator to increase information, awareness, ac25 cess, data, and accountability for meeting the needs 


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1 of farmworkers and food system workers relating to 

2 the functions and beneficiaries of the agency or of3 fice from which the liaison is designated. 

4 (e) FUNDING.— 

5 (1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts in 

6 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

7 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out sub8 sections (b) through (d) $10,000,000 for the period 

9 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain avail10 able until expended. 

11 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

12 addition to amounts otherwise available, there are 

13 authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec14 essary to carry out subsections (b) through (d) for 

15 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

16 SEC. 12211. GROCERY, FARM, AND FOOD WORKER STA17 BILIZATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

18 (a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this sec19 tion, the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a membership orga20 nization, as determined by the Secretary, or labor union 

21 representing farmworkers, meat processing workers, or 

22 grocery workers. 

23 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting 

24 through the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing 

25 Service, shall establish a grant program to provide funding 


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1 to eligible entities representing farmworkers, meat proc2 essing workers, and grocery workers for stabilization pay3 ments in the case of a natural disaster or other disaster, 

4 as determined by the Secretary. 

5 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 

7 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representa8 tives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

9 Forestry of the Senate a report describing the outcomes 

10 and evaluating the impacts of the program established 

11 under subsection (b). 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi13 tion to amounts otherwise available, there is authorized 

14 to be appropriated to carry out this section $750,000,000, 

15 to remain available until expended. 

16 SEC. 12212. TRIBAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE; TRIBAL SELF17 DETERMINATION PILOT PROJECTS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 309 of the Federal Crop 

19 Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorga20 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6921) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Sec22 retary shall’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary of Agri23 culture (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’) 

24 shall’’; and 

25 (2) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

3 (A) through (C) as subparagraphs (C) 

4 through (E), respectively; and 

5 (ii) by inserting before subparagraph 

6 (C) (as so redesignated) the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) ACTIVITY OF THE DEPARTMENT.— 

8 The term ‘activity of the Department’ means a 

9 program, function, service, or activity of the 

10 Department. 

11 ‘‘(B) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘Depart12 ment’ means the Department of Agriculture.’’; 

13 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘of 

14 Agriculture (referred to in this subsection as 

15 the ‘Department’)’’; 

16 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (5) 

17 through (7) as paragraphs (6) through (8), re18 spectively; 

19 (D) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(5) RECOMMENDATION OF SELF-DETERMINA22 TION PILOT PROJECTS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

24 duties of the Committee under paragraph (4), 

25 the Committee shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) request input from Indian tribes 

2 and Tribal organizations on the activities 

3 of the Department that the Indian tribes 

4 and Tribal organizations may be interested 

5 in assuming and administering through a 

6 self-determination agreement pilot project; 

7 ‘‘(ii) consult with Indian tribes and 

8 Tribal organizations that provide input 

9 under clause (i) with respect to the input; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(iii) make publicly available and sub12 mit in accordance with subparagraph (B) a 

13 description of not more than 3 rec14 ommended pilot projects to further oppor15 tunities for Tribal assumption and admin16 istration of activities of the Department, 

17 including— 

18 ‘‘(I) an explanation of the rea19 soning for identifying those activities 

20 of the Department for each rec21 ommended pilot project; 

22 ‘‘(II) a description of the struc23 ture and scope of each recommended 

24 pilot project, including the specific 1 

25 or more activities of the Department 


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1 to be assumed and administered by 

2 the Indian tribe or Tribal organization 

3 through a self-determination agree4 ment; and 

5 ‘‘(III) with respect to input pro6 vided under clause (i), a description 

7 of— 

8 ‘‘(aa) the number of in9 stances of input provided; 

10 ‘‘(bb) the types of assistance 

11 or support requested through 

12 consultation under clause (ii) for 

13 purposes of assuming and admin14 istering the applicable activities 

15 of the Department; 

16 ‘‘(cc) the means by which 

17 Indian tribes propose to assume 

18 and administer the applicable ac19 tivities of the Department; and 

20 ‘‘(dd) the regions from 

21 which the input was received. 

22 ‘‘(B) TIMING.—The Committee shall make 

23 publicly available and submit to the Secretary 

24 and the relevant committees of Congress a de25 scription of recommended pilot projects under 


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1 subparagraph (A)(iii) not later than 1 year 

2 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros3 perity and Food Security Act of 2024 and every 

4 3 years thereafter. 

5 ‘‘(C) DEPARTMENT RESPONSE.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 

7 180 days after each submission of rec8 ommended pilot projects under subpara9 graph (A)(iii), the Secretary shall prepare 

10 a response that explains, in detail, whether 

11 and how the Department could, to the 

12 maximum extent practicable, to establish 

13 and implement those recommended pilot 

14 projects. 

15 ‘‘(ii) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—In 

16 preparing each response under clause (i), 

17 the Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(I) build on prior and related 

19 studies and pilot programs, includ20 ing— 

21 ‘‘(aa) the food distribution 

22 program on Indian reservations 

23 established under section 4(b) of 

24 the Food and Nutrition Act of 

25 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)); 


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1 ‘‘(bb) the good neighbor au2 thority established by section 

3 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 

4 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); 

5 ‘‘(cc) demonstration projects 

6 under section 8703 of the Agri7 culture Improvement Act of 2018 

8 (25 U.S.C. 3115b); and 

9 ‘‘(dd) any pilot projects es10 tablished under this paragraph; 

11 ‘‘(II) identify operational and 

12 legal impediments to the implementa13 tion of the recommended pilot 

14 projects; 

15 ‘‘(III) identify any administrative 

16 actions that may be taken to address 

17 any operational and legal impediments 

18 identified under subclause (II); 

19 ‘‘(IV) identify the fiscal and 

20 budgetary impacts of implementing 

21 the recommended pilot projects; 

22 ‘‘(V) include a description of nec23 essary administrative, operational, 

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1 plement the recommended pilot 

2 projects; 

3 ‘‘(VI) with respect to necessary 

4 legislative changes identified under 

5 subclause (V), identify the non-Tribal 

6 stakeholders that would be affected by 

7 potential waivers of or modifications 

8 to existing provisions of law; and 

9 ‘‘(VII) include any other matters 

10 that may be determined by the Sec11 retary and developed through con12 sultation with the Committee. 

13 ‘‘(iii) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY; SUBMIS14 SION.—The Secretary shall— 

15 ‘‘(I) make publicly available on 

16 the website of the Department each 

17 response prepared under clause (i); 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(II) submit each response pre20 pared under clause (i) to— 

21 ‘‘(aa) the Office of Tribal 

22 Relations; 

23 ‘‘(bb) the Committee; and 

24 ‘‘(cc) the relevant commit25 tees of Congress.’’; 


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1 (E) in paragraph (6) (as so redesig2 nated)— 

3 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik4 ing ‘‘REPORTS’’ and inserting ‘‘COM5 MITTEE REPORTS’’; and 

6 (ii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec9 retary shall make the reports submitted under 

10 subparagraph (A) and the written responses 

11 submitted under subparagraph (B) publicly 

12 available on the website of the Department.’’; 

13 and 

14 (F) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated), 

15 by striking ‘‘Section 14 of the Federal Advisory 

16 Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘Section 1013 of title 5, United States Code,’’. 

18 (b) SELF-DETERMINATION DEMONSTRATION

19 PROJECTS FOR TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

20 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

21 (A) COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD

22 PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘commodity supple23 mental food program’’ means the commodity 

24 supplemental food program carried out under 

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1 tection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public 

2 Law 93–86). 

3 (B) FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM.—The 

4 term ‘‘food distribution program’’ means the 

5 food distribution program on Indian reserva6 tions under section 4(b) of the Food and Nutri7 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)). 

8 (C) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian 

9 Tribe’’ has the meaning given the term in sec10 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 

11 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

12 (D) RESERVATION.—The term ‘‘reserva13 tion’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

14 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

15 U.S.C. 2012). 

16 (E) SELF-DETERMINATION CONTRACT.— 

17 The term ‘‘self-determination contract’’ means 

18 a self-determination contract (as defined in sec19 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 

20 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), as 

21 implemented under the demonstration project 

22 established under section 4003(b) of the Agri23 culture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 

24 2013 note; Public Law 115–334), subject to 


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1 such modifications as may be determined by the 

2 Secretary. 

3 (F) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term 

4 ‘‘tribal organization’’ has the meaning given the 

5 term in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act 

6 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012). 

7 (2) FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS.— 

8 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the 

9 availability of appropriations under subpara10 graph (F), the Secretary shall establish a dem11 onstration project under which tribal organiza12 tions may enter into self-determination con13 tracts to administer food distribution programs 

14 on the reservations served by the tribal organi15 zations. 

16 (B) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to par17 ticipate in the demonstration project under this 

18 paragraph, a tribal organization shall submit to 

19 the Secretary an application at such time, in 

20 such manner, and containing such information 

21 as the Secretary may require. 

22 (C) ELIGIBILITY.— 

23 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

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1 tion project under this paragraph tribal or2 ganizations that— 

3 (I) are successfully administering 

4 the food distribution program on the 

5 reservation served by the tribal orga6 nization, as determined by the Sec7 retary under section 4(b)(2)(B) of the 

8 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

9 U.S.C. 2013(b)(2)(B)); and 

10 (II) meet such other criteria as 

11 the Secretary may establish, subject 

12 to clause (ii). 

13 (ii) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary 

14 shall consult with Indian Tribes to deter15 mine the process and criteria under which 

16 tribal organizations may participate in the 

17 demonstration project under this para18 graph. 

19 (D) REQUIREMENTS.—A food distribution 

20 program administered by a tribal organization 

21 under the demonstration project under this 

22 paragraph shall— 

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1 tribution program administered by the Sec2 retary; and 

3 (ii) meet such other criteria as the 

4 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

5 (E) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year 

6 after the date on which funds are initially ap7 propriated under subparagraph (F), and annu8 ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 

9 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 

10 Representatives and the Committee on Agri11 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate 

12 a report that includes, with respect to the pre13 ceding year— 

14 (i) a list of each tribal organization 

15 participating in the demonstration project 

16 under this paragraph; and 

17 (ii) a description of the activities car18 ried out by each participating tribal orga19 nization pursuant to the demonstration 

20 project. 

21 (F) FUNDING.— 

22 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA23 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appro24 priated to the Secretary to carry out this 


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1 paragraph $5,000,000, to remain available 

2 until expended. 

3 (ii) APPROPRIATIONS IN ADVANCE.— 

4 Only funds made available pursuant to 

5 clause (i) in advance specifically to carry 

6 out this paragraph shall be available to 

7 carry out this paragraph. 

8 (3) COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PRO9 GRAMS.— 

10 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the 

11 availability of appropriations under subpara12 graph (F), the Secretary shall establish a dem13 onstration project under which tribal organiza14 tions may enter into self-determination con15 tracts to purchase agricultural commodities 

16 under the commodity supplemental food pro17 gram for the reservations served by the tribal 

18 organizations. 

19 (B) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to par20 ticipate in the demonstration project under this 

21 paragraph, a tribal organization shall submit to 

22 the Secretary an application at such time, in 

23 such manner, and containing such information 

24 as the Secretary may require. 

25 (C) ELIGIBILITY.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 select for participation in the demonstra3 tion project under this paragraph tribal or4 ganizations that— 

5 (I) are successfully administering 

6 the commodity supplemental food pro7 gram on the reservation served by the 

8 tribal organization; 

9 (II) have the capacity to pur10 chase agricultural commodities in ac11 cordance with subparagraph (D) for 

12 the commodity supplemental food pro13 gram; and 

14 (III) meet such other criteria as 

15 the Secretary may establish, subject 

16 to clause (ii). 

17 (ii) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary 

18 shall consult with Indian Tribes to deter19 mine the process and criteria under which 

20 tribal organizations may participate in the 

21 demonstration project under this para22 graph. 

23 (D) PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS.— 

24 Each agricultural commodity purchased by a 


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1 tribal organization pursuant to the demonstra2 tion project under this paragraph shall— 

3 (i) be domestically produced; 

4 (ii) supplant, and not supplement, the 

5 type of agricultural commodities in existing 

6 food packages for the tribal organization; 

7 (iii) be of similar or higher nutritional 

8 value as the type of agricultural commod9 ities in the existing food package for the 

10 tribal organization that would be sup11 planted; 

12 (iv) be nonperishable food appropriate 

13 for distribution in monthly food packages; 

14 and 

15 (v) meet such other criteria as the 

16 Secretary may establish. 

17 (E) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year 

18 after the date on which funds are initially ap19 propriated under subparagraph (F), and annu20 ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 

21 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 

22 Representatives and the Committee on Agri23 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate 

24 a report that includes, with respect to the pre25 ceding year— 


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1 (i) a list of each tribal organization 

2 participating in the demonstration project 

3 under this paragraph; and 

4 (ii) a description of the activities car5 ried out by each participating tribal orga6 nization pursuant to the demonstration 

7 project. 

8 (F) FUNDING.— 

9 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA10 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appro11 priated to the Secretary to carry out this 

12 paragraph $5,000,000, to remain available 

13 until expended. 

14 (ii) APPROPRIATIONS IN ADVANCE.— 

15 Only funds made available pursuant to 

16 clause (i) in advance specifically to carry 

17 out this paragraph shall be available to 

18 carry out this paragraph. 

19 (c) MISSION-SPECIFIC SELF-DETERMINATION SUP20 PORT.—In each Department of Agriculture mission area 

21 that administers self-determination contracts, the Sec22 retary shall designate a senior official within that mission 

23 area or an office within that mission area to be responsible 

24 for— 


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1 (1) oversight of the administration of self-deter2 mination contracts within the mission area; and 

3 (2) coordination with a senior official in the Of4 fice of the Secretary designated to advise the Sec5 retary on opportunities for self-determination en6 hancement. 

7 SEC. 12213. TRIBAL PROMISE ZONES. 

8 Section 12510 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

9 of 2018 (25 U.S.C. 4301 note; Public Law 115–334) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘this Act’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

13 Act of 2024’’; and 

14 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘2020’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2026’’. 

16 Subtitle C—Department of Agri17 culture Reorganization Act of 

18 1994 Amendments 

19 SEC. 12301. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSES. 

20 Section 212(b) of the Department of Agriculture Re21 organization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912(b)) is amend22 ed— 

23 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘RE24 QUIRED FOR NAME CHANGE.—’’ and inserting ‘‘RE25 QUIRED.—’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (A) by striking the period at the end and 

3 inserting ‘‘; or’’; 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘Except as provided in 

5 paragraph (2), the Secretary shall conduct a 

6 cost-benefit analysis before changing’’ and in7 serting the following: ‘‘The Secretary shall con8 duct a cost-benefit analysis before— 

9 ‘‘(A) except as provided in paragraph (2), 

10 changing’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(B) relocating more than 50 percent of 

13 the employees of any agency, office, division, or 

14 other unit of the Department with 50 or more 

15 employees outside of the commuting area of 

16 that agency, office, division, or other unit to en17 sure that the benefits to be derived from the re18 location of the agency, office, division, or other 

19 unit outweigh the costs of the relocation, in20 cluding— 

21 ‘‘(i) costs associated with the attrition 

22 of employees from the Department due to 

23 the relocation; 

24 ‘‘(ii) costs associated with the disrup25 tion of the activities of the agency, office, 


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1 division, or other unit due to the reloca2 tion; 

3 ‘‘(iii) the economic impact to the af4 fected local communities and regions; 

5 ‘‘(iv) costs associated with any civil 

6 rights impact due to the relocation; and 

7 ‘‘(v) any other potential effects of the 

8 relocation.’’; 

9 (3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘(1)’’ and in10 serting ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

11 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(3) STANDARD.—For a cost-benefit analysis 

13 conducted under paragraph (1) with respect to a re14 location described in subparagraph (B) of that para15 graph, the Secretary shall identify and measure ben16 efits and costs, including identifying a baseline, eval17 uating alternatives, comparing return on investment 

18 for alternatives, and documenting analyses. 

19 ‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION.—In the case of a reloca20 tion described in paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary 

21 shall provide notice to each affected employee not 

22 less than 365 days before the date of the relocation 

23 of the employee, including the new duty station loca24 tion of the employee. 


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1 ‘‘(5) PUBLICATION.—To the extent allowable 

2 under Federal law, the Secretary shall make publicly 

3 available a cost-benefit analysis conducted under 

4 paragraph (1) not later than— 

5 ‘‘(A) 90 days before a name change de6 scribed in paragraph (1)(A); and 

7 ‘‘(B) 90 days before notifying employees of 

8 a relocation under paragraph (3).’’. 

9 SEC. 12302. OFFICES OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND DIG10 ITAL SERVICE. 

11 (a) OFFICE OF DIGITAL SERVICE.—Subtitle A of the 

12 Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 

13 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 

14 217 (as added by section 12107) the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 217A. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER. 

16 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Chief Information Offi17 cer designated by the Secretary under section 

18 3506(a)(2)(A) of title 44, United States Code, shall be the 

19 Chief Information Officer of the Department. 

20 ‘‘(b) DIGITAL SERVICE FUNCTIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF DIGITAL SERVICE.—In 

22 this subsection, the term ‘digital service’ means on23 line information resources or services, including the 

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1 ery mechanisms, maintained or funded in whole or 

2 in part by the Department. 

3 ‘‘(2) OFFICE OF DIGITAL SERVICE.— 

4 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab5 lished in the Office of the Chief Information Of6 ficer the Office of Digital Service. 

7 ‘‘(B) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Dig9 ital Service shall be headed by an Execu10 tive Director, who shall serve under the di11 rection of the Chief Information Officer. 

12 ‘‘(ii) FUNCTIONS.—The Executive Di13 rector of the Office of Digital Service shall 

14 assist the Chief Information Officer in car15 rying out the functions under this sub16 section and in coordinating the digital 

17 services functions of the Department. 

18 ‘‘(3) SERVICES FOR DEPARTMENTAL AGENCIES

19 AND OFFICES.—In carrying out this subsection, the 

20 responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer shall 

21 include— 

22 ‘‘(A) coordinating the digital service needs 

23 and activities of the Department; 

24 ‘‘(B) providing support using innovative 

25 techniques and technology for the delivery of 


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1 digital services across the agencies and offices 

2 of the Department in accordance with applica3 ble laws, regulations, and executive orders relat4 ing to digital services; 

5 ‘‘(C) coordinating with the Office of Cus6 tomer Experience to ensure that the delivery of 

7 digital services incorporates a human-centered 

8 design process; and 

9 ‘‘(D) coordinating with the United States 

10 Digital Service and the agencies and offices of 

11 the Department to promote efficiency and pre12 vent unnecessary duplication in digital services 

13 activities. 

14 ‘‘(4) USDA DIGITAL SERVICE FELLOWS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

16 through the Chief Information Officer, shall es17 tablish a program for individuals who are highly 

18 skilled in the technical planning, developing, de19 signing, or delivery of digital services to serve 

20 as fellows to improve the Department’s digital 

21 systems, information management, data accessi22 bility, and other digital or technological 

23 functionalities. 

24 ‘‘(B) EXPEDITED HIRING AUTHORITY.— 

25 Notwithstanding subchapter I of chapter 33 of 


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1 title 5, United States Code, governing appoint2 ments in the competitive or excepted service, 

3 the Secretary may use noncompetitive term ap4 pointments for qualified individuals to serve as 

5 fellows in the program established under sub6 paragraph (A). 

7 ‘‘(C) TERMS.—Individuals participating in 

8 the program established under subparagraph 

9 (A), including individuals appointed under sub10 paragraph (B)— 

11 ‘‘(i) may not serve a term that ex12 ceeds 5 years in length; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) may be compensated at a rate 

14 not to exceed the rate provided for level II 

15 of the Executive Schedule under section 

16 5313 of title 5, United States Code, for po17 sitions that require a high level of technical 

18 expertise that is critical to the successful 

19 development and delivery of digital serv20 ices. 

21 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

22 addition to amounts otherwise made available, there 

23 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 

24 such sums as are necessary to carry out this sub25 section for each fiscal year.’’. 


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1 (b) OFFICE OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.—Subtitle A 

2 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 

3 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by inserting 

4 after section 217A (as added by subsection (a)) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 217B. OFFICE OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. 

7 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) CUSTOMER.—The term ‘customer’ means 

9 any individual or entity, including any for-profit or 

10 nonprofit entity, State, local, or Tribal entity, and 

11 any other Federal entity, that interacts with the De12 partment or a Department program, either directly 

13 or indirectly through a federally funded program ad14 ministered by a contractor, nonprofit entity, or State 

15 or local entity. 

16 ‘‘(2) CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.—The term ‘cus17 tomer experience’ means the public’s perceptions of 

18 and overall satisfaction with interactions with the 

19 Department or programs, products, or services of 

20 the Department. 

21 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary shall establish 

22 in the Department the Office of Customer Experience. 

23 ‘‘(c) CHIEF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFICER.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Customer 

2 Experience shall be headed by the Chief Customer 

3 Experience Officer. 

4 ‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary shall ap5 point a senior official to serve as the Chief Customer 

6 Experience Officer. 

7 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The Chief Customer Experience 

8 Officer shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) advise on policies of the Department 

10 relating to the collection, processing, and anal11 ysis of customer feedback that would enable the 

12 improvement and design of the programs of the 

13 Department using a human-centered design 

14 process; 

15 ‘‘(B) partner with mission areas, offices, 

16 and agencies of the Department to provide 

17 training and support— 

18 ‘‘(i) to identify, communicate, and vis19 ualize customer feedback on the programs 

20 of the Department; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) to use the analysis of customer 

22 feedback to improve and design the pro23 grams of the Department using a human24 centered design process; 


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1 ‘‘(C) coordinate customer experience activi2 ties across the mission areas, offices, and agen3 cies of the Department, including advising and 

4 coordinating on program application stream5 lining efforts; 

6 ‘‘(D) act as the primary liaison on behalf 

7 of the Department with other Federal depart8 ments and agencies in intergovernmental activi9 ties and initiatives relating to customer experi10 ence; and 

11 ‘‘(E) carry out other responsibilities relat12 ing to customer experience, as determined by 

13 the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(4) REPORTING.—The Chief Customer Experi15 ence Officer shall report to the Deputy Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(d) LIAISONS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may estab18 lish one or more customer experience liaisons within 

19 each mission area, office, and agency of the Depart20 ment to coordinate with the Office of Customer Ex21 perience to provide services to improve customer ex22 perience for programs and services administered by 

23 that mission area, office, or agency. 

24 ‘‘(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—An individual occu25 pying the position of a customer experience liaison 


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1 established under paragraph (1) shall have dem2 onstrated skills or experience with identifying, com3 municating, and visualizing customer needs through 

4 a human-centered design process. 

5 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 2026, 

6 and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall make publicly 

7 available and submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

8 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

9 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report 

10 summarizing the activities of the Office of Customer Expe11 rience in the prior fiscal year, including— 

12 ‘‘(1) the activities of any customer experience li13 aisons established under subsection (d)(1); and 

14 ‘‘(2) a detailed description and the status of 

15 any program application streamlining efforts at the 

16 Department. 

17 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi18 tion to amounts otherwise made available, there are au19 thorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums 

20 as are necessary to carry out this section for each fiscal 

21 year.’’. 

22 (c) FUNDING.—Out of amounts in the Treasury not 

23 otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to the Sec24 retary for costs relating to services and projects provided 

25 by the Office of Digital Service established by section 


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1 217A(b)(2) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganiza2 tion Act of 1994 and the Office of Customer Experience 

3 established under section 217B(b) of that Act 

4 $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year 

5 thereafter, to remain available until expended. 

6 SEC. 12303. FOOD LOSS AND WASTE. 

7 (a) FOOD LOSS AND WASTE REDUCTION LIAISON.— 

8 Section 224 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganiza9 tion Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6924) is amended— 

10 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (d) 

11 and (e) as subsections (b) through (e) and (h), re12 spectively; 

13 (2) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so re14 designated) the following: 

15 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 ‘‘(1) FOOD.—The term ‘food’ means any raw, 

17 cooked, processed, or prepared substance, ice, bev18 erage, or ingredient used or intended for use in 

19 whole or in part for human consumption. 

20 ‘‘(2) FOOD LOSS.—The term ‘food loss’ means, 

21 with respect to food, that the food does not reach a 

22 consumer as a result of an issue in the production, 

23 storage, processing, or distribution phase. 

24 ‘‘(3) FOOD RECOVERY.—The term ‘food recov25 ery’ means the collection of wholesome food that 


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1 would otherwise go to waste and the redistribution 

2 of that food to feed people. 

3 ‘‘(4) FOOD WASTE.—The term ‘food waste’ 

4 means, with respect to food, that the food is in5 tended for human consumption but is unconsumed 

6 by humans for any reason at the retail or consump7 tion phase. 

8 ‘‘(5) UPCYCLED FOOD PRODUCT.—The term 

9 ‘upcycled food product’ means a product that— 

10 ‘‘(A) is created from surplus food, unmar11 ketable food, or edible or inedible food byprod12 ucts; and 

13 ‘‘(B) is made with ingredients that— 

14 ‘‘(i) otherwise would not have gone to 

15 human consumption; 

16 ‘‘(ii) are sourced and produced using 

17 supply chains for which upstream data can 

18 be verified and validated for accuracy; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) have a positive impact on the 

20 environment.’’; 

21 (3) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated), by 

22 inserting ‘‘(referred to in this section as the ‘Liai23 son’)’’ after ‘‘Food Loss and Waste Reduction Liai24 son’’; 

25 (4) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— 


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1 (A) by striking the subsection designation 

2 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘Re3 duction’’ in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

4 and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The’’; 

6 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

7 the end; 

8 (C) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe9 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(6) carry out the consumer education cam12 paign under subsection (g).’’; 

13 (5) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated), in 

14 the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 

15 ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (c)’’; 

16 (6) in subsections (d) and (e) (as so redesig17 nated), by striking ‘‘Food Loss and Waste Reduc18 tion’’ each place it appears; 

19 (7) by inserting after subsection (e) (as so re20 designated) the following: 

21 ‘‘(f) FOOD LOSS AND WASTE REGIONAL COORDINA22 TORS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab24 lish in the Department regional coordinators. 


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1 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The regional coordi2 nators established under paragraph (1) shall be re3 sponsible for— 

4 ‘‘(A) partnering with food producers, food 

5 processors, distributors, and food recovery orga6 nizations and acting as regional points of con7 tact to facilitate real-time food recovery; 

8 ‘‘(B) understanding and developing the ca9 pacity needed for ongoing food recovery; 

10 ‘‘(C) providing technical support to food 

11 recovery organizations to improve the ability of 

12 the food recovery organizations to pick up sur13 plus food, process that food, and deliver that 

14 food to populations or communities; and 

15 ‘‘(D) engaging with Department regional 

16 food business centers to identify opportunities 

17 for synergy and alignment with those centers. 

18 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

19 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec20 retary to carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for 

21 fiscal year 2025, to remain available until expended. 

22 ‘‘(g) CONSUMER EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

24 through the Liaison, in consultation with the Admin25 istrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 


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1 shall initiate a national food waste education and 

2 public awareness campaign (referred to in this sub3 section as the ‘campaign’). 

4 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The campaign shall, at 

5 a minimum— 

6 ‘‘(A) illustrate how much food goes to 

7 waste in the United States and households 

8 across the United States; 

9 ‘‘(B) highlight methods for preserving and 

10 storing foods; 

11 ‘‘(C) provide consumers tips to identify 

12 whether food is still safe and edible, regardless 

13 of any ‘BEST If Used By’ or the ‘USE By’ 

14 date on the label or food packaging indicating 

15 quality and freshness; 

16 ‘‘(D) teach consumers the differences be17 tween food freshness and food safety; 

18 ‘‘(E) teach consumers how to compost food 

19 scraps; 

20 ‘‘(F) develop educational materials usable 

21 by several different channels, including for spe22 cific industry sectors (including retail, food 

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1 based organizations, and other appropriate 

2 channels; 

3 ‘‘(G) educate consumers on food products 

4 made with food waste, including upcycled food 

5 products, or that use innovative technology to 

6 prevent food loss and food waste; 

7 ‘‘(H) include interactive elements; and 

8 ‘‘(I) inform about intersectional issues of 

9 food loss and food waste, including public 

10 health, food insecurity, and climate change. 

11 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out the cam12 paign, the Secretary shall prioritize— 

13 ‘‘(A) evaluating existing scientific evidence, 

14 and, if needed, conducting additional scientific 

15 research, to determine what socioeconomic char16 acteristics are associated with food waste atti17 tudes and behaviors; 

18 ‘‘(B) identifying population segments to 

19 target; 

20 ‘‘(C) understanding how to best target 

21 those identified population segments; and 

22 ‘‘(D) determining which strategies are 

23 most effective in changing consumer behaviors. 

24 ‘‘(4) DUAL FRAMEWORK CAMPAIGN.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 carry out the campaign through— 

3 ‘‘(i) community engagement, which al4 lows information to be delivered through 

5 locally trusted sources, with locally tailored 

6 solutions and partners (such as for dona7 tion or compost options); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) national messaging appropriate 

9 for raising awareness of— 

10 ‘‘(I) nationally applicable issues 

11 (such as the meaning of ‘best if used 

12 by’ date labels, tips for meal planning, 

13 or businesses that manufacture prod14 ucts using ingredients that would oth15 erwise go to waste, including upcycled 

16 food products); and 

17 ‘‘(II) such other issues as the 

18 Secretary determines to be appro19 priate. 

20 ‘‘(B) PILOT PROJECTS.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

22 shall— 

23 ‘‘(I) for the purpose of testing 

24 methods and materials for carrying 

25 out the campaign through community 


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1 engagement under subparagraph 

2 (A)(i), carry out pilot projects in com3 munities selected by the Secretary; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(II) assess the results of those 

6 pilot projects, including through waste 

7 audits or other quantitative measure8 ments. 

9 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying 

10 out pilot projects under clause (i), the Sec11 retary shall— 

12 ‘‘(I) ensure equity and diversity 

13 of representation; 

14 ‘‘(II) use science-based evidence, 

15 including from behavioral science, in 

16 designing and carrying out the cam17 paign to increase the effectiveness of 

18 the campaign; and 

19 ‘‘(III) in coordination with State, 

20 local, Tribal, municipal, or territorial 

21 governments, inform consumers in a 

22 community of solutions, food prod23 ucts, or initiatives that are available 

24 to help prevent or reduce food waste. 


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1 ‘‘(5) WASTE AUDITS.—The Secretary shall con2 duct audits to gather data relating to the impact of 

3 the campaign in communities targeted by the cam4 paign for the purpose of informing future efforts 

5 under the campaign, including by comparing out6 comes in communities targeted by the campaign to 

7 outcomes in communities not targeted by the cam8 paign. 

9 ‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

10 addition to amounts otherwise available, there is au11 thorized to be appropriated to carry out this sub12 section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

13 through 2029.’’; and 

14 (8) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (i) by striking ‘‘Food Loss and 

17 Waste’’; and 

18 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘subsection (e)’’; 

20 (B) in paragraph (2), in the paragraph 

21 heading, by striking ‘‘REPORT’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘SUBSEQUENT REPORT’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(3) REPORTS ON PROGRESS.—The Liaison 

25 shall submit to Congress and make publicly available 


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1 reports describing the progress of the United States 

2 in advancing toward or achieving the goal of reduc3 ing food loss and food waste by 50 percent, com4 pared to 2016 levels, by 2030.’’. 

5 (b) INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION ON FOOD LOSS

6 AND WASTE.— 

7 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

8 (A) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Admin9 istrator’’ means the Administrator of the Envi10 ronmental Protection Agency. 

11 (B) COMMISSIONER.—The term ‘‘Commis12 sioner’’ means the Commissioner of Food and 

13 Drugs. 

14 (C) FOOD.—The term ‘‘food’’ means any 

15 raw, cooked, processed, or prepared substance, 

16 ice, beverage, or ingredient used or intended for 

17 use in whole or in part for human consumption. 

18 (D) FOOD LOSS.—The term ‘‘food loss’’ 

19 means, with respect to food, that the food does 

20 not reach a consumer as a result of an issue in 

21 the production, storage, processing, or distribu22 tion phase. 

23 (E) FOOD RECOVERY.—The term ‘‘food re24 covery’’ means the collection of wholesome food 


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1 that would otherwise go to waste and the redis2 tribution of that food to feed people. 

3 (F) FOOD WASTE.—The term ‘‘food 

4 waste’’ means, with respect to food, that the 

5 food is intended for human consumption but is 

6 unconsumed by humans for any reason at the 

7 retail or consumption phase. 

8 (G) LIAISON.—The term ‘‘Liaison’’ means 

9 the Food Loss and Waste Reduction Liaison es10 tablished under section 224 of the Department 

11 of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 

12 U.S.C. 6924). 

13 (2) INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION.—The Sec14 retary, in collaboration with the Administrator, the 

15 Commissioner, and the Administrator of the United 

16 States Agency for International Development, shall 

17 collaborate to carry out the agreement relative to co18 operation and coordination on food loss and waste, 

19 which took effect on May 15, 2024. 

20 (3) REPORTS.—Every year, the Secretary, act21 ing through the Liaison, in consultation with the 

22 Administrator, the Commissioner, and the Adminis23 trator of the United States Agency for International 

24 Development, shall submit to Congress and make 

25 publicly available a report describing the progress of 


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1 the Secretary in carrying out the agreement de2 scribed in paragraph (2). 

3 (4) INTERAGENCY ENGAGEMENT.—Pursuant to 

4 paragraph (2), the Secretary, the Administrator, the 

5 Commissioner, and the Administrator of the United 

6 States Agency for International Development shall 

7 engage with the heads of other Federal departments 

8 and agencies, including the Secretary of Defense, the 

9 Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Transpor10 tation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Ad11 ministrator of General Services, and such other Fed12 eral departments and agencies as the Secretary, the 

13 Administrator, the Commissioner, and the Adminis14 trator of the United States Agency for International 

15 Development determine to be appropriate, to expand 

16 work on food loss and food waste. 

17 (5) CONSULTATION.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

19 consult with, and receive advice from, rep20 resentatives described in subparagraph (B) re21 lating to— 

22 (i) programming and policy issues re23 lating to understanding existing and future 

24 challenges relating to food loss and food 

25 waste; 


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1 (ii) acquiring the latest data relating 

2 to food loss and food waste; 

3 (iii) the latest innovative solutions re4 lating to food loss and food waste from 

5 leading experts; and 

6 (iv) sharing and developing procure7 ment best practices that will assist the 

8 heads of Federal departments and agencies 

9 described in paragraph (4) in— 

10 (I) preventing food loss and 

11 waste; 

12 (II) reducing food loss and food 

13 waste; 

14 (III) leading by example in ad15 dressing issues relating to food loss 

16 and food waste; and 

17 (IV) engaging contractors in re18 ducing food loss and food waste in the 

19 operations of the contractors. 

20 (B) REPRESENTATIVES.—The representa21 tives referred to in subparagraph (A) are rep22 resentatives of— 

23 (i) the private sector; 

24 (ii) agricultural producers; 


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1 (iii) food industry members, such as 

2 food safety trainers, food aggregators and 

3 processors, food safety professionals, retail4 ers, and food service entities; 

5 (iv) nonprofit organizations; 

6 (v) food recovery organizations of 

7 varying sizes; and 

8 (vi) any other sector, as determined 

9 by the Secretary. 

10 (C) REPRESENTATION OF SMALLER PRO11 DUCERS AND FOOD INSECURE COMMUNITIES.— 

12 In consulting and receiving advice under sub13 paragraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure par14 ticipation by smaller producers and organiza15 tions from communities most impacted by food 

16 and nutrition insecurity and food loss and food 

17 waste issues. 

18 (D) FORMS OF CONSULTATION.—The Sec19 retary may consult and receive advice under 

20 subparagraph (A) through— 

21 (i) a meeting through which input is 

22 sought, such as a workshop, town hall 

23 meeting, or listening session; 

24 (ii) a meeting described in clause (i) 

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1 resentatives described in subparagraph 

2 (B); and 

3 (iii) such other means as the Sec4 retary determines to be appropriate. 

5 (E) INTERAGENCY MEETINGS.—The Sec6 retary shall host quarterly meetings with the 

7 Administrator, the Commissioner, the Adminis8 trator of the United States Agency for Inter9 national Development, and the heads of other 

10 Federal agencies for the purpose of sharing 

11 communications relating to consultation and ad12 vice received under subparagraph (A) with 

13 those officials regularly. 

14 (F) FACA EXEMPTION.—Chapter 10 of 

15 title 5, United States Code (commonly referred 

16 to as the ‘‘Federal Advisory Committee Act’’), 

17 shall not apply to any group formed for pur18 poses of consultation or providing advice under 

19 this paragraph. 

20 (6) CONTINUATION OF EFFECT.—Nothing in 

21 the subsection shall be affected by the expiration of 

22 the agreement described in paragraph (2). 

23 (7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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1 retary to carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for 

2 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

3 SEC. 12304. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT LIAISON. 

4 Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorga5 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) (as amended 

6 by section 12203(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 224C. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT LIAISON. 

9 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 

11 shall establish in the Department the position of Housing 

12 and Urban Development Liaison. 

13 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Housing and Urban Develop14 ment Liaison shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) in consultation with the Secretary of 

16 Housing and Urban Development, identify— 

17 ‘‘(A) programs and activities of the De18 partment that impact urban communities, in19 cluding urban agriculture, urban forestry, and 

20 nutrition assistance programs; and 

21 ‘‘(B) programs and activities of the De22 partment of Housing and Urban Development 

23 that intersect with the programs and activities 

24 identified under subparagraph (A); 


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1 ‘‘(2) coordinate and improve communications 

2 relating to rural housing programs and the pro3 grams and activities identified under paragraph (1) 

4 between the Department and the Department of 

5 Housing and Urban Development; 

6 ‘‘(3) integrate across the Department strategic 

7 planning and coordination relating to rural housing 

8 programs and the programs and activities identified 

9 under paragraph (1); and 

10 ‘‘(4) make recommendations with respect to 

11 how to better— 

12 ‘‘(A) serve the customers and stakeholders 

13 of the Department and the Department of 

14 Housing and Urban Development through in15 creased coordination; and 

16 ‘‘(B) leverage existing Federal resources 

17 for rural housing programs and the programs 

18 and activities identified under paragraph (1). 

19 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 2025, 

20 and each December 31 thereafter, the Secretary shall sub21 mit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep22 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

23 and Forestry of the Senate, and make publicly available 

24 on the website of the Department, a report containing— 


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1 ‘‘(1) a description of the programs and activi2 ties identified under subsection (b)(1); 

3 ‘‘(2) a description of the activities of the Hous4 ing and Urban Development Liaison in the most re5 cent fiscal year; and 

6 ‘‘(3) the recommendations made by the Hous7 ing and Urban Development Liaison under sub8 section (b)(4).’’. 

9 SEC. 12305. HUBS FOR MITIGATION OF AND ADAPTATION 

10 TO CLIMATE CHANGE. 

11 Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorga12 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) (as amended 

13 by section 12304) is amended by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 224D. HUBS FOR MITIGATION OF AND ADAPTATION 

16 TO CLIMATE CHANGE. 

17 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) CLIMATE HUB.—The term ‘Climate Hub’ 

19 means an office established under subsection (b)(1). 

20 ‘‘(2) CLIMATE HUBS PROGRAM.—The term ‘Cli21 mate Hubs Program’ means the Climate Hubs Pro22 gram established under subsection (b)(2). 

23 ‘‘(3) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.—The term ‘Ex24 ecutive Committee’ means the Climate Hubs Execu25 tive Committee established under subsection (d)(5). 


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1 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

2 ‘‘(1) CLIMATE HUBS.—The Secretary shall es3 tablish a national network of offices, each of which 

4 shall have a specific geographic focus, including one 

5 office focused on international collaboration and one 

6 office based in the State of Hawaii, to serve the De7 partment in meeting the needs of farmers, ranchers, 

8 forest landowners, and other agricultural and nat9 ural resource managers in addressing the causes and 

10 consequences of climate change. 

11 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall establish 

12 a Climate Hubs Program for the administration of 

13 the Climate Hubs. 

14 ‘‘(c) MISSION.—The mission of the Climate Hubs 

15 Program is to develop and deliver— 

16 ‘‘(1) support to Department programs and ac17 tivities at the regional and local levels in integrating 

18 climate change into planning and decision making; 

19 ‘‘(2) science-based, region-specific, cost-effec20 tive, and practical information and program support 

21 for science-informed decision making in light of the 

22 increased costs, opportunities, risks, and 

23 vulnerabilities associated with a changing climate; 

24 ‘‘(3) tools, guidance on technologies, and risk 

25 management practices to maintain and strengthen 


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1 agricultural production, forest and natural resource 

2 management, and rural economic development to ad3 dress the causes and consequences of climate 

4 change; and 

5 ‘‘(4) equitable access to information to imple6 ment the activities described in paragraphs (1), (2), 

7 and (3) through engagement opportunities, 

8 trainings, and outreach and educational materials. 

9 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) determine the number and location of the 

11 Climate Hubs; 

12 ‘‘(2) establish a national office to administer 

13 the Climate Hubs Program, including a National 

14 Leader and staff sufficient to carry out the respon15 sibilities described in this section; 

16 ‘‘(3) work through the National Leader estab17 lished under paragraph (2) to coordinate with com18 parable programs and initiatives in other Federal 

19 departments and agencies, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) the Department of the Interior, in21 cluding the United States Geological Survey; 

22 ‘‘(B) the Department of Commerce, includ23 ing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad24 ministration; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the Environmental Protection Agen2 cy; 

3 ‘‘(D) the Department of Energy; 

4 ‘‘(E) the National Aeronautics and Space 

5 Administration; 

6 ‘‘(F) the Department of State; 

7 ‘‘(G) the United States Agency for Inter8 national Development; and 

9 ‘‘(H) such other departments and agencies 

10 as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; 

11 ‘‘(4) identify opportunities to work with and 

12 support university-based extension in carrying out 

13 the activities of the Climate Hubs Program; 

14 ‘‘(5) establish a Climate Hubs Executive Com15 mittee— 

16 ‘‘(A) to guide and establish priorities for 

17 the Climate Hubs Program; and 

18 ‘‘(B) to conduct a review of the Climate 

19 Hubs Program not less frequently than once 

20 every 5 years; and 

21 ‘‘(6) cooperate with partners and stakeholders, 

22 including— 

23 ‘‘(A) Federal and regional applied science 

24 and service organizations, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the United States Geological Sur2 vey Climate Adaptation Science Centers; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmos4 pheric Administration Climate Adaptation 

5 Partnerships; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) such other organizations as the 

7 Secretary determines to be appropriate; 

8 ‘‘(B) interagency coordination bodies, such 

9 as the United States Global Change Research 

10 Program; 

11 ‘‘(C) colleges and universities (as defined 

12 in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Re13 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

14 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); 

15 ‘‘(D) cooperative extension services (as de16 fined in that section); 

17 ‘‘(E) State agricultural experiment stations 

18 (as defined in that section); 

19 ‘‘(F) State forestry experiment stations; 

20 ‘‘(G) the private sector; 

21 ‘‘(H) State, local, and regional govern22 ments; 

23 ‘‘(I) Indian Tribes; 

24 ‘‘(J) agriculture, forestry, and commodity 

25 organizations; 


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1 ‘‘(K) nonprofit and community-based orga2 nizations; and 

3 ‘‘(L) other partners, as determined by the 

4 Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(e) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP.—The 

6 Executive Committee shall be composed of the heads of 

7 the following agencies, mission areas, or offices: 

8 ‘‘(1) The Agricultural Research Service. 

9 ‘‘(2) The Forest Service. 

10 ‘‘(3) The Natural Resources Conservation Serv11 ice. 

12 ‘‘(4) The National Institute of Food and Agri13 culture. 

14 ‘‘(5) The Foreign Agricultural Service. 

15 ‘‘(6) The Farm Service Agency. 

16 ‘‘(7) The Economic Research Service. 

17 ‘‘(8) The Risk Management Agency. 

18 ‘‘(9) The rural development mission area. 

19 ‘‘(10) The Office of Energy and Environmental 

20 Policy of the Department. 

21 ‘‘(11) The Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

22 Service. 

23 ‘‘(12) Such other agencies, mission areas, or of24 fices within the Department as the Secretary deter25 mines to be appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(f) FUNDING.— 

2 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts 

3 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

4 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec5 tion $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

6 through 2029, to remain available until expended. 

7 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

8 addition to amounts otherwise made available, there 

9 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 

10 section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

11 through 2029.’’. 

12 SEC. 12306. NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERV13 ICE. 

14 Section 228(g)(3) of the Department of Agriculture 

15 Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6936(g)(3)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 12307. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST. 

18 Section 251(e) of the Department of Agriculture Re19 organization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971(e)) is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) in paragraph (3)— 

22 (A) by striking subparagraph (C); and 

23 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) 

24 and (E) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec25 tively; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ‘‘prac2 ticable—’’ in the matter preceding clause (i) and all 

3 that follows through the period at the end of clause 

4 (ii) and inserting ‘‘practicable, at no time shall the 

5 aggregate number of staff for all Divisions exceed 50 

6 full-time equivalent positions.’’. 

7 SEC. 12308. REGIONAL FOOD BUSINESS CENTERS. 

8 Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorga9 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) (as amended 

10 by section 12305) is amended by adding at the end the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 224E. REGIONAL FOOD BUSINESS CENTERS. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

14 the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, 

15 shall enter into cooperative agreements, including sub16 awards, with eligible entities, as determined by the Sec17 retary, for the purpose of establishing a national network 

18 of not fewer than 12 regional food business centers that 

19 collectively provide localized assistance to small and me20 dium-sized farms and food businesses throughout the 

21 United States to improve local and regional supply chains, 

22 including distribution and processing, through— 

23 ‘‘(1) interagency and other coordination; 

24 ‘‘(2) business technical assistance; 

25 ‘‘(3) capacity building activities; or 


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1 ‘‘(4) other activities that facilitate the develop2 ment of a resilient domestic food system, as deter3 mined by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(b) TARGETED ASSISTANCE.— 

5 ‘‘(1) TRIBAL PRODUCERS AND BUSINESSES.— 

6 Not fewer than 1 regional food business center de7 scribed in subsection (a) shall provide assistance ex8 clusively to all Tribal producers and businesses na9 tionally. 

10 ‘‘(2) ISLANDS, REMOTE AREAS, AND

11 COLONIAS.—Not fewer than 2 regional food business 

12 centers described in subsection (a) shall provide as13 sistance to producers and farm and food businesses 

14 in the State of Hawaii, the State of Alaska, the 

15 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, other territories or 

16 possessions of the United States, colonias, other re17 mote areas, and other, similar locations in the 

18 United States, as determined by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(3) UNDERSERVED AND LIMITED RESOURCE

20 PRODUCERS.—Any regional food business center de21 scribed in subsection (a) shall prioritize providing 

22 service to underserved and limited resource pro23 ducers and farm and food businesses. 

24 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts 

2 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

3 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec4 tion $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal 

5 year thereafter, to remain available until expended. 

6 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

7 addition to other funds and authorities available to 

8 the Secretary, in order to carry out activities under 

9 this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 

10 to the Secretary $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

11 2025 through 2029, to remain available until ex12 pended.’’. 

13 SEC. 12309. AQUACULTURE LIAISON. 

14 Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorga15 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) (as amended 

16 by section 12308) is amended by adding at the end the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 224F. AQUACULTURE LIAISON. 

19 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AQUACULTURE.—In this sec20 tion, the term ‘aquaculture’ has the meaning given the 

21 term in section 3 of the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 

22 (16 U.S.C. 2802). 

23 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab24 lish in the Department the position of Aquaculture Liai25 son. 


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1 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The Aquaculture Liaison shall— 

2 ‘‘(1) develop and advance aquaculture best 

3 practices, using the best available science, in con4 sultation with appropriate offices in the Department, 

5 agricultural producers, and industry partners; 

6 ‘‘(2) provide technical assistance on best prac7 tices to aquaculture farmers and businesses, includ8 ing for shellfish, algae, and land-based aquaculture 

9 systems, using the best available science; 

10 ‘‘(3) advise the Secretary with respect to aqua11 culture practices and programs, including applying 

12 existing programs for risk mitigation (including in13 surance and purchasing programs), as applicable, to 

14 aquaculture; 

15 ‘‘(4) coordinate with the agencies and officials 

16 of the Department to update and ensure support for 

17 aquaculture in relevant programs; 

18 ‘‘(5) engage in stakeholder relations and de19 velop external partnerships relating to aquaculture 

20 practices and programs; 

21 ‘‘(6) identify common State and municipal best 

22 practices for navigating local policies relating to 

23 aquaculture practices; 

24 ‘‘(7) coordinate extension and outreach efforts 

25 to support aquaculture producers and businesses; 


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1 ‘‘(8) collaborate and coordinate with other Fed2 eral agencies, including the National Oceanic and 

3 Atmospheric Administration, the United States Fish 

4 and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection 

5 Agency, and the Office of Science and Technology 

6 Policy, with respect to aquaculture practices; 

7 ‘‘(9) convene a working group with relevant of8 ficials of the Department to coordinate programs 

9 and share knowledge; 

10 ‘‘(10) represent the Department on the Sub11 committee on Aquaculture of the National Science 

12 and Technology Council; 

13 ‘‘(11) gather and issue aquaculture production 

14 data, in coordination with the National Oceanic and 

15 Atmospheric Administration and other relevant Fed16 eral agencies; and 

17 ‘‘(12) promote aquaculture practices that pro18 vide environmental, economic, and social benefits.’’. 

19 SEC. 12310. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

20 Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture Re21 organization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended 

22 by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry 

24 out the amendments made to this title by the Rural 

25 Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024.’’. 


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1 Subtitle D—Agriculture and Food 

2 Defense 

3 SEC. 12401. AMENDMENTS TO THE AGRICULTURAL FOR4 EIGN INVESTMENT DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1978. 

5 (a) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(a) of the Agricul7 tural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

8 U.S.C. 3501(a)) is amended— 

9 (A) in the first sentence of the matter pre10 ceding paragraph (1)— 

11 (i) by inserting ‘‘, or enters into a 

12 leasing agreement the period of which is 

13 longer than 5 years with respect to agricul14 tural land,’’ after ‘‘agricultural land’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘acquisition or trans16 fer’’ and inserting ‘‘acquisition, transfer, or 

17 lease’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘ac19 quired or transferred’’ and inserting ‘‘acquired, 

20 transferred, or leased’’. 

21 (2) MINIMUM OWNERSHIP.—Section 2 of the 

22 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 

23 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501) is amended by adding at the 

24 end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(g) MINIMUM OWNERSHIP.—In the case of agricul2 tural land in which more than 1 foreign person acquires 

3 or transfers any interest, other than a security interest, 

4 the reporting requirements under this section shall apply 

5 to each foreign person who holds at least a 1 percent inter6 est in that land— 

7 ‘‘(1) directly through the first tier of ownership; 

8 or 

9 ‘‘(2) in the aggregate through an interest in 

10 other entities at various tiers.’’. 

11 (b) CIVIL PENALTY.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 of the Agricultural 

13 Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

14 U.S.C. 3502) is amended— 

15 (A) in subsection (a), in the matter pre16 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(a) If the’’ 

17 and all that follows through ‘‘Any such civil 

18 penalty’’ in the third sentence and inserting the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A person shall be subject to a 

21 civil penalty imposed by the Secretary if the Secretary de22 termines that the person— 

23 ‘‘(1) has failed to submit a report in accordance 

24 with the provisions of section 2; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) has knowingly submitted a report under 

2 section 2 that— 

3 ‘‘(A) does not contain all the information 

4 required to be in such report; or 

5 ‘‘(B) contains information that is mis6 leading or false. 

7 ‘‘(d) CIVIL ACTION.—Any civil penalty imposed by 

8 the Secretary under subsection (a)’’; 

9 (B) by moving subsection (d) (as so des10 ignated) so as to appear after subsection (b); 

11 (C) in subsection (b)— 

12 (i) by striking the subsection designa13 tion and all that follows through ‘‘The 

14 amount’’ and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF PENALTY.—Except as provided in 

16 subsection (c), the amount’’; 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘of this section’’; and 

18 (iii) by striking ‘‘shall not exceed 25 

19 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘shall be not less 

20 than 5 percent, but not more than 25 per21 cent,’’; 

22 (D) by inserting after subsection (b) the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(c) PENALTY FOR SHELL CORPORATIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF SHELL CORPORATION.—In 

2 this subsection, the term ‘shell corporation’ means a 

3 corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, 

4 society, joint stock company, trust, estate, or any 

5 other legal entity that has no or nominal operations. 

6 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT OF PENALTY.—The amount of a 

7 civil penalty under subsection (a) for a foreign8 owned shell corporation, as determined by the Sec9 retary, shall be 100 percent of the fair market value, 

10 on the date of the assessment of the penalty, of the 

11 interest in agricultural land with respect to which 

12 the violation occurred. 

13 ‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION OF PENALTY.—A shell cor14 poration shall not be subject to a civil penalty under 

15 paragraph (2), but shall be subject to a civil penalty 

16 under subsection (b), if the shell corporation rem17 edies a defective filing or failure to file not later 

18 than 60 days after the Secretary provides notice to 

19 the shell corporation of the defective filing or failure 

20 to file.’’; and 

21 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(e) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FROM CIVIL PEN23 ALTIES.—A civil penalty collected under subsection (a) 

24 shall be available to the Secretary without appropriation 


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1 and remain available until expended for the purpose of en2 forcing this Act.’’. 

3 (2) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF NONCOMPLIANT

4 PERSONS.—Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign In5 vestment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) 

6 (as amended by paragraph (1)) is amended by add7 ing at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(f) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF NONCOMPLIANT PER9 SONS.—The Secretary shall publicly disclose the name of 

10 each person who paid to the Secretary a civil penalty im11 posed under subsection (a), including, if applicable, after 

12 the completion of an appeal of a civil penalty.’’. 

13 (3) PUBLICATION OF REPORTING REQUIRE14 MENTS.—Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign In15 vestment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) 

16 (as amended by paragraph (2)) is amended by add17 ing at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(g) OUTREACH.—Using existing resources and ef19 forts to the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 

20 shall carry out a nationwide outreach program directed 

21 primarily towards landlords, owners, operators, persons, 

22 producers, and tenants (as those terms are defined in sec23 tion 718.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 

24 effect on the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

25 and Food Security Act of 2024)) of agricultural land and 


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1 county property appraiser offices, land appraisal compa2 nies, and real estate auction companies to increase public 

3 awareness and provide education regarding the reporting 

4 requirements under this section.’’. 

5 (c) INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS.—Section 4 of the Agri6 cultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

7 U.S.C. 3503) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking the section designation and 

9 heading and all that follows through ‘‘The Sec10 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 4. INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(b) SECURITY.—The Secretary shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) in coordination with the office within the 

16 Department of Agriculture established under section 

17 7318 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 

18 Fiscal Year 2024 (50 U.S.C. 3384), ensure the 

19 availability of classified storage, meeting, and other 

20 spaces, as necessary, for personnel to carry out this 

21 section; and 

22 ‘‘(2) assist personnel responsible for carrying 

23 out this section in obtaining security clearances. 

24 ‘‘(c) CHIEF OF OPERATIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall appoint 

2 an employee in the Senior Executive Service (as de3 scribed in section 3131 of title 5, United States 

4 Code) of the Department of Agriculture to serve as 

5 Chief of Operations of Investigative Actions (re6 ferred to in this section as the ‘Chief of Oper7 ations’), who shall hire, appoint, and maintain addi8 tional employees to monitor compliance with the pro9 visions of this Act. 

10 ‘‘(2) SIMULTANEOUS SERVICE.—The Chief of 

11 Operations may serve in such position simulta12 neously with a concurrent position within the De13 partment of Agriculture. 

14 ‘‘(d) DUTIES.—The Chief of Operations shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) be responsible for carrying out the author16 ity provided by subsection (a); 

17 ‘‘(2) refer noncompliance with this Act to the 

18 Secretary, the Farm Service Agency, and any other 

19 appropriate authority; 

20 ‘‘(3) coordinate with the Department of Justice, 

21 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Depart22 ment of Homeland Security, the Department of the 

23 Treasury, the National Security Council, and State 

24 and local law enforcement agencies, on investigations 

25 into malign efforts— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to steal agricultural knowledge and 

2 technology; and 

3 ‘‘(B) to disrupt the United States agricul4 tural base; 

5 ‘‘(4) conduct an annual compliance audit of not 

6 less than 10 percent of the reports submitted under 

7 section 2 for the year covered by the audit to ensure 

8 the completeness and accuracy of reports submitted 

9 under that section; 

10 ‘‘(5) provide annual training to State and coun11 ty-level personnel relating to identifying agricultural 

12 land for which— 

13 ‘‘(A) a report is required to be submitted 

14 under section 2; but 

15 ‘‘(B) no report has been submitted by the 

16 applicable foreign person; 

17 ‘‘(6) seek to enter into memoranda of agree18 ment and memoranda of understanding with the 

19 Federal agencies described in paragraph (3)— 

20 ‘‘(A) to ensure compliance with this Act; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(B) to prevent the malign efforts de23 scribed in that paragraph; 

24 ‘‘(7) refer to the Committee on Foreign Invest25 ment in the United States transactions that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) raise potential national security con2 cerns; and 

3 ‘‘(B) result in agricultural land acquisition 

4 by a foreign person that is a citizen of, or 

5 headquartered in, as applicable, a foreign entity 

6 of concern; 

7 ‘‘(8) coordinate and consult, as appropriate, 

8 with the Department of Agriculture Office of Home9 land Security and the office within the Department 

10 of Agriculture established under section 7318 of the 

11 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

12 2024 (50 U.S.C. 3384); and 

13 ‘‘(9) publish annual reports that summarize the 

14 information contained in every report received by the 

15 Secretary under section 2 during the period covered 

16 by the report. 

17 ‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATION.—The Chief of Operations 

18 shall report to— 

19 ‘‘(1) the Secretary; or 

20 ‘‘(2) if delegated by the Secretary, to— 

21 ‘‘(A) the Administrator of the Farm Serv22 ice Agency; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the Director of the Department of 

24 Agriculture Office of Homeland Security. 


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1 ‘‘(f) ACTIONS BY FPAC–BC.—As part of the actions 

2 taken under subsection (a), the Farm Production and 

3 Conservation Business Center shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) take such actions as are necessary to vali5 date the data collected under section 2, including re6 vising and validating information throughout the 

7 data collection process; 

8 ‘‘(2) take such actions as are necessary to en9 sure compliance with section 2(g); and 

10 ‘‘(3) in coordination with the Farm Service 

11 Agency, to the maximum extent practicable, identify 

12 persons that have carried out an activity subject to 

13 a civil penalty described in paragraph (1) or (2) of 

14 section 3(a).’’. 

15 (d) REPORTS.—Section 6 of the Agricultural Foreign 

16 Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3505) is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) by striking the section designation and 

19 heading and all that follows through ‘‘Not later 

20 than’’ and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 6. REPORTS. 

22 ‘‘(a) TRANSMISSION OF REPORTS TO STATES.—Not 

23 later than’’; and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Annually, the Secretary 

2 shall prepare and make publicly available a report describ3 ing holdings of agricultural land by foreign persons, as 

4 determined by reports submitted under section 2, includ5 ing— 

6 ‘‘(1) on a State-by-State and county-by-county 

7 basis; and 

8 ‘‘(2) an analysis of the sectors and industries 

9 for which the agricultural land holdings are used. 

10 ‘‘(c) RESEARCH.—Not later than 1 year after the 

11 date of enactment of this subsection, and once every 5 

12 years thereafter, the Secretary shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) carry out research on— 

14 ‘‘(A) the agricultural leasing activities in 

15 the United States of foreign persons, including 

16 the impact of those activities on family farms, 

17 rural communities, and the domestic food sup18 ply; 

19 ‘‘(B) trends relating to the purchase of ag20 ricultural land in the United States by foreign21 owned shell corporations (as defined in section 

22 3(c)(1)); 

23 ‘‘(C) foreign ownership of agricultural pro24 duction capacity and foreign participation in 


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1 agricultural economic activity in the United 

2 States; and 

3 ‘‘(D) in consultation with the Director of 

4 the United States Geological Survey, foreign 

5 ownership or leasing of water rights and min6 eral deposits on a State-by-State and county-by7 county basis; and 

8 ‘‘(2) submit to Congress a report describing the 

9 results of the research carried out under paragraph 

10 (1). 

11 ‘‘(d) REPORT OF TRACKING COVERED TRANS12 ACTIONS BY FOREIGN ENTITIES OF CONCERN.—Not later 

13 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

14 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 

15 feasibility of establishing a mechanism for quantifying the 

16 threats posed by foreign entities of concern to United 

17 States food security, biosecurity, food safety, environ18 mental protection, and national defense.’’. 

19 (e) INTERNET DATABASE.—Section 7 of the Agricul20 tural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

21 U.S.C. 3506) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking the section designation and 

23 heading and all that follows through ‘‘Any report’’ 

24 and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 7. PUBLIC INSPECTION. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN PERSON.—Any report’’; and 

3 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(b) INTERNET DATABASE.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 

6 after the Secretary has established a streamlined 

7 process for electronic submission and retention of 

8 disclosures made under this Act required by section 

9 773 of division A of the Consolidated Appropriations 

10 Act, 2023 (7 U.S.C. 3501 note; 136 Stat. 4509), the 

11 Secretary shall make publicly available an internet 

12 database that contains disaggregated data from each 

13 disclosure submitted under this Act as human-read14 able and machine-readable data sets. 

15 ‘‘(2) INCLUDED DATA.—The data sets estab16 lished under paragraph (1) shall include— 

17 ‘‘(A) a description of the purchase price 

18 paid for, or any other consideration given for, 

19 each interest in agricultural land for which a 

20 report is submitted under section 2; and 

21 ‘‘(B) in any case in which a foreign person 

22 is not an individual or a government, the nature 

23 of the legal entity holding the interest, the 

24 country in which the foreign person is created 

25 or organized, and the principal place of busi26 ness of the foreign person.’’. 


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1 (f) DEFINITIONS.—Section 9 of the Agricultural For2 eign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508) 

3 is amended— 

4 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

5 striking ‘‘For purposes of this Act—’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘In this Act:’’; 

7 (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, subject to 

8 the condition that the Secretary may not exclude 

9 land from this definition based on the acreage of the 

10 land’’ before the semicolon at the end; 

11 (3) in each of paragraphs (1) through (6)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘the term’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘The term’’; and 

14 (B) by inserting a paragraph heading, the 

15 text of which comprises the term defined in that 

16 paragraph; 

17 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

18 (6) as paragraphs (3), (4), (6), (7), and (8), respec19 tively; 

20 (5) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(2) FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN.—The 

23 term ‘foreign entity of concern’ has the meaning 

24 given the term in section 9901 of the William M. 


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1 (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization 

2 Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651).’’; and 

3 (6) by inserting after paragraph (4) (as so re4 designated) the following: 

5 ‘‘(5) MALIGN EFFORT.—The term ‘malign ef6 fort’ means any hostile effort undertaken by, at the 

7 direction of, on behalf of, or with the substantial 

8 support of the government of a foreign entity of con9 cern.’’. 

10 SEC. 12402. NATIONAL PLANT DIAGNOSTIC NETWORK. 

11 Section 12203(c)(5) of the Agriculture Improvement 

12 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8914(c)(5)) is amended by striking 

13 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 12403. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 

15 Section 221 of the Department of Agriculture Reor16 ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6922) is amended by 

17 adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(f) AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEFENSE

19 INTRAAGENCY COORDINATION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

21 that there are 1 or more career employees within the 

22 agencies and offices of the Department, including 

23 each of the agencies and offices described in para24 graph (2), that are designated— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to coordinate on agriculture and food 

2 defense with the Office of Homeland Security 

3 and the office at the Department established 

4 under section 7318 of the National Defense Au5 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (50 U.S.C. 

6 3384); and 

7 ‘‘(B) to receive information from the of8 fices described in subparagraph (A) on a need9 to-know basis. 

10 ‘‘(2) AGENCIES AND OFFICES DESCRIBED.— 

11 The agencies and offices referred to in paragraph 

12 (1) are the Agricultural Research Service, the Ani13 mal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Agri14 cultural Marketing Service, the Foreign Agricultural 

15 Service, the National Institute of Food and Agri16 culture, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the 

17 Forest Service, the Farm Service Agency, the Risk 

18 Management Agency, the Natural Resources Con19 servation Service, the Office of the Chief Informa20 tion Officer, the Office of the General Counsel, the 

21 Office of the Chief Scientist, the Office of the Chief 

22 Economist, and such other agencies and offices as 

23 the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(3) QUALIFICATION OF DESIGNATED EMPLOY25 EES.—An employee designated pursuant to paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01319 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 graph (1) shall possess the appropriate security 

2 clearance. 

3 ‘‘(4) DETAILEES.—Notwithstanding any other 

4 provision of law relating to the detailing and assign5 ment of Federal employees within the Department— 

6 ‘‘(A) the Secretary shall increase 

7 intraagency coordination on agriculture and 

8 food defense by ensuring that there are not 

9 fewer than 2 employees from agencies or offices 

10 of the Department (other than the Office of 

11 Homeland Security) detailed to the Office of 

12 Homeland Security each for a period of not 

13 more than 2 years; and 

14 ‘‘(B) the Office of Homeland Security shall 

15 not be required to fully or partially reimburse 

16 the employing agency or office of an individual 

17 detailed under subparagraph (A) for the period 

18 of the assignment.’’. 

19 SEC. 12404. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 Section 12205 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

21 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4950) is amend22 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 12405. RISK ASSESSMENT ON CYBERSECURITY-RE2 LATED THREATS TO AGRICULTURE AND 

3 FOOD SYSTEMS. 

4 Subtitle B of title XII of the Agriculture Improve5 ment Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4944) 

6 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 12206. CYBERSECURITY-RELATED THREATS TO AGRI8 CULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS. 

9 ‘‘(a) RISK ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary, in coordi10 nation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 

11 Agency, the office at the Department of Agriculture estab12 lished under section 7318 of the National Defense Author13 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (50 U.S.C. 3384), the 

14 Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and the National Insti15 tute of Standards and Technology, shall conduct an as16 sessment, on a biennial basis, of cybersecurity-related 

17 threats to and vulnerabilities in the agriculture and food 

18 system, including— 

19 ‘‘(1) the risk of cybersecurity attacks on the ag20 riculture and food system; 

21 ‘‘(2) potential losses in the agriculture and food 

22 system due to a cybersecurity attack; 

23 ‘‘(3) the gaps, challenges, barriers, or opportu24 nities for improving defensive measures in the agri25 culture and food system; 


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1 ‘‘(4) lessons learned from any crisis simulation 

2 exercises involving cybersecurity attacks on the agri3 culture and food system; and 

4 ‘‘(5) any recommendations for Federal legisla5 tive or administrative actions to address the risks, 

6 vulnerabilities, and potential losses due to cybersecu7 rity attacks on the agriculture and food system. 

8 ‘‘(b) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 

9 the date of enactment this section, and every 2 years 

10 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

11 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and 

12 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representa13 tives a report describing the most recently conducted as14 sessment under subsection (a).’’. 

15 Subtitle E—Other Miscellaneous 

16 Provisions 

17 SEC. 12501. MAPLE RESEARCH AND MARKET PROMOTION 

18 PROGRAM. 

19 Section 12306 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

20 U.S.C. 1632c) is amended— 

21 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘ACER

22 ACCESS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM’’ and in23 serting ‘‘MAPLE RESEARCH AND MARKET PRO24 MOTION PROGRAM’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

2 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Secretary of Agriculture 

3 may make’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary shall establish 

4 a program, to be known as the ‘Maple Research and 

5 Market Promotion Program’, under which the Sec6 retary may make’’; 

7 (3) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘of Agri8 culture’’; and 

9 (4) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 12502. PROTECTING ANIMALS WITH SHELTER. 

12 Section 12502(b) of the Agriculture Improvement 

13 Act of 2018 (34 U.S.C. 20127) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘Office of 

15 the’’ and inserting ‘‘Office on’’; and 

16 (2) in paragraph (8)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 SEC. 12503. BEAGLE BRIGADE. 

19 Subtitle C of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7751 

20 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 439. NATIONAL DETECTOR DOG TRAINING CENTER. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a National 

23 Detector Dog Training Center (referred to in this section 

24 as the ‘Center’). 


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1 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Center shall have the following 

2 duties: 

3 ‘‘(1) Training dogs for the purpose of safe4 guarding domestic agricultural and natural resources 

5 from foreign and invasive pests and diseases. 

6 ‘‘(2) Training human handlers to successfully 

7 select and train dogs for the purpose described in 

8 paragraph (1). 

9 ‘‘(3) Collaborating with relevant Federal agen10 cies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 

11 to safeguard domestic agricultural and natural re12 sources. 

13 ‘‘(4) Collaborating with external stakeholders, 

14 including State departments of agriculture, local and 

15 county agricultural officials, private sector entities, 

16 and other relevant non-Federal partners. 

17 ‘‘(5) Ensuring the health and welfare of all 

18 dogs under the care of the Center, including by en19 suring access to necessary veterinary care, adequate 

20 shelter, and proper nutrition. 

21 ‘‘(6) Providing opportunities for private adop22 tion of retirement-age trained dogs and dogs that do 

23 not complete training. 

24 ‘‘(7) Any other duties necessary to safeguard 

25 domestic agricultural and natural resources from 


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1 foreign and invasive pests and diseases, as deter2 mined by the Secretary, acting through the Adminis3 trator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

4 Service. 

5 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

6 of enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through 

7 the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspec8 tion Service, shall submit to Congress a report that con9 tains— 

10 ‘‘(1) a description of current and emerging 

11 threats to domestic agricultural and natural re12 sources from foreign pests and diseases within the 

13 purview of the operations of the Center; 

14 ‘‘(2) an examination of the role that the Center 

15 plays in the protection against foreign pests and dis16 eases; 

17 ‘‘(3) a description of improvements needed in 

18 Federal programs to minimize threats from foreign 

19 pests and diseases within the purview of the oper20 ations of the Center, including strengthened coordi21 nation among the Animal and Plant Health Inspec22 tion Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 

23 and other relevant Federal agencies; 


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1 ‘‘(4) recommendations to strengthen the capa2 bilities of the Center in protecting against foreign 

3 pests and diseases; and 

4 ‘‘(5) recommendations to improve— 

5 ‘‘(A) the dog procurement procedures of 

6 the Center; and 

7 ‘‘(B) private adoption opportunities for re8 tirement-age trained dogs and dogs that do not 

9 complete training.’’. 

10 SEC. 12504. IMPORTATION OF DOGS INTO THE UNITED 

11 STATES. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Animal Health Protection 

13 Act is amended by inserting after section 10404 (7 U.S.C. 

14 8303) the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 10404A. IMPORTATION OF DOGS. 

16 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 ‘‘(1) COMPENSATION.—The term ‘compensa18 tion’ means any act, consideration, or thing of value 

19 received by a person directly, including cash or 

20 noncash benefits, cost-avoidance, obtaining positive 

21 or avoiding negative publicity, an exchange of serv22 ices, or maintaining a license issued under any local, 

23 State, or Federal Government authority. 

24 ‘‘(2) IMPORT TRANSPORTER.—The term ‘import 

25 transporter’ means any person or entity who— 


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1 ‘‘(A) receives an imported dog from any 

2 importer, dealer, research facility, exhibitor, op3 erator of an auction sale, or department, agen4 cy, or instrumentality of the United States or 

5 of any State or local government; and 

6 ‘‘(B) receives compensation for moving 

7 that imported dog in commerce. 

8 ‘‘(3) IMPORTER.—The term ‘importer’ means 

9 any person who transports or causes the transpor10 tation of a dog into the United States from a foreign 

11 country. 

12 ‘‘(4) TRANSFER.—The term ‘transfer’ means a 

13 change of ownership or control of an imported dog 

14 to another person, including by sale, adoption, ex15 change, or donation. 

16 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para18 graph (2), no person shall import a dog into the 

19 United States unless, prior to transport to the 

20 United States, the Secretary receives electronic doc21 umentation demonstrating, as determined by the 

22 Secretary, that the dog— 

23 ‘‘(A) is in good health; 

24 ‘‘(B) has received all necessary vaccina25 tions and internal and external parasite treatVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01327 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ment and demonstrated negative test results, as 

2 required by the Secretary and evidenced by a 

3 certificate that— 

4 ‘‘(i) is issued by a licensed veteri5 narian accredited by a competent veteri6 nary authority recognized by the Secretary; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(ii) is endorsed by that authority in 

9 a manner representing that the veteri10 narian issuing the certificate was author11 ized to do so; 

12 ‘‘(C) is officially identified by a permanent 

13 method approved by the Secretary; and 

14 ‘‘(D) if intended for transfer— 

15 ‘‘(i) is at least 6 months old; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) is accompanied by an import per17 mit issued by the Secretary under this Act. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary, by regula19 tion, shall provide an exception to any requirement 

20 under this Act in any case in which a dog is im21 ported— 

22 ‘‘(A) as a personal pet of United States or23 igin returning to the United States; or 

24 ‘‘(B) for purposes of transfer for— 

25 ‘‘(i) research purposes; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) veterinary treatment, paid for by 

2 the importer, subject to the condition that 

3 the dog— 

4 ‘‘(I) is taken directly to a veteri5 nary facility for treatment with appro6 priate quarantine until the dog meets 

7 the criteria described in paragraph 

8 (1); and 

9 ‘‘(II) is then exported to its coun10 try of origin; or 

11 ‘‘(iii) in the case of a dog that is less 

12 than 6 months old, lawful importation into 

13 the State of Hawaii from the British Isles, 

14 Australia, Guam, or New Zealand, in com15 pliance with the regulations of the State of 

16 Hawaii and the other requirements of this 

17 section, if the dog is not transported out of 

18 the State of Hawaii for transfer at less 

19 than 6 months of age. 

20 ‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION AND REGULATIONS.—Not 

21 later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the 

22 Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024, the Sec23 retary, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 

24 Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Secu25 rity, and the Secretary of Transportation shall promulgate 


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1 such regulations as the Secretaries determine to be nec2 essary to implement and enforce this section, including 

3 regulations that— 

4 ‘‘(1) facilitate electronic submission and inter5 agency sharing of all documentation required under 

6 subsection (b)(1) prior to the arrival of a dog into 

7 the United States; 

8 ‘‘(2) establish any necessary postarrival 

9 verification processes for imported dogs; 

10 ‘‘(3) ensure the denial of entry into the United 

11 States of any dog that fails to meet the require12 ments of subsection (b)(1); 

13 ‘‘(4) require the Secretary to share with a State 

14 veterinarian, on request of the State veterinarian, 

15 the certificate described in subsection (b)(1)(B) for 

16 the applicable imported dog; and 

17 ‘‘(5) determine and establish such fees for the 

18 verification of documentation and issuance of per19 mits with respect to dog importation as are nec20 essary to fund the implementation and enforcement 

21 of this section. 

22 ‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in sub23 section (c)(5) limits the availability of funding made avail24 able under section 10417 to carry out this section. 

25 ‘‘(e) ENFORCEMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall have 

2 the authority granted under section 10414 to en3 force this section. 

4 ‘‘(2) PENALTIES.—An importer or import 

5 transporter that fails to comply with this section 

6 shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) be subject to penalties under section 

8 10414; and 

9 ‘‘(B) if the importer is a dealer, provide, as 

10 the Secretary may determine, at the expense of 

11 the importer, for— 

12 ‘‘(i) the care (including appropriate 

13 veterinary care), forfeiture, quarantine, 

14 and removal from the United States of 

15 each applicable dog; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) the return of each applicable dog 

17 to its place of export, with due care for the 

18 welfare of each applicable dog.’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 18 of the 

20 Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2148) is repealed. 

21 (c) TRANSITION PERIOD.—Until the date on which 

22 final regulations are issued under section 10404A(c) of the 

23 Animal Health Protection Act (as added by subsection 

24 (a)), the importation of live dogs shall be regulated in ac25 cordance with the regulations promulgated under section 


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1 18 of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2148) (as in effect on the day 

2 before the date of enactment of this Act), but only to the 

3 extent that those regulations are not in conflict with sec4 tion 10404A of that Act. 

5 SEC. 12505. VETERINARY MEDICINE LOAN REPAYMENT 

6 PROGRAM AND VETERINARY SERVICES 

7 GRANT PROGRAM. 

8 (a) VETERINARY MEDICINE LOAN REPAYMENT PRO9 GRAM.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 

11 a study to review the veterinary medicine loan repay12 ment program established under section 1415A of 

13 the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

14 Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3151a) (re15 ferred to in this subsection as the ‘‘program’’)— 

16 (A) to determine if the program is achiev17 ing its purpose of ensuring that an adequate 

18 supply of trained food animal veterinarians are 

19 placed in identified veterinarian shortage situa20 tions (as determined under subsection (b) of 

21 that section (7 U.S.C. 3151a(b))); and 

22 (B) to identify recommendations for im23 provements to the program, including improve24 ments that may be implemented administra25 tively or that require statutory authorization. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—The study under paragraph 

2 (1) shall include— 

3 (A) retention and compensation data of 

4 awardees; 

5 (B) data on the student loan debt of appli6 cants and awardees; 

7 (C) an examination of the seasonality of 

8 practice type for food animal practitioners; and 

9 (D) an estimate of the benefits of increas10 ing the maximum annual payment amount to11 wards qualified educational loans. 

12 (3) COMMUNITY INPUT.—In carrying out the 

13 study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall seek 

14 input from stakeholders on— 

15 (A) whether the program is meeting its 

16 short-term objective of matching specific area 

17 needs with the knowledge, skills, abilities, expe18 riences, goals, and aspirations of applicants; 

19 (B) whether the program is meeting its 

20 long-term objective of providing educational 

21 loan repayment support to veterinarians to sus22 tain clinical private and public practice in vet23 erinary shortage situations described in para24 graph (1)(A); 


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1 (C) identifying concerns and problems with 

2 program implementation; 

3 (D) providing solutions for problems iden4 tified in subparagraph (C), to include in rec5 ommendations under paragraph (1)(B); and 

6 (E) any other issues that the Secretary de7 termines appropriate. 

8 (4) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to 

9 the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For10 estry of the Senate and the Committee on Agri11 culture of the House of Representatives a report 

12 that describes the results of the study conducted 

13 under paragraph (1), including— 

14 (A) the recommendations described in 

15 paragraph (1)(B) and any other recommenda16 tions that the Secretary determines appropriate; 

17 and 

18 (B) any data and information gaps identi19 fied for applicants and awardees of the pro20 gram. 

21 (b) VETERINARY SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 

23 a study to review the veterinary services grant pro24 gram established under section 1415B of the Na25 tional Agricultural Research, Extension, and TeachVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01334 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ing Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3151b) (referred 

2 to in this subsection as the ‘‘program’’)— 

3 (A) to determine if the program is achiev4 ing its purpose of relieving veterinarian short5 age situations (as defined in subsection (a) of 

6 that section (7 U.S.C. 3151b(a)) and sup7 porting veterinary services; and 

8 (B) to identify recommendations for im9 provements to the program, including improve10 ments that may be implemented administra11 tively or that require statutory authorization. 

12 (2) COMMUNITY INPUT.—In carrying out the 

13 study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall seek 

14 input from stakeholders on— 

15 (A) whether the education, extension, and 

16 training grants are achieving their purpose of 

17 developing, implementing, and sustaining veteri18 nary services through education, training, re19 cruitment, placement, and retention of veteri20 narians, veterinary technicians, and students of 

21 veterinary medicine and veterinary technology; 

22 (B) whether the rural practice enhance23 ment grants are achieving their purpose of es24 tablishing or expanding veterinary practices in 

25 rural areas; 


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1 (C) identifying concerns and problems with 

2 program implementation; 

3 (D) providing solutions for problems iden4 tified under subparagraph (C), to include in 

5 recommendations under paragraph (1)(B); and 

6 (E) any other issues that the Secretary de7 termines appropriate. 

8 (3) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to 

9 the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For10 estry of the Senate and the Committee on Agri11 culture of the House of Representatives a report 

12 that describes the results of the study conducted 

13 under paragraph (1), including the recommendations 

14 described in paragraph (1)(B) and any other rec15 ommendations that the Secretary determines appro16 priate. 

17 SEC. 12506. REPORT ON ANIMAL DEPOPULATION. 

18 (a) DEFINITION OF MASS DEPOPULATION.—In this 

19 section, the term ‘‘mass depopulation’’ means the method 

20 by which large numbers of animals are destroyed quickly 

21 and efficiently to contain, control, and eradicate disease. 

22 (b) REPORT.—Not later than December 31 of each 

23 year, the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health 

24 Inspection Service shall submit to the Secretary a report 

25 that describes the mass depopulation activities carried out 


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1 or facilitated by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

2 Service during the previous fiscal year, including the fol3 lowing information with regard to each mass depopulation: 

4 (1) The dates of the mass depopulation. 

5 (2) The general geographic region in which the 

6 mass depopulation occurred. 

7 (3) Reasons for the mass depopulation. 

8 (4) The total number, species, and breed of the 

9 depopulated animals. 

10 (5) The depopulation and disposal methods that 

11 were used. 

12 (6) Any monitoring, testing, or sampling pro13 tocol used to monitor releases of environmental con14 taminants from the disposal location. 

15 (7) The total cost associated with the mass de16 population and disposal. 

17 (c) PUBLICLY SEARCHABLE DATABASE.—The Sec18 retary shall develop and make publicly available an elec19 tronically searchable and sortable database that contains 

20 the information reported under subsection (b). 

21 SEC. 12507. RETIREMENT OF RESEARCH ANIMALS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 14 of the Animal Welfare 

23 Act (7 U.S.C. 2144) is amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘SEC. 14. STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FACILITIES. 

25 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION.—The 

2 term ‘animal rescue organization’ means a nonprofit 

3 organization the purpose of which is to rescue cov4 ered animals and find permanent adoptive homes for 

5 those animals. 

6 ‘‘(2) ANIMAL SHELTER.—The term ‘animal 

7 shelter’ means a facility that— 

8 ‘‘(A) accepts or seizes covered animals— 

9 ‘‘(i) to care for the animals; 

10 ‘‘(ii) to place those animals in a per11 manent adoptive home; or 

12 ‘‘(iii) for purposes of law enforcement; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) does not— 

15 ‘‘(i) engage in commercial trade of 

16 covered animals; 

17 ‘‘(ii) breed covered animals; 

18 ‘‘(iii) allow the use of a covered ani19 mal for performance or exhibition pur20 poses; or 

21 ‘‘(iv) conduct or permit research on a 

22 covered animal other than noninvasive be23 havioral research. 

24 ‘‘(3) COVERED ANIMAL.—The term ‘covered 

25 animal’ means a dog or a cat that is unwanted, 


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1 abandoned, or otherwise in need of placement in a 

2 home. 

3 ‘‘(4) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

4 ‘nonprofit organization’ means an organization de5 scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

6 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under sec7 tion 501(a) of that Code. 

8 ‘‘(5) SUITABLE FOR RETIREMENT.—The term 

9 ‘suitable for retirement’ means, with respect to an 

10 animal, that the animal has been evaluated by a li11 censed veterinarian and is determined to be mentally 

12 and physically healthy. 

13 ‘‘(b) LABORATORY ANIMAL FACILITIES AND EXHIBI14 TORS.—Any department, agency, or instrumentality of the 

15 United States that operates laboratory animal facilities or 

16 exhibits animals shall comply with the standards and other 

17 requirements promulgated by the Secretary under sub18 sections (a), (g), (h), and (i) of section 13. 

19 ‘‘(c) RETIREMENT.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 

21 after the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

22 and Food Security Act of 2024, any department, 

23 agency, or instrumentality of the United States op24 erating a Federal research facility shall, after public 

25 notice and comment, promulgate regulations that, 


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1 with respect to any covered animal of the facility 

2 that is no longer needed for research and is deter3 mined to be suitable for retirement— 

4 ‘‘(A) facilitate and encourage the adoption 

5 of the covered animal by, or placement of the 

6 covered animal with, an animal rescue organiza7 tion, an animal shelter, or an individual who in8 tends to keep the covered animal as a pet; and 

9 ‘‘(B) to the maximum extent practicable, 

10 seek collaboration with appropriate nonprofit 

11 organizations to carry out subparagraph (A). 

12 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL PLACEMENT.—The regulations 

13 promulgated to carry out paragraph (1)(A) shall in14 clude consideration of placing covered animals with 

15 the entities described in that subparagraph that are 

16 located beyond the immediate geographic vicinity of 

17 the Federal research facility at which the covered 

18 animal being retired is located. 

19 ‘‘(d) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this sec20 tion, including regulations promulgated under subsection 

21 (c)(1), shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) preempt any State or local law relating to 

23 the adoption or placement of animals used in re24 search that is more stringent than the requirements 

25 of this section; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) prevent a State or unit of local government 

2 from adopting or enforcing an animal welfare law 

3 that is more stringent than this section.’’. 

4 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 13 of the 

5 Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as 

7 subsections (h) and (i), respectively; and 

8 (2) by redesignating the second subsection (f) 

9 (relating to the certification requirement for the de10 livery of any animal) as subsection (g). 

11 SEC. 12508. STRENGTHENING ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL 

12 WELFARE ACT. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Animal Welfare 

14 Act (7 U.S.C. 2132) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘of the United 

16 States or his representative who shall be an em17 ployee of the United States’’ and inserting ‘‘or a 

18 representative of the Secretary of Agriculture, who 

19 shall be an employee of the’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by adding ‘‘or’’ at the 

21 end after the semicolon; and 

22 (3) in each of subsections (a) through (o)— 

23 (A) by inserting a subsection heading, the 

24 text of which comprises the term defined in the 

25 subsection; 


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1 (B) by reordering the subsections so as to 

2 appear in alphabetical order based on the sub3 section headings (as so added); and 

4 (C) by redesignating the subsections (as so 

5 reordered) appropriately. 

6 (b) SALE OR TRANSPORTATION WITHOUT LI7 CENSE.—Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 

8 2134) is amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 4. SALE OR TRANSPORTATION WITHOUT LICENSE. 

10 ‘‘No dealer or exhibitor shall do any of the following 

11 in commerce: exhibit, purchase, offer to purchase, sell, 

12 offer to sell, transport, or offer for transportation any ani13 mal, unless the dealer or exhibitor has a valid license from 

14 the Secretary that has not been suspended.’’. 

15 (c) INVESTIGATIONS AND INSPECTIONS.—Section 

16 16(c) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2146(c)) is 

17 amended in the fourth sentence by striking ‘‘enforce, and 

18 to prevent and restrain violations of this Act,’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘enforce, prevent, and restrain violations of this Act, 

20 or any rule, standard, or regulation promulgated pursuant 

21 to this Act,’’. 

22 (d) CIVIL PENALTY.—Section 19 of the Animal Wel23 fare Act (7 U.S.C. 2149) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (d), in the first sentence, by 

2 inserting ‘‘, or any rule, standard, or regulation pro3 mulgated thereunder,’’ before ‘‘shall’’; and 

4 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(e) REWARDS AND CERTAIN INCIDENTAL EX6 PENSES.—With respect to the sums received by the Sec7 retary or the Attorney General as penalties or fines for 

8 any violation of this Act or any rule, standard, or regula9 tion promulgated thereunder, the Secretary or the Attor10 ney General, as applicable, shall use those sums to pay 

11 the reasonable and necessary costs incurred by any person 

12 in providing temporary care for any animal pending the 

13 disposition of any civil or criminal proceeding alleging a 

14 violation of this Act with respect to that animal.’’. 

15 (e) ENFORCEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The 

16 Animal Welfare Act is amended by inserting after section 

17 19 (7 U.S.C. 2149) the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 20. ENFORCEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may bring 

20 a civil action in the appropriate district court of the 

21 United States for appropriate relief, including a temporary 

22 restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction 

23 (including for removal or relocation of animals), license 

24 revocation, and civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each 

25 violation for each day during which the violation conVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01343 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 tinues, against any person who violates any provision of 

2 this Act or any rule, standard, or regulation promulgated 

3 thereunder. 

4 ‘‘(b) SEIZURE AND FORFEITURE OF ANIMALS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any animal that is sub6 jected to conduct that constitutes a violation of this 

7 Act, or any rule, standard, or regulation promul8 gated thereunder, shall be subject to seizure and for9 feiture to the United States in accordance with 

10 chapter 46 of title 18, United States Code. 

11 ‘‘(2) COSTS.—Any person whose act or omis12 sion is the basis for a seizure authorized by subpara13 graph (1) may be charged a reasonable fee for ex14 penses to the United States relating to the transfer 

15 and care of the seized animal. 

16 ‘‘(c) WARRANTS.—The judges of the district courts 

17 of the United States and United States magistrate judges 

18 may, within their respective jurisdictions, on proper oath 

19 or affirmation showing probable cause, issue such war20 rants or other processes as may be required for enforce21 ment of this Act and any rule, standard, or regulation pro22 mulgated thereunder. 

23 ‘‘(d) SAVINGS CLAUSE.— 

24 ‘‘(1) ATTORNEY GENERAL.—No action taken by 

25 the Attorney General pursuant to this section shall 


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1 affect or limit the authority of the Secretary to en2 force any provision of this Act or any rule, standard, 

3 or regulation thereunder. 

4 ‘‘(2) SECRETARY.—No action taken by the Sec5 retary shall affect or limit the authority of the At6 torney General under this Act.’’. 

7 (f) AUTHORITY TO APPLY FOR INJUNCTIONS.—Sec8 tion 29(b) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2159(b)) 

9 is amended by striking the second sentence. 

10 (g) SEVERABILITY.—The Animal Welfare Act (7 

11 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 30. SEVERABILITY. 

14 ‘‘If any provision of this Act, or the application there15 of, is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this 

16 Act and the application of such provision to other persons 

17 and circumstances shall not be affected.’’. 

18 (h) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—Not later 

19 than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

20 the Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of under21 standing with the Attorney General to carry out the au22 thorities granted by the amendments made by this section, 

23 including an agreement to provide the Attorney General 

24 with timely information about violators who have multiple 


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1 citations that seriously or adversely affect the health or 

2 well-being of an animal. 

3 (i) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that— 

5 (1) section 16(c) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 

6 U.S.C. 2146(c)) establishes the jurisdiction of Fed7 eral courts to address violations of, and cases arising 

8 from violations of, that Act and provides the Attor9 ney General with the authority to bring such cases 

10 in Federal court; and 

11 (2) the enforcement jurisdiction of the Federal 

12 courts, and the corresponding enforcement authority 

13 of the Attorney General, include violations of the 

14 rules, standards, and regulations promulgated under 

15 that Act. 

16 SEC. 12509. DAIRY BUSINESS INNOVATION INITIATIVES. 

17 Section 12513(i) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

18 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 1632d(i)) is amended by striking 

19 ‘‘$20,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$36,000,000’’. 

20 SEC. 12510. MARKETING ORDERS. 

21 Section 8e(a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 

22 U.S.C. 608e–1(a)), reenacted with amendments by the Ag23 ricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, is amend24 ed— 


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1 (1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘dates, fil2 berts’’ and inserting ‘‘dates (including dates for 

3 processing), filberts’’; 

4 (2) by striking ‘‘, other than dates for proc5 essing,’’ each place it appears; and 

6 (3) by striking ‘‘he’’ each place it appears and 

7 inserting ‘‘the Secretary of Agriculture’’. 

8 SEC. 12511. FARMER SEED LIAISON. 

9 Subtitle I of the Department of Agriculture Reorga10 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7005) is amended by add11 ing at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 286. FARMER SEED LIAISON. 

13 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary shall establish 

14 in the Agricultural Marketing Service the position of 

15 Farmer Seed Liaison. 

16 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Farmer Seed Liaison shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) elevate the voices of farmers, small- and 

18 mid-sized seed companies, and independent plant 

19 breeders for the purpose of strengthening competi20 tion and choice in the seed marketplace; 

21 ‘‘(2) serve as a point of contact within the De22 partment for stakeholders regarding all matters re23 lating to seeds; 

24 ‘‘(3) liaise with the United States Patent and 

25 Trademark Office and other relevant Federal and 


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1 State agencies and international bodies regarding 

2 seed issues; 

3 ‘‘(4) engage with farmers, seed companies, 

4 plant breeders, and the public regarding trans5 parency and competition in seed markets, including 

6 with respect to the Federal Seed Act (7 U.S.C. 1551 

7 et seq.); 

8 ‘‘(5) promote innovation by working with rel9 evant research agencies of the Department— 

10 ‘‘(A) to identify priorities for public plant 

11 breeding research and development; and 

12 ‘‘(B) to promote research access to seed 

13 germplasm; 

14 ‘‘(6) review, and advise the Secretary regarding, 

15 farmer and plant breeder rights and protections 

16 under relevant laws (including the effectiveness of 

17 compliance with, and enforcement of, those laws), 

18 including the monitoring of— 

19 ‘‘(A) any online materials that advertise 

20 seeds regulated under the Federal Seed Act (7 

21 U.S.C. 1551 et seq.); 

22 ‘‘(B) contracting and data usage practices 

23 that implicate farmer and plant breeder pri24 vacy, use rights, or competition; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) licensing or marketing arrangements 

2 between seed companies and farmers or plant 

3 breeders; 

4 ‘‘(7) establish and periodically update the 

5 website described in subsection (d); and 

6 ‘‘(8) in carrying out the duties described in 

7 paragraphs (1) through (7), consult with and pro8 vide technical assistance to any Federal department 

9 or agency. 

10 ‘‘(c) SUPPORT.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

11 of law, the Secretary may authorize staff in other agencies 

12 and offices of the Department, including the Plant Variety 

13 Protection Office in the Agricultural Marketing Service, 

14 to support the duties of the Farmer Seed Liaison under 

15 this section. 

16 ‘‘(d) WEBSITE REQUIRED.—The website referred to 

17 in subsection (b)(7) shall include— 

18 ‘‘(1) resources, either within the Department or 

19 within other Federal departments or agencies, that 

20 promote innovation and competition within the seed 

21 marketplace; and 

22 ‘‘(2) opportunities for stakeholder engagement 

23 and feedback. 

24 ‘‘(e) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—In carrying out 

25 this section, the Secretary shall consult with relevant 


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1 stakeholder organizations, including those that serve farm2 ers, small- and mid-sized seed companies, and independent 

3 plant breeders. 

4 ‘‘(f) REPORT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

6 the date of enactment of this section, and annually 

7 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report on 

8 the activities of the Farmer Seed Liaison in the 

9 prior fiscal year to— 

10 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Agriculture of the 

11 House of Representatives; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri13 tion, and Forestry of the Senate. 

14 ‘‘(2) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.—The Secretary 

15 shall make the report described in paragraph (1) 

16 publicly available on the website of the Department. 

17 ‘‘(g) FUNDING.—In addition to any amounts other18 wise available, there is authorized to be appropriated 

19 $3,500,000 for each fiscal year to carry out this section.’’. 

20 SEC. 12512. PROCUREMENT STUDY AND REPORT. 

21 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a study to 

22 examine barriers to and opportunities for commodity food 

23 purchases by the Department of Agriculture (including 

24 under programs funded by the Department of Agri25 culture), including— 


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1 (1) the barriers to and opportunities for com2 modity food purchases by the Department of Agri3 culture (including under programs funded by the 

4 Department of Agriculture) with respect to— 

5 (A) food produced by— 

6 (i) beginning, veteran, limited re7 source, and underserved farmers and 

8 ranchers; 

9 (ii) small to mid-sized farm oper10 ations; 

11 (iii) agricultural cooperatives; and 

12 (iv) independent small and mid-sized 

13 meat and poultry processors; 

14 (B) food produced pursuant to certifi15 cations relating to— 

16 (i) organic production; 

17 (ii) animal welfare; 

18 (iii) climate-smart practices; 

19 (iv) using fair labor practices, such as 

20 a fair trade certification; or 

21 (v) other process-related or product 

22 attribute certifications determined appro23 priate by the Secretary; and 


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1 (C) food produced by or supplied by pro2 viders of Kosher, Halal, Tribal, or other cul3 turally relevant agricultural products; and 

4 (2) the extent to which existing procurement 

5 channels, including the Local Food Purchase Assist6 ance Cooperative Agreement Program, have ad7 dressed barriers to and opportunities for commodity 

8 food purchases by the Department of Agriculture 

9 (including under programs funded by the Depart10 ment of Agriculture) for each of the barriers identi11 fied in paragraph (1). 

12 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

13 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish 

14 and make publicly available on the website of the Depart15 ment of Agriculture a report describing in detail the re16 sults of the study conducted under subsection (a). 

17 SEC. 12513. PROMOTION OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL 

18 WORKPLACE ACCOUNTABILITY. 

19 (a) REQUIRED REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFI20 CATIONS.—Not later than 18 months after the date of en21 actment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 

22 (1) require any entity that enters into a con23 tract with the Department of Agriculture to rep24 resent, on an annual basis and to the best of the 

25 knowledge of the entity, whether, within the preVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01352 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 ceding 3-year period, any final administrative merits 

2 determination, arbitral award or decision, or civil 

3 judgment, as defined in coordination with the Sec4 retary of Labor, has been issued against the entity 

5 for any violation of section 12 of the Fair Labor 

6 Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 212), relating to 

7 child labor; 

8 (2) require that an offeror with respect to a 

9 contract with the Department of Agriculture— 

10 (A) certify, to the best of the knowledge of 

11 the entity, whether, within the preceding 3-year 

12 period, any final administrative merits deter13 mination, arbitral award or decision, or civil 

14 judgment, as defined by the Secretary in coordi15 nation with the Secretary of Labor, for a viola16 tion described in paragraph (1) has been issued 

17 against the entity; and 

18 (B) require such a certification from each 

19 of the subcontractors or service providers to be 

20 used in performing, or that were considered for 

21 the performance of, the contract for which the 

22 offeror is submitting an offer and provide such 

23 certifications with the certification by the offer24 or under subparagraph (A); 


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1 (3) prohibit the Department of Agriculture 

2 from awarding a contract to— 

3 (A) an entity that provides an affirmative 

4 response to a representation under paragraph 

5 (1) and has failed to implement any corrective 

6 measure negotiated under subsection (b); or 

7 (B) an offeror that— 

8 (i) provides an affirmative response to 

9 a certification under paragraph (2) and 

10 has failed to implement any corrective 

11 measure negotiated under subsection (b); 

12 or 

13 (ii) intends to use a subcontractor or 

14 service provider in the performance of the 

15 contract that was identified as having vio16 lations in such an affirmative response and 

17 has failed to implement any corrective 

18 measure negotiated under such subsection; 

19 (4) require the name and address of each entity 

20 that provides an affirmative response to a represen21 tation under paragraph (1), and the name and ad22 dress of each offeror, subcontractor, or service pro23 vider identified as having violations in an affirmative 

24 response to a certification under paragraph (2), to 

25 be referred to the Secretary of Labor for purposes 


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1 of negotiating with that entity, offeror, subcon2 tractor, or service provider on corrective measures 

3 under subsection (b) and preparing the list and con4 ducting suspension and debarment proceedings 

5 under subsection (c); and 

6 (5) coordinate with the Secretary of Labor to 

7 provide procedures for consultation with the Sec8 retary of Labor by an offeror described in paragraph 

9 (2) to assist the offeror in evaluating the informa10 tion on compliance with section 12 of the Fair Labor 

11 Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 212), relating to 

12 child labor, submitted to the offeror by a subcon13 tractor or service provider pursuant to such para14 graph. 

15 (b) CORRECTIVE MEASURES.—An entity that makes 

16 an affirmative response to a representation under sub17 section (a)(1) or offeror, subcontractor, or service provider 

18 that makes an affirmative response in a certification under 

19 subsection (a)(2)— 

20 (1) shall update the representation or certifi21 cation, respectively, based on any steps taken by the 

22 entity, offeror, subcontractor, or service provider to 

23 correct violations of or improve compliance with sec24 tion 12 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 

25 (29 U.S.C. 212), relating to child labor, including 


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1 any agreements entered into with the Secretary of 

2 Labor; and 

3 (2) may negotiate with the Secretary of Labor 

4 regarding corrective measures that the entity, offer5 or, subcontractor, or service provider may take in 

6 order to avoid being placed on the list under sub7 section (c) and referred for suspension and debar8 ment proceedings under such subsection, in the case 

9 the entity, offeror, subcontractor, or service provider 

10 meets the criteria for such list and proceedings 

11 under such subsection. 

12 (c) LIST OF INELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each calendar year be14 ginning with the first calendar year that begins after 

15 the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment 

16 of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, in coordination 

17 with the Secretary as necessary, shall prepare a list 

18 and conduct suspension and debarment proceedings 

19 for— 

20 (A) each entity that provided an affirma21 tive response to a representation under sub22 section (a)(1) and has failed to implement any 

23 corrective measure negotiated under subsection 

24 (b) for the year of the list; and 


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1 (B) each offeror, subcontractor, or service 

2 provider that was identified as having violations 

3 in an affirmative response to a certification 

4 under subsection (a)(2) and has failed to imple5 ment any corrective measure negotiated under 

6 subsection (b) for the year of the list. 

7 (2) INELIGIBILITY.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

9 not, during the period of time described in sub10 paragraph (B), solicit offers from, award con11 tracts to, or consent to subcontracts with any 

12 entity, offeror, subcontractor, or service pro13 vider that is listed— 

14 (i) under paragraph (1); and 

15 (ii) as an active exclusion in the Sys16 tem for Award Management. 

17 (B) PERIOD OF TIME.—The period of time 

18 described in this subparagraph is a period of 

19 time determined by the suspension and debar20 ment official that is not less than 4 years from 

21 the date on which the entity, offeror, subcon22 tractor, or service provider is listed as an exclu23 sion in the System for Award Management. 

24 (3) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In deter25 mining the entities to consider for suspension and 


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1 debarment proceedings under paragraph (1), the 

2 Secretary of Labor shall ensure procedures for such 

3 determination are consistent with the procedures set 

4 forth in subpart 9.4 of the Federal Acquisition Reg5 ulation for the suspension and debarment of Federal 

6 contractors. 

7 (d) PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO REPORT.— 

8 (1) OFFENSE.—It shall be unlawful for a per9 son to knowingly fail to make a representation or 

10 certification required under paragraph (1) or (2), re11 spectively, of subsection (a). 

12 (2) PENALTY.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—A violation of para14 graph (1) shall be referred by the Secretary for 

15 suspension and debarment proceedings, to be 

16 conducted by the suspension and debarment of17 ficial of the Department of Labor. 

18 (B) LOSS TO GOVERNMENT.—A violation 

19 of paragraph (1) shall be subject to the pen20 alties under sections 3729 through 3733 of title 

21 31, United States Code (commonly known as 

22 the ‘‘False Claims Act’’). 

23 (e) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—For each calendar year 

24 beginning with the first calendar year that begins after 

25 the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of 


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1 this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary 

2 of Labor, shall make publicly available on a public website 

3 a report that includes— 

4 (1) the number of entities, offerors, subcontrac5 tors, or service providers on the list under subsection 

6 (c) for the year of the report; 

7 (2) the number of entities, offerors, subcontrac8 tors, or service providers that agreed to take correc9 tive measures under subsection (b) for such year; 

10 (3) the amount of the applicable contracts with 

11 the Department of Agriculture for the entities, 

12 offerors, subcontractors, or service providers de13 scribed in paragraph (1) or (2); and 

14 (4) an assessment of the effectiveness of the 

15 implementation of this section for such year. 

16 (f) GAO STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

18 of the United States shall— 

19 (1) conduct a study on the prevalence of viola20 tions of section 12 of the Fair Labor Standards Act 

21 of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 212), relating to child labor, 

22 among entities that have entered into contracts with 

23 the Department of Agriculture; and 

24 (2) submit a report containing the findings of 

25 the study conducted under paragraph (1) to— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri2 tion, and Forestry of the Senate; 

3 (B) the Committee on Homeland Security 

4 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 

5 (C) the Committee on Agriculture of the 

6 House of Representatives; and 

7 (D) the Committee on Oversight and Ac8 countability of the House of Representatives. 

9 SEC. 12514. RELIEF FOR FARMERS. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) AGRICULTURAL LAND.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘agricultural 

13 land’’ means any land that is used, or capable 

14 of use without substantial modification, for pro15 duction of farm products. 

16 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘agricultural 

17 land’’ includes irrigation water, livestock water, 

18 surface water, groundwater, and agricultural in19 puts on or associated with land described in 

20 subparagraph (A). 

21 (2) COMMERCIAL FARM.—The term ‘‘commer22 cial farm’’ means a farm on which a person pro23 duces any farm product with the intent that the 

24 farm product be sold or otherwise disposed of to 

25 generate income. 


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1 (3) ELIGIBLE GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘eligi2 ble government’’ means— 

3 (A) a State; 

4 (B) the District of Columbia; 

5 (C) a territory of the United States; and 

6 (D) an Indian Tribe. 

7 (4) FARM PRODUCT.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘farm prod9 uct’’ means any plant or animal that is useful 

10 to humans. 

11 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘farm prod12 uct’’ includes— 

13 (i) forages; 

14 (ii) sod crops; 

15 (iii) grains; 

16 (iv) food crops; 

17 (v) dairy products; 

18 (vi) poultry and poultry products; 

19 (vii) bees; 

20 (viii) livestock and livestock products; 

21 (ix) products of aquaculture; 

22 (x) fruits; 

23 (xi) berries; 

24 (xii) vegetables; 

25 (xiii) flowers; 


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1 (xiv) seeds; 

2 (xv) grasses; 

3 (xvi) Christmas trees; and 

4 (xvii) other similar products, as deter5 mined by the Secretary. 

6 (5) PERFLUOROALKYL OR POLYFLUOROALKYL

7 SUBSTANCE; PFAS.—The term ‘‘perfluoroalkyl or 

8 polyfluoroalkyl substance’’ or ‘‘PFAS’’ means a 

9 chemical that— 

10 (A) contains at least one of— 

11 (i) R–(CF2)–CF(R′)R′′, where both 

12 the CF2 and CF moieties are saturated 

13 carbons, and none of the R groups can be 

14 hydrogen; 

15 (ii) R–CF2OCF2–R′, where both the 

16 CF2 moieties are saturated carbons, and 

17 none of the R groups can be hydrogen; or 

18 (iii) CF3C(CF3)RR′, where all the 

19 carbons are saturated, and none of the R 

20 groups can be hydrogen; or 

21 (B) is covered by the most recent working 

22 definition of PFAS issued by the Administrator 

23 of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

24 (6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

25 the program established under subsection (b). 


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1 (7) SEPTAGE.—The term ‘‘septage’’ means 

2 waste, refuse, effluent, sludge, and any other mate3 rials from septic tanks, cesspools, or any other simi4 lar facilities. 

5 (8) SLUDGE.—The term ‘‘sludge’’ means— 

6 (A) solid, semisolid, or liquid waste gen7 erated from a municipal, commercial, or indus8 trial— 

9 (i) wastewater treatment plant; 

10 (ii) water supply treatment plant; or 

11 (iii) wet process air pollution control 

12 facility; and 

13 (B) any other waste having similar charac14 teristics and effect. 

15 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

16 a program under which the Secretary shall provide grants 

17 to eligible governments for the purposes described in sub18 section (f). 

19 (c) ELIGIBILITY.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

21 grant under the program, the territory of an eligible 

22 government shall contain— 

23 (A) agricultural land that contains any soil 

24 with levels of PFAS that have been determined 


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1 to be unsafe pursuant to criteria established by 

2 the Secretary; or 

3 (B) water used for the production of farm 

4 products with levels of PFAS that have been 

5 determined to be unsafe pursuant to criteria es6 tablished by the Secretary. 

7 (2) CONSIDERATION.—In determining the eligi8 bility of an eligible government for a grant under the 

9 program, the Secretary, in consultation with the Ad10 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 

11 shall consider State standards and limitations relat12 ing to soil and water. 

13 (d) APPLICATIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under the 

15 program, the department of agriculture or similar 

16 agency of an eligible government shall submit to the 

17 Secretary an application at such time, in such man18 ner, and containing such information as the Sec19 retary may require. 

20 (2) SPEND PLAN.—An application submitted 

21 under paragraph (1) shall contain a plan describing 

22 how the eligible government will administer the 

23 funding received under the program, including fund24 ing priorities and oversight. 


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1 (e) SET-ASIDE.—Each year, the Secretary shall pro2 vide not less than 30 percent of the total funding provided 

3 under the program to 1 or more eligible governments with 

4 a population of less than 3,000,000. 

5 (f) PURPOSES AND USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible government may 

7 use a grant received under the program to provide 

8 funding for any of the following purposes: 

9 (A) Monitoring (including through blood 

10 serum testing) the PFAS-related health com11 plications of a person, and members of the 

12 household of that person, if agricultural land 

13 the person lives or works on is found to be con14 taminated by PFAS. 

15 (B) Buying, selling, or providing com16 pensation for agricultural land or farm products 

17 found, through test results provided to the eligi18 ble government, to be contaminated by PFAS, 

19 including costs associated with the depopulation 

20 or disposal of farm products, premortem or 

21 postmortem. 

22 (C) Investing in agricultural equipment, 

23 facilities, and infrastructure to ensure that agri24 cultural land that, or a commercial farm any 

25 agricultural land of which, is found to be conVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:01 Nov 25, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 01365 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5335.IS S5335

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1 taminated by PFAS maintains profitability 

2 while the producers on the agricultural land, in 

3 response to the PFAS contamination— 

4 (i) transition to an alternative produc5 tion system; or 

6 (ii) implement remediation strategies 

7 (including disposal), technological adapta8 tions, or other modifications to the oper9 ations of the agricultural land or commer10 cial farm. 

11 (D) Assisting the producers on agricultural 

12 land that, or a commercial farm any agricul13 tural land of which, is found to be contami14 nated by PFAS in developing an enterprise 

15 budget for— 

16 (i) alternative production systems; 

17 (ii) remediation strategies; 

18 (iii) technological adaptations; 

19 (iv) transitioning to an alternative 

20 revenue stream; or 

21 (v) relocating a farming operation to 

22 new agricultural land. 

23 (E) Providing financial assistance to a per24 son the commercial farm of which is found to 


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1 be contaminated by PFAS, including income re2 placement. 

3 (F) Evaluating and expanding the capacity 

4 of PFAS testing and data management in the 

5 territory of the eligible government. 

6 (G) Conducting research that— 

7 (i) supports short-term farm manage8 ment decisions with respect to agricultural 

9 land that has been contaminated by PFAS; 

10 and 

11 (ii) assesses future options for viable 

12 uses of agricultural land and water used 

13 for agricultural production that has been 

14 contaminated by PFAS. 

15 (H) Conducting research that quantifies 

16 the impact of PFAS on commercial farms and 

17 agricultural communities in the territory of the 

18 eligible government. 

19 (I) Conducting research on— 

20 (i) soil and water remediation sys21 tems; 

22 (ii) the viability of those systems for 

23 PFAS-contaminated commercial farms; 

24 (iii) the composting or disposal of 

25 PFAS-contaminated crops or livestock; 


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1 (iv) implementing alternative produc2 tion systems in response to PFAS contami3 nation; 

4 (v) the PFAS uptake of various farm 

5 products; and 

6 (vi) food safety relating to PFAS con7 tamination. 

8 (J) Developing and implementing edu9 cational programs for owners of agricultural 

10 land, including determining best practices for— 

11 (i) informing residents about the po12 tential of being near or on a site on which 

13 sludge or septage application was licensed 

14 or permitted by the eligible government or 

15 the Federal Government; and 

16 (ii) providing information and guid17 ance on buying or selling agricultural land 

18 on which sludge or septage was applied. 

19 (K) Long-term monitoring of agricultural 

20 land contaminated by PFAS and establishing a 

21 corresponding centralized data repository. 

22 (L) Assisting owners and operators of com23 mercial farms not directly affected by PFAS 

24 contamination with marketing efforts whose 

25 branding and marketing may be affected by the 


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1 public perception of PFAS contamination in the 

2 territory of the eligible government. 

3 (M) Voluntary testing of farm products, 

4 agricultural land, or other locations that are 

5 suspected to be contaminated with PFAS. 

6 (2) PRIORITY.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—In using funding re8 ceived under the program, an eligible govern9 ment shall prioritize purposes that directly as10 sist producers who are experiencing financial 

11 losses due to agricultural PFAS contamination. 

12 (B) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRI13 ORITY.—In providing grants under the pro14 gram, the Secretary shall prioritize the provi15 sion of grants to eligible governments that will 

16 use the grant funds for the purposes described 

17 in subparagraphs (C) through (E) of paragraph 

18 (1). 

19 (g) REPORTS.—Each year of the period of a grant 

20 received under the program, the department of agriculture 

21 or similar agency of an eligible government shall submit 

22 to the Secretary and Congress a report describing— 

23 (1) the uses of the grant during the previous 

24 year, including— 


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1 (A) the purposes described in subsection 

2 (f)(1) for which the grant was used; 

3 (B) the amount of the grant allocated to 

4 each purpose described in subsection (f)(1); and 

5 (C) the extent to which the funding re6 ceived under the program, including funding 

7 priorities and oversight, was administered in ac8 cordance with the plan described in subsection 

9 (d)(2); 

10 (2) any additional needs identified by agricul11 tural producers in the territory of the eligible gov12 ernment; and 

13 (3) any additional information the Secretary de14 termines to be appropriate. 

15 (h) FUNDING.— 

16 (1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of amounts in 

17 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 

18 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec19 tion $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, to remain 

20 available until expended. 

21 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

22 addition to amounts otherwise available, there is au23 thorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

24 out this section $500,000,000 for the period of fiscal 

25 years 2025 through 2029. 


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1 SEC. 12515. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES 

2 DROUGHT MONITOR. 

3 Section 12512 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

4 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 5856) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding 

6 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘this Act’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 

8 2024’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(e) DROUGHT MONITOR INTERAGENCY WORKING

13 GROUP.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

15 after the date of enactment of the Rural Prosperity 

16 and Food Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall 

17 establish an interagency working group (referred to 

18 in this subsection as the ‘working group’) to improve 

19 the availability of consistent, accurate, and reliable 

20 data for use in producing the United States Drought 

21 Monitor in accordance with this section. 

22 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The working group shall 

23 consist of not fewer than— 

24 ‘‘(A) 4 representatives from the Depart25 ment of Agriculture, including 1 representative 

26 from each of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the Office of the Chief Economist, 

2 who shall serve as the Chair of the working 

3 group; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the Forest Service; 

5 ‘‘(iii) the Farm Production and Con6 servation mission area; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) the Office of the Chief Scientist; 

8 ‘‘(B) 4 representatives from the National 

9 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in10 cluding 1 representative from each of— 

11 ‘‘(i) the Climate Prediction Center; 

12 ‘‘(ii) the National Centers for Envi13 ronmental Information; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the National Integrated Drought 

15 Information System; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) the National Mesonet Program; 

17 ‘‘(C) 1 representative from the National 

18 Drought Mitigation Center; 

19 ‘‘(D) 1 representative from the Depart20 ment of the Interior; and 

21 ‘‘(E) 3 representatives from mesonet pro22 grams in regions— 

23 ‘‘(i) that have experienced severe 

24 drought, as determined by the United 

25 States Drought Monitor, in not less than 5 


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1 calendar years during the period of cal2 endar years 2012 through 2021; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) more than 50 percent of the land 

4 area of which is designated by the Eco5 nomic Research Service as a Level 1 fron6 tier and remote area. 

7 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The working group shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) develop a means for the inclusion of 

9 additional in-situ data into the process of devel10 oping the United States Drought Monitor, in11 cluding— 

12 ‘‘(i) determining minimum require13 ments for data to be included in the 

14 United States Drought Monitor; 

15 ‘‘(ii) identifying data available from 

16 other government agencies, including 

17 through portals managed by the National 

18 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(iii) identifying gaps in coverage and 

21 determining solutions to address those 

22 gaps; 

23 ‘‘(B) identify and address potential bar24 riers to the use of existing data, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) identifying Federal datasets that 

2 would be of immediate use in developing 

3 the United States Drought Monitor where 

4 access is restricted to some or all authors 

5 of the United States Drought Monitor; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) developing proposed accommoda7 tions, modifications to contractual agree8 ments, or updates to interagency memo9 randa of understanding to allow for incor10 poration of datasets identified under clause 

11 (i); 

12 ‘‘(C) develop an open and transparent 

13 methodology for vetting data products devel14 oped using remote sensing or modeling; 

15 ‘‘(D) if determined appropriate by the 

16 working group, develop a methodology for inclu17 sion of data that may otherwise be excluded 

18 from the United States Drought Monitor due to 

19 shorter periods of record; and 

20 ‘‘(E) identify and address any other issues 

21 relating to data availability and quality, as de22 termined appropriate by the Chair of the work23 ing group. 

24 ‘‘(4) REPORT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

2 after the date of enactment of the Rural Pros3 perity and Food Security Act of 2024, the 

4 working group shall submit to the Secretary, 

5 the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of 

6 the Interior, and the relevant committees of 

7 Congress a report containing recommendations 

8 for changes in policies, regulations, guidance 

9 documents, or existing law to meet the objec10 tives described in paragraph (3). 

11 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION OF RELEVANT COMMIT12 TEES OF CONGRESS.—In this paragraph, the 

13 term ‘relevant committees of Congress’ 

14 means— 

15 ‘‘(i) the Committee on Agriculture, 

16 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Commerce, 

18 Science, and Transportation of the Senate; 

19 ‘‘(iii) the Committee on Agriculture of 

20 the House of Representatives; and 

21 ‘‘(iv) the Committee on Science, 

22 Space, and Technology of the House of 

23 Representatives. 

24 ‘‘(5) ACTION BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 

25 than 180 days after the date of submission of the 


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1 report under paragraph (4), the Secretary, in coordi2 nation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Sec3 retary of the Interior, shall incorporate, to the ex4 tent practicable, the recommendations of the work5 ing group to improve the United States Drought 

6 Monitor in accordance with this section. 

7 ‘‘(6) TERMINATION.—The working group shall 

8 terminate on the date that is 90 days after the date 

9 on which the report is submitted under paragraph 

10 (4).’’. 

11 SEC. 12516. PROGRAM DATA PROTECTION AND ACCESS. 

12 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) DATA ASSET.—The term ‘‘data asset’’ has 

14 the meaning given the term in section 3502 of title 

15 44, United States Code. 

16 (2) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

17 means the Department of Agriculture. 

18 (3) DESIGNATED STATISTICAL AGENCY.—The 

19 term ‘‘designated statistical agency’’ means the sta20 tistical agency or unit designated by the Secretary 

21 under subsection (c)(3). 

22 (4) EVALUATION.—The term ‘‘evaluation’’ has 

23 the meaning given the term in section 311 of title 

24 5, United States Code. 


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1 (5) EVIDENCE.—The term ‘‘evidence’’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 3561 of title 44, 

3 United States Code. 

4 (6) RESTRICTED USE DATA ASSET.—The term 

5 ‘‘restricted use data asset’’ means a data asset in 

6 the comprehensive data inventory developed by the 

7 Secretary under section 3511(a) of title 44, United 

8 States Code, that has been determined by the Sec9 retary to meet the criteria described in paragraph 

10 (2)(A)(iii)(I)(dd) of that section. 

11 (7) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘tech12 nical assistance’’ means information developed to im13 plement or administer a Department program, in14 cluding information provided to program partici15 pants, State, regional, or field office staff, and exter16 nal partners involved in implementing or admin17 istering the program. 

18 (b) IDENTIFICATION OF DATA ASSETS AND PRIORITY

19 AREAS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta21 tion with the officers and entities described in para22 graph (2), shall identify data assets (including re23 stricted use data assets) that individuals or entities 

24 with proposals meeting the requirements under the 

25 process described in subsection (d) may use to build 


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1 evidence to support policymaking, including assess2 ment of program outcomes and developing technical 

3 assistance, as required under section 312 of title 5, 

4 United States Code, in the priority areas described 

5 in paragraph (3). 

6 (2) CONSULTATION.—The officers and entities 

7 with which the Secretary shall consult under para8 graph (1) are— 

9 (A) the Under Secretary for Farm Produc10 tion and Conservation; 

11 (B) the Under Secretary for Rural Devel12 opment; 

13 (C) the Under Secretary for Research, 

14 Education, and Economics; 

15 (D) the Under Secretary for Marketing 

16 and Regulatory Programs; 

17 (E) the Under Secretary for Natural Re18 sources and Environment; 

19 (F) the designated Chief Data Officer of 

20 the Department; 

21 (G) the designated Evaluation Officer of 

22 the Department; 

23 (H) the heads of other agencies or offices 

24 of the Department, as determined by the Sec25 retary; and 


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1 (I) stakeholders outside of the Depart2 ment. 

3 (3) PRIORITY AREAS.—The priority areas re4 ferred to in paragraph (1) are the following: 

5 (A) Farm profitability. 

6 (B) Farm solvency. 

7 (C) Conservation practice outcomes. 

8 (D) Yield and income variability and risk. 

9 (E) Climate resilience. 

10 (F) Rural well-being. 

11 (G) Any other areas identified by the Sec12 retary. 

13 (4) INCLUSIONS.—The data assets identified 

14 under paragraph (1) shall include information relat15 ing to— 

16 (A) crop yields; 

17 (B) production practices; 

18 (C) conservation practices; 

19 (D) rural development investments; 

20 (E) Department program participation, 

21 election, and enrollment, including demographic 

22 data such as race, ethnicity, and gender of pro23 gram participants; 

24 (F) Department program eligibility; and 


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1 (G) other information, as determined by 

2 the Secretary. 

3 (c) DATA ASSET TRANSFER AND LINKING.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

5 (A) transfer data assets identified under 

6 subsection (b)(1) to the designated statistical 

7 agency; and 

8 (B) to the maximum extent practicable, de9 velop common approaches for linking data as10 sets identified under subsection (b)(1). 

11 (2) FREQUENCY.—The Secretary shall— 

12 (A) take the actions described in para13 graph (1) not later than 1 year after the date 

14 of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food 

15 Security Act of 2024; and 

16 (B) establish a regular process to identify, 

17 transfer, link, and update additional data assets 

18 (including restricted use data assets) necessary 

19 to develop evidence to support policymaking. 

20 (3) DESIGNATION OF STATISTICAL AGENCY.— 

21 The Secretary shall designate the statistical agency 

22 or unit (as defined in section 3561 of title 44, 

23 United States Code) responsible for carrying out this 

24 section. 

25 (d) STANDARD APPLICATION PROCESS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

2 through the head of the designated statistical agen3 cy, shall make data assets identified under sub4 section (b)(1) available for research proposals 

5 through the standard application process established 

6 under section 3583 of title 44, United States Code. 

7 (2) AGENCY TERMS.—For purposes of this sub8 section, the Secretary may incorporate any terms de9 veloped by the agencies and offices within the De10 partment responsible for the collection of data in the 

11 data asset. 

12 (3) CRITERIA.—For purposes of section 

13 3583(a)(3) of title 44, United States Code, the cri14 teria established by the Secretary shall include meas15 ures to ensure that a research proposal described in 

16 paragraph (1)— 

17 (A) would have statistical results that pose 

18 no risk of unauthorized disclosure of protected 

19 data; 

20 (B) is feasible given the features of the 

21 data asset; and 

22 (C) would be consistent with the purposes 

23 for which the data were collected, including for 

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1 nical assistance and assessment of program out2 comes. 

3 (e) SECURE DATA ACCESS AND DISCLOSURE RE4 VIEW.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

6 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec7 retary shall establish— 

8 (A) a method to provide secure access to 

9 data assets to researchers with approved re10 search proposals; and 

11 (B) a method to provide disclosure review 

12 of research resulting from each proposal for 

13 which access is provided under subparagraph 

14 (A) prior to public release to ensure that no in15 formation that is otherwise protected from dis16 closure by law is disclosed. 

17 (2) MEANS OF SECURE ACCESS.—The Secretary 

18 may provide secure access to data assets under para19 graph (1) through the use of a secure data center, 

20 data enclave, or another arrangement that complies 

21 with all applicable data privacy laws. 

22 (3) FUNDING.— 

23 (A) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Out of 

24 amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appro25 priated, there is appropriated to the Secretary 


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1 to establish and maintain the methods described 

2 in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

4 2025 and 2026, to remain available until 

5 expended; and 

6 (ii) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 

7 and each fiscal year thereafter, to remain 

8 available until expended. 

9 (B) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA10 TIONS.—In addition to amounts otherwise avail11 able to carry out this section, there are author12 ized to be appropriated to establish and main13 tain the methods described in paragraph (1)— 

14 (i) $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2025 and 2026; and 

16 (ii) $2,500,000 for each fiscal year 

17 thereafter. 

18 (C) ACCESS FEE.— 

19 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

20 charge individuals and entities a fee for 

21 each approved research proposal for secure 

22 access to data assets under this subsection. 

23 (ii) LIMITATION.—The amount of a 

24 fee charged under clause (i) shall not ex25 ceed the cost of providing the secure access 


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1 to the applicable individual or entity for 

2 the approved research proposal. 

3 (iii) USE OF FEES.—The fees col4 lected under clause (i) shall remain avail5 able to the Secretary, without further ap6 propriation, until expended to establish 

7 and maintain the methods described in 

8 paragraph (1). 

9 (f) RESEARCH REVIEW AND PROCESS.—For each 

10 proposal approved for research under subsection (d), the 

11 Secretary shall— 

12 (1) provide public access to primary research 

13 results through journal open access fees or other 

14 methods; and 

15 (2) retain archived methods, code, documenta16 tion, and data to allow for research replication and 

17 review for a period of at least 10 years. 

18 (g) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.— 

19 (1) PROGRAM EVALUATION.—Nothing in this 

20 section shall affect or modify the authority of the 

21 Secretary to conduct program evaluation studies 

22 under section 1471 of the National Agricultural Re23 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 

24 (7 U.S.C. 3317) through means not authorized by 

25 this section. 


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1 (2) EXISTING AUTHORIZATION.—Nothing in 

2 this section shall affect or modify the authority of 

3 the Secretary to make authorized disclosures under 

4 section 1619(b)(3) of the Food, Conservation, and 

5 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8791(b)(3)). 

6 SEC. 12517. MEASUREMENT, MONITORING, REPORTING, 

7 AND VERIFICATION OF GREENHOUSE GAS 

8 EMISSIONS AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION. 

9 (a) STANDARD SOIL CARBON MEASUREMENT METH10 ODOLOGY.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec13 retary shall develop a standardized methodology to 

14 directly measure soil carbon for research and con15 servation purposes. 

16 (2) REVIEW.—In developing the methodology 

17 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall conduct a 

18 review of widely used existing methodologies for di19 rect soil carbon measurement. 

20 (3) CONSULTATION.—In developing the meth21 odology under paragraph (1) and conducting the re22 view under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall con23 sult with— 


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1 (A) agricultural producers and forest land2 owners, including historically underserved farm3 ers, ranchers, and foresters; 

4 (B) soil carbon experts; 

5 (C) nonprofit organizations; 

6 (D) academic researchers; and 

7 (E) other stakeholders who reflect the 

8 operational, geographic, and socioeconomic di9 versity of United States agricultural operations. 

10 (4) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the meth11 odology under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

12 consider factors such as— 

13 (A) usability at any location at which soil 

14 carbon can be directly measured; 

15 (B) calibration differences in soil analysis 

16 between testing facilities; and 

17 (C) differences in uncertainty between dif18 ferent measurement tools. 

19 (5) UPDATES.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall up21 date the methodology developed under para22 graph (1) as needed to reflect the best-available 

23 data science. 

24 (B) INTEROPERABILITY.—In making any 

25 updates under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 


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1 shall ensure that data remains interoperable 

2 with previously collected measurements. 

3 (6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to 

5 be appropriated to carry out this subsection 

6 $10,000,000. 

7 (B) SET-ASIDE.—Of the amount appro8 priated under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 

9 shall use not less than 30 percent to provide 

10 culturally appropriate technical assistance and 

11 guidance to historically underserved farmers, 

12 ranchers, and foresters. 

13 (b) SOIL CARBON INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS NET14 WORK.—Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food 

15 Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 

16 1240M (16 U.S.C. 3839bb) the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 1240N. SOIL CARBON INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS NET18 WORK. 

19 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 ‘‘(1) CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES.—The term 

21 ‘conservation activities’ has the meaning given the 

22 term in section 1240I. 

23 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ 

24 means public and private cropland, rangeland, 


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1 pastureland, forestland, and wetlands in the United 

2 States. 

3 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means 

4 the program established under subsection (b)(1). 

5 ‘‘(4) REGIONAL RESOURCE AREA.—The term 

6 ‘regional resource area’ means a contiguous area of 

7 eligible land that has similar resource characteris8 tics. 

9 ‘‘(5) RESOURCE CHARACTERISTICS.—The term 

10 ‘resource characteristics’ means— 

11 ‘‘(A) geographic, climate, natural resource, 

12 and soil type characteristics; and 

13 ‘‘(B) any other characteristics that the 

14 Secretary determines to be appropriate for the 

15 purpose of carrying out the program. 

16 ‘‘(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

17 the Secretary, acting jointly through the Chief of the 

18 Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Admin19 istrator of the Agricultural Research Service, and 

20 the Chief of the Forest Service. 

21 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab23 lish a program to inventory, monitor, and analyze 

24 soil carbon changes on eligible land in the United 

25 States. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program 

2 are— 

3 ‘‘(A) to analyze soil properties, including 

4 soil organic carbon, across space, time, and 

5 depth; and 

6 ‘‘(B) to analyze the impacts of land man7 agement strategies, including conservation ac8 tivities, on soil carbon sequestration. 

9 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the pro10 gram, the Secretary shall consult with the Director 

11 of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 

12 the Chief of the Forest Service, the Chief Data Offi13 cer, the Administrator of the Environmental Protec14 tion Agency, the Secretary of Energy, and the head 

15 of any other department or agency that the Sec16 retary determines to be appropriate. 

17 ‘‘(c) SAMPLING.— 

18 ‘‘(1) SAMPLE SITES.—The Secretary shall select 

19 sample sites under the program by taking into con20 sideration— 

21 ‘‘(A) the accessibility of sites; 

22 ‘‘(B) the ease of collecting reported meas23 urements over time; and 

24 ‘‘(C) such other factors as the Secretary 

25 determines to be appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PREFERENCE.—In selecting sample sites 

2 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give pref3 erence to sites that have been used for soil testing 

4 previously. 

5 ‘‘(3) NUMBER OF SAMPLE SITES.—The Sec6 retary shall select sufficient sample sites under para7 graph (1) to analyze changes in soil carbon across 

8 regional resource areas, as determined by the Sec9 retary, over time, taking into account the geo10 graphical size and heterogeneity of each regional re11 source area. 

12 ‘‘(d) INVENTORY.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Every 5 years, the Sec14 retary shall prepare an inventory of soil carbon 

15 stocks on eligible land, under which the Secretary 

16 shall collect measurements at each sample site se17 lected under subsection (c). 

18 ‘‘(2) METHODOLOGY.—The Secretary shall en19 sure that the methodology developed under section 

20 12517(a) of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security 

21 Act of 2024 is used for purposes of conducting 

22 measurements at each sample site under the pro23 gram. 

24 ‘‘(3) MINIMUM NUMBER OF SAMPLES.—The 

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1 ples to analyze changes in soil carbon at each sample 

2 site selected under subsection (c) for each inventory 

3 under paragraph (1). 

4 ‘‘(4) CHARACTERISTICS.—In preparing each in5 ventory under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

6 document the following characteristics for each sam7 ple site selected under subsection (c): 

8 ‘‘(A) Soil type and texture. 

9 ‘‘(B) Land use history, including conserva10 tion activities. 

11 ‘‘(C) Environmental characteristics, such 

12 as temperature and precipitation. 

13 ‘‘(D) Land management practices imple14 mented on eligible land, including conservation 

15 activities. 

16 ‘‘(E) Other characteristics, as determined 

17 by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—On completion of each inventory 

19 under subsection (d)(1), the Secretary shall prepare, pub20 lish, and make available to the public a report that— 

21 ‘‘(1) contains a description of soil carbon 

22 trends, including by incorporating measurements 

23 conducted under subsection (d) during the 5 years 

24 covered by the report; 


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1 ‘‘(2) contains an analysis of the impact of dif2 ferent land management practices, including imple3 menting 1 or more conservation activities, on soil 

4 carbon levels; 

5 ‘‘(3) contains an analysis of the effect of weath6 er and climate variability on the observed trends; 

7 ‘‘(4) contains an analysis of how land manage8 ment practices, including conservation activities, 

9 that influence soil carbon sequestration may affect 

10 the rate of emissions of other greenhouse gases in 

11 the agricultural sector, including methane and ni12 trous oxide; and 

13 ‘‘(5) establishes a benchmark for the baseline 

14 soil carbon absent additional conservation activities. 

15 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

17 $40,000,000.’’. 

18 (c) PREDICTIVE MODELS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 

21 consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Ad22 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 

23 and the head of any other Federal agency that the 

24 Secretary determines to be appropriate, shall partner 

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1 velop and maintain a modeling tool (or combination 

2 of tools), as determined to be appropriate by the 

3 Secretary, that shall predict the impacts of different 

4 land management practices, including implementing 

5 conservation activities, on greenhouse gas emissions 

6 and soil carbon sequestration across the United 

7 States. 

8 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The tool described in 

9 paragraph (1) shall— 

10 (A) be anchored in direct measurements of 

11 land, including soil sampling; 

12 (B) account for differences that could im13 pact land management outcomes, including— 

14 (i) soil type; 

15 (ii) type of land use; 

16 (iii) type of crop; 

17 (iv) species, maturity, and diversity of 

18 tree stands; 

19 (v) geography and local climate; 

20 (vi) geographic size of the land-use 

21 operation; 

22 (vii) ongoing or existing conservation 

23 activities; and 

24 (viii) such other items as the Sec25 retary determines to be appropriate; 


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1 (C) allow a user of the tool to estimate the 

2 changes in greenhouse gas emissions or soil car3 bon sequestration, and the uncertainty of those 

4 estimated changes, that occur as a result of im5 plementing 1 or more conservation activities; 

6 and 

7 (D) be user-friendly and accessible— 

8 (i) to producers and researchers; and 

9 (ii) in multiple languages. 

10 SEC. 12518. REPORT ON PERSONNEL. 

11 Section 12506 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

12 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4989) is amend13 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 12519. CONVERSION AUTHORITY. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, notwith16 standing subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United 

17 States Code, governing appointments in the competitive 

18 or excepted service, noncompetitively convert to an ap19 pointment in the competitive service, in an agency or office 

20 within the Department of Agriculture, an individual who 

21 is— 

22 (1) a recent graduate or student who has suc23 cessfully completed the requirements of a program of 

24 the Department of Agriculture through which that 

25 individual has completed 480 hours of work, not less 


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1 than 240 hours of which shall be under the super2 vision of the Department of Agriculture; 

3 (2) a participant of the research associate post4 doctoral scientists program described in the notice of 

5 the Office of Personnel Management entitled ‘‘Ex6 cepted Service; Consolidated Listing of Schedules A, 

7 B, and C Exceptions’’ (77 Fed. Reg. 19366 (March 

8 30, 2012)) under Schedule B, Department of Agri9 culture (Sch. B, 213.3213(b)(1)); 

10 (3) a participant in an internship program ad11 ministered by an eligible third party (as determined 

12 by the Secretary) or a Federal agency, through 

13 which that individual has completed 480 hours of 

14 work, not less than 240 hours of which shall be 

15 under the supervision of the Department of Agri16 culture; or 

17 (4) a worker referenced in the notice of the Of18 fice of Personnel Management entitled ‘‘Excepted 

19 Service; Consolidated Listing of Schedules A, B, and 

20 C Exceptions’’ (77 Fed. Reg. 19366 (March 30, 

21 2012)) under Schedule A, Department of Agri22 culture (Sch. A, 213.3113(a)(5)). 

23 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—An individual may be con24 verted under subsection (a) only if the individual is a 

25 United States citizen, meets the requirements for that 


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1 conversion, and meets Office of Personnel Management 

2 qualification standards, as determined by the Secretary. 

3 (c) LIMITATIONS.— 

4 (1) EFFECT.—Nothing in subsection (a) re5 quires the Secretary to convert an individual under 

6 that subsection. 

7 (2) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall not con8 vert an individual under subsection (a) more than 2 

9 years after the date of completion of the event that 

10 makes the individual eligible for the conversion. 

11 SEC. 12520. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RECRUITMENT 

12 AND RETENTION AUTHORITIES. 

13 (a) RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION AUTHORITIES

14 FOR VETERINARIANS.— 

15 (1) STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

17 repay a student loan for employees in positions 

18 in the veterinary medical science 0701 occupa19 tional series at the Department of Agriculture 

20 pursuant to section 5379(b) of title 5, United 

21 States Code, except that paragraph (2) of that 

22 section shall not apply to such repayment. 

23 (B) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Repayment 

24 of a student loan under subparagraph (A) shall 

25 be made subject to such terms, limitations, or 


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1 conditions as are mutually agreed to by the 

2 Secretary and the employee concerned. 

3 (C) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The Secretary 

4 may not repay a student loan under subpara5 graph (A) in an amount that exceeds— 

6 (i) $30,000 for any employee in any 

7 calendar year; or 

8 (ii) a total of $150,000 for any em9 ployee. 

10 (2) SPECIAL PAY AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 

11 may establish a rate for special pay for positions in 

12 the veterinary medical science 0701 occupational se13 ries at the Department of Agriculture pursuant to 

14 section 5305(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, ex15 cept that, in that section— 

16 (A) ‘‘50 percent’’ shall be substituted for 

17 ‘‘30 percent’’; and 

18 (B) ‘‘level II of the Executive Schedule’’ 

19 shall be substituted for ‘‘level IV of the Execu20 tive Schedule’’. 

21 (b) SPECIAL PAY AUTHORITY FOR FSA LOAN OFFI22 CERS.—The Secretary may establish a rate for special pay 

23 for positions in the 1101 and 1165 occupational series re24 lating to lending at the Farm Service Agency pursuant 

25 to section 5305(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, except 


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1 that, in that section, ‘‘50 percent’’ shall be substituted for 

2 ‘‘30 percent’’. 

3 (c) SPECIAL PAY AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN NRCS 

4 POSITIONS.—The Secretary may establish a rate for spe5 cial pay for positions in the civil engineering 0810 occupa6 tional series, the engineering technical 0802 occupational 

7 series, the soil conservation 0457 occupational series, and 

8 the soil conservation technician 0458 occupational series 

9 at the Natural Resources Conservation Service pursuant 

10 to section 5305(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, except 

11 that, in that section, ‘‘50 percent’’ shall be substituted for 

12 ‘‘30 percent’’. 

13 (d) TERMINATION.—The authorities under sub14 sections (a) through (c) shall terminate on September 30, 

15 2029. 

16 SEC. 12521. AUTHORIZATION OF PROTECTION OPERATIONS 

17 FOR THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE AND 

18 OTHERS. 

19 Section 12520(d) of the Agriculture Improvement 

20 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2279k(d)) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 12522. COMMISSION ON FARM TRANSITIONS. 

23 Section 12609 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

24 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 5009) is amend25 ed— 


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1 (1) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

3 ‘‘AND RECOMMENDATIONS’’ after ‘‘STUDY’’; 

4 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

5 by inserting ‘‘, and make recommendations re6 lating to,’’ after ‘‘study on’’; 

7 (C) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

9 ‘‘and timely’’ after ‘‘affordable’’; and 

10 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

11 ‘‘programs’’ and inserting ‘‘programs, 

12 business training, and technical assist13 ance’’; 

14 (D) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by striking ‘‘Federal tax poli17 cies’’ and inserting ‘‘State and Federal 

18 policies, including tax policies’’; and 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

20 ‘‘or impede’’ after ‘‘facilitate’’; 

21 (E) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

22 the end; 

23 (F) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe24 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

25 (G) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(6) any unique barriers faced by historically 

2 underserved farmers and ranchers in the ability to 

3 transfer, inherit, or purchase agricultural assets, in4 cluding land; 

5 ‘‘(7) leasing and ownership trends, including 

6 leasing and ownership trends by foreign persons or 

7 entities; and 

8 ‘‘(8) consolidation of farm and ranch oper9 ations.’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘Not later 

11 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date 

13 of enactment of the Rural Prosperity and Food Se14 curity Act of 2024’’; and 

15 (3) in subsection (m), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 12523. NOTIFICATIONS AND REPORTS FROM USDA. 

18 (a) COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION NOTIFICA19 TION.—The Secretary shall notify the Committee on Agri20 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the 

21 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

22 in writing at least 15 days prior to— 

23 (1) any announcement on— 

24 (A) the use of funds from the Commodity 

25 Credit Corporation; or 


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1 (B) the commitment of any emergency 

2 funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation; 

3 or 

4 (2) the obligation or commitment of any emer5 gency funds from the Commodity Credit Corpora6 tion, including, if that obligation or commitment ex7 ceeds $100,000,000— 

8 (A) a detailed spend plan describing antici9 pated uses of those funds; and 

10 (B) an expected timeline for program exe11 cution. 

12 (b) USDA NOTIFICATIONS AND REPORTS IN AN13 NUAL APPROPRIATIONS ACTS.—With respect to each re14 port or notification required by an annual appropriations 

15 Act to be submitted to both the Committee on Appropria16 tions of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations 

17 of the House of Representatives, the Secretary shall sub18 mit that report or notification to the Committee on Agri19 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the 

20 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

21 at the same time the Secretary submits that report or no22 tification to the Committees on Appropriations. 

23 SEC. 12524. STANDARDS FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE. 

24 (a) INTERCONNECTIVITY STANDARDS FOR PRECI25 SION AGRICULTURE.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 

3 consultation with the Director of the National Insti4 tute of Standards and Technology, shall— 

5 (A) develop voluntary, consensus-based, 

6 private sector-led interconnectivity standards, 

7 guidelines, and best practices for precision agri8 culture that will promote economies of scale and 

9 ease the burden of the adoption of precision ag10 riculture; and 

11 (B) in carrying out subparagraph (A)— 

12 (i) coordinate with relevant public and 

13 trusted private sector stakeholders and 

14 other relevant industry organizations, in15 cluding voluntary consensus standards de16 velopment organizations; and 

17 (ii) consult with sector-specific agen18 cies, other appropriate agencies, and State 

19 and local governments. 

20 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Secretary, in car21 rying out paragraph (1), shall, in consultation with 

22 the Federal Communications Commission and the 

23 Director of the National Institute of Standards and 

24 Technology, consider— 


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1 (A) the evolving demands of precision agri2 culture; 

3 (B) the connectivity needs of precision ag4 riculture equipment; 

5 (C) the cybersecurity challenges facing pre6 cision agriculture, including cybersecurity 

7 threats for agriculture producers and agri8 culture supply chains; 

9 (D) the impact of advanced wireless com10 munications technology on precision agriculture; 

11 and 

12 (E) the impact of artificial intelligence on 

13 precision agriculture. 

14 (b) GAO ASSESSMENT OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE

15 STANDARDS.— 

16 (1) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the 

17 Secretary develops standards under subsection (a), 

18 and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 

19 years, the Comptroller General of the United States 

20 shall conduct a study that assesses those standards, 

21 including the extent to which those standards, as ap22 plicable— 

23 (A) are voluntary; 

24 (B) were developed in coordination with 

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1 untary consensus standards development orga2 nizations; and 

3 (C) have successfully encouraged the adop4 tion of precision agriculture. 

5 (2) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 

6 United States shall submit to the Committee on 

7 Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 

8 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

9 of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 

10 and Technology and the Committee on Agriculture 

11 of the House of Representatives a report that sum12 marizes the findings of each study conducted under 

13 paragraph (1). 

14 SEC. 12525. PIMA AGRICULTURE COTTON TRUST FUND. 

15 Section 12314 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

16 U.S.C. 2101 note; Public Law 113–79) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 

18 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘2029’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 12526. AGRICULTURE WOOL APPAREL MANUFACTUR23 ERS TRUST FUND. 

24 Section 12315 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

25 U.S.C. 7101 note; Public Law 113–79) is amended by 


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1 striking ‘‘2024’’ each place it appears and inserting 

2 ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 12527. WOOL RESEARCH AND PROMOTION. 

4 Section 12316(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

5 U.S.C. 7101 note; Public Law 113–79) is amended by 

6 striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 12528. EMERGENCY CITRUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND 

8 DEVELOPMENT TRUST FUND. 

9 Section 12605(d) of the Agriculture Improvement 

10 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7632 note; Public Law 115–334) 

11 is amended by striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

Æ 


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