I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8467 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2024 

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

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 ‘‘Farm, Food, and National 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. Definitions. 

TITLE I—COMMODITIES 


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Subtitle A—Commodity Policy 

Sec. 1101. Reference prices. 

Sec. 1102. 1-time opportunity to add base acres. 

Sec. 1103. Producer election. 

Sec. 1104. Price loss coverage. 

Sec. 1105. Agriculture risk coverage. 

Subtitle B—Marketing Loans 

Sec. 1201. Loan rates for nonrecourse marketing assistance loans. 

Sec. 1202. Repayment rates for upland cotton, long grain rice, and medium 

grain rice. 

Sec. 1203. Repayment rates for extra long staple cotton. 

Sec. 1204. Modifications to storage credits. 

Sec. 1205. Economic adjustment assistance for textile mills. 

Subtitle C—Sugar 

Sec. 1301. Loan rate modifications. 

Sec. 1302. Adjustments to commodity credit corporation storage rates. 

Sec. 1303. Modernizing beet sugar allotments. 

Sec. 1304. Reallocations of tariff rate quota shortfall. 

Sec. 1305. Clarification of tariff rate quota adjustments. 

Subtitle D—Dairy 

Sec. 1401. Dairy margin coverage production history. 

Sec. 1402. Premiums for dairy margins. 

Sec. 1403. Mandatory reporting of dairy product processing costs. 

Sec. 1404. Class I skim milk price. 

Sec. 1405. Extensions. 

Sec. 1406. Dairy reports. 

Subtitle E—Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Programs 

Sec. 1501. Livestock indemnity payment rates. 

Sec. 1502. Emergency assistance for honeybees. 

Sec. 1503. Tree assistance program. 

Sec. 1504. Assistance in the form of block grants. 

Subtitle F—Administration 

Sec. 1601. Suspension of permanent price support authority. 

Sec. 1602. Implementation. 

Sec. 1603. Equitable treatment of certain entities. 

Sec. 1604. Payment limitation. 

Sec. 1605. Adjusted gross income limitation. 

Sec. 1606. Storage facility loans. 

Sec. 1607. Strengthening domestic food production supply chains. 

Sec. 1608. Limitation on CCC authority. 

TITLE II—CONSERVATION 

Subtitle A—Definitions 

Sec. 2001. Definitions. 

Subtitle B—Conservation Reserve Program 


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Sec. 2101. Definitions. 

Sec. 2102. Conservation reserve. 

Sec. 2103. Partnership initiatives. 

Sec. 2104. Duties of owners and operators. 

Sec. 2105. Duties of the Secretary. 

Sec. 2106. Payments. 

Sec. 2107. Contracts. 

Subtitle C—Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

Sec. 2201. Definitions. 

Sec. 2202. Establishment and administration. 

Sec. 2203. Limitation on payments. 

Sec. 2204. Conservation innovation grants and payments. 

Subtitle D—Conservation Stewardship Program 

Sec. 2301. Conservation stewardship program. 

Sec. 2302. Duties of the Secretary. 

Sec. 2303. State assistance for soil health. 

Subtitle E—Other Conservation Programs 

Sec. 2401. Conservation of private grazing land. 

Sec. 2402. Feral swine eradication and control program. 

Sec. 2403. Grassroots source water protection program. 

Sec. 2404. Voluntary public access and habitat incentive program. 

Sec. 2405. Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act. 

Sec. 2406. Emergency conservation program. 

Sec. 2407. Emergency watershed program. 

Sec. 2408. National agriculture flood vulnerability study. 

Subtitle F—Funding and Administration 

Sec. 2501. Commodity Credit Corporation. 

Sec. 2502. Rescissions. 

Sec. 2503. Delivery of technical assistance. 

Sec. 2504. Administrative requirements for conservation programs. 

Sec. 2505. Experienced services program. 

Subtitle G—Agricultural Conservation Easement Program 

Sec. 2601. Definitions. 

Sec. 2602. Agricultural land easements. 

Sec. 2603. Wetland reserve easements. 

Sec. 2604. Administration. 

Subtitle H—Forest Conservation Easement Program 

Sec. 2701. Forest conservation easement program. 

Subtitle I—Regional Conservation Partnership Program 

Sec. 2801. Establishment and purposes. 

Sec. 2802. Definitions. 

Sec. 2803. Regional conservation partnerships. 

Sec. 2804. Assistance to producers. 

Sec. 2805. Funding. 


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Sec. 2806. Administration. 

Sec. 2807. Critical conservation areas. 

Subtitle J—Repeals and Transitional Provisions 

Sec. 2901. Superseded conservation reserve program authorities. 

Sec. 2902. Healthy Forests Reserve Program. 

TITLE III—TRADE 

Subtitle A—Food for Peace Act 

Sec. 3101. Food aid quality assurance. 

Sec. 3102. Minimum levels of assistance. 

Sec. 3103. Food aid consultative group. 

Sec. 3104. Issuance of regulations; oversight, monitoring, and evaluation. 

Sec. 3105. International food relief partnership. 

Sec. 3106. Use of commodity credit corporation. 

Sec. 3107. Pre-positioning of agricultural commodities and annual report regarding food aid programs and activities. 

Sec. 3108. Deadline for agreements to finance sales or to provide other assistance. 

Sec. 3109. Minimum level of nonemergency food assistance. 

Sec. 3110. Termination date for micronutrient fortification programs. 

Sec. 3111. John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter farmer-to-farmer program. 

Subtitle B—Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

Sec. 3201. Agricultural trade promotion and facilitation. 

Sec. 3202. Preserving foreign markets for goods using common names. 

Sec. 3203. Interagency seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetable working 

group. 

Subtitle C—Other Agricultural Trade Laws 

Sec. 3301. Growing American food exports. 

Sec. 3302. Food for progress act of 1985. 

Sec. 3303. Bill Emerson humanitarian trust act. 

Sec. 3304. Promotion of agricultural exports to emerging markets. 

Sec. 3305. International agricultural education fellowship program. 

Sec. 3306. International agriculture cultural immersion and exchange program. 

Sec. 3307. International food security technical assistance. 

Sec. 3308. McGovern-Dole international food for education and child nutrition 

program. 

Sec. 3309. Global crop diversity trust. 

Sec. 3310. Local and regional food aid procurement projects. 

Sec. 3311. Agricultural trade enforcement task force. 

TITLE IV—NUTRITION 

Subtitle A—Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

Sec. 4101. Declaration of policy. 

Sec. 4102. Food distribution program on Indian reservations. 

Sec. 4103. Exclusions from income and resources. 

Sec. 4104. Earned income deduction. 

Sec. 4105. SNAP employment and training provider service referrals. 

Sec. 4106. Prohibited fees. 


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Sec. 4107. Prohibition on benefit redemption by owners of retail food stores. 

Sec. 4108. Supplemental nutrition assistance program benefit transfer transaction data report. 

Sec. 4109. Public availability of State plans. 

Sec. 4110. National accuracy clearinghouse. 

Sec. 4111. SNAP staffing flexibility. 

Sec. 4112. Updates to administrative processes for SNAP retailers. 

Sec. 4113. Adjustment to percentage of recovered funds retained by States. 

Sec. 4114. Tolerance level for payment errors. 

Sec. 4115. Public comment on quality control guidance. 

Sec. 4116. Office of program integrity. 

Sec. 4117. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 4118. Assistance for community food projects. 

Sec. 4119. Emergency food assistance program. 

Sec. 4120. Nutrition education. 

Sec. 4121. Retail food store and recipient trafficking. 

Sec. 4122. Repeal of denial of benefits for certain drug-related convictions. 

Sec. 4123. Residents of Institutions. 

Sec. 4124. Block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa. 

Sec. 4125. Elderly simplified application program. 

Sec. 4126. Amendment to Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. 

Sec. 4127. Modification of State plan requirement. 

Sec. 4128. Food security and diet quality report. 

Sec. 4129. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study 

and report. 

Subtitle B—Commodity Distribution Programs 

Sec. 4201. Commodity distribution program. 

Sec. 4202. Commodity supplemental food program. 

Sec. 4203. Distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects. 

Sec. 4204. Commodity supplemental food program demonstration project for 

Tribal organizations. 

Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 4301. Purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to schools 

and service institutions. 

Sec. 4302. Food box pilot program. 

Sec. 4303. Nutrition standards for food distribution programs. 

Sec. 4304. Guidance regarding notifying certain students regarding SNAP benefits. 

Sec. 4305. Buy American requirements for certain school meals. 

Sec. 4306. Reauthorization of the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive program. 

Sec. 4307. Food loss and waste reduction liaison annual report. 

Sec. 4308. Healthy food financing initiative. 

Sec. 4309. Micro-grants for food security. 

Sec. 4310. Healthy fluid milk incentives projects. 

TITLE V—CREDIT 

Subtitle A—Farm Ownership Loans 

Sec. 5101. Persons eligible for real estate loans. 

Sec. 5102. Experience requirements. 

Sec. 5103. Conservation loan and loan guarantee program. 


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Sec. 5104. Limitations on amount of farm ownership loans. 

Sec. 5105. Inflation percentage. 

Sec. 5106. Authority of Farm Credit System institutions to provide financial 

support for essential rural community facilities projects. 

Sec. 5107. Down payment loan program. 

Sec. 5108. Heirs property. 

Sec. 5109. Prompt approval of loans and loan guarantees. 

Sec. 5110. Farmer loan pilot projects. 

Sec. 5111. Refinancing of guaranteed loans into direct loans. 

Subtitle B—Operating Loans 

Sec. 5201. Persons eligible for operating loans. 

Sec. 5202. Limitations on amount of operating loans. 

Sec. 5203. Limitation on microloan amounts. 

Sec. 5204. Cooperative lending pilot projects. 

Subtitle C—Emergency Loans 

Sec. 5301. Persons eligible for emergency loans. 

Subtitle D—Administrative Provisions 

Sec. 5401. Beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot 

program. 

Sec. 5402. Loan authorization levels. 

Sec. 5403. Loan fund set-asides. 

Sec. 5404. Use of additional funds for direct operating microloans under certain conditions. 

Subtitle E—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 5501. Export finance authority. 

Sec. 5502. Support for rural water and waste systems. 

Sec. 5503. Farmer loan data collection. 

Sec. 5504. Loan guarantees. 

Sec. 5505. Standards for qualified loans. 

Sec. 5506. State agricultural mediation programs. 

Sec. 5507. Technical corrections. 

TITLE VI—RURAL DEVELOPMENT 

Subtitle A—Improving Health Outcomes in Rural America 

Sec. 6101. Prioritizations for distance learning and telemedicine and community facilities program. 

Sec. 6102. Distance learning and telemedicine loans and grants. 

Subtitle B—Connecting Rural Americans to High Speed Broadband 

Sec. 6201. Rural broadband program loans and grants. 

Sec. 6202. Expansion of middle mile infrastructure into rural areas. 

Sec. 6203. Innovative broadband advancement program. 

Sec. 6204. Community connect grants. 

Sec. 6205. Rate regulation. 

Sec. 6206. Public notice, assessments, technical assistance, and reporting requirements. 

Sec. 6207. Limitation on overbuilding. 


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Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 

Sec. 6301. Rural energy savings program. 

Sec. 6302. Regional commission reauthorization. 

Sec. 6303. Promoting precision agriculture. 

Sec. 6304. Food supply chain guaranteed loans. 

Sec. 6305. New, mobile, and expanded meat processing and rendering grants. 

Sec. 6306. Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative. 

Sec. 6307. Technical assistance for geographically underserved and distressed 

areas. 

Sec. 6308. Establishment of the Rural Development Innovation Center. 

Sec. 6309. Rural Health Liaison report. 

Sec. 6310. Precision Agriculture Task Force amendments. 

Subtitle D—Additional Amendments to the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act 

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

Sec. 6402. Rural water and wastewater circuit rider program. 

Sec. 6403. Zero and low interest loans for distressed water systems. 

Sec. 6404. Tribal college and university essential community facilities. 

Sec. 6405. Emergency and imminent community water assistance grant program. 

Sec. 6406. Water systems for rural and native villages in Alaska. 

Sec. 6407. Rural decentralized water systems. 

Sec. 6408. Assistance to rural entities. 

Sec. 6409. Solid waste management grants. 

Sec. 6410. Rural business development grants. 

Sec. 6411. Rural cooperative development grants. 

Sec. 6412. Lender fees in guaranteed loan programs. 

Sec. 6413. Locally or regionally produced agricultural food products. 

Sec. 6414. Appropriate technology transfer for rural areas program. 

Sec. 6415. Rural economic area partnership zones. 

Sec. 6416. Intermediary relending program. 

Sec. 6417. Rural health care facility assistance. 

Sec. 6418. Elimination of prohibition on use of loans for certain purposes. 

Sec. 6419. Rural Business-Cooperative Service programs technical assistance 

and training. 

Sec. 6420. National Rural Development Partnership. 

Sec. 6421. Grants for NOAA weather radio transmitters. 

Sec. 6422. Rural microentrepreneur assistance program. 

Sec. 6423. Health care services. 

Sec. 6424. Strategic economic and community development. 

Sec. 6425. Rural innovation stronger economy grant program. 

Sec. 6426. Delta Regional Authority. 

Sec. 6427. Limitation on rural business investment companies controlled by 

Farm Credit System institutions. 

Sec. 6428. Rural business investment program. 

Sec. 6429. Technical corrections. 

Sec. 6430. Rural water and wastewater technical assistance and training programs. 

Subtitle E—Additional Amendments to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

Sec. 6501. Guarantees for bonds and notes issued for utility infrastructure purposes. 


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Sec. 6502. Extension of the rural economic development loan and grant program. 

Sec. 6503. Expansion of 911 access. 

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. Veterinary medicine loan repayment. 

Sec. 7104. Veterinary services grant program. 

Sec. 7105. Grants and fellowships for food and agriculture sciences education. 

Sec. 7106. Agricultural and food policy research centers. 

Sec. 7107. Education grants to Alaska Native serving institutions and Native 

Hawaiian serving institutions. 

Sec. 7108. Nutrition education program. 

Sec. 7109. Continuing animal health and disease research programs. 

Sec. 7110. Extension and agricultural research at 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University. 

Sec. 7111. Scholarships for students at 1890 Institutions. 

Sec. 7112. Grants to upgrade agricultural and food sciences facilities at 1890 

land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University. 

Sec. 7113. Grants to upgrade agriculture and food sciences facilities and equipment and support tropical and subtropical agricultural research 

at insular area land-grant colleges and universities. 

Sec. 7114. Matching funds requirement for research and extension activities at 

eligible institutions. 

Sec. 7115. New Beginning for Tribal Students. 

Sec. 7116. Education grants programs for Hispanic-serving institutions. 

Sec. 7117. Binational agricultural research and development. 

Sec. 7118. Grants and partnerships for international agricultural research, extension, and education. 

Sec. 7119. Research equipment grants. 

Sec. 7120. University research. 

Sec. 7121. Extension service. 

Sec. 7122. Supplemental and alternative crops. 

Sec. 7123. Grants for community college agriculture and natural resources programs. 

Sec. 7124. Capacity building grants for NLGCA institutions. 

Sec. 7125. Agriculture advanced research and development authority. 

Sec. 7126. Aquaculture assistance programs. 

Sec. 7127. Special authorization for biosecurity planning and response. 

Sec. 7128. Agriculture and food protection grant program. 

Sec. 7129. Distance education grants for insular areas. 

Sec. 7130. Resident instruction grants for insular areas. 

Sec. 7131. Repeals. 

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

Sec. 7201. Sustainable agriculture research and education. 

Sec. 7202. National Genetics Resources Program. 

Sec. 7203. Agricultural genome to phenome initiative. 

Sec. 7204. High-priority research and extension initiatives. 


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Sec. 7205. Organic agriculture research and extension initiative. 

Sec. 7206. Farm business management. 

Sec. 7207. Urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production research, 

education, and extension initiative. 

Sec. 7208. Centers of excellence. 

Sec. 7209. ThinkDIFFERENTLY National AgrAbility Project. 

Sec. 7210. Farming opportunities training and outreach. 

Sec. 7211. National Rural Information Center Clearinghouse. 

Sec. 7212. Repeal. 

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. Agriculture grants for veteran education and training services. 

Sec. 7307. Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database program. 

Sec. 7308. Office of Pest Management Policy. 

Sec. 7309. Forestry products advanced utilization research. 

Sec. 7310. Repeals. 

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

Sec. 7401. Grazinglands research laboratory. 

Sec. 7402. Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. 

Sec. 7403. Sun grant program. 

Sec. 7404. Repeals. 

Subtitle E—Amendments to Other Laws 

Sec. 7501. Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. 

Sec. 7502. Research Facilities Act. 

Sec. 7503. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. 

Sec. 7504. Extension design and demonstration initiative. 

Sec. 7505. Biomass research and development. 

Sec. 7506. Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978. 

Sec. 7507. National Aquaculture Act of 1980. 

Sec. 7508. Reports on disbursement of funds for agricultural research and extension at 1862 and 1890 land-grant colleges, including 

Tuskegee University. 

Sec. 7509. Repeal. 

Subtitle F—Other Matters 

Sec. 7601. Foundation for food and agriculture research. 

Sec. 7602. Agriculture innovation center demonstration program. 

Sec. 7603. Livestock insects laboratory. 

Sec. 7604. Hatch Act of 1887. 

Sec. 7605. Commission on national agricultural statistics service modernization. 

Sec. 7606. Restoration of 4–H name and emblem authority. 


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Sec. 7607. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics. 

Sec. 7608. Agricultural Innovation Corps. 

TITLE VIII—FORESTRY 

Subtitle A—Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 

Sec. 8101. Support for State assessments and strategies for forest resources. 

Sec. 8102. Forest Legacy Program technical correction. 

Sec. 8103. State and private forest landscape-scale restoration program. 

Subtitle B—Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 

Sec. 8201. Definition of at-risk community. 

Sec. 8202. Promoting cross-boundary wildfire mitigation. 

Sec. 8203. Authorization of appropriations for hazardous fuel reduction on 

Federal land. 

Sec. 8204. Water source protection program. 

Sec. 8205. Watershed condition framework technical corrections. 

Sec. 8206. Authorization of appropriations to combat insect infestations and related diseases. 

Sec. 8207. Insect and disease infestation. 

Sec. 8208. Stewardship end result contracting projects. 

Subtitle C—Other Forestry Programs 

Sec. 8301. National and Regional Agroforestry Centers. 

Sec. 8302. National Forest Foundation Act. 

Sec. 8303. Conveyances and leases of Forest Service administrative sites. 

Sec. 8304. Forest inventory and analysis. 

Sec. 8305. Reforestation, nursery, and seed orchard support. 

Subtitle D—Forest Management 

PART I—NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Sec. 8401. Categorical exclusion for high priority hazard trees. 

Sec. 8402. Collaborative restoration projects. 

Sec. 8403. Wildfire resilience project size. 

Sec. 8404. Fuel breaks in forests and other wildland vegetation. 

Sec. 8405. Greater sage-grouse and mule deer habitat. 

PART II—FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Sec. 8411. No additional consultation required. 

Sec. 8412. Good neighbor authority. 

Sec. 8413. Collaborative forest landscape restoration program. 

Sec. 8414. Public-private wildfire technology deployment and testbed partnership. 

Sec. 8415. Forest Service participation in Experienced Services Program. 

Sec. 8416. Timber sales on National Forest System land. 

Sec. 8417. Permits and agreements with electrical utilities. 

Sec. 8418. Cooperative agreements and contracts for prescribed fire. 

Sec. 8419. Utilizing grazing for wildfire risk reduction. 

Sec. 8420. Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership program. 

Sec. 8421. Tribal Forest Management program technical correction. 


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PART III—TIMBER INNOVATION

Sec. 8431. Community wood facilities program. 

Sec. 8432. Wood innovation grant program. 

Sec. 8433. Forest and wood products data tracker. 

Sec. 8434. Biochar application demonstration project. 

Subtitle E—Save Our Sequoias 

Sec. 8501. Short title. 

Sec. 8502. Definitions. 

Sec. 8503. Shared stewardship agreement for giant sequoias. 

Sec. 8504. Giant sequoia lands coalition. 

Sec. 8505. Giant sequoia health and resiliency assessment. 

Sec. 8506. Giant sequoia emergency response. 

Sec. 8507. Giant sequoia reforestation and rehabilitation strategy. 

Sec. 8508. Giant sequoia strike teams. 

Sec. 8509. Giant sequoia collaborative restoration grants. 

Sec. 8510. Good neighbor authority for giant sequoias. 

Sec. 8511. Stewardship contracting for giant sequoias. 

Sec. 8512. Giant Sequoia Emergency Protection Program and Fund. 

Sec. 8513. Authorization of appropriations. 

Subtitle F—Other Matters 

Sec. 8701. Rural revitalization technologies. 

Sec. 8702. Resource advisory committees. 

Sec. 8703. Accurate hazardous fuels reduction reports. 

Sec. 8704. Special use authorization rental fee waiver. 

Sec. 8705. Charges and fees for harvest of forest botanical products. 

Sec. 8706. Forest Service Legacy Road and Trail Remediation Program transparency. 

Sec. 8707. Direct hire authority. 

Sec. 8708. Improving the emergency forest restoration program. 

TITLE IX—ENERGY 

Sec. 9001. Definition of advanced biofuel. 

Sec. 9002. Biobased markets program. 

Sec. 9003. Biorefinery assistance. 

Sec. 9004. Bioproduct labeling report. 

Sec. 9005. Bioenergy program for advanced biofuels. 

Sec. 9006. Biodiesel Fuel Education Program. 

Sec. 9007. Rural Energy for America Program. 

Sec. 9008. Feedstock flexibility. 

Sec. 9009. Biomass Crop Assistance Program. 

Sec. 9010. Carbon utilization and biogas education program. 

Sec. 9011. Study on effects of solar panel installations on covered farmland. 

Sec. 9012. Limitation on USDA funding for ground mounted solar systems. 

TITLE X—HORTICULTURE, MARKETING, AND REGULATORY 

REFORM 

Subtitle A—Horticulture 

Sec. 10001. Plant pest and disease management and disaster prevention. 

Sec. 10002. Specialty crop block grants. 


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Sec. 10003. Specialty crops market news allocation. 

Sec. 10004. Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. 

Sec. 10005. National plant diagnostics network. 

Sec. 10006. Hemp production. 

Sec. 10007. Pilot Program for the Intra-Organizational Movement of Genetically Engineered Microorganisms by Certain Authorized Parties. 

Subtitle B—Marketing 

Sec. 10101. Marketing orders. 

Sec. 10102. Local agriculture market program. 

Sec. 10103. Acer access and development program. 

Sec. 10104. Organic production and market data initiative. 

Sec. 10105. Organic certification. 

Sec. 10106. National organic certification cost-share program. 

Sec. 10107. Report on procurement. 

Subtitle C—Regulatory Reform 

PART I—FEDERAL INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, AND RODENTICIDE ACT

Sec. 10201. Exclusion of certain substances. 

Sec. 10202. Coordination. 

Sec. 10203. Interagency working group. 

Sec. 10204. Uniformity of Pesticide Labeling Requirements. 

Sec. 10205. Authority of States. 

PART II—OTHER REGULATORY REFORM PROVISIONS

Sec. 10211. Multiple crop and pesticide use survey. 

Sec. 10212. Critical minerals. 

Sec. 10213. Safe harbor for certain discharges of wildland fire chemicals. 

Sec. 10214. Science Advisory Board of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Sec. 10215. Office of Biotechnology Policy. 

TITLE XI—CROP INSURANCE 

Sec. 11001. Specialty Crop Advisory Committee. 

Sec. 11002. Identification of holders of substantial interests. 

Sec. 11003. Actuarial soundness of certain new products. 

Sec. 11004. Coverage of revenue losses. 

Sec. 11005. Supplemental and aggregate coverage enhancements. 

Sec. 11006. Limitation on farm program participation. 

Sec. 11007. Limitation on interest accrual. 

Sec. 11008. Crop insurance support for beginning and veteran farmers and 

ranchers. 

Sec. 11009. Marketability. 

Sec. 11010. Reinsurance. 

Sec. 11011. Revenue insurance. 

Sec. 11012. Pilot program to review effectiveness of coverage penalty. 

Sec. 11013. Program compliance and integrity. 

Sec. 11014. Reviews, compliance, and integrity. 

Sec. 11015. Whole Farm improvements. 

Sec. 11016. Research and development priorities. 

TITLE XII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 


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Subtitle A—Livestock and Other Animals 

PART I—ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION

Sec. 12001. Animal disease prevention and management. 

Sec. 12002. Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program review and report. 

Sec. 12003. Dog detection training center. 

Sec. 12004. Regionalization, zoning, and compartmentalization agreements. 

Sec. 12005. Importation of live dogs. 

Sec. 12006. Sheep production and marketing grant program. 

Sec. 12007. Ensuring the free movement of livestock-derived products in interstate commerce. 

Sec. 12008. Report on support for livestock and poultry producers during a foreign animal disease outbreak. 

PART II—MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING AND INSPECTION

Sec. 12111. Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A– 

PLUS). 

Sec. 12112. Hazard analysis and critical control point guidance and resources 

for small and very small poultry and meat establishments. 

Sec. 12113. Outreach on cooperative interstate shipment. 

Sec. 12114. Pilot program to support custom slaughter establishments. 

Subtitle B—Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 

Sec. 12201. Office of Homeland Security. 

Sec. 12202. Farm Service Agency. 

Sec. 12203. Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. 

Sec. 12204. Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

Sec. 12205. Burden of proof for national appeals division hearings. 

Sec. 12206. Termination of authority. 

Sec. 12207. Functions of the Office of Tribal Relations. 

Sec. 12208. Office of the Ombudsman. 

Subtitle C—National Security 

Sec. 12301. Agricultural foreign investment disclosure improvements. 

Sec. 12302. Report on agricultural land purchasing activities in the United 

States by countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism 

and certain other countries. 

Sec. 12303. Investigative actions. 

Sec. 12304. Digitization and consolidation of foreign land ownership data collection and publication. 

Subtitle D—Other Miscellaneous Provisions 

Sec. 12401. Thrifty food plan. 

Sec. 12402. Establishment of dietary guidelines. 

Sec. 12403. Organic or non-organic Whole milk permissible. 

Sec. 12404. Commission on Farm Transitions—Needs for 2050. 

Sec. 12405. Report on personnel. 

Sec. 12406. Improvements to United States Drought Monitor. 

Sec. 12407. Agricultural fiber products trust fund. 

Sec. 12408. Reports on land access and farmland ownership data collection. 

Sec. 12409. Increasing transparency regarding detention of imported plants. 

Sec. 12410. Enhancement of pet protections. 


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Sec. 12411. Protecting animals with shelter. 

Sec. 12412. Report on available assistance to agricultural producers in the 

State of Texas that have suffered economic losses due to the 

failure of Mexico to deliver water. 

Sec. 12413. Experienced services program. 

Sec. 12414. Agricultural Labor Survey. 

Sec. 12415. Extension of Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. 

Sec. 12416. Commodity futures trading commission whistleblower program. 

Sec. 12417. Qualified renewable biomass. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

4 means the Department of Agriculture. 

5 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

6 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

7 TITLE I—COMMODITIES 

8 Subtitle A—Commodity Policy 

9 SEC. 1101. REFERENCE PRICES. 

10 Section 1111 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

11 U.S.C. 9011) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘September 

13 30, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2024’’; and 

14 (2) in paragraph (19)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

16 ‘‘$5.50’’ and inserting ‘‘$6.35’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

18 ‘‘$3.70’’ and inserting ‘‘$4.10’’; 

19 (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

20 ‘‘$3.95’’ and inserting ‘‘$4.40’’; 


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1 (D) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

2 ‘‘$4.95’’ and inserting ‘‘$5.45’’; 

3 (E) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

4 ‘‘$2.40’’ and inserting ‘‘$2.65’’; 

5 (F) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

6 ‘‘$14.00’’ and inserting ‘‘$16.90’’; 

7 (G) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

8 ‘‘$14.00’’ and inserting ‘‘$16.90’’; 

9 (H) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

10 ‘‘$8.40’’ and inserting ‘‘$10.00’’; 

11 (I) in subparagraph (I), by striking 

12 ‘‘$20.15’’ and inserting ‘‘$23.75’’; 

13 (J) in subparagraph (J), by striking 

14 ‘‘$535.00’’ and inserting ‘‘$630.00’’; 

15 (K) in subparagraph (K), by striking 

16 ‘‘$11.00’’ and inserting ‘‘$13.10’’; 

17 (L) in subparagraph (L), by striking 

18 ‘‘$19.97’’ and inserting ‘‘$23.75’’; 

19 (M) in subparagraph (M), by striking 

20 ‘‘$19.04’’ and inserting ‘‘$22.65’’; 

21 (N) in subparagraph (N), by striking 

22 ‘‘$21.54’’ and inserting ‘‘$25.65’’; and 

23 (O) in subparagraph (O), by striking 

24 ‘‘$0.367’’ and inserting ‘‘$0.42’’. 


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1 SEC. 1102. 1-TIME OPPORTUNITY TO ADD BASE ACRES. 

2 Section 1112 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

3 U.S.C. 9012) is amended: 

4 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(a) 1-TIME OPPORTUNITY TO ADD BASE ACRES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

8 ‘‘(A) NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY TO ADD

9 BASE ACRES.—As soon as practicable after the 

10 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and Na11 tional Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall 

12 provide notice to the owners of a farm regard13 ing the allocation of base acres to such farm in 

14 the manner provided in this subsection. 

15 ‘‘(B) CONTENT OF NOTICE.—The notice 

16 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(i) Information that the allocation is 

19 occurring. 

20 ‘‘(ii) Information regarding the eligi21 bility of the farm for an allocation of base 

22 acres under paragraph (2). 

23 ‘‘(iii) Information on how an owner 

24 may appeal a determination of ineligibility 

25 for an allocation of base acres under paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 graph (2) through an appeals process es2 tablished by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(C) OPT-OUT.—An owner of a farm that 

4 is eligible to receive an allocation of base acres 

5 may elect to not receive such allocation by noti6 fying the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara9 graph (E), effective beginning with the 2025 

10 crop year, a farm is eligible to receive an alloca11 tion of base acres if, with respect to such farm, 

12 the amount described in subparagraph (B) ex13 ceeds the amount described in subparagraph 

14 (C). 

15 ‘‘(B) 5-YEAR AVERAGE SUM.—The amount 

16 described in this subparagraph is, with respect 

17 to a farm, the sum of— 

18 ‘‘(i) the 5-year average of— 

19 ‘‘(I) the acreage planted on the 

20 farm to all covered commodities for 

21 harvest, grazing, haying, silage or 

22 other similar purposes for the 2019 

23 through 2023 crop years; and 

24 ‘‘(II) any acreage on the farm 

25 that the producers were prevented 


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1 from planting during the 2019 

2 through 2023 crop years to covered 

3 commodities because of drought, 

4 flood, or other natural disaster, or 

5 other condition beyond the control of 

6 the producers, as determined by the 

7 Secretary; plus 

8 ‘‘(ii) the lesser of the following: 

9 ‘‘(I) 15 percent of the total acres 

10 on the farm. 

11 ‘‘(II) The 5-year average of— 

12 ‘‘(aa) the acreage planted on 

13 the farm to eligible non-covered 

14 commodities for harvest, grazing, 

15 haying, silage, or other similar 

16 purposes for the 2019 through 

17 2023 crop years; and 

18 ‘‘(bb) any acreage on the 

19 farm that the producers were 

20 prevented from planting during 

21 the 2019 through 2023 crop 

22 years to eligible non-covered com23 modities because of drought, 

24 flood, or other natural disaster, 

25 or other condition beyond the 


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1 control of the producers, as de2 termined by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(C) TOTAL NUMBER OF BASE ACRES FOR

4 COVERED COMMODITIES.—The amount de5 scribed in this subparagraph is, with respect to 

6 a farm, the total number of base acres for cov7 ered commodities on the farm (excluding unas8 signed crop base), as in effect on September 30, 

9 2024. 

10 ‘‘(D) ACREAGE PLANTED ON THE FARM TO

11 ELIGIBLE NON-COVERED COMMODITIES DE12 FINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘acreage 

13 planted on the farm to eligible non-covered 

14 commodities’ means acreage planted on a farm 

15 to commodities other than covered commodities, 

16 trees, bushes, vines, grass, or pasture (including 

17 cropland that was idle or fallow), as determined 

18 by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(E) EFFECT OF NO RECENT PLANTINGS

20 OF COVERED COMMODITIES.—In the case of a 

21 farm for which the amount determined under 

22 clause (i) of subparagraph (B) is equal to zero, 

23 such farm shall be ineligible to receive an allo24 cation of base acres under this subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACRES.—Subject to paragraph 

2 (5), the acres eligible for allocation to base acres— 

3 ‘‘(A) shall be equal to the difference ob4 tained by subtracting the amount determined 

5 under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) from 

6 the amount determined under subparagraph 

7 (B) of such paragraph; and 

8 ‘‘(B) shall include unassigned crop base. 

9 ‘‘(4) ALLOCATION OF ACRES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) ALLOCATION.—For the purpose of 

11 applying this subsection to covered commod12 ities, the Secretary shall allocate the eligible 

13 acres under paragraph (3) among those covered 

14 commodities planted on the farm at any time 

15 during the 2019 through 2023 crop years. 

16 ‘‘(B) ALLOCATION FORMULA.—The alloca17 tion of eligible acres to base acres for covered 

18 commodities shall be in proportion to the ratio 

19 of— 

20 ‘‘(i) the 5-year average of— 

21 ‘‘(I) the acreage planted on the 

22 farm to each covered commodity for 

23 harvest, grazing, haying, silage, or 

24 other similar purposes for the 2019 

25 through 2023 crop years; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) any acreage on the farm 

2 that the producers were prevented 

3 from planting during the 2019 

4 through 2023 crop years to that cov5 ered commodity because of drought, 

6 flood, or other natural disaster, or 

7 other condition beyond the control of 

8 the producers, as determined by the 

9 Secretary; to 

10 ‘‘(ii) the 5-year average determined 

11 under paragraph (2)(B)(i). 

12 ‘‘(C) INCLUSION OF ALL 5 YEARS IN AVER13 AGE.—For the purpose of determining a 5-year 

14 acreage average under subparagraph (B) for a 

15 farm, the Secretary shall not exclude any crop 

16 year in which a covered commodity was not 

17 planted. 

18 ‘‘(D) TREATMENT OF MULTIPLE PLANTING

19 OR PREVENTED PLANTING.—For the purpose of 

20 determining under subparagraph (B) the acre21 age on a farm that producers planted or were 

22 prevented from planting during the 2019 

23 through 2023 crop years to covered commod24 ities, if the acreage that was planted or pre25 vented from being planted was devoted to anVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 other covered commodity in the same crop year 

2 (other than a covered commodity produced 

3 under an established practice of double crop4 ping), the owner may elect the commodity to be 

5 used for that crop year in determining the 5- 

6 year average, but may not include both the ini7 tial commodity and the subsequent commodity. 

8 ‘‘(E) LIMITATION.—The allocation of eligi9 ble acres to base acres among covered commod10 ities on a farm under this paragraph may not 

11 result in a total number of base acres for the 

12 farm in excess of the total number of acres on 

13 the farm. 

14 ‘‘(5) REDUCTION BY THE SECRETARY.—In car15 rying out this subsection, if the total number of eli16 gible acres allocated to base acres across all farms 

17 in the United States under this subsection would ex18 ceed 30,000,000 acres, the Secretary shall apply an 

19 across the board, pro-rata reduction to the number 

20 of eligible acres to ensure the number of allocated 

21 base acres under this subsection is equal to 

22 30,000,000 acres. 

23 ‘‘(6) PAYMENT YIELD.—Beginning with crop 

24 year 2025, for the purpose of making price loss cov25 erage payments under section 1116, the Secretary 


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1 shall establish payment yields to base acres allocated 

2 under this subsection equal to— 

3 ‘‘(A) the payment yield established on the 

4 farm for the applicable covered commodity; and 

5 ‘‘(B) if no such payment yield for the ap6 plicable covered commodity exists, a payment 

7 yield— 

8 ‘‘(i) equal to the average payment 

9 yield for the covered commodity for the 

10 county in which the farm is situated; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) determined pursuant to section 

12 1113(c). 

13 ‘‘(7) TREATMENT OF NEW OWNERS.—In the 

14 case of a farm for which the owner on the date of 

15 the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Se16 curity Act of 2024 was not the owner for the 2019 

17 crop year, the Secretary shall use the planting his18 tory of the prior owner or owners of such farm for 

19 purposes of determining eligibility under paragraph 

20 (2), eligible acres under paragraph (3), and the allo21 cation of acres under paragraph (4).’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘Notwith23 standing the election made under subsection (a), 

24 the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘Notwith2 standing the election made under subsection (a), if’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘If’’; and 

4 (4) in subsection (d)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 1103. PRODUCER ELECTION. 

7 Section 1115 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

8 U.S.C. 9015) is amended— 

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

10 paragraph (1)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘and for’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

12 for’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting ‘‘, and for the 2025 

14 through 2029 crop years (subject to subsection 

15 (h))’’ after ‘‘(subject to subsection (h))’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (c)— 

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

18 by striking ‘‘2014 crop year or the 2019 crop 

19 year, as applicable’’ and inserting ‘‘2014 crop 

20 year, 2019 crop year, or 2025 crop year, as ap21 plicable’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2014 

23 crop year or the 2019 crop year, as applicable,’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘2014 crop year, 2019 crop year, 

25 or 2025 crop year, as applicable,’’; and 


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1 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

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

3 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

4 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

5 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

6 and’’; and 

7 (iii) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(C) the same coverage for each covered 

10 commodity on the farm for the 2026 through 

11 2029 crop years as was applicable for the 2024 

12 crop year.’’. 

13 SEC. 1104. PRICE LOSS COVERAGE. 

14 Section 1116 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

15 U.S.C. 9016) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (c)(1)(B)— 

19 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

21 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

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

23 (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 1105. AGRICULTURE RISK COVERAGE. 

2 Section 1117 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

3 U.S.C. 9017) is amended— 

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

5 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2014 through 2018 crop 

6 years or the 2019 through 2023 crop years, as appli7 cable’’ and inserting ‘‘2014 through 2018 crop 

8 years, 2019 through 2023 crop years, or 2025 

9 through 2029 crop years, as applicable’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (c)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘for 

12 each of 2014 through 2024 crop years and 90 

13 percent of the benchmark revenue for each of 

14 2025 through 2029 crop years’’ before the pe15 riod at the end; 

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

17 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

18 (C) in paragraph (4)(B)— 

19 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘2029’’; 

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

24 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

25 (3) by amending subsection (d)(1)(B) to read 

26 as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(B)(i) for each of the crop years 2014 

2 through 2024, 10 percent of the benchmark 

3 revenue for the crop year applicable under sub4 section (c); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) for each of the crop years 2025 

6 through 2029, 12.5 percent of the bench7 mark revenue for the crop year applicable 

8 under subsection (c).’’; 

9 (4) in subsection (e), in the matter preceding 

10 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘2029’’; and 

12 (5) in subsection (g)(5), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 Subtitle B—Marketing Loans 

15 SEC. 1201. LOAN RATES FOR NONRECOURSE MARKETING 

16 ASSISTANCE LOANS. 

17 (a) AVAILABILITY OF NONRECOURSE LOANS.—Sec18 tion 1201(b)(1) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

19 9031(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘2029’’. 

21 (b) LOAN RATES.—Section 1202 of the Agricultural 

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

23 (1) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

25 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2024’’; 


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

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

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

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

5 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(c) 2025 THROUGH 2029 CROP YEARS.—For pur8 poses of each of the 2025 through 2029 crop years, the 

9 loan rate for a marketing assistance loan under section 

10 1201 for a loan commodity shall be equal to the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) In the case of wheat, $3.72 per bushel. 

12 ‘‘(2) In the case of corn, $2.42 per bushel. 

13 ‘‘(3) In the case of grain sorghum, $2.42 per 

14 bushel. 

15 ‘‘(4) In the case of barley, $2.75 per bushel. 

16 ‘‘(5) In the case of oats, $2.20 per bushel. 

17 ‘‘(6) In the case of base quality of upland cot18 ton, $0.55 per pound. 

19 ‘‘(7) In the case of extra long staple cotton, 

20 $1.00 per pound. 

21 ‘‘(8) In the case of long grain rice, $7.70 per 

22 hundredweight. 

23 ‘‘(9) In the case of medium grain rice, $7.70 

24 per hundredweight. 

25 ‘‘(10) In the case of soybeans, $6.82 per bushel. 


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1 ‘‘(11) In the case of other oilseeds, $11.10 per 

2 hundredweight for each of the following kinds of oil3 seeds: 

4 ‘‘(A) Sunflower seed. 

5 ‘‘(B) Rapeseed. 

6 ‘‘(C) Canola. 

7 ‘‘(D) Safflower. 

8 ‘‘(E) Flaxseed. 

9 ‘‘(F) Mustard seed. 

10 ‘‘(G) Crambe. 

11 ‘‘(H) Sesame seed. 

12 ‘‘(I) Other oilseeds designated by the Sec13 retary. 

14 ‘‘(12) In the case of dry peas, $6.87 per hun15 dredweight. 

16 ‘‘(13) In the case of lentils, $14.30 per hun17 dredweight. 

18 ‘‘(14) In the case of small chickpeas, $11.00 

19 per hundredweight. 

20 ‘‘(15) In the case of large chickpeas, $15.40 per 

21 hundredweight. 

22 ‘‘(16) In the case of graded wool, $1.60 per 

23 pound. 

24 ‘‘(17) In the case of nongraded wool, $0.55 per 

25 pound. 


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1 ‘‘(18) In the case of mohair, $5.00 per pound. 

2 ‘‘(19) In the case of honey, $1.50 per pound. 

3 ‘‘(20) In the case of peanuts, $390 per ton.’’; 

4 and 

5 (4) by amending subsection (e) (as so redesig6 nated) to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(e) SPECIAL RULE FOR SEED COTTON AND

8 CORN.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 

10 1116(b)(2) and paragraphs (1)(B)(ii) and 

11 (2)(A)(ii)(II) of section 1117(b), the loan rate shall 

12 be deemed to equal— 

13 ‘‘(A) for seed cotton, $0.30 per pound; and 

14 ‘‘(B) for corn, $3.30 per bushel. 

15 ‘‘(2) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection au16 thorizes any nonrecourse marketing assistance loan 

17 under this subtitle for seed cotton.’’. 

18 SEC. 1202. REPAYMENT RATES FOR UPLAND COTTON, LONG 

19 GRAIN RICE, AND MEDIUM GRAIN RICE. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1204 of the Agricultural 

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

22 (1) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 

23 paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(subject to subsection 

24 (j))’’ after ‘‘section 1201 for upland cotton’’; and 

25 (2) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

2 paragraph (3); and 

3 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(2) a formula to determine the prevailing 

6 world market price for upland cotton that, during 

7 any period which price quotations for Middling (M) 

8 one and three-thirty-second inch cotton are available, 

9 is based on the average of the 3 lowest-priced 

10 growths that are quoted; and’’. 

11 (b) FLEXIBILITY FOR SEASONAL LOAN REDEMP12 TIONS.—Section 1204 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

13 U.S.C. 9034) is further amended by adding at the end 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(j) REIMBURSEMENT FOR UPLAND COTTON.—In 

16 the case of a marketing assistance loan under section 1201 

17 for upland cotton that is repaid by a producer on or after 

18 the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 

19 shall provide a reimbursement to such producer in an 

20 amount equal to the difference obtained by subtracting— 

21 ‘‘(1) the amount the producer would have paid 

22 under such loan using the lowest prevailing world 

23 market price during the 30-day period beginning on 

24 the date on which such loan was repaid, from 

25 ‘‘(2) the amount repaid by the producer.’’. 


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1 SEC. 1203. REPAYMENT RATES FOR EXTRA LONG STAPLE 

2 COTTON. 

3 Section 1204 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

4 U.S.C. 9034) is further amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (c)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘shall be at the’’ and in7 serting the following: ‘‘shall be the lesser of— 

8 ‘‘(1) the’’; 

9 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

10 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(2) the prevailing world market price for the 

13 commodity, as determined and adjusted by the Sec14 retary in accordance with this section.’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘upland cotton’’ and in17 serting ‘‘extra long staple cotton’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

19 (3) in subsection (e)— 

20 (A) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘EXTRA

21 LONG STAPLE COTTON,’’ after ‘‘UPLAND COT22 TON,’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘UP25 LAND’’ before ‘‘COTTON’’; and 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 ‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2030’’. 

3 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

4 paragraph (4); and 

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

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(3) EXTRA LONG STAPLE COTTON.—The pre8 vailing world market price for extra long staple cot9 ton determined under subsection (d)— 

10 ‘‘(A) shall be adjusted to United States 

11 quality and location, with the adjustment to in12 clude the average costs to market the com13 modity, including average transportation costs, 

14 as determined by the Secretary; and 

15 ‘‘(B) may be further adjusted, during the 

16 period beginning on the date of enactment of 

17 this paragraph and ending on July 31, 2030, if 

18 the Secretary determines the adjustment is nec19 essary— 

20 ‘‘(i) to minimize potential loan forfeit21 ures; 

22 ‘‘(ii) to minimize the accumulation of 

23 stocks of extra long staple cotton by the 

24 Federal Government; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) to ensure that extra long staple 

2 cotton produced in the United States can 

3 be marketed freely and competitively, both 

4 domestically and internationally; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) to ensure an appropriate transi6 tion between current-crop and forward7 crop price quotations, except that the Sec8 retary may use forward-crop price 

9 quotations prior to July 31 of a marketing 

10 year only if— 

11 ‘‘(I) there are insufficient cur12 rent-crop price quotations; and 

13 ‘‘(II) the forward-crop price 

14 quotation is the lowest such quotation 

15 available.’’. 

16 SEC. 1204. MODIFICATIONS TO STORAGE CREDITS. 

17 Section 1204(g) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

18 U.S.C. 9034(g)) is amended— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘Effective’’ and inserting the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(1) CROP YEARS 2014 THROUGH 2024.—Effec22 tive’’; 

23 (2) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated, by 

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

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


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1 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT OF COTTON STORAGE COSTS.— 

2 Effective for each of the 2025 through 2029 crop 

3 years, the Secretary shall make cotton storage pay4 ments for upland cotton and extra long staple cotton 

5 available in the same manner as the Secretary pro6 vided storage payments for the 2006 crop of upland 

7 cotton, except that the payment rate shall be equal 

8 to the lesser of— 

9 ‘‘(A) the submitted tariff rate for the cur10 rent marketing year; or 

11 ‘‘(B) in the case of storage in— 

12 ‘‘(i) California or Arizona, a payment 

13 rate of $4.90; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) any other State, a payment rate 

15 of $3.00.’’. 

16 SEC. 1205. ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE FOR TEX17 TILE MILLS. 

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

19 (7 U.S.C. 9037(c)(2)) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(2) VALUE OF ASSISTANCE.—The value of the 

21 assistance provided under paragraph (1) shall be— 

22 ‘‘(A) for the period beginning on August 1, 

23 2013, and ending on July 31, 2024, 3 cents per 

24 pound; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) beginning on August 1, 2024, 5 cents 

2 per pound.’’. 

3 Subtitle C—Sugar 

4 SEC. 1301. LOAN RATE MODIFICATIONS. 

5 Section 156 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement 

6 and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘2024’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(6) 24.00 cents per pound for raw cane sugar 

12 for each of the 2025 through 2029 crop years.’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (b)— 

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

15 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

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

17 ‘‘2024’’; and 

18 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

19 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(3) a rate that is equal to 136.55 percent of 

22 the loan rate per pound of raw cane sugar under 

23 subsection (a)(6) for each of the 2025 through 2029 

24 crop years.’’. 


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1 SEC. 1302. ADJUSTMENTS TO COMMODITY CREDIT COR2 PORATION STORAGE RATES. 

3 Section 167 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement 

4 and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7287) is amended— 

5 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro8 vision of law, for the 2025 crop year and each subsequent 

9 crop year thereafter, the Commodity Credit Corporation 

10 shall establish rates for the storage of forfeited sugar in 

11 an amount that is not less than— 

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

13 hundredweight per month; and 

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

15 hundredweight per month.’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SUBSE18 QUENT’’ and inserting ‘‘PRIOR’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘and subsequent’’ and in20 serting ‘‘through 2024’’. 

21 SEC. 1303. MODERNIZING BEET SUGAR ALLOTMENTS. 

22 (a) ALLOCATION TO PROCESSORS.—Section 

23 359c(g)(2) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 

24 U.S.C. 1359cc(g)(2)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘In’’ and inserting ‘‘(A) IN GEN2 ERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), 

3 in’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding sub6 paragraph (A), if the Secretary makes an up7 ward adjustment under paragraph (1)(A), in 

8 adjusting allocations among beet sugar proc9 essors the Secretary shall give priority to such 

10 processors with available sugar.’’. 

11 (b) TIMING OF REASSIGNMENT.—Section 359e(b)(2) 

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

13 1359ee(b)(2)) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘If’’ and inserting ‘‘(A) IN GEN15 ERAL.—If’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), 

17 and (C) as clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively; 

18 and 

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

20 ‘‘(B) TIMING.—In carrying out this para21 graph, the Secretary shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) make an initial determination fol23 lowing the publication of the World Agri24 cultural Supply and Demand Estimates 

25 (WASDE) by the World Agricultural OutVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 look Board for the month of January that 

2 is applicable to the crop year for which al3 lotments are required; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) provide for an initial reassign5 ment under subparagraph (A)(i) not later 

6 than 30 days after the announcement of 

7 such WASDE.’’. 

8 SEC. 1304. REALLOCATIONS OF TARIFF RATE QUOTA 

9 SHORTFALL. 

10 Section 359k of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 

11 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359kk) is amended by adding at the end 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(c) REALLOCATION.— 

14 ‘‘(1) INITIAL REALLOCATION.—Subject to para15 graph (3), following the establishment of the tariff16 rate quotas under subsection (a), the United States 

17 Trade Representative, in consultation with the Sec18 retary, shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) determine which countries do not in20 tend to fill their allocation for the quota year; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(B) reallocate any forecasted shortfall as 

23 soon as practicable. 

24 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT REALLOCATION.—Subject to 

25 paragraph (3), not later than March 1 of a quota 


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1 year, the United States Trade Representative, in 

2 consultation with the Secretary, shall reallocate any 

3 additional forecasted shortfall in the fulfillment of 

4 the minimum tariff-rate quotas for raw cane sugar 

5 established under subsection (a)(1) for that quota 

6 year. 

7 ‘‘(3) EARLY CESSATION OF EFFECTIVENESS.— 

8 Paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not apply if— 

9 ‘‘(A) the Agreement Suspending the Coun10 tervailing Duty Investigation on Sugar from 

11 Mexico (C–201–846) is terminated; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the countervailing duty order on 

13 sugar from Mexico is revoked. 

14 ‘‘(d) REFINED SUGAR.— 

15 ‘‘(1) STUDY REQUIRED.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

17 days after the date of the enactment of the 

18 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 

19 2024, the Secretary shall carry out a study on 

20 whether additional terms and conditions with 

21 respect to refined sugar imports are necessary 

22 and appropriate. 

23 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—In conducting the study 

24 required by subparagraph (A), the Secretary 

25 shall examine the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) The need for: 

2 ‘‘(I) Defining ‘refined sugar’ as 

3 having a minimum polarization of 

4 99.8 degrees or higher. 

5 ‘‘(II) Establishing a standard for 

6 color or reflectance based units for re7 fined sugar such as those utilized by 

8 the International Commission of Uni9 form Methods of Sugar Analysis. 

10 ‘‘(III) Prescribing specifications 

11 for packaging type for refined sugar. 

12 ‘‘(IV) Prescribing specifications 

13 for transportation modes for refined 

14 sugar. 

15 ‘‘(V) Requiring affidavits or 

16 other evidence that sugar imported as 

17 refined will not undergo further refin18 ing in the United States. 

19 ‘‘(VI) Prescribing appropriate 

20 terms and conditions to avoid the cir21 cumvention of United States law rel22 ative to any sugar imports. 

23 ‘‘(VII) requiring other additional 

24 definitions, terms and conditions, or 

25 other requirements. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The potential impact of each of 

2 subclauses (I) through (VII) of clause (i) 

3 on the domestic sugar industry. 

4 ‘‘(iii) Whether, based on the need de5 scribed in clause (i) and the impact de6 scribed in clause (ii), additional terms and 

7 conditions are appropriate. 

8 ‘‘(C) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the 

9 study required by paragraph (A), the Secretary 

10 shall consult with representatives of the domes11 tic sugar industry, users of refined sugar, and 

12 relevant State and Federal agencies. 

13 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than one year 

14 after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, 

15 and National Security Act of 2024, the Sec16 retary shall submit to the Committee on Agri17 culture of the House of Representatives and the 

18 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For19 estry of the Senate a report that includes the 

20 findings of the study required under subpara21 graph (A). 

22 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL TERMS

23 AND CONDITIONS PERMITTED.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Based on the findings 

25 in the report submitted under paragraph 


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1 (1)(D), the Secretary may establish through the 

2 rulemaking authorized under subparagraph (B) 

3 such additional terms and conditions after pro4 viding notice to the Committee on Agriculture 

5 of the House of Representatives and the Com6 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

7 of the Senate. 

8 ‘‘(B) PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS.— 

9 The Secretary may issue regulations to estab10 lish and implement any additional terms and 

11 conditions determined necessary and appro12 priate pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), so long as 

13 such regulations— 

14 ‘‘(i) do not have an adverse impact on 

15 the domestic sugar industry; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) are consistent with the require17 ments of this part, section 156 of the Fed18 eral Agriculture Improvement and Reform 

19 Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272), and obliga20 tions under international trade agreements 

21 that have been approved by Congress. 

22 ‘‘(3) DOMESTIC SUGAR INDUSTRY.—In this 

23 subsection, the term ‘domestic sugar industry’ 

24 means domestic— 

25 ‘‘(A) sugar beet producers and processors; 


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1 ‘‘(B) producers and processors of sugar 

2 cane; and 

3 ‘‘(C) refiners of raw cane sugar.’’. 

4 SEC. 1305. CLARIFICATION OF TARIFF RATE QUOTA AD5 JUSTMENTS. 

6 Section 359k(b)(1) of the Agricultural Adjustment 

7 Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1359kk(b)(1)) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘Before’’ and inserting ‘‘Not9 withstanding any other provision of law, before’’; 

10 and 

11 (2) by striking ‘‘if there is an’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘for the sole purpose of responding directly to an’’. 

13 Subtitle D—Dairy 

14 SEC. 1401. DAIRY MARGIN COVERAGE PRODUCTION HIS15 TORY. 

16 (a) DEFINITION.—Section 1401(8) of the Agricul17 tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9051(8)) is amended by strik18 ing ‘‘when the participating dairy operation first registers 

19 to participate in dairy margin coverage’’. 

20 (b) PRODUCTION HISTORY OF PARTICIPATING DAIRY

21 OPERATIONS.—Section 1405 of the Agricultural Act of 

22 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9055) is amended— 

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

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(a) PRODUCTION HISTORY.—Except as provided in 

2 subsection (b), the production history of a dairy operation 

3 for dairy margin coverage is equal to the highest annual 

4 milk marketings of the participating dairy operation dur5 ing any one of the 2021, 2022, or 2023 calendar years.’’; 

6 and 

7 (2) in subsection (b)— 

8 (A) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘OPERATIONS’’ in the sub10 section heading and all that follows through ‘‘In 

11 the case’’ in the matter preceding subparagraph 

12 (A) of paragraph (1) and inserting the fol13 lowing: ‘‘OPERATIONS.—In the case’’; and 

14 (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

15 and (B) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, 

16 and indenting appropriately. 

17 SEC. 1402. PREMIUMS FOR DAIRY MARGINS. 

18 (a) TIER I.—Section 1407(b) of the Agricultural Act 

19 of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9057(b)) is amended— 

20 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘5,000,000’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘6,000,000’’; and 

22 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘5,000,000’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘6,000,000’’. 

24 (b) TIER II.—Section 1407(c) of the Agricultural Act 

25 of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9057(c)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘5,000,000’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘6,000,000’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘5,000,000’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘6,000,000’’. 

5 (c) PREMIUM DISCOUNTS.—Section 1407(g) of the 

6 Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9057(g)) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘January 2019’’ and in11 serting ‘‘January 2025’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

13 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 1403. MANDATORY REPORTING OF DAIRY PRODUCT 

15 PROCESSING COSTS. 

16 Section 273 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

17 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1637b) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (b)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by strik21 ing ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

23 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

24 and’’; and 


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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(C) for each manufacturer required to re4 port under subparagraph (A) for any product, 

5 require that manufacturer to report production 

6 cost and product yield information, as deter7 mined by the Secretary, for all products proc8 essed in the same facility or facilities.’’; and 

9 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting 

10 ‘‘products and’’ after ‘‘those’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (d)— 

12 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

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

15 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘ELEC17 TRONIC REPORTING’’ and inserting ‘‘RE18 PORTING’’; and 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘this section’’ and in20 serting in its place ‘‘subparagraphs (A) 

21 and (B) of subsection (b)(1)’’; 

22 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘this sec23 tion’’ and inserting in its place ‘‘subparagraphs 

24 (A) and (B) of subsection (b)(1)’’; and 

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


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

2 later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 

3 this paragraph, and every 2 years thereafter, the 

4 Secretary shall publish a report containing the infor5 mation obtained under subparagraph (C) of sub6 section (b)(1).’’. 

7 SEC. 1404. CLASS I SKIM MILK PRICE. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8c(5)(A) of the Agricul9 tural Adjustment Act (7 U.S.C. 608c(5)(A)), reenacted 

10 with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agree11 ment Act of 1937, is amended by striking the third sen12 tence and inserting ‘‘For the period beginning on the ear13 lier of the date that is 30 days after the date of the enact14 ment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 

15 2024 and the date on which the Announcement of Ad16 vanced Prices and Pricing Factors is first published after 

17 such date of enactment and ending on the effective date 

18 of a modification by amendment to the order involved, for 

19 purposes of determining prices for milk of the highest use 

20 classification, the Class I skim milk price per hundred21 weight specified in section 1000.50(b) of title 7, Code of 

22 Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), shall be 

23 the sum of the adjusted Class I differential specified in 

24 section 1000.52 of such title 7 (or successor regulations), 

25 plus the adjustment to Class I prices specified in sections 


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1 1005.51(b), 1006.51(b), and 1007.51(b) of such title 7 

2 (or successor regulations), plus the higher of the advanced 

3 pricing factors computed in sections 1000.50(q)(1) and 

4 1000.50(q)(2) of such title 7 (or successor regulations).’’. 

5 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Implementation of the 

6 amendment made by subsection (a) shall not be subject 

7 to any of the following: 

8 (1) The notice and comment provisions of sec9 tion 553 of title 5, United States Code. 

10 (2) The notice and hearing requirements of sec11 tion 8c(3) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 

12 U.S.C. 608c(3)), reenacted with amendments by the 

13 Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. 

14 (3) The order amendment requirements of sec15 tion 8c(17) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 608c(17)). 

16 (4) A referendum under section 8c(19) of that 

17 Act (7 U.S.C. 608c(19)). 

18 SEC. 1405. EXTENSIONS. 

19 (a) FORWARD PRICING.—Section 1502 of the Food, 

20 Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8772) 

21 is amended by striking subsection (e). 

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

23 90–484 (7 U.S.C. 4553) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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

2 of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 

3 U.S.C. 4504(e)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 1406. DAIRY REPORTS. 

6 Section 301 of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act 

7 of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 4514) is amended by striking ‘‘Not 

8 later’’ and all that follows through ‘‘an annual report,’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘With respect to each calendar year begin10 ning after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, 

11 and National Security Act of 2024, a report (which shall 

12 be submitted not later than 18 months after the last day 

13 of such calendar year)’’. 

14 Subtitle E—Supplemental Agricul15 tural Disaster Assistance Pro16 grams 

17 SEC. 1501. LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PAYMENT RATES. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1501(b) of the Agricul19 tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(b)) is amended— 

20 (1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol21 lows: 

22 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT RATES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) LOSSES DUE TO PREDATION.—In24 demnity payments to an eligible producer on a 

25 farm under paragraph (1)(A) shall be made at 


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1 a rate of 100 percent of the market value of the 

2 affected livestock on the applicable date, as de3 termined by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(B) LOSSES DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER

5 OR DISEASE.—Indemnity payments to an eligi6 ble producer on a farm under subparagraph (B) 

7 or (C) of paragraph (1) shall be made at a rate 

8 of 75 percent of the market value of the af9 fected livestock on the applicable date, as deter10 mined by the Secretary. 

11 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF MARKET

12 VALUE.—The Secretary shall determine the 

13 market value described in paragraphs (A) and 

14 (B)— 

15 ‘‘(i) in coordination with the Adminis16 trator of the Agricultural Marketing Serv17 ice; 

18 ‘‘(ii) using other appropriate re19 sources, as determined by the Secretary; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(iii) on a quarterly basis. 

22 ‘‘(D) APPLICABLE DATE DEFINED.—In 

23 this paragraph, the term ‘applicable date’ 

24 means, with respect to livestock, as applicable— 


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

2 of the livestock; or 

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

4 event that caused the harm to the livestock 

5 that resulted in a reduced sale price.’’; and 

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

7 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL PAYMENT FOR UNBORN LIVE8 STOCK.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of unborn 

10 livestock death losses incurred on or after Janu11 ary 1, 2024, the Secretary shall make an addi12 tional payment to eligible producers on farms 

13 that have incurred such losses in excess of the 

14 normal mortality due to a condition specified in 

15 paragraph (1). 

16 ‘‘(B) PAYMENT RATE.—Additional pay17 ments under subparagraph (A) shall be made at 

18 a rate— 

19 ‘‘(i) determined by the Secretary; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) less than or equal to 85 percent 

21 of the payment rate established with re22 spect to the lowest weight class of the live23 stock, as determined by the Secretary, act24 ing through the Administrator of the Farm 

25 Service Agency. 


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1 ‘‘(C) PAYMENT AMOUNT.—The amount of 

2 a payment to an eligible producer that has in3 curred unborn livestock death losses shall be 

4 equal to the payment rate determined under 

5 subparagraph (B) multiplied, in the case of live6 stock described in— 

7 ‘‘(i) subparagraph (A), (B), or (F) of 

8 subsection (a)(4), by 1; 

9 ‘‘(ii) subparagraph (D) of such sub10 section, by 2; 

11 ‘‘(iii) subparagraph (E) of such sub12 section, by 12; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) subparagraph (G) of such sub14 section, by the average number of birthed 

15 animals (for one gestation cycle) for the 

16 species of each such livestock, as deter17 mined by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(D) UNBORN LIVESTOCK DEATH LOSSES

19 DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘unborn 

20 livestock death losses’ means losses of any live21 stock described in subparagraph (A), (B), (D), 

22 (E), (F), or (G) of subsection (a)(4) that was 

23 gestating on the date of the death of the live24 stock.’’. 

25 (b) DETERMINATION OF LOSSES.— 


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1 (1) LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM.—In de2 termining livestock death losses in excess of the nor3 mal mortality for purposes of livestock indemnity 

4 payments under section 1501(b) of the Agricultural 

5 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(b)), the Secretary 

6 shall— 

7 (A) with respect to eligible animal attacks 

8 by animals or avian predators treat documenta9 tion showing probability or confirmation of such 

10 an attack as sufficient to qualify for a payment 

11 under such program; and 

12 (B) calculate normal mortality as the nu13 merical amount, computed by a percentage, as 

14 established for the area by the Farm Service 

15 Agency State Committee, of expected livestock 

16 deaths by category (except that such amount 

17 shall not include attacks by animals reintro18 duced into the wild by the Federal Government 

19 or protected by Federal law, including wolves 

20 and avian predators), that normally occur dur21 ing a calendar year for a producer. 

22 (2) LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM.—In deter23 mining grazing losses for covered livestock under the 

24 livestock forage program section under 1501(c) of 

25 the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(c)), the 


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1 Secretary shall provide eligible livestock producers 

2 not less than 90 days after the calendar year in 

3 which such grazing losses occurred to submit a com4 pleted application for assistance and the required 

5 supporting documentation relating to such losses. 

6 (3) REVISION OF REGULATIONS.—The Sec7 retary shall issue or revise regulations in accordance 

8 with this section and the amendment made by this 

9 section, including sections 1416.302 and 1416.305 

10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect 

11 on the date of the enactment of this Act). 

12 (c) CODIFICATION OF BOVINE WEIGHT CAT13 EGORIES.—For purposes of determining payments under 

14 subsection (b) of section 1501 of the Agricultural Act of 

15 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081) with respect to livestock described 

16 in subsection (a)(4)(A) of such section, the Secretary shall 

17 use the following: 

18 (1) Weight categories of either less than 400 

19 pounds or 400 pounds or more. 

20 (2) Such other weight categories as the Sec21 retary determines appropriate, except that such 

22 weight categories may only be set at an amount that 

23 is greater than 400 pounds. 


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1 SEC. 1502. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR HONEYBEES. 

2 In determining honeybee colony losses eligible for as3 sistance under section 1501(d) of the Agricultural Act of 

4 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(d)), the Secretary shall review the 

5 normal mortality rate used for the calculation of such as6 sistance and adjust such rate as necessary to not include 

7 losses caused by colony collapse disorder, as determined 

8 by the Secretary. 

9 SEC. 1503. TREE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1501(e)(1) of the Agri11 cultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)(1)) is amended— 

12 (1) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or bien13 nial’’ after ‘‘annual’’; and 

14 (2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘or pest’’ 

15 after ‘‘insect’’. 

16 (b) LOWERING MORTALITY THRESHOLD.—Section 

17 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

18 9081(e)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘15 per20 cent (adjusted for normal mortality)’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘normal mortality’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘15 per23 cent mortality (adjusted for normal mortality)’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘normal mortality’’; and 

25 (3) in paragraph (3)(B)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘65 percent’’; and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘15 percent damage or 

4 mortality (adjusted for normal tree damage and 

5 mortality)’’ and inserting ‘‘normal tree damage 

6 or mortality’’. 

7 (c) ASSISTANCE.—Section 1501(e)(3) of the Agricul8 tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)(3)) is amended in 

9 the matter before subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and (5)’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘, (5), and (6)’’. 

11 (d) REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO ASSIST12 ANCE.—Section 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

13 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)) is amended by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(6) TIMING REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible or16 chardist or nursery tree grower shall agree, as a 

17 condition on receipt of assistance under this sub18 section, to replant new trees and salvage existing 

19 trees for which such assistance is provided not later 

20 than— 

21 ‘‘(A) 12 months after the application for 

22 such assistance is approved; or 

23 ‘‘(B) if the period specified in subpara24 graph (A) is not adequate for tree survival, at 


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1 such time as is necessary to ensure tree sur2 vival. 

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

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

5 or nursery tree grower receiving assistance 

6 under this subsection with respect to tree loss 

7 may use such assistance to replant using— 

8 ‘‘(i) an alternative variety; 

9 ‘‘(ii) an alternative stand density; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) an alternative location. 

11 ‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS WITH RESPECT TO AL12 TERNATIVES.—The assistance provided by the 

13 Secretary to eligible orchardists and nursery 

14 tree growers for losses described in clauses (i), 

15 (ii), and (iii) of subparagraph (A), may not be 

16 greater than the amount the eligible orchardist 

17 or nursery tree grower would receive if the eligi18 ble orchardist or nursery tree grower planted 

19 the variety or stand density lost or planted in 

20 the location in which the loss occurred, as appli21 cable.’’. 

22 (e) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION STATUS.—Section 

23 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 

24 9801(e)) is further amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(8) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION STATUS.— 

2 Not later than 120 days after receiving an applica3 tion for assistance under this subsection, the Sec4 retary shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) approve or deny such application; and 

6 ‘‘(B) notify the applicant of such approval 

7 or denial.’’. 

8 SEC. 1504. ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF BLOCK GRANTS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle E of the Agricultural Act 

10 of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081 et seq.) is amended by adding 

11 at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 1502. ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF BLOCK GRANTS. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case additional funds 

14 made available after the date of the enactment of this sec15 tion for covered losses, the Secretary may make assistance 

16 for such losses available in the form of block grants. 

17 ‘‘(b) COVERED LOSSES.—In this section, the term 

18 ‘covered losses’ means losses— 

19 ‘‘(1) of revenue, quality, or production of crops, 

20 trees, bushes, vines, poultry or livestock as a con21 sequence of a natural disaster (as determined by the 

22 Secretary); and 

23 ‘‘(2) for which assistance is not available pursu24 ant to any other Federal law.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

2 for the Agricultural Act of 2014 is amended by inserting 

3 after the item relating to section 1501 the following: 

‘‘1502. Assistance in the form of block grants.’’. 

4 Subtitle F—Administration 

5 SEC. 1601. SUSPENSION OF PERMANENT PRICE SUPPORT 

6 AUTHORITY. 

7 Section 1602 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

8 U.S.C. 9092) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place 

9 it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

10 SEC. 1602. IMPLEMENTATION. 

11 Section 1614 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

12 U.S.C. 9097) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking the 

17 period at the end and adding ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(5) establish a system that provides producers 

20 the option to repay a marketing assistance loan 

21 under section 1204 during a lapse in appropriations 

22 regardless of whether an employee of the Depart23 ment is on furlough.’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) FARM, FOOD, AND NATIONAL SECURITY

2 ACT OF 2024.—The Secretary shall make available to 

3 the Farm Service Agency to carry out titles I and 

4 XI of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 

5 2024 and the amendments made by those titles 

6 $50,000,000, to remain available until expended, of 

7 which— 

8 ‘‘(A) $15,000,000 shall be used to carry 

9 out the mandatory cost surveys required by 

10 paragraph (3) of section 273(d) of the Agricul11 tural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 

12 1637b(d)), as added by the Farm, Food, and 

13 National Security Act of 2024; 

14 ‘‘(B) not less than $5,000,000 shall be 

15 used to carry out paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) 

16 of subsection (b); 

17 ‘‘(C) $3,000,000 shall be used for activities 

18 described in paragraph (3)(A); and 

19 ‘‘(D) $3,000,000 shall be used for activi20 ties described in paragraph (3)(B).’’. 

21 SEC. 1603. EQUITABLE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN ENTITIES. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1001 of the Food Security 

23 Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(6) QUALIFIED PASS THROUGH ENTITY.—The 

2 term ‘qualified pass through entity’ means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a partnership (within the meaning of 

4 subchapter K of chapter 1 of the Internal Rev5 enue Code of 1986); 

6 ‘‘(B) a limited liability company that does 

7 not affirmatively elect to be treated as a cor8 poration; 

9 ‘‘(C) an S corporation (as defined in sec10 tion 1361 of such Code); or 

11 ‘‘(D) a joint venture or general partner12 ship.’’; and 

13 (2) in subsections (b) and (c), by striking ‘‘ex14 cept a joint venture or general partnership’’ each 

15 place it appears and inserting ‘‘except a qualified 

16 pass through entity’’. 

17 (b) ATTRIBUTION OF PAYMENTS.—Section 

18 1001(e)(3)(B)(ii) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 

19 U.S.C. 1308(e)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended— 

20 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘JOINT VEN21 TURES AND GENERAL PARTNERSHIPS’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘QUALIFIED PASS THROUGH ENTITIES’’; 

23 (2) by striking ‘‘joint venture or a general part24 nership’’ and inserting ‘‘qualified pass through enti25 ty’’; 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘joint ventures and general 

2 partnerships’’ and inserting ‘‘qualified pass through 

3 entities’’; and 

4 (4) by striking ‘‘joint venture or general part5 nership’’ and inserting ‘‘qualified pass through enti6 ty’’. 

7 (c) EXCLUSION FROM AGI CALCULATION.—Section 

8 1001D(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 

9 1308–3a(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘, general partner10 ship, or joint venture’’ both places it appears. 

11 SEC. 1604. PAYMENT LIMITATION. 

12 Section 1001 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 

13 U.S.C. 1308) is further amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘The’’ and in15 serting ‘‘Subject to subsection (i), the’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘The’’ and in17 serting ‘‘Subject to subsection (i), the’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(i) LIMITATIONS FOR CERTAIN OPERATIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the 2025 

21 crop year, in the case of a person or legal entity (ex22 cept a qualified pass through entity) for which 

23 greater than or equal to 75 percent of the average 

24 adjusted gross income of such person or legal entity 

25 derives from farming, ranching, or silviculture activiVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 ties, subsections (b) and (c) shall apply by sub2 stituting ‘$155,000’ for ‘$125,000’ each place it ap3 pears. 

4 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary shall annu5 ally adjust the amount substituted under paragraph 

6 (1) for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index 

7 for all urban consumers published by the Depart8 ment of Labor. 

9 ‘‘(3) FARMING, RANCHING, OR SILVICULTURE

10 ACTIVITIES.—In this subsection, the term ‘farming, 

11 ranching, or silviculture activities’ includes agri-tour12 ism, direct-to-consumer marketing of agricultural 

13 products, the sale of agricultural equipment owned 

14 by such person or legal entity, and other agricul15 tural-related activities, as determined by the Sec16 retary.’’. 

17 SEC. 1605. ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME LIMITATION. 

18 Section 1001D(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

19 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3a(b)) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

21 (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (3) and (4)’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(4) EXCEPTION.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an ex25 cepted payment or benefit, the limitation estabVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 lished by paragraph (1) shall not apply to a 

2 person or legal entity during a crop, fiscal, or 

3 program year, as appropriate, if greater than or 

4 equal to 75 percent of the average adjusted 

5 gross income of the person or legal entity de6 rives from farming, ranching, or silviculture ac7 tivities (as described in section 1001(i)). 

8 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTED PAYMENT OR BENEFIT.— 

9 For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘ex10 cepted payment or benefit’ means— 

11 ‘‘(i) a payment or benefit under sub12 title E of title I of the Agricultural Act of 

13 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081 et seq.); 

14 ‘‘(ii) a payment or benefit under sec15 tion 196 of the Federal Agriculture Im16 provement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 

17 U.S.C. 7333); and 

18 ‘‘(iii) beginning October 1, 2024, a 

19 payment or benefit described in paragraph 

20 (2)(C).’’. 

21 SEC. 1606. STORAGE FACILITY LOANS. 

22 Section 1614(a) of the Food, Conservation, and En23 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8789(a)) is amended— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘funds for producers’’ and in25 serting the following: ‘‘funds for— 


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1 ‘‘(1) producers’’; and 

2 (2) by striking the period at the end and insert3 ing ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(2) producers to construct or upgrade storage 

6 facilities for propane that is primarily used for agri7 cultural production (as such term is defined in sec8 tion 4279.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations 

9 (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this 

10 paragraph)).’’. 

11 SEC. 1607. STRENGTHENING DOMESTIC FOOD PRODUCTION 

12 SUPPLY CHAINS. 

13 Subtitle C of title I of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

14 (Public Law 113–79) is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 1302. STRENGTHENING DOMESTIC FOOD PRODUC17 TION SUPPLY CHAINS. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any Federal pol19 icy that would impact the administration of this subtitle, 

20 the amendments made by this subtitle, or any rule, policy, 

21 or guidance issued pursuant to such subtitle or amend22 ments, the preservation and strengthening of the domestic 

23 production described in subsection (b) shall be a priority 

24 objective of the President. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DOMESTIC PRODUCTION DESCRIBED.—The do2 mestic production described in this subsection is the pro3 duction of an agricultural commodity— 

4 ‘‘(1) covered under this subtitle or an amend5 ment made by this subtitle; and 

6 ‘‘(2) from which a food ingredient that serves 

7 an important function throughout the domestic food 

8 production supply chain is derived.’’. 

9 SEC. 1608. LIMITATION ON CCC AUTHORITY. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 5 of the 

11 Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 

12 714c), during fiscal years 2025 through 2034, the Com13 modity Credit Corporation is authorized to use its general 

14 powers only to carry out operations as the Congress may 

15 specifically authorize or provide for. 

16 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in sub17 section (a) shall be construed to impact funds obligated 

18 before the date of the enactment of this Act. 

19 TITLE II—CONSERVATION 

20 Subtitle A—Definitions 

21 SEC. 2001. DEFINITIONS. 

22 Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

23 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended— 


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

2 striking ‘‘subtitles A through I:’’ and inserting ‘‘sub3 titles A through J:’’; 

4 (2) in paragraph (14), by striking ‘‘term ‘In5 dian tribe’ has the meaning given the term’’ and in6 serting ‘‘terms ‘Indian tribe’ and ‘Indian Tribe’ have 

7 the meaning given those terms’’; 

8 (3) by redesignating paragraph (20) through 

9 (27) as paragraphs (22) through (29), respectively; 

10 and 

11 (4) by inserting after paragraph (19) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(20) PRECISION AGRICULTURE.—The term 

14 ‘precision agriculture’ means managing, tracking, or 

15 reducing crop or livestock production inputs, includ16 ing seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time, 

17 at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granu18 larity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and 

19 maintain environmental quality. 

20 ‘‘(21) PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECH21 NOLOGY.—The term ‘precision agriculture tech22 nology’ means any technology (including equipment 

23 that is necessary for the deployment of such tech24 nology) that directly contributes to a reduction in, or 


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1 improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or live2 stock production, including— 

3 ‘‘(A) Global Positioning System-based or 

4 geospatial mapping technology; 

5 ‘‘(B) satellite or aerial imagery technology; 

6 ‘‘(C) yield monitors; 

7 ‘‘(D) soil mapping technology; 

8 ‘‘(E) sensors for gathering data on crop, 

9 soil, or livestock conditions; 

10 ‘‘(F) Internet of Things and telematics 

11 technologies; 

12 ‘‘(G) data management software and ad13 vanced analytics; 

14 ‘‘(H) network connectivity products and 

15 solutions; 

16 ‘‘(I) Global Positioning System guidance or 

17 auto-steer systems; 

18 ‘‘(J) variable rate technology for applying 

19 inputs, such as section control; and 

20 ‘‘(K) any other technology, as determined 

21 by the Secretary, that directly contributes to a 

22 reduction in, or improved efficiency of, the use 

23 of crop or livestock production inputs, which 

24 may include seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, 

25 water, and time.’’. 


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1 Subtitle B—Conservation Reserve 

2 Program 

3 SEC. 2101. DEFINITIONS. 

4 Subchapter B of chapter 1 of title XII of the Food 

5 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.) is amended 

6 by inserting before section 1231 the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 1230. DEFINITIONS. 

8 ‘‘In this subchapter: 

9 ‘‘(1) CONSERVATION BUFFER.—The term ‘con10 servation buffer’ means a practice that, once estab11 lished, provides a benefit to water quality or another 

12 resource concern, including— 

13 ‘‘(A) a grass sod waterway; 

14 ‘‘(B) a contour grass sod strip; 

15 ‘‘(C) a prairie strip; 

16 ‘‘(D) a filterstrip; 

17 ‘‘(E) a field border; 

18 ‘‘(F) a living snow fence; 

19 ‘‘(G) a riparian buffer; 

20 ‘‘(H) a shelterbelt or windbreak; 

21 ‘‘(I) a wetland or a wetland buffer (includ22 ing a buffer for prairie potholes, a playa, or a 

23 pocosin); 

24 ‘‘(J) a saturated buffer; 

25 ‘‘(K) a bioreactor; 


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1 ‘‘(L) a wellhead protection area; and 

2 ‘‘(M) other similar practices, as determined 

3 by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(2) CONSERVATION RESERVE PLAN.—The 

5 term ‘conservation reserve plan’ means a plan for 

6 land enrolled in the conservation reserve under a 

7 contract entered into under this subchapter that— 

8 ‘‘(A) covers the full term of the contract; 

9 ‘‘(B) details the practices to be imple10 mented under the contract and a schedule for 

11 establishment, evaluation, and monitoring of 

12 the applicable vegetative cover; 

13 ‘‘(C) prescribes and schedules management 

14 to be conducted on the established cover 

15 throughout the term of the contract; 

16 ‘‘(D) sets forth the commercial use, if any, 

17 to be permitted on the land during the term of 

18 the contract; and 

19 ‘‘(E) may be modified, with the approval of 

20 the Secretary, when necessary to achieve the 

21 purposes of the program. 

22 ‘‘(3) CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM.—The 

23 term ‘conservation reserve program’ means the con24 servation reserve program established under this 

25 subchapter. 


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1 ‘‘(4) CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT OPTION.—The 

2 term ‘continuous enrollment option’ means the con3 tinuous enrollment option offered under section 

4 1231(d)(1)(B). 

5 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ 

6 means land that is authorized to be included in the 

7 conservation reserve program under section 1231(b). 

8 ‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE PARTNER.—The term ‘eligible 

9 partner’ means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a State; 

11 ‘‘(B) a political subdivision of a State; 

12 ‘‘(C) an Indian Tribe; or 

13 ‘‘(D) a nongovernmental organization. 

14 ‘‘(7) GENERAL ENROLLMENT OPTION.—The 

15 term ‘general enrollment option’ means the general 

16 enrollment option offered under section 

17 1231(d)(1)(A). 

18 ‘‘(8) GRASSLANDS ENROLLMENT OPTION.—The 

19 term ‘grasslands enrollment option’ means the grass20 lands enrollment option offered under section 

21 1231(d)(1)(C). 

22 ‘‘(9) LAND CAPABILITY CLASS.—The term ‘land 

23 capability class’ means a soil classification assigned 

24 using the land capability classification system in ef25 fect on December 23, 1985. 


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1 ‘‘(10) PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES ENROLLMENT

2 OPTION.—The term ‘partnership initiatives enroll3 ment option’ means the partnership initiatives en4 rollment option offered under section 

5 1231(d)(1)(D).’’. 

6 SEC. 2102. CONSERVATION RESERVE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1231(a) of the Food Se8 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(a)) is amended to 

9 read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Through the 2029 fiscal year, 

11 the Secretary shall formulate and carry out a conservation 

12 reserve program in each State, to the maximum extent 

13 practicable, under which eligible land is enrolled in the 

14 conservation reserve through the use of contracts to assist 

15 owners and operators of such land with the establishment 

16 and maintenance of permanent cover for the purposes of— 

17 ‘‘(1) conserving and improving the soil, water, 

18 and wildlife resources of such land; and 

19 ‘‘(2) addressing resource concerns raised by 

20 Tribal, State, regional, and national conservation 

21 initiatives.’’. 

22 (b) ELIGIBLE LAND.—Section 1231(b) of the Food 

23 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(b)) is amended to 

24 read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The Secretary may include in 

2 the conservation reserve program the following, in accord3 ance with subsection (d)(1): 

4 ‘‘(1) Cropland that— 

5 ‘‘(A)(i) on a field level, consists of not less 

6 than 85 percent soils with a dryland cropland 

7 land capability class of III through VII; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) cannot be farmed in accordance with 

9 a plan that complies with the requirements of 

10 subtitle B; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines had a crop12 ping history or was considered to be planted for 

13 not fewer than 4 of the 6 years preceding the 

14 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and Na15 tional Security Act of 2024. 

16 ‘‘(2) Cropland (including prairie potholes, 

17 playas, and pocosins within cropland), grasslands, 

18 and marginal pasture land (including marginal 

19 pastureland converted to wetland or established as 

20 wildlife habitat) to be— 

21 ‘‘(A) devoted to conservation buffers; 

22 ‘‘(B) established to ecologically appropriate 

23 vegetation, including trees, in or near riparian 

24 areas, intermittent, seasonal, or perennial 

25 streams, wetlands (including prairie potholes, 


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1 playas, and pocosins), or saline-impaired soils; 

2 or 

3 ‘‘(C) devoted to similar water quality or 

4 wildlife habitat practices. 

5 ‘‘(3) Grasslands that— 

6 ‘‘(A) contain forbs or shrubland (including 

7 improved rangeland and pastureland) for which 

8 grazing is the predominant use; 

9 ‘‘(B) are located in an area historically 

10 dominated by grasslands; and 

11 ‘‘(C) could provide habitat for animal and 

12 plant populations of significant ecological value 

13 if the land is retained in its current use or re14 stored to a natural condition. 

15 ‘‘(4) Land described in paragraph (1), (2), or 

16 (3) that will address significant water quality, water 

17 conservation, and wildlife habitat concerns, as pro18 posed by an eligible partner and agreed to by the 

19 Secretary for purposes of section 1231A. 

20 ‘‘(5) The portion of land in a field not enrolled 

21 in the conservation reserve in a case in which— 

22 ‘‘(A) more than 50 percent of the land in 

23 the field is enrolled as a buffer or filterstrip, or 

24 more than 75 percent of the land in the field 


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1 is enrolled as a conservation practice other than 

2 as a buffer or filterstrip; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that the re4 mainder of the field is infeasible to farm.’’. 

5 (c) PLANTING STATUS OF CERTAIN LAND.—Section 

6 1231(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

7 3831(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(c) PLANTING STATUS OF CERTAIN LAND.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of deter10 mining the eligibility of land to be enrolled in the 

11 conservation reserve established under this sub12 chapter, land shall be considered to be planted to an 

13 agricultural commodity during a crop year if, during 

14 the crop year, the land was devoted to a conserving 

15 use. 

16 ‘‘(2) MULTI-YEAR GRASSES AND LEGUMES.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this 

18 subchapter, alfalfa and other multi-year grasses 

19 and legumes in a rotation practice, approved by 

20 the Secretary, shall be considered agricultural 

21 commodities. 

22 ‘‘(B) CROPPING HISTORY.—Alfalfa, when 

23 grown as part of a rotation practice, as deter24 mined by the Secretary, is an agricultural com25 modity subject to the cropping history criteria 


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1 under subsection (b)(1)(B) for the purpose of 

2 determining whether eligible cropland has been 

3 planted or considered planted for 4 of the 6 

4 years referred to in such subsection.’’. 

5 (d) ENROLLMENT.—Section 1231(d) of the Food Se6 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)) is amended to 

7 read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(d) ENROLLMENT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) ENROLLMENT OPTIONS.—The Secretary 

10 shall offer enrollment in the conservation reserve 

11 under this subchapter through the following enroll12 ment options: 

13 ‘‘(A) A general enrollment option, for eligi14 ble land described in subsection (b)(1). 

15 ‘‘(B) A continuous enrollment option, for 

16 eligible land described in subsection (b)(2) and 

17 any associated eligible land described in sub18 section (b)(5). 

19 ‘‘(C) A grassland enrollment option, for el20 igible land described in subsection (b)(3). 

21 ‘‘(D) A partnership initiatives enrollment 

22 option, for eligible land described in subsection 

23 (b)(4), and any associated eligible land de24 scribed in subsection (b)(5), that is to be enVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 rolled pursuant to an agreement entered into 

2 under section 1231A(b). 

3 ‘‘(2) METHOD OF ENROLLMENT.— 

4 ‘‘(A) GENERAL ENROLLMENT OPTION.—In 

5 enrolling eligible land under the general enroll6 ment option, the Secretary shall make the con7 servation reserve program available to owners 

8 or operators of eligible land on an annual en9 rollment basis with one or more ranking peri10 ods. 

11 ‘‘(B) CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT OP12 TION.—In enrolling eligible land under the con13 tinuous enrollment option, the Secretary shall 

14 make the conservation reserve program avail15 able to owners or operators of eligible land on 

16 a continuous basis. 

17 ‘‘(C) GRASSLANDS ENROLLMENT OP18 TION.—In enrolling eligible land under the 

19 grasslands enrollment option, the Secretary 

20 shall make the conservation reserve program 

21 available to owners or operators of eligible land 

22 on an annual enrollment basis with one or more 

23 ranking periods. 

24 ‘‘(D) PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES ENROLL25 MENT OPTION.—In enrolling eligible land under 


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1 the partnership initiatives enrollment option, 

2 the Secretary shall make the conservation re3 serve program available to owners or operators 

4 of eligible land using the methods and processes 

5 for enrollment described in the applicable agree6 ment under section 1231A(b)(2)(A). 

7 ‘‘(3) MAXIMUM ACREAGE ENROLLED.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

9 maintain in the conservation reserve at any one 

10 time during fiscal years 2025 through 2029 not 

11 more than 27,000,000 acres. 

12 ‘‘(B) GRASSLANDS.—For purposes of ap13 plying the limitations in subparagraph (A)— 

14 ‘‘(i) the Secretary shall enroll and 

15 maintain in the conservation reserve not 

16 fewer than 8,000,000 acres of the land de17 scribed in subsection (b)(3) by September 

18 30, 2029; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) in carrying out clause (i), to the 

20 maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 

21 shall maintain in the conservation reserve 

22 at any one time during— 

23 ‘‘(I) fiscal year 2025, 6,000,000 

24 acres; 


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1 ‘‘(II) fiscal year 2026, 7,000,000 

2 acres; and 

3 ‘‘(III) fiscal years 2027 through 

4 2029, 8,000,000 acres.’’. 

5 (e) TERM OF CONTRACT.—Section 1231(e) of the 

6 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(e)) is amend7 ed to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(e) TERM OF CONTRACT.—The term of a contract 

9 under this subchapter shall be— 

10 ‘‘(1) 10 years for a contract entered into pursu11 ant to the general enrollment option or the grass12 lands enrollment option; 

13 ‘‘(2) not fewer than 10 years nor more than 15 

14 years, as determined by the Secretary, for a contract 

15 entered into pursuant to the continuous enrollment 

16 option or the partnership initiatives enrollment op17 tion; and 

18 ‘‘(3) notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), 

19 upon request of the owner or operator of eligible 

20 land, not fewer than 10 years nor more than 30 

21 years, as determined by the Secretary, for a contract 

22 to enroll eligible land devoted to conservation buffers 

23 that improve water quality by reducing sediment 

24 loadings, nutrient loadings, and harmful algal 

25 blooms.’’. 


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1 (f) CONSERVATION PRIORITY AREAS.—Section 

2 1231(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

3 3831(f)) is amended by striking paragraph (4). 

4 (g) REENROLLMENT; PROVISIONS FOR LAND ESTAB5 LISHED TO TREES.—Section 1231 of the Food Security 

6 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831) is amended by striking sub7 sections (g) through (i) and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘(g) REENROLLMENT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY FOR CONSIDERATION.—Dur10 ing the final year of the term of a contract entered 

11 into under this subchapter, the land subject to the 

12 contract shall be eligible to be considered for re13 enrollment in the conservation reserve in accordance 

14 with paragraph (2). 

15 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—The eligibility of land for 

16 reenrollment in the conservation reserve shall be 

17 subject to the land meeting the applicable require18 ments of subsection (b). 

19 ‘‘(h) PROVISIONS FOR LAND ESTABLISHED TO

20 TREES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) RESTRICTED TREES.—In this subsection, 

22 the term ‘restricted tree’ means a pine tree, other 

23 than a shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) or a longleaf 

24 pine (Pinus palustris). 

25 ‘‘(2) REENROLLMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PROHIBITION FOR RESTRICTED

2 TREES.—Notwithstanding subsection (g), land 

3 subject to a contract entered into under this 

4 subchapter that is established predominately to 

5 restricted trees is not eligible to be considered 

6 for reenrollment in the conservation reserve. 

7 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON OTHER TREES.— 

8 Notwithstanding subsection (g), land subject to 

9 a contract entered into under this subchapter 

10 that is established predominately to trees that 

11 are not restricted trees is eligible to be consid12 ered for reenrollment in the conservation re13 serve in accordance with such subsection only if 

14 the land— 

15 ‘‘(i) is devoted to shelterbelts, riparian 

16 forest buffers, or trees of high conservation 

17 value, as determined by the Secretary; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) consists of forested wetlands. 

19 ‘‘(3) SUBSEQUENT ENROLLMENT.—Land that 

20 has previously been subject to a contract entered 

21 into under this subchapter, and which was estab22 lished predominately to restricted trees during the 

23 term of such contract, may be subsequently enrolled 

24 in the conservation reserve in accordance with sub25 section (d) only if— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the restricted trees have been har2 vested; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the new enrollment is for establish4 ment of a permanent cover other than re5 stricted trees.’’. 

6 SEC. 2103. PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES. 

7 (a) PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES.—Section 1231A of 

8 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a) is 

9 amended in the header by striking ‘‘CONSERVATION RE10 SERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES’’. 

12 (b) IN GENERAL.—Section 1231A(a) of the Food Se13 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a(a)) is amended to 

14 read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish the 

16 conservation reserve enhancement program and the State 

17 acres for wildlife enhancement program under this sub18 chapter in order to leverage Federal and non-Federal 

19 funds to— 

20 ‘‘(1) target specific State, regional, or nation21 ally significant conservation concerns; and 

22 ‘‘(2) restore critical wildlife habitat.’’. 

23 (c) AGREEMENTS.—Section 1231A(b) of the Food 

24 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a(b)) is amended 

25 to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(b) AGREEMENTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

3 into or modify an agreement with an eligible partner 

4 to carry out the conservation reserve enhancement 

5 program or the State acres for wildlife enhancement 

6 program, within a defined geographic area— 

7 ‘‘(A) to assist in enrolling eligible land in 

8 the conservation reserve under this subchapter; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(B) that the Secretary determines will ad11 vance the purposes of this subchapter. 

12 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An agreement entered 

14 into or modified under paragraph (1) shall de15 scribe— 

16 ‘‘(i) 1 or more specific State or na17 tionally significant resource concerns to be 

18 addressed by the agreement; 

19 ‘‘(ii) quantifiable environmental goals 

20 for addressing the concerns under clause 

21 (i); 

22 ‘‘(iii) a suitable acreage goal for en23 rollment of eligible land under the agree24 ment, as determined by the Secretary; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the location of eligible land to be 

2 enrolled in the project area identified 

3 under the agreement; 

4 ‘‘(v) the payments to be offered by the 

5 Secretary and eligible partner to an owner 

6 or operator; 

7 ‘‘(vi) an appropriate list of conserva8 tion reserve program conservation practices 

9 that are appropriate to meeting the con10 cerns described under clause (i), as deter11 mined by the Secretary in consultation 

12 with eligible partners; and 

13 ‘‘(vii) methods and processes for en14 rollment of eligible land under the agree15 ment, as determined by the Secretary in 

16 consultation with the eligible partner. 

17 ‘‘(B) CREP MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 An agreement entered into or modified under 

19 paragraph (1) to carry out the conservation re20 serve enhancement program shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) subject to clause (ii), require the 

22 eligible partner to provide matching 

23 funds— 

24 ‘‘(I) in an amount determined 

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1 retary and 1 or more eligible partners, 

2 if the majority of the matching funds 

3 to carry out the agreement are pro4 vided by 1 or more eligible partners 

5 that are not nongovernmental organi6 zations; or 

7 ‘‘(II) in an amount not less than 

8 30 percent of the cost required to 

9 carry out the conservation measures 

10 and practices described in the agree11 ment, if a majority of the matching 

12 funds to carry out the agreement are 

13 provided by 1 or more nongovern14 mental organizations; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) include procedures to allow for a 

16 temporary waiver of the matching require17 ments under clause (i), or continued enroll18 ment with a temporary suspension of in19 centives or eligible partner contributions 

20 for new agreements, during a period when 

21 an eligible partner loses the authority or 

22 ability to provide matching contributions, 

23 if the Secretary determines that the tem24 porary waiver or continued enrollment with 


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1 a temporary suspension will advance the 

2 purposes of this subchapter.’’. 

3 (d) PAYMENTS.—Section 1231A(c) of the Food Secu4 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a(c)) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘under a 

6 CREP’’ and inserting ‘‘under a contract entered into 

7 pursuant to an agreement under this section’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘under a 

9 CREP’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘under 

10 a contract entered into pursuant to an agreement 

11 under this section’’; 

12 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘re14 serve’’ after ‘‘consistent with the conservation’’; 

15 and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘The 

17 amount of payments received by’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘The amount of payments made by the Sec19 retary to’’. 

20 (e) FORESTED RIPARIAN BUFFER PRACTICE.—Sec21 tion 1231A(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

22 U.S.C. 3831a(d)) is amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(d) FORESTED RIPARIAN BUFFER PRACTICE.—In 

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1 cludes forested riparian buffers as an eligible practice, the 

2 Secretary shall allow an owner or operator— 

3 ‘‘(1) to plant food-producing woody plants in 

4 the forested riparian buffers, on the conditions 

5 that— 

6 ‘‘(A) the plants shall contribute to the con7 servation of soil, water quality, and wildlife 

8 habitat; and 

9 ‘‘(B) the planting shall be consistent 

10 with— 

11 ‘‘(i) recommendations of the applica12 ble State technical committee established 

13 under section 1261(a); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) technical guide standards ap15 proved by the Natural Resources Conserva16 tion Service; and 

17 ‘‘(2) to harvest from plants described in para18 graph (1), on the conditions that— 

19 ‘‘(A) the harvesting shall not damage the 

20 conserving cover or otherwise have a negative 

21 impact on the conservation concerns targeted by 

22 the agreement; 

23 ‘‘(B) only native plant species appropriate 

24 to the region shall be used within 35 feet of the 

25 watercourse; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) the producer shall be subject to a re2 duction in the rental rate commensurate to the 

3 value of the crop harvested.’’. 

4 (f) DROUGHT AND WATER CONSERVATION AGREE5 MENTS.—Section 1231A(e) of the Food Security Act of 

6 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a(e)) is amended— 

7 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

8 striking ‘‘In the case of an agreement under sub9 section (b)(1) to address regional drought concerns, 

10 in accordance with the conservation purposes of the 

11 CREP’’ and inserting ‘‘In the case of an agreement 

12 under the conservation reserve enhancement pro13 gram to address regional drought concerns, in ac14 cordance with the conservation purposes of the 

15 agreement’’; and 

16 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘notwith17 standing subsection (a)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘notwith18 standing section 1230(4)’’. 

19 (g) STATUS REPORT.—Section 1231A of the Food 

20 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831a) is amended by 

21 striking subsection (f). 

22 SEC. 2104. DUTIES OF OWNERS AND OPERATORS. 

23 Section 1232 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

24 U.S.C. 3832) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘a plan’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘a conservation reserve plan’’; 

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

4 erodible cropland’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible land’’; 

5 (C) in paragraph (5)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘undertake’’ and in7 serting ‘‘conduct’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘conservation plan’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘conservation reserve plan’’; 

10 and 

11 (D) in paragraph (7), by inserting ‘‘con12 servation reserve’’ before ‘‘program’’; and 

13 (2) by striking subsection (b) and redesignating 

14 subsection (c) as subsection (b). 

15 SEC. 2105. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

16 (a) COST-SHARE AND RENTAL PAYMENTS.—Section 

17 1233(a)(2)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

18 U.S.C. 3833(a)(2)(A)) by striking ‘‘highly erodible crop19 land, marginal pastureland, or other eligible lands’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘eligible land’’. 

21 (b) SPECIFIED ACTIVITIES PERMITTED.—Section 

22 1233(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

23 3833(b)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)— 


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1 (A) in subclause (I)(cc), by inserting ‘‘con2 servation reserve’’ before ‘‘program’’; 

3 (B) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘if pay4 ments are authorized for a county under the 

5 livestock forage disaster program under clause 

6 (ii) of section 1501(c)(3)(D) of the Agricultural 

7 Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(c)(3)(D))’’ and in8 serting ‘‘if an owner or operator has received a 

9 payment under the livestock forage disaster 

10 program under clause (ii) of section 

11 1501(c)(3)(D) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

12 (7 U.S.C. 9081(c)(3)(D)) in the fiscal year dur13 ing which the emergency grazing is conducted’’; 

14 and 

15 (C) in subclause (V), by striking ‘‘under 

16 paragraphs (4) and (5) of section 1231(b)’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘under a contract entered into pursu18 ant to the continuous enrollment option or the 

19 partnership initiatives enrollment option’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii)— 

21 (A) by amending subclause (I) to read as 

22 follows: 

23 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as 

24 provided in subclause (II), haying or 

25 grazing described in paragraph (1) 


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1 shall not be permitted on land covered 

2 by a contract entered into pursuant to 

3 the partnership initiatives enrollment 

4 option.’’; and 

5 (B) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘con6 servation reserve enhancement program agree7 ment or other partnership agreement entered 

8 into under this subchapter’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘agreement entered into under section 1231A’’. 

10 (c) RESOURCE CONSERVING USE.—Section 1233(d) 

11 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3833(d))— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Beginning on 

13 the date that is 1 year before the date of termi14 nation of a contract under the program’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘During the final year of the term of a contract 

16 entered into under this subchapter’’; 

17 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘CON19 SERVATION PLAN’’ and inserting ‘‘CONSERVA20 TION RESERVE PLAN’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘a conservation plan’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘a conservation reserve plan’’; and 

23 (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol24 lows: 


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1 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Land improved under para2 graph (1)— 

3 ‘‘(A) shall not be eligible to be considered 

4 for reenrollment in the conservation reserve 

5 under section 1231(g), notwithstanding para6 graph (1) of such section; and 

7 ‘‘(B) may not be subsequently enrolled in 

8 the conservation reserve before the date that is 

9 5 years after the date of expiration of the con10 tract.’’. 

11 (d) NATURAL DISASTER OR ADVERSE WEATHER AS

12 MID-CONTRACT MANAGEMENT.—Section 1233(e) of the 

13 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3833(e)) is amend14 ed by inserting ‘‘reserve’’ after ‘‘conservation’’. 

15 (e) ALLOCATION TO STATES.—Section 1233 of the 

16 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3833) is amended 

17 by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(f) ALLOCATION TO STATES.—The Secretary shall 

19 allocate acres to States for enrollment of eligible land in 

20 the conservation reserve under this subchapter, based— 

21 ‘‘(1) primarily on the proportion of eligible land 

22 in each State relative to the total acreage of eligible 

23 land in all States; and 

24 ‘‘(2) also on consideration of— 

25 ‘‘(A) historical State enrollment rates; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the extent and magnitude in each 

2 State of the conservation needs and of the im3 pact of agricultural production on water qual4 ity, water quantity, wetlands, and wildlife habi5 tat; 

6 ‘‘(C) the degree to which implementation 

7 of the conservation reserve program in each 

8 State is, or will be, effective in helping pro9 ducers address such needs and mitigate such 

10 impact; and 

11 ‘‘(D) equitable geographic distribution of 

12 acres, as determined by the Secretary.’’. 

13 SEC. 2106. PAYMENTS. 

14 (a) COST SHARING PAYMENTS.—Section 1234(b) of 

15 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)) is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol18 lows: 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In making cost sharing 

20 payments to an owner or operator under a contract 

21 entered into under this subchapter, the Secretary 

22 shall pay 50 percent of the cost of, as the Secretary 

23 determines appropriate and in the public interest— 


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1 ‘‘(A) establishing permanent vegetation, in2 cluding site preparation, cover, fertilizer, seed3 ing, and planting; 

4 ‘‘(B) carrying out erosion control practices 

5 necessary to stabilize the site for vegetation es6 tablished under subparagraph (A); 

7 ‘‘(C) installing fencing to protect riparian 

8 areas and buffers; 

9 ‘‘(D) carrying out water development prac10 tices associated with excluding livestock from 

11 protected riparian areas; 

12 ‘‘(E) installing fencing and carrying out 

13 water development practices to facilitate transi14 tion to livestock grazing on lands enrolled under 

15 the grasslands enrollment option; 

16 ‘‘(F) conducting the necessary and appro17 priate mid-contract management activities to 

18 maintain the permanent cover and associated 

19 benefits; and 

20 ‘‘(G) carrying out other water quality con21 servation measures and practices.’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

24 (i) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘OR

25 HAYING’’ after ‘‘GRAZING’’; and 


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1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘for grazing livestock 

2 or harvesting hay’’ before ‘‘pursuant to’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 

5 ‘‘made by the Secretary’’ before ‘‘under this 

6 subchapter’’; 

7 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘the conserva8 tion reserve enhancement program under section 

9 1231A’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1231A’’; and 

10 (4) by striking paragraph (4). 

11 (b) INCENTIVE PAYMENTS.—Section 1234(c) of the 

12 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(c)) is amend13 ed to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(c) INCENTIVE PAYMENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) PRACTICE INCENTIVES FOR CONTINUOUS

16 PRACTICES.—In addition to the cost sharing pay17 ment described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall 

18 make a practice incentive payment to an owner or 

19 operator of eligible land enrolled under the contin20 uous enrollment option, or of eligible land described 

21 in section 1231(b)(2) (and any associated eligible 

22 land described in section 1231(b)(5)) and enrolled 

23 under the partnership initiatives enrollment option, 

24 in an amount not to exceed 50 percent of the actual 

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1 scribed in subsection (b)(1), including seed costs re2 lated to the establishment of cover, as determined by 

3 the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(2) SIGN-UP INCENTIVES FOR QUALIFYING

5 PRACTICES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION.—In addition to the 

7 annual rental payment under subsection (d), 

8 the Secretary may make an incentive payment 

9 to an owner or operator for enrolling environ10 mentally sensitive eligible land in the conserva11 tion reserve to implement or establish a quali12 fying practice. 

13 ‘‘(B) PAYMENT.—The Secretary shall— 

14 ‘‘(i) for purposes of subparagraph (A), 

15 establish an incentive payment amount for 

16 each contract with an owner or operator 

17 that does not exceed 50 percent of the first 

18 annual rental payment made to the owner 

19 or operator under subsection (d) for the el20 igible land; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) make any incentive payment 

22 under subparagraph (A) concurrent with 

23 such first annual rental payment. 

24 ‘‘(C) QUALIFYING PRACTICE.—In this 

25 paragraph, the term ‘qualifying practice’ means 


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1 a practice the implementation or establishment 

2 of which is appropriate to encourage on envi3 ronmentally sensitive eligible land— 

4 ‘‘(i) as determined by the Secretary, 

5 in consultation with the applicable State 

6 technical committee, for environmentally 

7 sensitive eligible land enrolled under the 

8 continuous enrollment option; or 

9 ‘‘(ii) as identified in an agreement 

10 under section 1231A, for environmentally 

11 sensitive eligible land enrolled pursuant to 

12 such agreement. 

13 ‘‘(3) FOREST MANAGEMENT INCENTIVE PAY14 MENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Using funds made 

16 available under section 1241(a)(1)(A), the Sec17 retary may make incentive payments to an 

18 owner or operator of eligible land in an amount 

19 sufficient to encourage proper thinning and 

20 other practices to improve the condition of re21 sources, promote forest management, or en22 hance wildlife habitat on the land. 

23 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A payment described 

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1 cent of the total cost of thinning and other 

2 practices conducted by the owner or operator. 

3 ‘‘(C) REDUCTION.—The Secretary shall re4 duce the amount of a payment under subpara5 graph (A) by an amount that is equal to any 

6 income received by the owner or operator as a 

7 result of the thinning or other practice, as de8 termined by the Secretary.’’. 

9 (c) ANNUAL RENTAL PAYMENTS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1234(d)(1) of the 

11 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(d)(1)) 

12 is amended— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘highly erodible cropland 

14 or other eligible lands’’ each place it appears 

15 and inserting ‘‘eligible land’’; and 

16 (B) by striking ‘‘the program established 

17 by this subchapter’’ and inserting ‘‘the con18 servation reserve program’’. 

19 (2) METHODS OF DETERMINATION.—Section 

20 1234(d)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

21 U.S.C. 3834(d)(2)) is amended— 

22 (A) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 

23 as follows: 

24 ‘‘(B) MULTIPLE ENROLLMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

2 subparagraph (A), if land subject to a con3 tract entered into under this subchapter is 

4 reenrolled pursuant to section 1231(g), the 

5 annual rental payment shall be in an 

6 amount that is not more than the applica7 ble percentage of the relevant county aver8 age soil rental rate for the year in which 

9 the reenrollment occurs (as determined 

10 under paragraph (4)(E)). 

11 ‘‘(ii) APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE.—For 

12 purposes of clause (i), the applicable per13 centage shall be— 

14 ‘‘(I) for the first reenrollment 

15 that occurs after the date of enact16 ment of the Farm, Food, and Na17 tional Security Act of 2024, 85 per18 cent; and 

19 ‘‘(II) for each subsequent re20 enrollment, the percentage that is 10 

21 percentage points less than the per22 centage that was applicable to the 

23 preceding reenrollment. 

24 ‘‘(iii) PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES.— 

25 The limitations on annual rental payments 


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1 under clauses (i) and (ii) may be waived or 

2 modified as part of the negotiation between 

3 the Secretary and an eligible partner to 

4 enter into an agreement under section 

5 1231A.’’; 

6 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘sub7 paragraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 

8 (A) and (B)’’; and 

9 (C) by striking subparagraph (D). 

10 (3) ACCEPTANCE OF CONTRACT OFFERS.—Sec11 tion 1234(d)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

12 (16 U.S.C. 3834(d)(3)) is amended— 

13 (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

14 as follows: 

15 ‘‘(A) NATURAL RESOURCE CONSIDER16 ATIONS.—In determining the acceptability of 

17 contract offers, the Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(i) with the advice of the applicable 

19 State technical committee, take into con20 sideration the extent to which enrollment 

21 of the land that is the subject of the con22 tract offer would improve soil resources, 

23 water quality, or wildlife habitat or provide 

24 other environmental benefits; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) ensure, to the maximum extent 

2 practicable, an equitable balance among 

3 the conservation purposes of soil erosion, 

4 water quality, and wildlife habitat.’’; 

5 (B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 

6 as follows: 

7 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF DIFFERENT CRI8 TERIA IN VARIOUS STATES.—The Secretary, 

9 with the advice of the applicable State technical 

10 committee, shall establish different criteria for 

11 determining the acceptability of contract offers 

12 in various States based on the extent to which 

13 water quality or wildlife habitat may be im14 proved or erosion may be abated.’’; 

15 (C) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

16 subparagraph (E); and 

17 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(C) CONSERVATION PRIORITY AREAS.—In 

20 carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary 

21 shall, to the extent practicable, maximize water 

22 quality and habitat benefits in conservation pri23 ority areas designated under section 1231(f) by 

24 promoting a significant level of enrollment of 


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1 land within such areas in the conservation re2 serve by— 

3 ‘‘(i) giving additional weight to appli4 cations for the enrollment of land within 

5 such areas that will maximize water qual6 ity and habitat benefits; 

7 ‘‘(ii) holding a signup and enrollment 

8 under the general enrollment option and 

9 the grasslands enrollment option specific to 

10 the designated areas; or 

11 ‘‘(iii) whatever other means the Sec12 retary determines are appropriate and con13 sistent with the purposes of this sub14 chapter. 

15 ‘‘(D) TRANSITION TO GRASSLAND USE.— 

16 In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary, 

17 in consultation with the applicable State tech18 nical committee, shall give priority to contract 

19 offers for enrollment under the grasslands en20 rollment option for eligible land— 

21 ‘‘(i) that has previously been enrolled 

22 under the general enrollment option, the 

23 continuous enrollment option, or the part24 nership initiatives enrollment option; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) with established cover that sup2 ports conservation objectives for a con3 servation priority area designated under 

4 section 1231(f); and 

5 ‘‘(iii) enrollment of which under the 

6 grasslands enrollment option will extend 

7 the protection of the established cover as 

8 an alternative to cropping.’’. 

9 (4) RENTAL RATES.—Section 1234(d)(4) of the 

10 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(d)(4)) 

11 is amended— 

12 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘as a 

13 factor’’; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

15 (i) in the header, by striking ‘‘FSA OF16 FICES AND CREP’’ and inserting ‘‘OFFICES

17 AND’’; 

18 (ii) by amending clause (i) to read as 

19 follows: 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

21 shall, prior to finalizing a new soil rental 

22 rate, provide a period of not fewer than 60 

23 days for the County Operating Committees 

24 of the Farm Service Agency, State Com25 mittees of the Farm Service Agency, State 


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1 conservationists, conservation districts, 

2 State technical committees established 

3 under section 1261(a), and eligible part4 ners to review such rate and concur or pro5 pose an alternative soil rental rate, on the 

6 condition that documentation described in 

7 clause (ii) is provided to support the pro8 posed alternative.’’; 

9 (iii) by redesignating clause (iii) as 

10 clause (iv); and 

11 (iv) by inserting after clause (ii) the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(iii) ACCEPTANCE OF ALTERNATIVE

14 RATES.—The Secretary shall accept and fi15 nalize an alternative soil rental rate pro16 posed in accordance with clause (i) unless 

17 the Secretary finds that such alternative 

18 rate is not appropriate, and publishes such 

19 finding on a publicly accessible website, in20 cluding a justification for such finding.’’; 

21 and 

22 (C) by amending subparagraph (E) to read 

23 as follows: 

24 ‘‘(E) RENTAL RATE LIMITATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The county aver2 age soil rental rate (before any adjust3 ments relating to specific practices, well4 head protection, or soil productivity) shall 

5 not exceed— 

6 ‘‘(I) for eligible land consisting of 

7 soils with a dryland cropland land ca8 pability class of I or II that is enrolled 

9 under the general enrollment option, 

10 85 percent of the estimated rental 

11 rate determined under this paragraph; 

12 ‘‘(II) for eligible land consisting 

13 of soils with a dryland cropland land 

14 capability class of III that is enrolled 

15 under the general enrollment option, 

16 100 percent of the estimated rental 

17 rate determined under this paragraph; 

18 ‘‘(III) for eligible land consisting 

19 of soils with a dryland cropland land 

20 capability class of IV through VII 

21 that is enrolled under the general en22 rollment option, 115 percent of the es23 timated rental rate determined under 

24 this paragraph; and 


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1 ‘‘(IV) for eligible land enrolled 

2 under the continuous enrollment op3 tion, 100 percent of the estimated 

4 rental rate determined under this 

5 paragraph, without regard to the land 

6 capability class of the soil. 

7 ‘‘(ii) PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES.— 

8 For eligible land enrolled under the part9 nership initiatives enrollment option, the 

10 county average soil rental rate (before any 

11 adjustments relating to specific practices, 

12 wellhead protection, or soil productivity) 

13 shall not exceed— 

14 ‘‘(I) for eligible land consisting of 

15 soils with a dryland cropland land ca16 pability class of I or II, 85 percent of 

17 the estimated rental rate determined 

18 under this paragraph; 

19 ‘‘(II) for eligible land consisting 

20 of soils with a dryland cropland land 

21 capability class of III, 100 percent of 

22 the estimated rental rate determined 

23 under this paragraph; 

24 ‘‘(III) for eligible land consisting 

25 of soils with a dryland cropland land 


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1 capability class of IV through VII, 

2 115 percent of the estimated rental 

3 rate determined under this paragraph; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(IV) for eligible land that would 

6 otherwise be enrolled under the con7 tinuous enrollment option, 100 per8 cent of the estimated rental rate de9 termined under this paragraph, with10 out regard to the land capability class 

11 of the soil.’’. 

12 (d) PAYMENT SCHEDULE.—Section 1234(e)(2) of the 

13 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(e)(2)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘Payments’’ and inserting ‘‘As the 

15 Secretary determines appropriate, payments’’. 

16 (e) PAYMENT LIMITATION FOR RENTAL PAY17 MENTS.—Section 1234(g)(1) of the Food Security Act of 

18 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(g)(1)) is amended by striking 

19 ‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$125,000’’. 

20 SEC. 2107. CONTRACTS. 

21 (a) OWNERSHIP OR OPERATION REQUIREMENTS.— 

22 Section 1235(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

23 U.S.C. 3835(a)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘placing 

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1 ing ‘‘enrolling the land in the conservation reserve 

2 under’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘agree4 ment’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘con5 tract’’. 

6 (b) SALES OR TRANSFERS.—Section 1235(b)(3) of 

7 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3835(b)(3)) 

8 is amended by striking ‘‘program established by this sub9 chapter’’ and inserting ‘‘conservation reserve program’’. 

10 (c) EARLY TERMINATION BY OWNER OR OPER11 ATOR.— 

12 (1) EARLY TERMINATION.—Section 

13 1235(e)(1)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

14 U.S.C. 3835(e)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘Dur15 ing fiscal year 2015, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’. 

16 (2) CERTAIN LAND EXCEPTED.—Section 

17 1235(e)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

18 U.S.C. 3835(e)(2)) is amended— 

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

20 ‘‘Filterstrips, waterways, strips adjacent to ri21 parian areas, windbreaks, and shelterbelts’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘Conservation buffers’’; 

23 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘an 

24 erodibility index of more than 15’’ and inserting 


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1 ‘‘a dryland cropland land capability class of VI 

2 through VII’’; 

3 (C) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘, 

4 longleaf pine, or shortleaf pine’’ before ‘‘trees’’; 

5 (D) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

6 ‘‘State acres for wildlife enhancement,’’; and 

7 (E) in subparagraph (J), by striking 

8 ‘‘under the conservation reserve enhancement 

9 program’’ and inserting ‘‘pursuant to section 

10 1231A’’. 

11 (3) PRORATED COST RECOVERY.—Section 

12 1235(e)(4) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

13 U.S.C. 3835(e)(4)) is amended— 

14 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘PRO15 RATED RENTAL PAYMENT’’ and inserting ‘‘PRO16 RATIONS’’; 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘If a contract’’ and insert18 ing the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) PRORATED RENTAL PAYMENT.—If a 

20 contract’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(B) PRORATED COST RECOVERY.—If a 

23 contract entered into under this subchapter is 

24 terminated under this subsection before the end 

25 of the contract term, the Secretary shall require 


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1 repayment of the portion of the cost sharing 

2 payments received that is proportional to the 

3 percentage of the years remaining in the con4 tract term on the date of the termination.’’. 

5 (4) RENEWED ENROLLMENT.—Section 

6 1235(e)(5) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

7 U.S.C. 3835(e)(5)) is amended— 

8 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘RE9 NEWED’’ and inserting ‘‘SUBSEQUENT’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘a subsequent bid to enroll 

11 the land’’ and inserting ‘‘an application for sub12 sequent enrollment of the land’’. 

13 (d) TRANSITION OPTION FOR CERTAIN FARMERS OR

14 RANCHERS.— 

15 (1) TRANSITION TO COVERED FARMER OR

16 RANCHER.—Section 1235(f)(1)(C) of the Food Secu17 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3835(f)(1)(C)) is 

18 amended by inserting ‘‘reserve’’ after ‘‘conserva19 tion’’. 

20 (2) REENROLLMENT.—Section 1235(f)(2) of 

21 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

22 3835(f)(2)) is amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(2) REENROLLMENT.—To the extent that the 

24 maximum number of acres permitted to be enrolled 

25 under the conservation reserve program has not been 


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1 met, the Secretary shall approve the first reenroll2 ment requested by a covered farmer or rancher pur3 suant to section 1231(g), subject to the require4 ments of such section.’’. 

5 (e) DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY GRAZING ASSIST6 ANCE.—Section 1235 of the Food Security Act of 1985 

7 (16 U.S.C. 3835) is further amended by adding at the 

8 end the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY GRAZING ASSIST10 ANCE.—The Secretary may allow an owner or operator to 

11 receive emergency cost-share assistance for livestock water 

12 facilities and grazing infrastructure through the emer13 gency conservation program, authorized by section 402 of 

14 the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2202), 

15 with respect to land enrolled in the conservation reserve, 

16 except that the Secretary shall ensure that there is no pay17 ment from the conservation reserve program for the same 

18 assistance.’’. 

19 Subtitle C—Environmental Quality 

20 Incentives Program 

21 SEC. 2201. DEFINITIONS. 

22 Section 1240A(6)(B)(v) of the Food Security Act of 

23 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–1(6)(B)(v)) is amended by in24 serting ‘‘(including the adoption of precision agriculture 


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1 practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture tech2 nology)’’ after ‘‘planning’’. 

3 SEC. 2202. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 1240B(a) of the 

5 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(a)) is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 (b) PAYMENTS.— 

8 (1) OTHER PAYMENTS.—Section 1240B(d)(6) 

9 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

10 3839aa–2(d)(6)) is amended— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘A producer shall’’ and in12 serting the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) PAYMENTS UNDER THIS SUBTITLE.— 

14 A producer shall’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(B) CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN

17 GUARANTEE PROGRAM PAYMENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A producer receiv19 ing payments for practices on eligible land 

20 under the program may also receive a loan 

21 or loan guarantee under section 304 of the 

22 Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop23 ment Act to cover costs for the same prac24 tices on the same land. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) NOTICE TO PRODUCER.—The 

2 Secretary shall inform a producer partici3 pating in the program in writing that they 

4 may apply to receive a loan or loan guar5 antee under section 304 of the Consoli6 dated Farm and Rural Development Act as 

7 it relates to costs of implementing prac8 tices under this program.’’. 

9 (2) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR HIGH-PRIORITY

10 PRACTICES.—Section 1240B(d)(7) of the Food Se11 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(7)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (A) in the paragraph heading, by inserting 

14 ‘‘STATE-DETERMINED’’ before ‘‘HIGH-PRI15 ORITY’’; and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (A)— 

17 (i) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

18 the end; 

19 (ii) in clause (iv), by striking the pe20 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

21 (iii) by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(v) increases carbon sequestration or 

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1 ing emissions of methane and nitrous 

2 oxide.’’. 

3 (3) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AG4 RICULTURE.—Section 1240B(d) of the Food Secu5 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)) is amend6 ed by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(8) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AG8 RICULTURE PRACTICES.—Notwithstanding para9 graph (2), the Secretary may increase the amount 

10 that would otherwise be provided for a practice 

11 under this subsection to not more than 90 percent 

12 of the costs associated with adopting precision agri13 culture practices and acquiring precision agriculture 

14 technology for the purpose of implementing con15 servation practices.’’. 

16 (c) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Section 1240B(f) of 

17 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(f)) 

18 is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

21 (2) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

22 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2031’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

24 (B) by striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 (d) WATER CONSERVATION OR IRRIGATION EFFI2 CIENCY PRACTICE.—Section 1240B(h)(1) is amended— 

3 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 

4 inserting a semicolon; 

5 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 

6 and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(D) the adoption of precision agriculture 

9 practices or the acquisition of precision agri10 culture technology to achieve water conservation 

11 and energy efficiency.’’. 

12 (e) PAYMENTS FOR CONSERVATION PRACTICE RE13 LATED TO ORGANIC PRODUCTION.—Section 

14 1240B(i)(3)(A)(ii) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

15 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(i)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking 

16 ‘‘2019 through 2023, $140,000’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

17 through 2029, $200,000’’. 

18 (f) CONSERVATION INCENTIVE CONTRACTS.—Section 

19 1240B(j)(2)(A)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

20 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(j)(2)(A)(i)) is amended by inserting 

21 ‘‘(which may include the adoption of precision agriculture 

22 practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture tech23 nology)’’ after ‘‘incentive practices’’. 


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1 (g) SOUTHERN BORDER INITIATIVE.—Section 

2 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

3 3839aa–2) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(k) SOUTHERN BORDER INITIATIVE.— 

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

6 payments under the program to producers to imple7 ment conservation practices on covered lands of such 

8 producers that address and repair covered damage 

9 that may contribute to a natural resource concern or 

10 problem. 

11 ‘‘(2) CONTRACT TERM.—In the case of a con12 tract under the program entered into for the imple13 mentation of practices described in paragraph (1), 

14 such contract shall have a term of 1 year. 

15 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

16 ‘‘(A) COVERED DAMAGE.—The term ‘cov17 ered damage’ means damage to agricultural 

18 land or farming infrastructure. 

19 ‘‘(B) COVERED LAND.—The term ‘covered 

20 land’ means eligible land in a county at or near 

21 the southern border of the United States, as de22 termined by the Secretary.’’. 


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1 SEC. 2203. LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS. 

2 Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

3 U.S.C. 3839aa–7) is amended by striking ‘‘2019 through 

4 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

5 SEC. 2204. CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS AND PAY6 MENTS. 

7 (a) COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE CON8 SERVATION APPROACHES.—Section 1240H(a) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—Out of the funds made available 

13 to carry out this subchapter, the Secretary may 

14 award competitive grants that are intended to stimu15 late development and evaluation of new and innova16 tive approaches to leveraging the Federal investment 

17 in environmental enhancement and protection, in 

18 conjunction with agricultural production or forest re19 source management, through the program, including 

20 grants for the development and evaluation of new 

21 and innovative technologies that may be incor22 porated into conservation practice standards.’’; and 

23 (2) in paragraph (2)(H), by inserting before the 

24 period ‘‘(including precision agriculture practices 

25 and precision agriculture technologies)’’. 


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1 (b) AIR QUALITY CONCERNS FROM AGRICULTURAL

2 OPERATIONS.—Section 1240H(b)(2) of the Food Security 

3 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(b)(2)) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 (c) ON-FARM CONSERVATION INNOVATION

6 TRIALS.—Section 1240H(c) of the Food Security Act of 

7 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(c)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)— 

9 (A) in subclause (VI), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

10 the end; and 

11 (B) by inserting after subclause (VII) the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(VIII) perennial production sys14 tems, including agroforestry and pe15 rennial forages and grain crops; and’’; 

16 and 

17 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2031’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

19 (d) REPORTING AND DATABASE.—Section 

20 1240H(d)(2)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

21 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(d)(2)(A)) is amended— 

22 (1) in clause (i)— 

23 (A) by inserting ‘‘, including both manage24 ment and structural conservation practices,’’ 

25 after ‘‘conservation practices’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

2 (2) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); 

3 (3) by inserting after clause (i) the following: 

4 ‘‘(ii) data that may be used to evalu5 ate new and emerging technologies and 

6 recommendations for State and regional 

7 applications of such new and emerging 

8 technologies; and’’; and 

9 (4) in clause (iii), as so redesignated, by insert10 ing ‘‘for consideration under the streamlined process 

11 developed under section 1242(h)(3)’’ before the pe12 riod at the end. 

13 Subtitle D—Conservation 

14 Stewardship Program 

15 SEC. 2301. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM. 

16 Section 1240J(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

17 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–22(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘2031’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

19 SEC. 2302. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

20 (a) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PAYMENTS.—Sec21 tion 1240L(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

22 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting before the 

24 period ‘‘(including increased costs associated with 

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1 servation activities and acquiring precision agri2 culture technology)’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(6) MINIMUM PAYMENT.—The amount of an 

5 annual payment under the program shall be not less 

6 than $2,500.’’. 

7 (b) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS FOR RESOURCE8 CONSERVING CROP ROTATIONS AND ADVANCED GRAZING

9 MANAGEMENT.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security 

10 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amended— 

11 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘AND

12 ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘, ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT, AND PRECI14 SION AGRICULTURE’’; 

15 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 

17 or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

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

19 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(C) precision agriculture conservation ac22 tivities.’’; and 

23 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or advanced 

24 grazing management’’ and inserting ‘‘, advanced 


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1 grazing management, or precision agriculture con2 servation activities’’. 

3 (c) PAYMENT LIMITATIONS.—Section 1240L(f) of 

4 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(f)) 

5 is amended by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

7 (d) ORGANIC CERTIFICATION.—Section 

8 1240L(h)(2)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

9 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(h)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 2303. STATE ASSISTANCE FOR SOIL HEALTH. 

12 Subchapter B of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII 

13 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–21 

14 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 1240L–2. STATE ASSISTANCE FOR SOIL HEALTH. 

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

17 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘eligi18 ble Indian Tribe’ means an Indian Tribe that is— 

19 ‘‘(A) implementing a soil health program 

20 for the area over which the Indian Tribe has ju21 risdiction; and 

22 ‘‘(B) meeting or exceeding performance 

23 measures established by the Indian Tribe for 

24 the soil health program. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘eligible 

2 State’ means a State that is— 

3 ‘‘(A) implementing a soil health program 

4 for the State; and 

5 ‘‘(B) meeting or exceeding performance 

6 measures established by the State for the soil 

7 health program. 

8 ‘‘(3) SOIL HEALTH PROGRAM.—The term ‘soil 

9 health program’ means a program to improve soil 

10 health on agricultural land that— 

11 ‘‘(A) is broadly consistent with the soil 

12 health principles of the Natural Resources Con13 servation Service, as determined by the Sec14 retary; and 

15 ‘‘(B) may include— 

16 ‘‘(i) technical assistance; 

17 ‘‘(ii) financial assistance; 

18 ‘‘(iii) on-farm research and dem19 onstration; 

20 ‘‘(iv) education, outreach, and train21 ing; 

22 ‘‘(v) monitoring and evaluation; or 

23 ‘‘(vi) such other components as the 

24 Secretary determines appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY AND PURPOSE OF GRANTS.—For 

2 fiscal years 2025 through 2029, the Secretary shall make 

3 grants to eligible States and eligible Indian Tribes for the 

4 purpose of improving soil health on agricultural lands 

5 through the implementation of State and Tribal soil health 

6 programs. 

7 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 

9 this section, an eligible State or eligible Indian Tribe 

10 shall submit to the Secretary an application at such 

11 time, in such a manner, and containing such infor12 mation as the Secretary shall require, which shall in13 clude— 

14 ‘‘(A) a description of performance meas15 ures to be used to evaluate the State or Tribal 

16 soil health program and the results of any ac17 tivities carried out using grant funds received 

18 under this section; and 

19 ‘‘(B) an assurance that grant funds re20 ceived under this section will supplement the 

21 expenditure of State or Tribal funds in support 

22 of soil health, rather than replace such funds. 

23 ‘‘(2) TRIBAL OPTION.—An Indian Tribe shall 

24 have the option, at the sole discretion of the Indian 


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1 Tribe, to be incorporated into the application of an 

2 eligible State. 

3 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this sec4 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible States and 

5 eligible Indian Tribes with a climate action plan that in6 cludes soil health, as determined by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(e) GRANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant to an 

9 eligible State or eligible Indian Tribe under this sec10 tion for a fiscal year may not exceed the lower of— 

11 ‘‘(A) $5,000,000; or 

12 ‘‘(B) as applicable— 

13 ‘‘(i) 50 percent of the cost of imple14 menting the State soil health program in 

15 the fiscal year; or 

16 ‘‘(ii) 75 percent of the cost of imple17 menting the Tribal soil health program in 

18 the fiscal year. 

19 ‘‘(2) TERM.—A grant under this section shall 

20 be for 1 year, and may be renewed annually. 

21 ‘‘(f) AUDITS AND REVIEWS.—An eligible State or eli22 gible Indian Tribe receiving a grant under this section 

23 shall submit to the Secretary— 


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1 ‘‘(1) for each year for which the State or Indian 

2 Tribe receives such a grant, the results of an audit 

3 of the expenditures of the grant funds; and 

4 ‘‘(2) at such intervals as the Secretary shall es5 tablish, a review and evaluation of the State or Trib6 al soil health program. 

7 ‘‘(g) EFFECT OF NONCOMPLIANCE.—If the Sec8 retary, after reasonable notice to an eligible State or eligi9 ble Indian Tribe receiving a grant under this section, finds 

10 that the State or Indian Tribe has failed to comply with 

11 the terms of the grant, the Secretary may disqualify, for 

12 1 or more years, the State or Indian Tribe from receipt 

13 of future grants under this section. 

14 ‘‘(h) FUNDING.—Of the funds made available to 

15 carry out this subchapter, $100,000,000 shall be available 

16 in each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out 

17 this section. 

18 ‘‘(i) ADMINISTRATION.— 

19 ‘‘(1) DEPARTMENT.—The Secretary may not 

20 use more than 3 percent of the funds made available 

21 to carry out this section for a fiscal year for admin22 istrative expenses. 

23 ‘‘(2) STATES OR INDIAN TRIBES.—An eligible 

24 State or eligible Indian Tribe receiving a grant 

25 under this section may not use more than 7 percent 


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1 of the granted funds for a fiscal year for administra2 tive expenses.’’. 

3 Subtitle E—Other Conservation 

4 Programs 

5 SEC. 2401. CONSERVATION OF PRIVATE GRAZING LAND. 

6 Section 1240M(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

7 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 2402. FERAL SWINE ERADICATION AND CONTROL PRO10 GRAM. 

11 (a) FERAL SWINE ERADICATION AND CONTROL PRO12 GRAM.—Chapter 5 of subtitle D of the Food Security Act 

13 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb et seq.) is amended by insert14 ing after section 1240M the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 1240N. FERAL SWINE ERADICATION AND CONTROL 

16 PROGRAM. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

18 feral swine eradication and control program (in this sec19 tion referred to as the ‘program’) to respond to the threat 

20 feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and 

21 human and animal health. 

22 ‘‘(b) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—In carrying out 

23 the program, the Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) study and assess the nature and extent of 

2 damage to the threatened areas caused by feral 

3 swine; 

4 ‘‘(2) develop methods to eradicate or control 

5 feral swine in the threatened areas; 

6 ‘‘(3) develop methods to restore damage caused 

7 by feral swine; and 

8 ‘‘(4) provide financial assistance to agricultural 

9 producers in threatened areas. 

10 ‘‘(c) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may provide finan11 cial assistance to agricultural producers under the pro12 gram to implement methods to— 

13 ‘‘(1) eradicate or control feral swine in the 

14 threatened areas; and 

15 ‘‘(2) restore damage caused by feral swine. 

16 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 

17 that the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the 

18 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service coordinate for 

19 purposes of this section through State technical commit20 tees established under section 1261(a). 

21 ‘‘(e) COST SHARING.— 

22 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

23 the costs of activities under the program may not 

24 exceed 75 percent of the total costs of such activi25 ties. 


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1 ‘‘(2) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—The non-Fed2 eral share of the costs of activities under the pro3 gram may be provided in the form of in-kind con4 tributions of materials or services. 

5 ‘‘(f) THREATENED AREA DEFINED.—In this section, 

6 the term ‘threatened area’ means an area of a State in 

7 which feral swine have been identified as a threat to agri8 culture, native ecosystems, or human and animal health, 

9 as determined by the Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(g) FUNDING.— 

11 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds 

12 made available under section 1241(a)(3)(A), the 

13 Secretary shall use to carry out this section 

14 $150,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2025 

15 through 2029. 

16 ‘‘(2) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds 

17 made available under paragraph (1)— 

18 ‘‘(A) 40 percent shall be allocated to the 

19 Natural Resources Conservation Service to 

20 carry out the program, including the provision 

21 of financial assistance to producers for on-farm 

22 trapping and technology related to capturing 

23 and confining feral swine; and 

24 ‘‘(B) 60 percent shall be allocated to the 

25 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to 


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1 carry out the program, including the use of es2 tablished, and testing of innovative, population 

3 reduction methods. 

4 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EX5 PENSES.—Not more than 10 percent of funds made 

6 available under this section may be used for admin7 istrative expenses of the program.’’. 

8 (b) REPEAL.—Section 2408 of the Agriculture Im9 provement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8351 note) is repealed. 

10 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

11 in section 1(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

12 2018 is amended by striking the item relating to section 

13 2408. 

14 SEC. 2403. GRASSROOTS SOURCE WATER PROTECTION 

15 PROGRAM. 

16 Section 1240O(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

17 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb–2(b)) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

21 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 

22 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

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

24 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(C) of the funds made available under 

2 section 1241(a)(3)(A), $1,000,000 beginning in 

3 fiscal year 2025, to remain available until ex4 pended.’’. 

5 SEC. 2404. VOLUNTARY PUBLIC ACCESS AND HABITAT IN6 CENTIVE PROGRAM. 

7 Section 1240R(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

8 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb–5(f)) is amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(f) FUNDING.— 

10 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds 

11 made available under section 1241(a)(3)(A), the 

12 Secretary shall use to carry out this section 

13 $150,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2025 

14 through 2029. 

15 ‘‘(2) ENHANCED PUBLIC ACCESS TO WETLAND

16 RESERVE EASEMENTS.—To the maximum extent 

17 practicable, of the funds made available under para18 graph (1), the Secretary shall use $3,000,000 for 

19 the period of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to en20 courage public access to land covered by wetland re21 serve easements under section 1265C through agree22 ments with States and Tribal governments under 

23 this section.’’. 


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1 SEC. 2405. WATERSHED PROTECTION AND FLOOD PREVEN2 TION ACT. 

3 (a) ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(a) of the Water5 shed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 

6 U.S.C. 1003(a)) is amended by redesignating para7 graph (6) as paragraph (7) and inserting after para8 graph (5) the following: 

9 ‘‘(6) to provide technical and financial assist10 ance for remedial actions in accordance with sub11 section (c); and’’. 

12 (2) ASSISTANCE FOR REMEDIAL ACTIONS; 

13 STREAMLINING.—Section 3 of the Watershed Pro14 tection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1003) 

15 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(c) ASSISTANCE FOR REMEDIAL ACTIONS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 

18 (a)(6), the Secretary may provide technical and fi19 nancial assistance to local organizations for remedial 

20 actions for a completed work of improvement in21 stalled under this Act with respect to which— 

22 ‘‘(A) deterioration of a structural compo23 nent of the work of improvement is occurring at 

24 an abnormal rate, including situations in which 

25 such deterioration is due to a design deficiency 


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1 or to site conditions that were unknown at the 

2 time of installation of the work of improvement; 

3 ‘‘(B) the planned service life of the work of 

4 improvement exceeds the service life of a struc5 tural component of such work of improvement; 

6 or 

7 ‘‘(C) structural damage to such work of 

8 improvement, or to a structural component of 

9 such work of improvement, was caused by a 

10 storm event that exceeded the maximum storm 

11 event for which the work of improvement was 

12 designed. 

13 ‘‘(2) COST SHARE.—Financial assistance pro14 vided under this subsection shall be provided in ac15 cordance with the cost-share rate established in the 

16 agreement with the local organization for the work 

17 of improvement. 

18 ‘‘(d) STREAMLINING.—The Secretary shall, on an on19 going basis— 

20 ‘‘(1) engage with relevant Federal agencies to 

21 reduce or eliminate regulatory, policy, or procedural 

22 barriers to timely provision of assistance under this 

23 Act; 

24 ‘‘(2) provide for streamlined procedures relating 

25 to coordination with other Federal or State agencies 


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1 for required reviews and permitting of projects pur2 suant to this Act, and ensure such procedures are 

3 commensurate with the size and scale of the 

4 projects; 

5 ‘‘(3) conduct an assessment of internal Depart6 ment of Agriculture planning, technical support, and 

7 approvals to determine best practices to be used for 

8 the purpose of maximizing the decisionmaking au9 thority of State conservationists with respect to ap10 provals required for projects under this Act; and 

11 ‘‘(4) prioritize the use of agreements and con12 tracting authorities under this Act to provide fund13 ing to local organizations for the planning, design, 

14 and construction of works of improvement.’’. 

15 (b) DATA.—Section 13 of the Watershed Protection 

16 and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1010) is amended 

17 to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 13. DATA. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall collect and 

20 maintain, and make publicly available— 

21 ‘‘(1) data, on a national and State-by-State 

22 basis, concerning— 

23 ‘‘(A) expenditures for the individual flood 

24 control and conservation measures for which as25 sistance is provided under this Act; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the expected flood control or environ2 mental (including soil erosion) benefits that will 

3 result from the implementation of such meas4 ures; and 

5 ‘‘(2) data, with respect to each project for 

6 which assistance is provided under this Act, con7 cerning— 

8 ‘‘(A) total allocated and expended funds 

9 for planning, design, construction, remedial ac10 tions, and rehabilitation; and 

11 ‘‘(B) contracts and agreements entered 

12 into by the Secretary with a local organization 

13 to provide services, including— 

14 ‘‘(i) the services provided through 

15 such contracts and agreements; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the total funds allocated to such 

17 contracts and agreements; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) any modifications or adjust19 ments made to such contracts and agree20 ments. 

21 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary may not make 

22 publicly available under this section an agreement entered 

23 into with an individual landowner, operator, or occupier 

24 under this Act, or any disaggregated information that 


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1 identifies such individual landowner, operator, or occu2 pier.’’. 

3 (c) REHABILITATION OF STRUCTURAL MEASURES

4 NEAR, AT, OR PAST THEIR EVALUATED LIFE EXPECT5 ANCY.— 

6 (1) COST SHARE ASSISTANCE FOR REHABILITA7 TION.—Section 14(b) of the Watershed Protection 

8 and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012(b)) is 

9 amended— 

10 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘65 per11 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘90 percent’’; and 

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

13 ‘‘(4) RELATION TO REQUIREMENTS OF AU14 THORIZED PROJECTS.—A rehabilitation project for 

15 which assistance is provided under this section shall 

16 not be subject to— 

17 ‘‘(A) the requirement under section 2 that 

18 a project contain benefits directly related to ag19 riculture, including rural communities, that ac20 count for at least 20 percent of the total bene21 fits of the project; or 

22 ‘‘(B) section 4(5).’’. 

23 (2) FUNDING.—Section 14(h)(2)(E) of the Wa24 tershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 


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1 U.S.C. 1012(h)(2)(E)) is amended by striking 

2 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 (d) FUNDING.—Section 15 of the Watershed Protec4 tion and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012a) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘$50,000,000 for fiscal year 

7 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘$150,000,000 for fiscal year 

8 2025’’; and 

9 (2) by inserting before the period at the end ‘‘, 

10 to remain available until expended’’. 

11 SEC. 2406. EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM. 

12 Section 401 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 

13 (16 U.S.C. 2201) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b)— 

15 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

16 ‘‘AND OTHER EMERGENCY CONSERVATION

17 MEASURES’’ after ‘‘FENCING’’; and 

18 (B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

19 follows: 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a payment 

21 to an agricultural producer under subsection (a) for 

22 the repair or replacement of fencing, or for other 

23 emergency measures to rehabilitate farmland or to 

24 repair or replace a farmland or conservation strucVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00137 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 ture, the Secretary shall give the agricultural pro2 ducer the option of receiving— 

3 ‘‘(A) before carrying out such replacement 

4 or rehabilitation, not more than 75 percent of 

5 the payment for such replacement or rehabilita6 tion, which shall be based on the fair market 

7 value of the replacement or rehabilitation, as 

8 determined by the Secretary; and 

9 ‘‘(B) before carrying out such repair, not 

10 more than 50 percent of the payment for such 

11 repair, which shall be based on the fair market 

12 value of the repair, as determined by the Sec13 retary.’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(c) WILDFIRES.—A wildfire that causes damage 

16 with respect to which a payment may be made under sub17 section (a) includes any wildfire that is not caused natu18 rally, including a wildfire that is caused by the Federal 

19 Government, if the damage is caused by the spread of the 

20 fire due to natural causes.’’. 

21 SEC. 2407. EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROGRAM. 

22 (a) FLOODPLAIN EASEMENTS.—Section 403(b) of 

23 the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203(b)) 

24 is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

2 paragraphs (5) and (6); 

3 (2) by inserting after the subsection header the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(1) EASEMENT RESTORATION.—The Secretary 

6 is authorized to restore appropriate vegetative cover, 

7 hydrological functions, and other functions and val8 ues of the land subject to a floodplain easement ac9 quired under subsection (a). 

10 ‘‘(2) EASEMENT MAINTENANCE.—The Sec11 retary is authorized to monitor, maintain, and en12 hance appropriate vegetative cover, hydrological res13 toration measures, and other restoration measures 

14 on land subject to a floodplain easement acquired 

15 under subsection (a). 

16 ‘‘(3) CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS.—In car17 rying out paragraphs (1) and (2), the Secretary 

18 may— 

19 ‘‘(A) enter into contracts with landowners; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(B) enter into agreements with States, 

22 nongovernmental organizations, and Indian 

23 Tribes. 

24 ‘‘(4) COMPATIBLE USE AUTHORITY.—The Sec25 retary may authorize a landowner to carry out acVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00139 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 tivities on land subject to a floodplain easement ac2 quired under subsection (a) that are— 

3 ‘‘(A) compatible uses necessary to carry 

4 out paragraph (1) or (2); or 

5 ‘‘(B) compatible economic uses (including 

6 such activities as hunting and fishing, managed 

7 timber harvest, water management, or periodic 

8 haying or grazing) if such uses are consistent 

9 with the long-term protection of the floodplain 

10 functions and values for which the easement 

11 was acquired.’’; and 

12 (3) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by 

13 striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

14 (5)’’ each place it appears. 

15 (b) LEVEL OF RESTORATION.—Section 403 of the 

16 Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203) is 

17 amended by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(c) LEVEL OF RESTORATION.—In carrying out this 

19 section, the Secretary may undertake measures that in20 crease the level of protection above that which would be 

21 necessary to address the immediate impairment of the wa22 tershed if the Secretary determines that such restoration 

23 is in the best interest of the long-term health of the water24 shed and the long-term protection of the watershed from 

25 repetitive impairments.’’. 


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1 SEC. 2408. NATIONAL AGRICULTURE FLOOD VULNER2 ABILITY STUDY. 

3 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

5 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the 

6 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

7 Senate a national agriculture flood vulnerability report 

8 containing the results of a Conservation Effects Assess9 ment Project assessment of flood risk on agricultural 

10 lands, including— 

11 (1) an analysis of economic losses of crops and 

12 livestock resulting from flooding under different re13 currence scenarios; 

14 (2) an analysis of the downstream effects of 

15 mitigation activities carried out as part of a water16 shed management approach; 

17 (3) an analysis of available Federal and State 

18 data relating to flood risk, as applicable to agricul19 tural land, including data relating to riverine flood20 ing, coastal flooding, storm surge, extreme precipita21 tion, and flash flooding; and 

22 (4) a description of ongoing producer-level con23 servation practices and broader government initia24 tives to manage the effects of flooding and flood risk 

25 within and across watersheds, and recommendations 


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1 for additional practices and initiatives to further ad2 dress such effects and risk. 

3 Subtitle F—Funding and 

4 Administration 

5 SEC. 2501. COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION. 

6 (a) ANNUAL FUNDING.—Section 1241(a) of the Food 

7 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(a)) is amended— 

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

9 striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

12 ‘‘2019 through 2023 to provide payments under 

13 section 1234(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

14 2029 to provide payments under section 

15 1234(c)(3)’’; and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

17 ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

18 through 2029’’; 

19 (3) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs 

20 (A) through (F) and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

22 ‘‘(B) $625,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

23 ‘‘(C) $650,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

24 ‘‘(D) $675,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(E) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’; 

2 (4) in paragraph (3)— 

3 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

4 clauses (i) through (v) and inserting the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(i) $2,400,000,000 for fiscal year 

7 2025; 

8 ‘‘(ii) $2,600,000,000 for fiscal year 

9 2026; 

10 ‘‘(iii) $2,800,000,000 for fiscal year 

11 2027; 

12 ‘‘(iv) $3,100,000,000 for fiscal year 

13 2028; and 

14 ‘‘(v) $3,120,000,000 for fiscal year 

15 2029; and’’; and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

17 clauses (i) through (v) and inserting the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(i) $1,275,000,000 for fiscal year 

20 2025; 

21 ‘‘(ii) $1,300,000,000 for fiscal year 

22 2026; 

23 ‘‘(iii) $1,325,000,000 for fiscal year 

24 2027; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) $1,350,000,000 for fiscal year 

2 2028; and 

3 ‘‘(v) $1,375,000,000 for fiscal year 

4 2029.’’; and 

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

6 ‘‘(5) The forest conservation easement program 

7 under subtitle I, using, to the maximum extent prac8 ticable— 

9 ‘‘(A) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

10 ‘‘(B) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

11 ‘‘(C) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

12 ‘‘(D) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(E) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 

15 ‘‘(6) The regional conservation partnership pro16 gram under subtitle J, using, to the maximum ex17 tent practicable— 

18 ‘‘(A) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

19 ‘‘(B) $425,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

20 ‘‘(C) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

21 ‘‘(D) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(E) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’. 


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1 (b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Section 1241(b) of 

2 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(b)) is 

3 amended by striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

4 (c) REGIONAL EQUITY.—Section 1241(e)(1) of the 

5 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(e)(1)) is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘subtitle I’’ and inserting ‘‘subtitle 

7 J’’. 

8 (d) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR

9 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.—Section 1241(f) of the 

10 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)) is amend11 ed— 

12 (1) in paragraph (6)(A)(ii), by inserting ‘‘of’’ 

13 before ‘‘any terms’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (8), in the matter preceding 

15 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘2029’’; and 

17 (3) in paragraph (9)— 

18 (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

19 as follows: 

20 ‘‘(A) subtitle D (except for subchapter B 

21 of chapter 1 of such subtitle), subtitle H, sub22 title I, or subtitle J;’’; 

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

24 semicolon and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

25 (C) by striking subparagraph (C). 


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1 (e) ASSISTANCE TO CERTAIN FARMERS OR RANCH2 ERS FOR CONSERVATION ACCESS.—Section 1241(h) of 

3 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(h)) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

6 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘2031’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

8 (B) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

9 striking ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

10 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2031’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 (f) REPORT ON PROGRAM ENROLLMENTS AND AS13 SISTANCE.—Section 1241(i) of the Food Security Act of 

14 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(i)) is amended— 

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

16 striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2024 

17 through 2029’’; and 

18 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘section 

19 1265B(b)(2)(B)(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

20 1265B(b)(2)(A)(iii)’’. 

21 SEC. 2502. RESCISSIONS. 

22 The unobligated balances of amounts made available 

23 by the following provisions of Public Law 117–169 (136 

24 Stat. 2015–2016) are hereby rescinded: 


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1 (1) Clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv) of section 

2 21001(a)(1)(A). 

3 (2) Clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv) of section 

4 21001(a)(2)(A). 

5 (3) Subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) of section 

6 21001(a)(3). 

7 (4) Clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv) of section 

8 21001(a)(4)(A). 

9 SEC. 2503. DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1242(a) of the Food Se11 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(a)) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para13 graph (3); and 

14 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(2) NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING ENTITY.—The 

17 term ‘non-Federal certifying entity’ means a non18 Federal entity, an Indian Tribe, or a State agency 

19 described in subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of sub20 section (e)(4) that has entered into an agreement 

21 under subsection (e)(5)(D).’’. 

22 (b) PURPOSE OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 

23 1242(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

24 3842(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘timely,’’ after ‘‘con25 sistent,’’. 


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1 (c) NON-FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 1242(d) of 

2 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(d)) is 

3 amended by inserting ‘‘(including private sector entities)’’ 

4 after ‘‘Department or non-Federal entities’’. 

5 (d) CERTIFICATION OF THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS.— 

6 Section 1242(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

7 U.S.C. 3842(e)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Food, Con9 servation, and Energy Act of 2008’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024’’; 

11 (2) by amending paragraph (3)(A) to read as 

12 follows: 

13 ‘‘(A) ensure that persons (including com14 mercial entities, nonprofit entities, State or 

15 local governments or agencies, and other Fed16 eral agencies) with expertise in the technical as17 pects of conservation planning, watershed plan18 ning, environmental engineering, conservation 

19 practice design, implementation, and evaluation, 

20 and any other technical skills determined appro21 priate by the Secretary, are eligible to become 

22 approved providers of the technical assistance;’’; 

23 and 

24 (3) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5) and in25 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) CERTIFICATION.—A third-party provider 

2 may be certified to provide technical assistance 

3 under this section only— 

4 ‘‘(A) through a certification process admin5 istered by the Secretary, acting through the 

6 Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation 

7 Service; 

8 ‘‘(B) by a non-Federal entity (other than 

9 a State agency or an Indian Tribe) approved by 

10 the Secretary under paragraph (5) to certify a 

11 third-party provider; 

12 ‘‘(C) by an Indian Tribe approved by the 

13 Secretary under paragraph (5) to certify a 

14 third-party provider; or 

15 ‘‘(D) by a State agency that— 

16 ‘‘(i) has statutory authority to certify, 

17 administer, or license professionals in one 

18 or more fields of natural resources, agri19 culture, or engineering; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) is approved by the Secretary 

21 under paragraph (5) to certify a third22 party provider. 

23 ‘‘(5) NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING ENTITY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF APPROVAL

25 PROCESS.—Not later than 180 days after the 


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1 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and Na2 tional Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall 

3 establish a process to approve a non-Federal 

4 entity (including a State agency and an Indian 

5 Tribe), to become a non-Federal certifying enti6 ty. 

7 ‘‘(B) APPROVAL.—Not later than 60 days 

8 after the date on which the Secretary receives 

9 an application by a non-Federal entity to certify 

10 third-party providers under this section, the 

11 Secretary shall make a decision on whether to 

12 approve such application. 

13 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY.—In carrying out sub14 paragraph (B), the Secretary shall take into 

15 consideration— 

16 ‘‘(i) the ability of the applicable non17 Federal entity to assess the qualifications 

18 of a third-party provider and to certify 

19 third-party providers at scale; 

20 ‘‘(ii) the experience of the applicable 

21 non-Federal entity in working with third22 party providers and eligible participants; 

23 ‘‘(iii) the expertise of the applicable 

24 non-Federal entity in the technical skills 

25 described in paragraph (3)(A); and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) such other qualifications as the 

2 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(D) AGREEMENT.—Upon approving an 

4 application under this paragraph, the Secretary 

5 shall enter into an agreement with the non-Fed6 eral entity to become a non-Federal certifying 

7 entity. 

8 ‘‘(E) DUTIES OF NON-FEDERAL CERTI9 FYING ENTITIES.—In certifying third-party pro10 viders under this section, a non-Federal certi11 fying entity shall— 

12 ‘‘(i) assess the ability of a third-party 

13 provider to appropriately provide technical 

14 assistance to eligible participants for speci15 fied practices and conservation activities; 

16 ‘‘(ii) provide training to ensure that a 

17 third-party provider is qualified to provide 

18 technical assistance upon certification by 

19 the non-Federal certifying entity; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) submit to the Secretary, in a 

21 timely manner, information on— 

22 ‘‘(I) each third-party provider 

23 certified by the non-Federal certifying 

24 entity, for inclusion on the registry of 


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1 certified third-party providers main2 tained by the Secretary; and 

3 ‘‘(II) each third-party provider 

4 the certification of which is withdrawn 

5 by the non-Federal certifying entity. 

6 ‘‘(6) TIMELY DECISIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) CERTIFICATION BY SECRETARY.—Not 

8 later than 30 days after the date on which the 

9 Secretary receives an application from a third10 party provider to be certified under the process 

11 described in paragraph (4)(A) for particular 

12 practices and conservation activities, the Sec13 retary shall— 

14 ‘‘(i) make a final decision with respect 

15 to such application; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) if the final decision is to certify 

17 the third-party provider, include the name 

18 of the certified third-party provider on the 

19 registry of certified third-party providers 

20 maintained by the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION BY NON-FEDERAL

22 CERTIFYING ENTITY.—Not later than 10 days 

23 after the date on which the Secretary receives 

24 a notification from a non-Federal certifying en25 tity that a third-party provider was certified, 


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1 pursuant to subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of 

2 paragraph (4), for particular practices and con3 servation activities, the Secretary shall include 

4 the name of the certified third-party provider 

5 on the registry of certified third-party providers 

6 maintained by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(7) STREAMLINED CERTIFICATION.—Not later 

8 than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 

9 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the 

10 Secretary shall establish a streamlined process for 

11 the Secretary and non-Federal certifying entities to 

12 use to certify under this section a third-party pro13 vider that has a relevant professional certification 

14 for particular practices and conservation activities, 

15 as determined by the Secretary.’’. 

16 (e) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 1242(f) of the Food 

17 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(f)) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘each of the 

19 programs specified in section 1241’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘conservation programs administered by the Sec21 retary’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding 

23 subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or a non-Federal 

24 certifying entity’’ before ‘‘under this section’’; 


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1 (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(3) UPDATE OF CERTIFICATION PROCESS BY

4 THE SECRETARY.—Not later than 1 year after the 

5 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National 

6 Security Act of 2024, and periodically thereafter, the 

7 Secretary shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) review the certification processes 

9 under paragraphs (4)(A) and (7) of subsection 

10 (e); 

11 ‘‘(B) make any adjustments considered 

12 necessary by the Secretary to— 

13 ‘‘(i) increase the number of third14 party providers delivering technical assist15 ance; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) improve the quality of technical 

17 assistance delivered by third-party pro18 viders; 

19 ‘‘(C) conduct outreach to, and receive 

20 input on the barriers for third-party providers 

21 to become certified under this section from— 

22 ‘‘(i) third-party providers that are, or 

23 have been, certified under this section; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) other interested parties associ25 ated with eligible participants; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) set a target rate of utilization of 

2 third-party providers to deliver technical assist3 ance across all conservation programs adminis4 tered by the Secretary.’’; 

5 (4) in paragraph (4)(A)(i), by inserting ‘‘(in6 cluding maintenance)’’ after ‘‘implementation’’; 

7 (5) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(5) PAYMENT AMOUNT.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For payments pro11 vided by the Secretary under paragraph (2) or 

12 (3) of subsection (c), the Secretary shall deter13 mine payment amounts for technical assistance 

14 provided by third-party providers, which shall 

15 be at rates equivalent to, but that do not ex16 ceed, the cost to the Secretary of providing 

17 technical assistance directly to an eligible par18 ticipant. 

19 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining 

20 payment amounts under subparagraph (A), the 

21 Secretary shall consider specialized equipment, 

22 frequency of site visits, training, travel and 

23 transportation, and such other factors as the 

24 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSION.—A payment provided 

2 under subsection (c)(3) shall be excluded from 

3 calculations relating to any cost-sharing re4 quirements of the applicable conservation pro5 gram under which the payment was provided. 

6 ‘‘(6) TRANSPARENCY.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and 

8 National Security Act of 2024, and periodically 

9 thereafter, the Secretary shall make publicly avail10 able information on— 

11 ‘‘(A) funds obligated to third-party pro12 viders through— 

13 ‘‘(i) contracts entered into between el14 igible participants and individual third15 party providers; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) agreements with public and pri17 vate sector entities to secure third-party 

18 technical assistance; 

19 ‘‘(B) the certification process under this 

20 section, including— 

21 ‘‘(i) the number of third-party pro22 viders certified by the Secretary; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the number of non-Federal certi24 fying entities approved by the Secretary; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the number of third-party pro2 viders certified by non-Federal certifying 

3 entities (other than State agencies and In4 dian Tribes); 

5 ‘‘(iv) the number of third-party pro6 viders certified by Indian Tribes; 

7 ‘‘(v) the number of third-party pro8 viders certified by State agencies; and 

9 ‘‘(vi) the number of third-party pro10 viders certified through the streamlined 

11 certification process described in sub12 section (e)(7); 

13 ‘‘(C) how third-party providers contribute 

14 to the quality and effectiveness of conservation 

15 practices implemented and adopted through 

16 conservation programs administered by the Sec17 retary, and what improvements are needed; and 

18 ‘‘(D) the target rate of utilization of third19 party providers set under paragraph (3)(D) and 

20 how actual rate of utilization compares to the 

21 target rate.’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(7) SOIL HEALTH PLANNING.—The Secretary 

24 shall emphasize the use of third-party providers in 

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1 ning, including planning related to the use of cover 

2 crops, precision agriculture practices, comprehensive 

3 nutrient management planning, and other innovative 

4 plans.’’. 

5 (f) REVIEW OF CONSERVATION PRACTICE STAND6 ARDS.—Section 1242(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

7 (16 U.S.C. 3842(h)) is amended— 

8 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘RE9 VIEW’’ and inserting ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT AND RE10 VIEW’’; 

11 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

12 (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

13 as follows: 

14 ‘‘(A) not later than 1 year after the date 

15 of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National 

16 Security Act of 2024, and at least every 5 years 

17 thereafter, complete a review of each conserva18 tion practice standard, including engineering 

19 design specifications;’’; 

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

21 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

23 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

24 and 

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


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1 ‘‘(E) provide a process for public input on 

2 each conservation practice standard under such 

3 review, including a process for consideration of 

4 State and local input; 

5 ‘‘(F) publicly post a summary of any input 

6 received under subparagraph (E) and any deci7 sions made relating to such input; and 

8 ‘‘(G) revise any conservation practice 

9 standard based on the results of such review, as 

10 determined appropriate by the Secretary, and 

11 publish any such revised standard.’’; 

12 (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol13 lows: 

14 ‘‘(3) PROCESS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF IN15 TERIM AND NEW CONSERVATION PRACTICE STAND16 ARDS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

18 after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, 

19 and National Security Act of 2024, the Sec20 retary shall develop a streamlined process under 

21 which the Secretary shall establish interim con22 servation practice standards and new conserva23 tion practice standards. 


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1 ‘‘(B) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the 

2 streamlined process under subparagraph (A), 

3 the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) ensure that the public can engage 

5 with the Department of Agriculture, in6 cluding by recommending interim conserva7 tion practice standards; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) establish— 

9 ‘‘(I) the types of data, metrics, 

10 and other relevant information that 

11 are necessary for the establishment of 

12 interim conservation practice stand13 ards and new conservation practice 

14 standards; 

15 ‘‘(II) the process by which an in16 terim conservation practice standard 

17 may become a new conservation prac18 tice standard; and 

19 ‘‘(III) specific requirements for 

20 an expedited review of a new con21 servation practice for the purpose of 

22 establishing a new conservation prac23 tice standard for such practice. 

24 ‘‘(C) CONSIDERATIONS.—In establishing 

25 an interim conservation practice standard or a 


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1 new conservation practice standard under this 

2 subsection, the Secretary shall consider— 

3 ‘‘(i) input from State technical com4 mittees on recommendations that identify 

5 innovations or advancements in conserva6 tion practices; 

7 ‘‘(ii) technological advancements, in8 cluding advancements from projects devel9 oped under section 1240H; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) State and local input in the 

11 form of— 

12 ‘‘(I) recommendations for interim 

13 conservation practice standards; and 

14 ‘‘(II) partnership-led proposals 

15 for new and innovative techniques to 

16 facilitate implementing agreements 

17 and grants under this title; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) input from native entities in the 

19 form of information relating to native tra20 ditional ecological knowledge that can in21 form conservation practice standards. 

22 ‘‘(D) TRANSPARENCY.—The Secretary 

23 shall make available on a public website a de24 tailed description of the process for recom25 mending, reviewing, and establishing interim 


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1 conservation practice standards and new con2 servation practice standards under this para3 graph.’’; 

4 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

5 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

6 (A)— 

7 (i) by striking ‘‘Agriculture Improve8 ment Act of 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm, 

9 Food, and National Security Act of 2024’’; 

10 and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘a report on’’ and in12 serting ‘‘a report detailing’’; 

13 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘ad14 ministrative’’ and inserting ‘‘streamlined’’; 

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

16 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

17 (D) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

18 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(D) any other information the Secretary 

21 determines useful to improve such streamlined 

22 process for reviewing and establishing conserva23 tion practice standards.’’; and 

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

25 ‘‘(5) OFFICE OF CONSERVATION INNOVATION.— 


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

2 establish within the Office of the Chief of the 

3 Natural Resources Conservation Service an Of4 fice of Conservation Innovation (referred to in 

5 this paragraph as the ‘Office’) which shall be 

6 under the direct supervision of the Chief. 

7 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Office shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) provide support to the Chief in 

9 meeting the requirements of this sub10 section; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) encourage innovation in con12 servation practices through— 

13 ‘‘(I) revisions of existing con14 servation practice standards; 

15 ‘‘(II) recommendations of interim 

16 conservation practice standards; and 

17 ‘‘(III) recommendations of new 

18 conservation practice standards. 

19 ‘‘(C) STAFF.—The Chief shall detail to the 

20 Office not more than 6 employees of the De21 partment of Agriculture who are technical spe22 cialists that possess an understanding of con23 ventional, organic, and other production tech24 niques representing— 

25 ‘‘(i) agronomy and agroecology; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) grazing lands ecology (including 

2 rangeland, pastureland, and grazed forest 

3 land); 

4 ‘‘(iii) animal husbandry (including 

5 animal nutrition and feed management); 

6 ‘‘(iv) water conservation, drainage 

7 water management, and irrigation engi8 neering technology; 

9 ‘‘(v) agricultural engineering (includ10 ing animal waste management, energy, and 

11 structural measures); and 

12 ‘‘(vi) forest ecology and agroforestry. 

13 ‘‘(6) FUNDING.—The Secretary shall use fund14 ing from the annual appropriations for conservation 

15 operations of the Natural Resources Conservation 

16 Service to carry out this subsection.’’. 

17 (g) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.—Section 1242 of the 

18 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842) is amended 

19 by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(j) NRCS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may ap22 point, without regard to the provisions of subchapter 

23 I of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code (other 

24 than sections 3303 and 3328 of such title), qualified 

25 candidates, as described in paragraph (2), directly to 


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1 positions within the Natural Resources Conservation 

2 Service that provide technical assistance under con3 servation programs administered by the Natural Re4 sources Conservation Service. 

5 ‘‘(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Paragraph (1) applies 

6 to a candidate who— 

7 ‘‘(A) is qualified to provide the technical 

8 assistance described in paragraph (1), as deter9 mined by the Secretary; and 

10 ‘‘(B) meets qualification standards estab11 lished by the Office of Personnel Manage12 ment.’’. 

13 SEC. 2504. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR CON14 SERVATION PROGRAMS. 

15 (a) TENANT PROTECTIONS.—Section 1244(d) of the 

16 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(d)) is amend17 ed by striking ‘‘I.’’ and inserting ‘‘J.’’. 

18 (b) ACREAGE LIMITATIONS.—Section 1244(f) of the 

19 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(f)) is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol22 lows: 

23 ‘‘(1) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not en24 roll more than 25 percent of the cropland in any 

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1 lished under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle 

2 D and wetland reserve easements under section 

3 1265C.’’; 

4 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

6 (A), by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)(A)’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘and’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘or’’; 

10 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

11 (1)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 

12 (4) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘classes 

13 IV’’ and inserting ‘‘classes III’’. 

14 (c) REVIEW AND GUIDANCE FOR PRACTICE COSTS

15 AND PAYMENT RATES.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1244(j)(1) of the 

17 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(j)(1)) 

18 is amended— 

19 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

20 (A), by striking ‘‘Not later than 1 year after 

21 the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im22 provement Act of 2018, and not later than Oc23 tober 1 of each year thereafter, the Secretary 

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1 lish a process under which the Secretary shall 

2 annually’’; 

3 (B) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

4 as follows: 

5 ‘‘(A) review, with respect to each State, 

6 the actual practice costs and rates of payments 

7 (or, where actual practice costs and rates of 

8 payments are not available, estimates of such 

9 practice costs and rates) made to producers 

10 pursuant to programs under this title for prac11 tices on eligible land; and’’; and 

12 (C) in subparagraph (B)— 

13 (i) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

14 the end; 

15 (ii) by redesignating clause (iii) as 

16 clause (iv); 

17 (iii) by inserting after clause (ii) the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(iii) accounts for the variability in 

20 costs of implementing practices on eligible 

21 land under this title; and’’; and 

22 (iv) in clause (iv), as so redesignated, 

23 by striking ‘‘regional, State, and’’ and in24 serting ‘‘State and’’. 


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1 (2) GUIDANCE; REVIEW.—Section 1244(j)(2) of 

2 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

3 3844(j)(2)) is amended— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘esti5 mates for’’; and 

6 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

7 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

8 the end; 

9 (ii) by redesignating clause (ii) as 

10 clause (iii); 

11 (iii) by inserting after clause (i) the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(ii) monitoring for and identifying 

14 significant variability in practice costs in 

15 each year; and’’; and 

16 (iv) in clause (iii), as so redesignated, 

17 by inserting ‘‘and, when appropriate, 

18 adopting any recommendations made by 

19 such State technical committee’’ after 

20 ‘‘that State’’. 

21 (3) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS.—Sec22 tion 1244(j) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

23 U.S.C. 3844(j)) is amended by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS.—In 

2 order to provide rates of payments that are commen3 surate with the costs of implementing practices pur4 suant to programs under this title, the Secretary 

5 shall establish processes and procedures for updating 

6 rates of payments under a contract or agreement in 

7 effect under this title to reflect the appropriate prac8 tice costs and rates of payments determined under 

9 paragraph (2)(B) for the year in which the practice 

10 is implemented.’’. 

11 (d) SOURCE WATER PROTECTION THROUGH TAR12 GETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES.—Section 1244(n) 

13 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(n)) 

14 is amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

17 (i) by redesignating clause (ii) as 

18 clause (iii); 

19 (ii) in clause (i), by striking the 

20 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

21 (iii) by inserting after clause (i) the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(ii) identify in each State a source 

24 water protection coordinator who shall be 

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1 tion with community water systems under 

2 this subsection; and’’; and 

3 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

4 ‘‘under subparagraph (A)(ii)’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘under subparagraph (A)(iii)’’; 

6 (2) in paragraph (3), strike ‘‘2031’’ and insert 

7 ‘‘2029’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(4) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.—Be10 ginning on the date of enactment of the Farm, 

11 Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the Sec12 retary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Re13 sources Conservation Service, shall make publicly 

14 available— 

15 ‘‘(A) an annual report that details— 

16 ‘‘(i) for each local priority area identi17 fied under paragraph (2)(A)(i)— 

18 ‘‘(I) the conservation programs 

19 under which assistance is provided 

20 pursuant to paragraph (1); 

21 ‘‘(II) the practices implemented 

22 pursuant to paragraph (1); and 

23 ‘‘(III) the number of contracts 

24 and acres devoted to such practices; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) for each conservation program 

2 administered by the Secretary— 

3 ‘‘(I) the amount of funds obli4 gated and expended for practices im5 plemented pursuant to paragraph (1); 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(II) information regarding the 

8 status of compliance with paragraph 

9 (3); and 

10 ‘‘(iii) the practices, by State, that are 

11 receiving increased incentives and higher 

12 payment rates under paragraph (2)(A)(iii); 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) through an interactive map, aggre15 gated data detailed under subparagraph (A).’’. 

16 (e) ENCOURAGEMENT OF HABITAT CONNECTIVITY

17 AND WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.—Section 1244 of the Food 

18 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) is amended by 

19 adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(q) ENCOURAGEMENT OF HABITAT CONNECTIVITY

21 AND WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.—In carrying out any con22 servation program administered by the Secretary, the Sec23 retary may, as appropriate, encourage the use of conserva24 tion practices that support the development, restoration, 


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1 and maintenance of habitat connectivity and wildlife cor2 ridors.’’. 

3 SEC. 2505. EXPERIENCED SERVICES PROGRAM. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—Section 

5 1252(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

6 3851(a)) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Sec8 retary shall establish an experienced services program (re9 ferred to in this section as the ‘program’) for the purpose 

10 of utilizing the talents of individuals who are age 55 or 

11 older, but who are not employees of the Department of 

12 Agriculture or a State agriculture department, to provide 

13 technical, professional, and administrative services in sup14 port of conservation programs administered by the Sec15 retary, including conservation planning assistance, tech16 nical consultation, and assistance with design and imple17 mentation of conservation practices.’’. 

18 (b) FUNDING SOURCE.—Section 1252(c) of the Food 

19 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3851(c)) is amended— 

20 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol21 lows: 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para23 graph (2), with respect to subsection (a), the Sec24 retary may carry out the program using funds made 


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1 available to carry out each conservation program ad2 ministered by the Secretary.’’; and 

3 (2) by striking paragraph (3). 

4 Subtitle G—Agricultural 

5 Conservation Easement Program 

6 SEC. 2601. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 1265A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

8 U.S.C. 3865a) is amended— 

9 (1) by striking paragraph (2); 

10 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

11 (7) as paragraphs (2) through (6), respectively; and 

12 (3) in paragraph (3)(A), as so redesignated, by 

13 amending clause (i) to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(i) that is subject to a pending offer 

15 for purchase of an agricultural land ease16 ment from an eligible entity;’’. 

17 SEC. 2602. AGRICULTURAL LAND EASEMENTS. 

18 (a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 

19 1265B(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

20 3865b) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘in eligible 

22 land;’’ and inserting ‘‘on eligible land; and’’; 

23 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘(iv); and’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘(iii).’’; and 

25 (3) by striking paragraph (3). 


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1 (b) COST-SHARE ASSISTANCE.— 

2 (1) SCOPE OF ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE.—Sec3 tion 1265B(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

4 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(2)) is amended— 

5 (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

6 as follows: 

7 ‘‘(A) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An agreement de9 scribed in paragraph (4) shall provide for 

10 a Federal share determined by the Sec11 retary of an amount not to exceed 65 per12 cent of the fair market value of the agri13 cultural land easement, as determined by 

14 the Secretary using— 

15 ‘‘(I) the Uniform Standards of 

16 Professional Appraisal Practice; 

17 ‘‘(II) an areawide market anal18 ysis or survey; or 

19 ‘‘(III) another industry-approved 

20 method. 

21 ‘‘(ii) SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED

22 FARMERS AND RANCHERS EXCEPTION.—In 

23 the case of eligible land with respect to 

24 which a socially disadvantaged farmer or 

25 rancher holds an ownership interest of not 


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1 less than 50 percent, the Secretary may 

2 provide an amount not to exceed 90 per3 cent of the fair market value of the agri4 cultural land easement. 

5 ‘‘(iii) GRASSLANDS EXCEPTION.—In 

6 the case of grassland of special environ7 mental significance, as determined by the 

8 Secretary, the Secretary may provide an 

9 amount not to exceed 75 percent of the 

10 fair market value of the agricultural land 

11 easement.’’; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

13 (i) by amending clause (i) to read as 

14 follows: 

15 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Under the agree16 ment, the eligible entity shall provide a 

17 non-Federal share that is equivalent to the 

18 remainder of the fair market value of the 

19 agricultural land easement not provided by 

20 the Secretary under subparagraph (A).’’; 

21 (ii) by striking clause (ii); 

22 (iii) by redesignating clause (iii) as 

23 clause (ii); and 

24 (iv) in clause (ii), as so redesignated, 

25 in the matter preceding subclause (I), by 


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1 striking ‘‘subparagraph’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘paragraph’’; and 

3 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(C) LOWER COST-SHARE OPTION.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

7 paragraph (4)(C)(v), an eligible entity may 

8 elect to enter into an agreement under 

9 paragraph (4) in which the terms and con10 ditions of an agricultural land easement 

11 funded under the agreement do not include 

12 a right of enforcement for the Secretary if 

13 the eligible entity agrees to a Federal 

14 share that does not exceed 25 percent of 

15 the fair market value of the agricultural 

16 land easement, as determined by the Sec17 retary under subparagraph (A). 

18 ‘‘(ii) MINIMUM TERMS AND CONDI19 TIONS.—Under an agreement described in 

20 clause (i), an eligible entity shall be au21 thorized to use its own terms and condi22 tions for agricultural land easements so 

23 long as the Secretary determines such 

24 terms and conditions— 


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1 ‘‘(I) are consistent with the pur2 poses of the program; and 

3 ‘‘(II) permit effective enforce4 ment of the conservation purposes of 

5 such easements. 

6 ‘‘(iii) ENTITY ENFORCEMENT.—Under 

7 an agreement described in clause (i), the 

8 Secretary shall require the terms and con9 ditions for the agricultural land easement 

10 to include a right of enforcement for the 

11 eligible entity. 

12 ‘‘(iv) CASH CONTRIBUTION.—Under 

13 an agreement described in clause (i), the 

14 eligible entity shall provide cash resources 

15 in an amount that is not less than 50 per16 cent of the fair market value of the agri17 cultural land easement, as determined by 

18 the Secretary under subparagraph (A).’’. 

19 (2) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF APPLICA20 TIONS.—Section 1265B(b)(3) of the Food Security 

21 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(3)) is amended by 

22 adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(F) POOLING OF APPLICATIONS.—The 

24 Secretary may evaluate and rank applications 

25 submitted by eligible entities for the purchase 


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1 of agricultural land easements from landowners 

2 who are socially disadvantaged farmers or 

3 ranchers separately from applications submitted 

4 for the purchase of agricultural land easements 

5 from other landowners.’’. 

6 (3) AGREEMENTS WITH ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

7 Section 1265B(b)(4) of the Food Security Act of 

8 1985 (42 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(4)) is amended— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (C)— 

10 (i) by striking clause (iii); 

11 (ii) by redesignating clauses (iv) and 

12 (v) as clauses (iii) and (iv), respectively; 

13 (iii) in clause (iii), as so redesignated, 

14 by striking the ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

15 (iv) in clause (iv), as so redesignated, 

16 by striking the period at the end and in17 serting ‘‘;’’; and 

18 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(v) include a right of enforcement for 

20 the Secretary that— 

21 ‘‘(I) may be used only if the 

22 terms and conditions of the easement 

23 are not enforced by the eligible entity; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(II) does not extend to a right 

2 of inspection unless— 

3 ‘‘(aa)(AA) the holder of the 

4 easement fails to provide moni5 toring reports in a timely man6 ner; or 

7 ‘‘(BB) the Secretary has a 

8 reasonable and articulable belief 

9 that the terms and conditions of 

10 the easement have been violated; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(bb) prior to the inspection, 

13 the Secretary notifies the eligible 

14 entity and the landowner of the 

15 inspection and provides a reason16 able opportunity for the eligible 

17 entity and the landowner to par18 ticipate in the inspection; and 

19 ‘‘(vi) include a right of the Secretary 

20 to require the transfer of the easement to 

21 a different eligible entity if the eligible en22 tity that holds the easement ceases to exist 

23 or is no longer eligible to participate in the 

24 program, as determined by the Secretary.’’; 

25 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 


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1 (i) in clause (ii)— 

2 (I) in subclause (I)(ff), by strik3 ing ‘‘(v)’’ and inserting ‘‘(iv)’’; and 

4 (II) in subclause (II), by striking 

5 the ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

6 (ii) in subclause (iii), by striking the 

7 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

8 and 

9 (iii) by inserting at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(iv) do not conflict with any min12 imum terms or conditions under subpara13 graph (C) that may be required.’’. 

14 (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

15 and (F) as subparagraphs (F) and (G), respec16 tively; and 

17 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(E) MODIFICATION OF TERMS AND CON20 DITIONS.—An eligible entity shall be authorized 

21 to modify a term or condition of an agricultural 

22 land easement funded under an agreement 

23 under subparagraph (A) if such modification 

24 does not conflict with any minimum term or 


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1 condition required by the Secretary under sub2 paragraph (C).’’. 

3 (4) CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

4 Section 1265B(b)(5) of the Food Security Act of 

5 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(5)) is amended— 

6 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

8 by striking ‘‘under which the Secretary 

9 may’’ and inserting ‘‘, to minimize admin10 istrative burdens on the Secretary and rec11 ognize the ability of experienced eligible 

12 entities to administer easements with mini13 mal oversight by the Secretary, under 

14 which the Secretary shall’’; and 

15 (ii) in clause (iv), by inserting ‘‘, and 

16 modify,’’ after ‘‘entity to use’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

18 (i) in clause (ii)— 

19 (I) in subclause (II), by striking 

20 ‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘5’’; and 

21 (II) in subclause (III), by strik22 ing the ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

23 (ii) in clause (iii)— 

24 (I) in subclause (I), by striking 

25 ‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘5’’; and 


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1 (II) in subclause (II), by striking 

2 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

3 or’’; 

4 (iii) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(iv) is an eligible entity not described 

7 in clause (ii) or (iii) that has— 

8 ‘‘(I) acquired not fewer than 10 

9 agricultural land easements under the 

10 program or any predecessor program; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(II) successfully met the respon13 sibilities of the eligible entity under 

14 the applicable agreements with the 

15 Secretary, as determined by the Sec16 retary, relating to agricultural land 

17 easements that the eligible entity has 

18 acquired under the program or any 

19 predecessor program.’’; and 

20 (C) in subparagraph (C)— 

21 (i) in the header, by striking ‘‘REVIEW

22 AND REVISION’’ and inserting ‘‘REVIEW

23 AND REVOCATION’’; 


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1 (ii) in the header of clause (i) by 

2 striking ‘‘REVIEW’’ and inserting ‘‘CER3 TIFIED ENTITY REVIEW’’; and 

4 (iii) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(iii) EASEMENT REVIEW.—The Sec7 retary shall establish and conduct an an8 nual quality review process to— 

9 ‘‘(I) review a sample set of ease10 ments acquired by certified eligible en11 tities; 

12 ‘‘(II) ensure the integrity of the 

13 easement acquisition process under 

14 this section; 

15 ‘‘(III) establish and enforce a 

16 process for corrective actions; and 

17 ‘‘(IV) provide for a waiver of suc18 cessive easement reviews based on 

19 demonstrated compliance.’’. 

20 SEC. 2603. WETLAND RESERVE EASEMENTS. 

21 (a) EASEMENTS.—Section 1265C(b) of the Food Se22 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c(b)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking ‘‘tribes’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘Tribes and landowners who are so25 cially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers’’; and 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (3)(C) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(D) POOLING OF APPLICATIONS.—The 

4 Secretary may evaluate and rank offers from 

5 landowners who are socially disadvantaged 

6 farmers or ranchers separately from offers from 

7 other landowners.’’. 

8 (b) EASEMENT RESTORATION.—Section 1265C(c)(1) 

9 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c(c)(1)) 

10 is amended by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘subsection (g)’’. 

12 (c) EASEMENT STEWARDSHIP.—Section 1265C of 

13 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c) is 

14 amended— 

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

16 as subsections (e) through (h); and 

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

19 ‘‘(d) EASEMENT STEWARDSHIP.— 

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

21 financial assistance to owners of eligible land en22 rolled under this section for the repair, necessary 

23 maintenance, and enhancement activities described 

24 in the wetland reserve easement plan developed for 

25 the eligible land under subsection (g)(1). 


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1 ‘‘(2) EVALUATION OF STEWARDSHIP NEED.— 

2 The Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) regularly assess land enrolled under 

4 this section to identify maintenance and man5 agement needs, including any needed repair or 

6 enhancement of existing structural practices, in 

7 accordance with the applicable wetland reserve 

8 easement plan; 

9 ‘‘(B) consistent with the purposes of the 

10 program, create, execute, and update as nec11 essary based on the assessments carried out 

12 under subparagraph (A), a stewardship strategy 

13 for— 

14 ‘‘(i) prioritizing and addressing the 

15 needs identified under subparagraph (A); 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(ii) projecting the amount of annual 

18 funding needed for financial and technical 

19 assistance to address such needs; and 

20 ‘‘(C) establish a 5-year schedule to address 

21 such needs. 

22 ‘‘(3) PAYMENTS.—In carrying out paragraph 

23 (1), the Secretary shall make payments in an 

24 amount that is not more than 100 percent of the eli25 gible costs, as determined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

2 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National 

3 Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall submit to 

4 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep5 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nu6 trition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that in7 cludes— 

8 ‘‘(A) an inventory of the existing steward9 ship needs of all wetland reserve easements, 

10 based on the assessments carried out under 

11 paragraph (2); 

12 ‘‘(B) the stewardship strategy created 

13 under paragraph (2)(B); 

14 ‘‘(C) the amounts the Secretary plans to 

15 allocate to address such stewardship needs, 

16 based on projections made pursuant to para17 graph (2)(B)(ii); and 

18 ‘‘(D) the planned use of compatible uses 

19 under subsection (b)(5)(C), contracts or agree20 ments under subsection (e)(2), or wetland re21 serve easement plans under subsection (g)(1) to 

22 ensure that each such stewardship need is ad23 dressed.’’. 


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1 (d) ASSISTANCE.—Subsection (e) of section 1265C of 

2 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c), as so 

3 redesignated, is amended— 

4 (1) in the header, by striking ‘‘TECHNICAL AS5 SISTANCE’’ and inserting ‘‘ASSISTANCE’’; and 

6 (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol7 lows: 

8 ‘‘(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Sec9 retary may enter into 1 or more contracts or agree10 ments with a Federal, State, or local agency, a non11 governmental organization, an Indian Tribe, or a 

12 private entity to carry out necessary restoration, en13 hancement, maintenance, repair, assessment, or 

14 monitoring of a wetland reserve easement if the Sec15 retary determines that the contract or agreement 

16 will advance the purposes of the program.’’. 

17 (e) WETLAND RESERVE ENHANCEMENT OPTION.— 

18 Subsection (f) of section 1265C of the Food Security Act 

19 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c), as so redesignated, is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(2) FUNDING.—Of the funds made available 

2 to carry out this section, the Secretary shall reserve 

3 not less than 15 percent to carry out this sub4 section.’’. 

5 SEC. 2604. ADMINISTRATION. 

6 (a) SUBORDINATION, EXCHANGE, MODIFICATION, 

7 AND TERMINATION.—Section 1265D(c) of the Food Secu8 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865d(c)) is amended— 

9 (1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(2) MODIFICATION AND EXCHANGE.— 

12 ‘‘(A) MODIFICATION.— 

13 ‘‘(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 

14 approve a modification of any interest in 

15 land, or portion of such interest, adminis16 tered by the Secretary, either directly or 

17 on behalf of the Commodity Credit Cor18 poration, under the program if the Sec19 retary determines that the modification— 

20 ‘‘(I) will support the long-term 

21 agricultural viability of the applicable 

22 farm or ranch operation and the con23 servation values of the applicable 

24 easement; 


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1 ‘‘(II) will result in equal or in2 creased conservation values; 

3 ‘‘(III) is consistent with the origi4 nal intent of the easement; 

5 ‘‘(IV) is consistent with the pur6 poses of the program; and 

7 ‘‘(V) is in the public interest or 

8 furthers the practical administration 

9 of the program, including correcting 

10 errors, exercising reserved rights, and 

11 increasing flexibility to recognize 

12 changes in water availability or ad13 ministration. 

14 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—In modifying an 

15 interest in land, or portion of such inter16 est, under this subparagraph, the Sec17 retary may not, except in the case of a 

18 modification that includes a change to an 

19 easement to add acreage, increase any pay20 ment to an eligible entity. 

21 ‘‘(iii) NEPA COMPLIANCE.—An action 

22 taken pursuant to this subparagraph may 

23 not be considered a major Federal action 

24 under section 102(2)(C) of the National 


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1 Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

2 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). 

3 ‘‘(B) EXCHANGE.— 

4 ‘‘(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 

5 approve an exchange of any interest in 

6 land, or portion of such interest, adminis7 tered by the Secretary, either directly or 

8 on behalf of the Commodity Credit Cor9 poration, under the program if the Sec10 retary determines that— 

11 ‘‘(I) no reasonable alternative ex12 ists and the effect on the interest in 

13 land is avoided or minimized to the 

14 extent practicable; and 

15 ‘‘(II) the exchange— 

16 ‘‘(aa) results in equal or in17 creased conservation values; 

18 ‘‘(bb) results in equal or 

19 greater economic value to the 

20 United States; 

21 ‘‘(cc) is consistent with the 

22 original intent of the easement; 

23 ‘‘(dd) is consistent with the 

24 purposes of the program; and 


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1 ‘‘(ee) is in the public inter2 est or furthers the practical ad3 ministration of the program. 

4 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—In exchanging an 

5 interest in land, or portion of such inter6 est, under this subparagraph, the Sec7 retary may not increase any payment to an 

8 eligible entity.’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(6) DE MINIMIS ADJUSTMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

12 approve and make de minimis adjustments to 

13 any interest in land, or a portion of such inter14 est, administered by the Secretary, directly or 

15 on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, 

16 under the program if the Secretary determines 

17 that the adjustment— 

18 ‘‘(i) furthers the practical administra19 tion of the program; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) is not a subordination, modifica21 tion, exchange, or termination, as deter22 mined by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(B) TYPES OF DE MINIMIS ADJUST24 MENTS.—De minimis adjustments made under 


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1 this paragraph may include title corrections and 

2 other minor adjustments, including— 

3 ‘‘(i) typographical error corrections; 

4 ‘‘(ii) minor changes in legal descrip5 tions as a result of survey or mapping er6 rors; 

7 ‘‘(iii) the transfer of an interest of an 

8 eligible entity to another eligible entity; 

9 ‘‘(iv) changes to a building envelope 

10 boundary; 

11 ‘‘(v) relocation of easement access; 

12 ‘‘(vi) authorization of temporary work 

13 areas not associated with other easement 

14 administration actions; and 

15 ‘‘(vii) other adjustments determined 

16 necessary by the Secretary.’’. 

17 (b) ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME EXEMPTION.—Section 

18 1265D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

19 3865D) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(f) ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME EXEMPTION.—The 

21 adjusted gross income limitation described in section 

22 1001D(b)(1) shall not apply to any payment or other as23 sistance under this subtitle.’’. 


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1 Subtitle H—Forest Conservation 

2 Easement Program 

3 SEC. 2701. FOREST CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROGRAM. 

4 Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

5 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subtitle I (16 U.S.C. 3871 

7 et seq.) as subtitle J; and 

8 (2) by inserting after subtitle H (16 U.S.C. 

9 3865 et seq.) the following: 

10 ‘‘Subtitle I—Forest Conservation 

11 Easement Program 

12 ‘‘SEC. 1267. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES. 

13 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab14 lish a forest conservation easement program for the con15 servation and restoration of eligible land and natural re16 sources through the acquisition of conservation easements 

17 or other interests in land. 

18 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program 

19 are— 

20 ‘‘(1) to protect the viability and sustainability 

21 of working forest land, and related conservation val22 ues of eligible land, by limiting the negative effects 

23 of nonforest land uses of such land; 

24 ‘‘(2) to protect and enhance forest ecosystem 

25 and landscape functions and values; 


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1 ‘‘(3) to promote the restoration, protection, and 

2 improvement of habitat of species that are threat3 ened, endangered, or otherwise at risk; and 

4 ‘‘(4) to carry out the purposes and functions of 

5 the healthy forests reserve program established 

6 under title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

7 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.), as in effect on the 

8 day before the date of enactment of this section. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 1267A. DEFINITIONS. 

10 ‘‘In this subtitle: 

11 ‘‘(1) ACREAGE OWNED BY AN INDIAN TRIBE.— 

12 The term ‘acreage owned by an Indian Tribe’ 

13 means— 

14 ‘‘(A) land that is held in trust by the 

15 United States for Indian Tribes or individual 

16 Indians; 

17 ‘‘(B) land, the title to which is held by In18 dian Tribes or individual Indians subject to 

19 Federal restrictions against alienation or en20 cumbrance; 

21 ‘‘(C) land that is subject to rights of use, 

22 occupancy, and benefit of certain Indian Tribes; 

23 ‘‘(D) land that is held in fee title by an In24 dian Tribe; 


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1 ‘‘(E) land that is owned by a native cor2 poration formed under— 

3 ‘‘(i) section 17 of the Act of June 18, 

4 1934 (commonly known as the ‘Indian Re5 organization Act’) (25 U.S.C. 5124); or 

6 ‘‘(ii) section 8 of the Alaska Native 

7 Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1607); 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(F) a combination of 1 or more types of 

10 land described in subparagraphs (A) through 

11 (E). 

12 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en13 tity’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) an agency of State or local govern15 ment or an Indian Tribe (including a land re16 source council established under State law); or 

17 ‘‘(B) an organization that is— 

18 ‘‘(i) organized for, and at all times 

19 since the formation of the organization has 

20 been operated principally for, 1 or more of 

21 the conservation purposes specified in 

22 clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of section 

23 170(h)(4)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code 

24 of 1986; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) an organization described in sec2 tion 501(c)(3) of that Code that is exempt 

3 from taxation under section 501(a) of that 

4 Code; or 

5 ‘‘(iii) described in— 

6 ‘‘(I) paragraph (1) or (2) of sec7 tion 509(a) of that Code; or 

8 ‘‘(II) section 509(a)(3) of that 

9 Code and is controlled by an organiza10 tion described in section 509(a)(2) of 

11 that Code. 

12 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ 

13 means private land or acreage owned by an Indian 

14 Tribe— 

15 ‘‘(A) that is— 

16 ‘‘(i) forest land; or 

17 ‘‘(ii) being restored to forest land; 

18 ‘‘(B) in the case of a forest land ease19 ment— 

20 ‘‘(i) the enrollment of which would 

21 protect working forests and related con22 servation values by conserving land; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) the protection of which will fur24 ther a State or local policy consistent with 

25 the purposes of the program; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) in the case of a forest reserve ease2 ment, the enrollment of which will maintain, re3 store, enhance, or otherwise measurably— 

4 ‘‘(i) increase the likelihood of recovery 

5 of a species that is listed as endangered or 

6 threatened under section 4 of the Endan7 gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

8 1533); or 

9 ‘‘(ii) improve the well-being of a spe10 cies that is— 

11 ‘‘(I) not listed as endangered or 

12 threatened under that section; and 

13 ‘‘(II)(aa) a candidate for that 

14 listing, a State-listed species, or a spe15 cial concern species; or 

16 ‘‘(bb) designated as a species of 

17 greatest conservation need by a State 

18 wildlife action plan. 

19 ‘‘(4) FOREST LAND EASEMENT.—The term ‘for20 est land easement’ means an easement or other in21 terest in eligible land that— 

22 ‘‘(A) is conveyed to an eligible entity for 

23 the purpose of protecting natural resources and 

24 the forest nature of the eligible land; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) permits the landowner the right to 

2 continue working forest production and related 

3 uses, consistent with an applicable forest man4 agement plan. 

5 ‘‘(5) FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term 

6 ‘forest management plan’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) a forest stewardship plan described in 

8 section 5(f) of the Cooperative Forestry Assist9 ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103a(f)); 

10 ‘‘(B) another plan approved by the applica11 ble State forester or State forestry agency; 

12 ‘‘(C) a plan developed under a third-party 

13 certification system determined appropriate by 

14 the Secretary; or 

15 ‘‘(D) another plan determined appropriate 

16 by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(6) FOREST RESERVE EASEMENT.—The term 

18 ‘forest reserve easement’ means an easement or 

19 other interest in eligible land that— 

20 ‘‘(A) is conveyed to the Secretary for the 

21 purpose of protecting natural resources and the 

22 forest nature of the eligible land; and 

23 ‘‘(B) permits the landowner the right to 

24 continue working forest production and related 

25 uses consistent with the applicable forest reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00198 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 serve easement plan developed under section 

2 1267C(c)(1)(A). 

3 ‘‘(7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means 

4 the forest conservation easement program estab5 lished under this subtitle. 

6 ‘‘(8) SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FOREST LAND7 OWNER.—The term ‘socially disadvantaged forest 

8 landowner’ means a forest landowner who is a mem9 ber of a socially disadvantaged group (as defined in 

10 section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva11 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))). 

12 ‘‘SEC. 1267B. FOREST LAND EASEMENTS. 

13 ‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

14 shall facilitate and provide funding for— 

15 ‘‘(1) the purchase by eligible entities of forest 

16 land easements on eligible land; 

17 ‘‘(2) the development of a forest management 

18 plan; and 

19 ‘‘(3) technical assistance to implement this sec20 tion. 

21 ‘‘(b) COST-SHARE ASSISTANCE.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall protect 

23 working forests, and related conservation values of 

24 eligible land, through cost-share assistance to eligible 

25 entities for purchasing forest land easements. 


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1 ‘‘(2) SCOPE OF ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE.— 

2 ‘‘(A) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro4 vided in clause (ii), an agreement described 

5 in paragraph (4) shall provide for a Fed6 eral share of 50 percent of the fair market 

7 value of the forest land easement, as deter8 mined by the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—An agreement de10 scribed in paragraph (4) may provide for a 

11 Federal share of not more than 75 percent 

12 of the fair market value of a forest land 

13 easement in the case of eligible land that 

14 is— 

15 ‘‘(I) a forest of special environ16 mental significance, as determined by 

17 the Secretary; or 

18 ‘‘(II) owned by a socially dis19 advantaged forest landowner. 

20 ‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Under an agree22 ment described in paragraph (4), the eligi23 ble entity shall provide a non-Federal 

24 share that is equivalent to the remainder 

25 of the fair market value of the forest land 


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1 easement not provided by the Secretary 

2 under subparagraph (A). 

3 ‘‘(ii) PERMISSIBLE FORMS.—The non4 Federal share provided by an eligible entity 

5 under this paragraph may comprise— 

6 ‘‘(I) cash resources; 

7 ‘‘(II) a charitable donation or 

8 qualified conservation contribution (as 

9 defined in section 170(h) of the Inter10 nal Revenue Code of 1986) from the 

11 private forest landowner from which 

12 the forest land easement will be pur13 chased; 

14 ‘‘(III) costs associated with se15 curing a deed to the forest land ease16 ment, including the cost of appraisal, 

17 survey, inspection, and title; and 

18 ‘‘(IV) other costs, as determined 

19 by the Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF FAIR MARKET

21 VALUE.—For purposes of this paragraph, the 

22 Secretary shall determine the fair market value 

23 of a forest land easement using— 

24 ‘‘(i) the Uniform Standards of Profes25 sional Appraisal Practice; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) an areawide market analysis or 

2 survey; or 

3 ‘‘(iii) another industry-approved meth4 od. 

5 ‘‘(3) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF APPLICA6 TIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall es8 tablish evaluation and ranking criteria to maxi9 mize the benefit of Federal investment under 

10 the program. 

11 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In evaluating applica12 tions under the program, the Secretary shall 

13 give priority to an application for the purchase 

14 of a forest land easement— 

15 ‘‘(i) that maintains the viability of a 

16 working forest, as determined by the Sec17 retary; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) on eligible land for which a forest 

19 management plan has been developed at 

20 the time of application. 

21 ‘‘(C) CONSIDERATIONS.—In establishing 

22 the criteria under subparagraph (A), the Sec23 retary shall emphasize support for— 

24 ‘‘(i) protecting working forests and re25 lated conservation values of eligible land; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) reducing fragmentation of forest 

2 land; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) maximizing the areas protected 

4 from conversion to nonforest uses. 

5 ‘‘(4) AGREEMENTS WITH ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

7 enter into agreements with eligible entities to 

8 stipulate the terms and conditions under which 

9 the eligible entity is permitted to use cost-share 

10 assistance provided under this section. 

11 ‘‘(B) LENGTH OF AGREEMENTS.—An 

12 agreement under subparagraph (A) shall be for 

13 a term that is not less than 3, but not more 

14 than 5, years, unless the Secretary determines 

15 that a longer term is justified. 

16 ‘‘(C) MINIMUM TERMS AND CONDITIONS.— 

17 An eligible entity shall be authorized to use its 

18 own terms and conditions for forest land ease19 ments so long as the Secretary determines such 

20 terms and conditions— 

21 ‘‘(i) are consistent with— 

22 ‘‘(I) the purposes of the program; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(II) the forestry activities to be 

25 conducted on the eligible land; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) permit effective enforcement of 

2 the conservation purposes of the forest 

3 land easements; 

4 ‘‘(iii) include a requirement to imple5 ment a forest management plan on eligible 

6 land subject to a forest land easement; 

7 ‘‘(iv) include a limit on the impervious 

8 surfaces to be allowed that is consistent 

9 with the forestry activities to be conducted; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(v) include a right of enforcement for 

12 the Secretary that— 

13 ‘‘(I) may be used only if the 

14 terms and conditions of the forest 

15 land easement are not enforced by the 

16 eligible entity; and 

17 ‘‘(II) does not extend to a right 

18 of inspection unless— 

19 ‘‘(aa)(AA) the holder of the 

20 forest land easement fails to pro21 vide monitoring reports in a 

22 timely manner; or 

23 ‘‘(BB) the Secretary has a 

24 reasonable and articulable belief 

25 that the terms and conditions of 


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1 the forest land easement have 

2 been violated; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) prior to the inspection, 

4 the Secretary notifies the eligible 

5 entity and the landowner of the 

6 inspection and provides a reason7 able opportunity for the eligible 

8 entity and the landowner to par9 ticipate in the inspection. 

10 ‘‘(D) SUBSTITUTION OF QUALIFIED

11 PROJECTS.—An agreement under subparagraph 

12 (A) shall allow, upon mutual agreement of the 

13 parties, substitution of qualified projects that 

14 are identified at the time of the proposed sub15 stitution. 

16 ‘‘(E) EFFECT OF VIOLATION.—If a viola17 tion of a term or condition of an agreement 

18 under subparagraph (A) occurs— 

19 ‘‘(i) the Secretary may terminate the 

20 agreement; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary may require the el22 igible entity to refund all or part of any 

23 payments received by the eligible entity 

24 under the program, with interest on the 


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1 payments as determined appropriate by the 

2 Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(5) FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the eligible land 

5 does not have a forest management plan at the 

6 time of application, prior to the acquisition of 

7 the forest land easement the landowner shall 

8 develop, in partnership with the eligible entity, 

9 a forest management plan for the land subject 

10 to the forest land easement. 

11 ‘‘(B) REIMBURSEMENT.—The Secretary 

12 may reimburse the landowner for the cost of 

13 the development of a forest management plan 

14 for eligible land enrolled under this section. 

15 ‘‘(c) METHOD OF ENROLLMENT.—The Secretary 

16 shall enroll eligible land under this section through the use 

17 of— 

18 ‘‘(1) permanent easements; or 

19 ‘‘(2) easements for the maximum duration al20 lowed under applicable State laws. 

21 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

22 provide technical assistance, on request, to assist in com23 pliance with the terms and conditions of forest land ease24 ments. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 1267C. FOREST RESERVE EASEMENTS. 

2 ‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

3 shall provide assistance to owners of eligible land to re4 store, protect, and enhance eligible land through— 

5 ‘‘(1) forest reserve easements and related forest 

6 reserve easement plans; and 

7 ‘‘(2) technical assistance to implement this sec8 tion. 

9 ‘‘(b) EASEMENTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) METHOD OF ENROLLMENT.— 

11 ‘‘(A) AUTHORIZED METHODS.—The Sec12 retary shall enroll eligible land under this sec13 tion— 

14 ‘‘(i) through the use of— 

15 ‘‘(I) permanent easements; 

16 ‘‘(II) 30-year easements; and 

17 ‘‘(III) easements for the max18 imum duration allowed under applica19 ble State laws; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) in the case of acreage owned by 

21 an Indian Tribe, through the use of— 

22 ‘‘(I) 30-year contracts (the com23 pensation for which shall be equiva24 lent to the compensation for 30-year 

25 easements); or 

26 ‘‘(II) permanent easements. 


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1 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—Not more than 10 per2 cent of amounts made available to carry out 

3 this section in a fiscal year may be used for 30- 

4 year easements under this section. 

5 ‘‘(2) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF OFFERS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall es7 tablish evaluation and ranking criteria for of8 fers from landowners under this section. 

9 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give 

10 priority to the enrollment of eligible land under 

11 this section that provides the greatest conserva12 tion benefit to— 

13 ‘‘(i) primarily, species listed as endan14 gered or threatened under section 4 of the 

15 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

16 U.S.C. 1533); and 

17 ‘‘(ii) secondarily, species that are— 

18 ‘‘(I) not listed as endangered or 

19 threatened under that section; and 

20 ‘‘(II)(aa) candidates for that list21 ing, State-listed species, or special 

22 concern species; or 

23 ‘‘(bb) designated as species of 

24 greatest conservation need by a State 

25 wildlife action plan. 


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1 ‘‘(C) OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.—The Sec2 retary may give additional consideration to eli3 gible land the enrollment under this section of 

4 which will— 

5 ‘‘(i) improve biological diversity; 

6 ‘‘(ii) restore native forest ecosystems; 

7 ‘‘(iii) conserve forest land that pro8 vides habitat for species described in sub9 paragraph (B); 

10 ‘‘(iv) reduce fragmentation of forest 

11 land; and 

12 ‘‘(v) increase carbon sequestration. 

13 ‘‘(3) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EASE14 MENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A forest reserve ease16 ment shall include terms and conditions that— 

17 ‘‘(i) are consistent with the purposes 

18 of the program and the forestry activities 

19 to be conducted on the eligible land; 

20 ‘‘(ii) are consistent with the manage21 ment objectives of the owner of the eligible 

22 land and the implementation of the forest 

23 reserve easement plan developed under 

24 subsection (c)(1)(A); 


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1 ‘‘(iii) permit effective enforcement of 

2 the conservation purposes of the forest re3 serve easements; 

4 ‘‘(iv) provide for the efficient and ef5 fective establishment or enhancement of 

6 forest ecosystem functions and values; and 

7 ‘‘(v) include such additional provisions 

8 as the Secretary determines are desirable 

9 to carry out the program or facilitate the 

10 practical administration of the program. 

11 ‘‘(B) REQUESTED TERMS AND CONDI12 TIONS.—An owner of eligible land may request 

13 that a term or condition be included in a forest 

14 reserve easement, and the Secretary may in15 clude such term or condition, if it— 

16 ‘‘(i) is consistent with the manage17 ment objectives of the owner of the eligible 

18 land and the implementation of the forest 

19 reserve easement plan developed under 

20 subsection (c)(1)(A); and 

21 ‘‘(ii) does not conflict with any terms 

22 or conditions included under subparagraph 

23 (A). 

24 ‘‘(4) COMPENSATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PERMANENT EASEMENTS.—In the 

2 case of eligible land enrolled in a permanent 

3 easement under this section, the Secretary shall 

4 pay the owner of the eligible land an amount 

5 equal to the difference between, as determined 

6 by the Secretary— 

7 ‘‘(i) the fair market value of the eligi8 ble land before the enrollment in the per9 manent easement; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the fair market value of the eligi11 ble land as encumbered by the permanent 

12 easement. 

13 ‘‘(B) OTHER.—The Secretary shall pay the 

14 owner of eligible land enrolled under this sec15 tion in a 30-year contract, a 30-year easement, 

16 or an easement for the maximum duration al17 lowed under applicable State laws, not less than 

18 50 percent, and not more than 75 percent, of 

19 the compensation that would be paid under sub20 paragraph (A) if the land were being enrolled in 

21 a permanent easement. 

22 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF FAIR MARKET

23 VALUE.—The Secretary shall determine the fair 

24 market value of eligible land for purposes of 

25 this paragraph using the Uniform Standards of 


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1 Professional Appraisal Practice or another in2 dustry-approved method. 

3 ‘‘(c) EASEMENT RESTORATION AND MANAGE4 MENT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) FOREST RESERVE EASEMENT PLAN.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Land enrolled in a 

7 forest reserve easement shall be subject to a 

8 forest reserve easement plan, to be developed 

9 jointly by the landowner and the Secretary, that 

10 describes such activities to be carried out on the 

11 land as are necessary to restore, maintain, and 

12 enhance habitat for species described in sub13 section (b)(2)(B). 

14 ‘‘(B) PRACTICES AND MEASURES.—A for15 est reserve easement plan developed under sub16 paragraph (A) shall require implementation of 

17 such practices and measures as are necessary to 

18 accomplish the activities described in the plan 

19 under such subparagraph, which may include— 

20 ‘‘(i) vegetative management and 

21 silviculture practices; 

22 ‘‘(ii) structural practices and meas23 ures; 

24 ‘‘(iii) practices to increase carbon se25 questration; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) practices to improve biological 

2 diversity; and 

3 ‘‘(v) other practices and measures, as 

4 determined by the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(2) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

7 provide financial assistance to owners of eligible 

8 land to carry out the activities, practices, and 

9 measures described in the forest reserve ease10 ment plan developed for the eligible land under 

11 paragraph (1). 

12 ‘‘(B) PAYMENTS.—With respect to finan13 cial assistance provided under subparagraph 

14 (A), the Secretary shall pay— 

15 ‘‘(i) in the case of a forest reserve 

16 easement plan for eligible land enrolled in 

17 a permanent easement, an amount that is 

18 not more than 100 percent of the eligible 

19 costs described in subparagraph (C), as de20 termined by the Secretary; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a forest reserve 

22 easement plan for eligible land enrolled in 

23 a 30-year contract, a 30-year easement, or 

24 an easement for the maximum duration al25 lowed under applicable State laws, an 


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1 amount that is not less than 50 percent, 

2 and not more than 75 percent, of the eligi3 ble costs described in subparagraph (C), as 

4 determined by the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE COSTS.—Costs eligible for 

6 payments under this paragraph are the costs of 

7 activities, practices, and measures referred to in 

8 subparagraph (A) that are associated with the 

9 restoration or enhancement of the habitat con10 ditions specified for the applicable species in the 

11 forest reserve easement plan. 

12 ‘‘(D) TIMING OF PAYMENTS.—Payments 

13 under this paragraph shall be made— 

14 ‘‘(i) only on a determination by the 

15 Secretary that an activity, practice, or 

16 measure described in subparagraph (C) 

17 has been established in compliance with 

18 appropriate standards and specifications, 

19 which determination shall be made as soon 

20 as practicable after establishment; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) as soon as possible after such de22 termination is made. 

23 ‘‘(E) LIMITATIONS.—Financial assistance 

24 provided by the Secretary under this paragraph 


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1 to an owner of eligible land may not exceed 

2 $500,000 per easement or contract. 

3 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

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

5 to owners of eligible land technical assistance to as6 sist the owners in— 

7 ‘‘(A) developing a forest reserve easement 

8 plan; and 

9 ‘‘(B) complying with the terms and condi10 tions of a forest reserve easement, including the 

11 implementation of a forest reserve easement 

12 plan. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Sec14 retary may enter into 1 or more contracts with pri15 vate entities or agreements with a State, nongovern16 mental organization, or Indian Tribe to provide tech17 nical assistance described in paragraph (1), if the 

18 Secretary determines that the contract or agreement 

19 will advance the purposes of the program. 

20 ‘‘(e) PROTECTIONS AND MEASURES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) PROTECTIONS.—In the case of a land22 owner who enrolls eligible land in a forest reserve 

23 easement, and whose conservation activities under 

24 the forest reserve easement plan developed for such 

25 land result in a net conservation benefit for a species 


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1 described in subsection (b)(2)(B), the Secretary shall 

2 make available to the landowner safe harbor or simi3 lar assurances and protection under— 

4 ‘‘(A) section 7(b)(4) of the Endangered 

5 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(b)(4)); or 

6 ‘‘(B) section 10(a)(1) of that Act (16 

7 U.S.C. 1539(a)(1)). 

8 ‘‘(2) MEASURES.—If protection under para9 graph (1) requires the taking of measures that are 

10 in addition to the measures covered by the forest re11 serve easement plan developed for the eligible land, 

12 the cost of the additional measures, and the cost of 

13 any permit, shall be considered costs eligible for pay14 ments under subsection (c)(2). 

15 ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATION.— 

16 ‘‘(1) DELEGATION OF EASEMENT ADMINISTRA17 TION.— 

18 ‘‘(A) FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES.— 

19 The Secretary may delegate any of the manage20 ment, monitoring, and enforcement responsibil21 ities of the Secretary under this section to other 

22 Federal or State agencies that have the appro23 priate authority, expertise, and resources nec24 essary to carry out those delegated responsibil25 ities. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS.— 

2 The Secretary may delegate any of the manage3 ment responsibilities of the Secretary under this 

4 section to a nonprofit conservation organization 

5 if the Secretary determines the organization has 

6 the appropriate expertise and resources nec7 essary to carry out those delegated responsibil8 ities. 

9 ‘‘(2) INVOLVEMENT BY OTHER AGENCIES AND

10 ORGANIZATIONS.—In carrying out this section, the 

11 Secretary may consult with— 

12 ‘‘(A) private forest landowners; 

13 ‘‘(B) other Federal agencies; 

14 ‘‘(C) State forestry agencies; 

15 ‘‘(D) State fish and wildlife agencies; 

16 ‘‘(E) State environmental quality agencies; 

17 ‘‘(F) other State conservation agencies; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(G) nonprofit conservation organizations. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 1267D. ADMINISTRATION. 

21 ‘‘(a) INELIGIBLE LAND.—The Secretary shall not use 

22 amounts made available to carry out the program for the 

23 purposes of acquiring an easement on— 


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1 ‘‘(1) land owned by a Federal agency, other 

2 than such land that is acreage owned by an Indian 

3 Tribe; 

4 ‘‘(2) land owned in fee title by a State, includ5 ing an agency or a subdivision of a State, or a unit 

6 of local government; 

7 ‘‘(3) land subject to an easement or deed re8 striction that, as determined by the Secretary, pro9 vides similar protection as would be provided by en10 rollment in the program; or 

11 ‘‘(4) land the enrollment in the program of 

12 which would undermine the purposes of the program 

13 due to on-site or off-site conditions, such as risk of 

14 hazardous substances, permitted or existing rights of 

15 way, infrastructure development, or adjacent land 

16 uses. 

17 ‘‘(b) SUBORDINATION, EXCHANGE, MODIFICATION, 

18 AND TERMINATION.— 

19 ‘‘(1) SUBORDINATION.—The Secretary may 

20 subordinate any interest in eligible land, or portion 

21 of such an interest, administered by the Secretary 

22 (including for the purposes of utilities and energy 

23 transmission services) directly or on behalf of the 

24 Commodity Credit Corporation under the program if 

25 the Secretary determines that the subordination— 


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1 ‘‘(A) increases conservation values or has a 

2 limited negative effect on conservation values; 

3 ‘‘(B) minimally affects the acreage subject 

4 to the interest in eligible land; and 

5 ‘‘(C) is in the public interest or furthers 

6 the practical administration of the program. 

7 ‘‘(2) MODIFICATION AND EXCHANGE.— 

8 ‘‘(A) MODIFICATION.— 

9 ‘‘(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 

10 approve a modification of any interest in 

11 land, or portion of such interest, adminis12 tered by the Secretary, either directly or 

13 on behalf of the Commodity Credit Cor14 poration, under the program if the Sec15 retary determines that the modification— 

16 ‘‘(I) will support the viability and 

17 sustainability of working forests and 

18 the conservation values of the applica19 ble easement; 

20 ‘‘(II) will result in equal or in21 creased conservation values; 

22 ‘‘(III) is consistent with the origi23 nal intent of the easement; 

24 ‘‘(IV) is consistent with the pur25 poses of the program; and 


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1 ‘‘(V) is in the public interest or 

2 furthers the practical administration 

3 of the program, including correcting 

4 errors and exercising reserved rights. 

5 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—In modifying an 

6 interest in land, or portion of such inter7 est, under this subparagraph, the Sec8 retary may not, except in the case of a 

9 modification that includes a change to an 

10 easement to add acreage, increase any pay11 ment to an eligible entity. 

12 ‘‘(B) EXCHANGE.— 

13 ‘‘(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 

14 approve an exchange of any interest in 

15 land, or portion of such interest, adminis16 tered by the Secretary, either directly or 

17 on behalf of the Commodity Credit Cor18 poration, under the program if the Sec19 retary determines that— 

20 ‘‘(I) no reasonable alternative ex21 ists and the effect on the interest in 

22 land is avoided or minimized to the 

23 extent practicable; and 

24 ‘‘(II) the exchange— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) results in equal or in2 creased conservation values; 

3 ‘‘(bb) results in equal or 

4 greater economic value to the 

5 United States; 

6 ‘‘(cc) is consistent with the 

7 original intent of the easement; 

8 ‘‘(dd) is consistent with the 

9 purposes of the program; and 

10 ‘‘(ee) is in the public inter11 est or furthers the practical ad12 ministration of the program. 

13 ‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—In exchanging an 

14 interest in land, or portion of such inter15 est, under this subparagraph, the Sec16 retary may not increase any payment to an 

17 eligible entity. 

18 ‘‘(3) TERMINATION.—The Secretary may ap19 prove a termination of any interest in eligible land, 

20 or portion of such an interest, administered by the 

21 Secretary, directly or on behalf of the Commodity 

22 Credit Corporation under the program if the Sec23 retary determines that— 

24 ‘‘(A) termination is in the interest of the 

25 Federal Government; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the United States will be fully com2 pensated for— 

3 ‘‘(i) the value of the interest in the 

4 land, as determined by the Secretary; 

5 ‘‘(ii) any costs relating to the termi6 nation; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) any damages determined appro8 priate by the Secretary; and 

9 ‘‘(C) the termination will— 

10 ‘‘(i) address a compelling public need 

11 for which there is no practicable alter12 native even with avoidance and minimiza13 tion; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) further the practical administra15 tion of the program. 

16 ‘‘(4) CONSENT.—The Secretary shall obtain 

17 consent from the landowner and eligible entity, if ap18 plicable, for any subordination, exchange, modifica19 tion, or termination of an interest in eligible land, or 

20 portion of such an interest, under this subsection. 

21 ‘‘(5) NOTICE.—Not fewer than 90 days before 

22 taking any termination action described in para23 graph (3), the Secretary shall provide written notice 

24 of that action to the Committee on Agriculture of 


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1 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

2 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. 

3 ‘‘(c) LAND ENROLLED IN OTHER PROGRAMS.—In 

4 accordance with the provisions of section 2902 of the 

5 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, land en6 rolled in the healthy forests reserve program established 

7 under title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

8 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.) on the day before the date 

9 of enactment of this section shall be considered enrolled 

10 in the program.’’. 

11 Subtitle I—Regional Conservation 

12 Partnership Program 

13 SEC. 2801. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES. 

14 Section 1271(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

15 (16 U.S.C. 3871(b)(2)) is amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(2) To address natural resource concerns on 

17 eligible land on a regional or watershed scale, includ18 ing through— 

19 ‘‘(A) the conservation, protection, restora20 tion, and sustainable use of soil; 

21 ‘‘(B) the conservation and protection of 

22 water, including sources of drinking water and 

23 groundwater; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the prevention and mitigation of the 

2 effects of flooding and drought, and the im3 provement or expansion of flood resiliency; and 

4 ‘‘(D) the conservation of wildlife, agricul5 tural land, and related natural resources.’’. 

6 SEC. 2802. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 1271A(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

8 (16 U.S.C. 3871a(1)) is amended by striking subpara9 graph (D) and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(D) The forest conservation easement 

11 program established under subtitle I.’’. 

12 SEC. 2803. REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS. 

13 (a) PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS AUTHORIZED.— 

14 Section 1271B(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

15 U.S.C. 3871b(a)) is amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(a) PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS AUTHORIZED.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

18 into a partnership agreement with an eligible part19 ner to implement a project that will assist producers 

20 with installing and maintaining an eligible activity 

21 on eligible land. 

22 ‘‘(2) STREAMLINING REQUIRED.—The Sec23 retary shall ensure that a partnership agreement 

24 under paragraph (1)— 


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1 ‘‘(A) is entered into not later than 180 

2 days after the date on which an application is 

3 selected under subsection (e); and 

4 ‘‘(B) contains only— 

5 ‘‘(i) the information, described under 

6 subsection (e)(3), necessary to fund and 

7 initiate the project to be implemented 

8 under the partnership agreement; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) any adjustments to the require10 ments of a covered program determined 

11 necessary by the Secretary under para12 graph (2) of section 1271E(f), and any 

13 waiver provided under paragraph (3) of 

14 such section. 

15 ‘‘(3) PROCESS FOR REQUESTING WAIVERS AND

16 ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary shall make available 

17 information on the process for requesting a waiver 

18 or an adjustment to the requirements of a covered 

19 program pursuant to section 1271E(f).’’. 

20 (b) DUTIES OF SECRETARY.—Section 1271B(d) of 

21 the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871b(d)) is 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘how the 

24 Secretary used amounts reserved by the Secretary 

25 for that year for technical assistance under section 


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1 1271D(f); and’’ and inserting ‘‘the use of funds for 

2 technical assistance under section 1271D(c);’’; 

3 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at 

4 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

6 ‘‘(6) ensure payments to eligible partners under 

7 a partnership agreement are made not later than 30 

8 days after the date on which the eligible partner 

9 submits to the Secretary a request for payment.’’. 

10 (c) APPLICATIONS.—Section 1271B(e)(3) of the 

11 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871b(e)(3)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

14 the end; 

15 (2) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as sub16 paragraph (F); and 

17 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(E) any requests by an eligible partner 

20 for a waiver or an adjustment to the require21 ments of a covered program pursuant to section 

22 1271E(f); and’’. 

23 SEC. 2804. ASSISTANCE TO PRODUCERS. 

24 Section 1271C(d)(3) of the Food Security Act of 

25 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871c(d)(3)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub2 paragraph (C); 

3 (2) in subparagraph (A)(iv), by striking the 

4 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

5 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A)(iv) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(B) provide, under section 1271B(c)(2), 

8 not less than 50 percent of the overall costs of 

9 the scope of the project that is the subject of 

10 a partnership agreement funded pursuant to 

11 paragraph (1) in direct funding; and’’. 

12 SEC. 2805. FUNDING. 

13 (a) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Section 1271D of 

14 the Food Security Act of 1985 (3871d) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking subsections (a) and (b); 

16 (2) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and 

17 (e) as subsections (a), (b), and (c), respectively; and 

18 (3) in subsection (a), as so redesignated, by 

19 striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

20 1241(a)(6)’’. 

21 (b) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 

22 Subsection (b) of section 1271D of the Food Security Act 

23 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871d), as so redesignated, is amend24 ed to read as follows: 

25 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds made avail2 able to implement a project under a partnership 

3 agreement, the Secretary may use not more than ten 

4 percent to reimburse the eligible partner for admin5 istrative expenses relating to the project. 

6 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATION.—Any amounts expended 

7 by an eligible partner for administrative expenses 

8 that are not reimbursed under paragraph (1) may be 

9 considered to be a part of the contribution of the eli10 gible partner under section 1271B(c)(2).’’. 

11 (c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Subsection (c) of sec12 tion 1271D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

13 3871d), as so redesignated, is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, 

16 through a partnership agreement, identify— 

17 ‘‘(A) the total amount of funds that will be 

18 used for technical assistance; and 

19 ‘‘(B) the share of such funds that will be 

20 provided to eligible partners under paragraph 

21 (2). 

22 ‘‘(2) PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE.— 

23 ‘‘(A) REIMBURSEMENT.—Under a partner24 ship agreement that is not funded through an 

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1 ment under section 1271C(d), the Secretary 

2 may reimburse eligible partners for the costs of 

3 technical assistance provided through such part4 nership agreement, including— 

5 ‘‘(i) the costs of technical assistance 

6 needed to facilitate the maximum conserva7 tion benefit of the applicable project; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the costs of providing outreach 

9 and education to producers for potential 

10 participation in the applicable project; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the costs of establishing baseline 

12 metrics to support the development of the 

13 assessment required under section 

14 1271B(c)(1)(E); and 

15 ‘‘(iv) other costs necessary to support 

16 the implementation of eligible activities, as 

17 determined by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(B) ADVANCEMENT OF FUNDS.—The 

19 Secretary may advance to eligible partners rea20 sonable amounts of funds for costs that may be 

21 reimbursed under subparagraph (A), as deter22 mined by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall limit 

24 costs of the Secretary for technical assistance to 


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1 costs necessary to carry out the objectives of the 

2 program. 

3 ‘‘(4) REDUCTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE BAR4 RIERS.—The Secretary shall provide a single, sim5 plified process for reimbursements or advancements 

6 to eligible partners for the costs of technical assist7 ance under this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(5) THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS.—The Secretary 

9 shall develop and implement strategies to encourage 

10 third-party technical service providers to provide 

11 technical assistance to eligible partners pursuant to 

12 a partnership agreement.’’. 

13 SEC. 2806. ADMINISTRATION. 

14 (a) REPORTING.—Section 1271E(b) of the Food Se15 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871e(b)) is amended in 

16 the matter preceding paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘make 

17 publicly available and’’ after ‘‘the Secretary shall’’. 

18 (b) CONSISTENCY WITH COVERED PROGRAM

19 RULES.—Section 1271E of the Food Security Act of 1985 

20 (16 U.S.C. 3871e) is amended by adding at the end the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(f) CONSISTENCY WITH COVERED PROGRAM RE23 QUIREMENTS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this 

25 subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that the terms 


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1 and conditions of a program contract are consistent 

2 with the requirements of the applicable covered pro3 gram to be used as part of the applicable partner4 ship agreement. 

5 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, if 

7 the Secretary determines necessary, adjust a 

8 regulatory requirement of a covered program to 

9 be used as a part of a partnership agreement, 

10 or related guidance, as it applies to an eligible 

11 activity carried out under a program contract 

12 entered into pursuant to the partnership agree13 ment— 

14 ‘‘(i) to provide a simplified process; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) to better reflect unique local cir16 cumstances. 

17 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall 

18 not adjust the application of statutory require19 ments for a covered program to be used as a 

20 part of a partnership agreement, including re21 quirements governing appeals, payment limits, 

22 and conservation compliance. 

23 ‘‘(3) WAIVER.—With respect to a program con24 tract for an eligible activity under the agricultural 

25 conservation easement program, the Secretary may, 


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1 in the applicable partnership agreement, waive the 

2 application of clauses (ii) or (iii)(III) of section 

3 1265A(4)(A) for purposes of determining the eligi4 bility of land. 

5 ‘‘(4) CERTIFICATION APPLICABILITY.—With re6 spect to a partnership agreement entered into for ac7 quisition of easements, the Secretary shall apply the 

8 authorities applicable to the eligible partner under 

9 section 1265B(b)(5)(A) if the eligible partner is an 

10 eligible entity certified under such section. 

11 ‘‘(5) EXEMPTION.—With respect to a program 

12 contract that includes an eligible activity under the 

13 environmental quality incentives program to be in14 stalled and maintained in a State in which irrigation 

15 has not been used significantly for agricultural pur16 poses, as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary 

17 may not consider prior irrigation history when deter18 mining the eligibility of land. 

19 ‘‘(6) APPLICATION.—Paragraph (1) shall not 

20 apply to partnership agreements funded pursuant to 

21 section 1271C(d).’’. 

22 SEC. 2807. CRITICAL CONSERVATION AREAS. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1271F(a)(2)(C) of the 

24 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871f(a)(2)(C)) is 

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1 hancement of wildlife habitat connectivity and wildlife mi2 gration corridors’’ before the semicolon at the end. 

3 (b) APPLICATIONS.—Section 1271F(b) of the Food 

4 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871f(b)) is amended 

5 by striking ‘‘funds under section 1271D(d)(2)’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘funds allocated under section 1271D(a)(2)’’. 

7 Subtitle J—Repeals and 

8 Transitional Provisions 

9 SEC. 2901. SUPERSEDED CONSERVATION RESERVE PRO10 GRAM AUTHORITIES. 

11 (a) REPEALS.— 

12 (1) FARMABLE WETLAND PROGRAM.—Section 

13 1231B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 

14 3831b) is repealed. 

15 (2) PILOT PROGRAMS.—Section 1231C of the 

16 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831c) is re17 pealed. 

18 (b) TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS.— 

19 (1) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS AND

20 AGREEMENTS.—Subject to paragraph (2), this title, 

21 and the amendments made by this title, shall not af22 fect the validity or terms of any contract or agree23 ment entered into by the Secretary under subchapter 

24 B of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food 

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1 fore the date of enactment of this Act, or any pay2 ments or technical assistance required to be made in 

3 connection with the contract or agreement. 

4 (2) MODIFICATION OF EXISTING CONTRACTS

5 AND AGREEMENTS.—The signatories to a contract 

6 or an agreement entered into under subchapter B of 

7 chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Se8 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.) before 

9 the date of enactment of this Act may mutually 

10 agree to a modification of the contract or agreement 

11 to implement this title, and the amendments made 

12 by this title. 

13 (3) EXTENSION PERMITTED.—Notwithstanding 

14 the repeal of sections 1231B and 1231C of the Food 

15 Security Act of 1985 made by subsection (a), the 

16 Secretary may extend for 1 year a contract or agree17 ment entered into under either such section before 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, if that contract 

19 or agreement expires on or before September 30, 

20 2025, under the terms and payment rate of the ex21 isting contract or agreement and in accordance with 

22 section 1231B or 1231C of the Food Security Act 

23 of 1985 (as in effect on the day before the date of 

24 enactment of this Act), as applicable. 

25 (4) FUNDING.— 


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1 (A) USE OF PRIOR YEAR FUNDS.—Not2 withstanding the amendments made by this 

3 title, any funds made available from the Com4 modity Credit Corporation to carry out sub5 chapter B of chapter 1 of title XII of the Food 

6 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.) 

7 (as in effect on the day before the date of en8 actment of this Act) for any of fiscal years 

9 2019 through 2024 shall be made available to 

10 carry out contracts and agreements that were 

11 entered into under such subchapter prior to the 

12 date of enactment of this Act, subject to the 

13 condition that no such contract or agreement 

14 may be modified so as to increase the amount 

15 of land enrolled or the amount of the payment 

16 received. 

17 (B) OTHER.—The Secretary may use 

18 funds made available to carry out subchapter B 

19 of chapter 1 of title XII of the Food Security 

20 Act of 1985 to continue to carry out contracts 

21 or agreements that were entered into under 

22 such subchapter prior to the date of enactment 

23 of this Act using the provisions of law (includ24 ing regulations) applicable to those contracts or 


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1 agreements as in existence on the day before 

2 the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 SEC. 2902. HEALTHY FORESTS RESERVE PROGRAM. 

4 (a) REPEAL.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title V of the Healthy For6 ests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et 

7 seq.) is repealed. 

8 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of 

9 contents in section 1(b) of the Healthy Forests Res10 toration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–148; 117 

11 Stat. 1887) is amended by striking the items relat12 ing to title V. 

13 (b) TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS.— 

14 (1) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS, AGREE15 MENTS, AND EASEMENTS.—The repeal made by sub16 section (a) shall not affect the validity or terms of 

17 any contract, agreement, or easement entered into 

18 by the Secretary under title V of the Healthy For19 ests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et 

20 seq.) before the date of enactment of this Act, or 

21 any payments or technical assistance required to be 

22 made in connection with the contract, agreement, or 

23 easement. 

24 (2) FUNDING.— 


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1 (A) USE OF PRIOR YEAR FUNDS.—Not2 withstanding the repeal made by subsection (a), 

3 any funds made available from the Commodity 

4 Credit Corporation to carry out the healthy for5 ests reserve program established under title V 

6 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 

7 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.) (as in effect on the 

8 day before the date of enactment of this Act) 

9 for any of fiscal years 2019 through 2024 shall 

10 be made available to carry out contracts, agree11 ments, or easements referred to in paragraph 

12 (1), subject to the condition that no such con13 tract, agreement, or easement may be modified 

14 so as to increase the amount of any payment 

15 received. 

16 (B) OTHER.—The Secretary may use 

17 funds made available to carry out the forest 

18 conservation easement program established 

19 under subtitle I of the Food Security Act of 

20 1985 to continue to carry out contracts, agree21 ments, or easements referred to in paragraph 

22 (1) using the provisions of law (including regu23 lations) applicable to those contracts, agree24 ments, and easements as in existence on the 

25 day before the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 TITLE III—TRADE 

2 Subtitle A—Food for Peace Act 

3 SEC. 3101. FOOD AID QUALITY ASSURANCE. 

4 Section 202 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1722) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘any other provision of 

8 law’’ and inserting ‘‘any other provision of this 

9 Act’’; 

10 (B) by inserting ‘‘, in consultation with the 

11 Secretary,’’ after ‘‘Administrator’’; and 

12 (C) by striking ‘‘as the Administrator de13 termines appropriate’’ and inserting ‘‘as the 

14 Secretary determines appropriate’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘assist16 ance, including in the form of’’ before ‘‘agricultural 

17 commodities’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘; or’’ 

20 and inserting a semicolon; 

21 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe22 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

24 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(3) a nongovernmental organization, as deter2 mined by the Administrator.’’; 

3 (4) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the 

4 following new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(5) LIMITATION ON DIVERSION OF FUNDS.— 

6 Of the funds made available in each fiscal year 

7 under this title to the Administrator, not more than 

8 50 percent may be made available for expenses other 

9 than the procurement of United States-grown agri10 cultural commodities and ocean transportation of 

11 such commodities.’’; and 

12 (5) in subsection (h)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 3102. MINIMUM LEVELS OF ASSISTANCE. 

15 Section 204(a) of the Food for Peace Act (7 

16 U.S.C.1724(a)) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Committees 

18 on International Relations’’ and inserting ‘‘Commit19 tees on Foreign Affairs’’; 

20 (2) by striking paragraph (2); and 

21 (3) by redesignating paragraph (3), as amend22 ed, as paragraph (2). 


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1 SEC. 3103. FOOD AID CONSULTATIVE GROUP. 

2 Section 205(f) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

3 13 1725(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2023’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2029’’. 

5 SEC. 3104. ISSUANCE OF REGULATIONS; OVERSIGHT, MONI6 TORING, AND EVALUATION. 

7 Section 207 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

8 1726a) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘the Agri10 culture Improvement Act of 2018’’and inserting ‘‘the 

11 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024’’; 

12 and 

13 (2) in subsection (f)(4), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

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

15 SEC. 3105. INTERNATIONAL FOOD RELIEF PARTNERSHIP. 

16 Section 208(f) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

17 1726b(f)) is amended to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(f) AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi19 tion to amounts otherwise made available to carry out this 

20 section, of the funds made available in each fiscal year 

21 under this title to the Administrator, not less than 

22 $15,000,000 shall be made available in each of fiscal years 

23 2025 through 2029 to carry out this section, to remain 

24 available until expended.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3106. USE OF COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION. 

2 Subsection (b) of section 406 of the Food for Peace 

3 Act (7 U.S.C. 1736) is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(b) INCLUDED EXPENSES.—With respect to com5 modities made available under titles II and III, the Com6 modity Credit Corporation may pay all associated and in7 cidental costs of such commodities.’’. 

8 SEC. 3107. PRE-POSITIONING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMOD9 ITIES AND ANNUAL REPORT REGARDING 

10 FOOD AID PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES. 

11 Section 407 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

12 1736a) is amended— 

13 (1) by amending subsection (c)(1) to read as 

14 follows: 

15 ‘‘(1) ACQUISITION.—The Administrator shall 

16 transfer, arrange for the transportation, and take 

17 other steps necessary to make available agricultural 

18 commodities to be provided under title II and title 

19 III.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (c)(4)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

21 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (f)(2)— 

23 (A) by striking subparagraph (I); 

24 (B) by amending subparagraph (H) to 

25 read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(H) A statement of the amount of funds 

2 provided to each eligible organization that re3 ceived assistance under this Act and the man4 ner in which those funds were used, including 

5 whether such use was for commodity transpor6 tation or administrative costs.’’; 

7 (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

8 through (H) (as amended) as subparagraphs 

9 (F) through (I), respectively; and 

10 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

11 the following new subparagraph: 

12 ‘‘(E) An assessment of activities specifi13 cally targeting women and girls and the impact 

14 of those activities in addressing the unique 

15 needs of women and girls.’’; and 

16 (4) by striking subsection (f)(3). 

17 SEC. 3108. DEADLINE FOR AGREEMENTS TO FINANCE 

18 SALES OR TO PROVIDE OTHER ASSISTANCE. 

19 Section 408 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

20 1736b) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘2029’’. 

22 SEC. 3109. MINIMUM LEVEL OF NONEMERGENCY FOOD AS23 SISTANCE. 

24 Section 412 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

25 1736f) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

3 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub4 section: 

5 ‘‘(f) MINIMUM LEVELS OF FUNDING TO ADDRESS

6 CHILD WASTING.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 

8 2025 through 2029, if the most recent Joint Child 

9 Malnutrition Estimates, published annually by the 

10 World Health Organization, the World Bank, and 

11 the United Nations Children’s Fund, report a rate 

12 of children under 5 years of age affected by child 

13 wasting above 5 percent for the year covered by such 

14 report, not less than the minimum level described in 

15 paragraph (2), to be derived from amounts otherwise 

16 made available to carry out food assistance pro17 grams for such fiscal year and in addition to 

18 amounts otherwise made available pursuant to this 

19 Act, shall be expended for the procurement of ready20 to-use therapeutic foods. 

21 ‘‘(2) MINIMUM LEVEL DESCRIBED.—The min22 imum level described in this paragraph is— 

23 ‘‘(A) $200,000,000; or 

24 ‘‘(B) in the case of a fiscal year for which 

25 the total amount made available to carry out 


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1 programs under title II is less than 

2 $1,925,000,000, the product of— 

3 ‘‘(i) $200,000,000, multiplied by 

4 ‘‘(ii) the quotient of the total amount 

5 made available to carry out programs 

6 under title II for that fiscal year divided by 

7 $1,925,000,000.’’. 

8 SEC. 3110. TERMINATION DATE FOR MICRONUTRIENT FOR9 TIFICATION PROGRAMS. 

10 Section 415(c) of the Food for Peace Act (7 

11 U.S.C.1736g–2(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in12 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 SEC. 3111. JOHN OGONOWSKI AND DOUG BEREUTER FARM14 ER-TO-FARMER PROGRAM. 

15 Section 501 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 

16 1737) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it ap17 pears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 Subtitle B—Agricultural Trade Act 

19 of 1978 

20 SEC. 3201. AGRICULTURAL TRADE PROMOTION AND FA21 CILITATION. 

22 (a) MODIFICATION TO FOREIGN MARKET DEVELOP23 MENT COOPERATOR PROGRAM.—Section 203(c) of the 

24 Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623(c)(3)) is 


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1 amended by adding at the end the following new para2 graph: 

3 ‘‘(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE IN4 FRASTRUCTURE IN FOREIGN MARKETS FOR UNITED

5 STATES AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As part of the pro7 gram established under this subsection, the Sec8 retary shall enter into contracts or other agree9 ments with eligible trade organizations to pro10 vide needs assessments, training, and other 

11 technical assistance to enhance the capabilities 

12 of infrastructure in new and developing foreign 

13 markets, including infrastructure relating to 

14 cold chain capacity, port improvements, and 

15 other developments, to ensure that United 

16 States agricultural commodities are not dam17 aged or lost due to deficiencies of such infra18 structure. 

19 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA20 TIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—There is author22 ized to be appropriated to carry out this 

23 paragraph $1,000,000 for each of the fis24 cal years 2025 through 2029. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts au2 thorized to be appropriated under this sub3 paragraph that are not used to carry out 

4 this paragraph are authorized to be made 

5 available to carry out the program estab6 lished under this subsection.’’. 

7 (b) REPORT ON COMPETITIVENESS OF UNITED

8 STATES SPECIALTY CROPS.—Section 203(e)(7) of the Ag9 ricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623(e)(7)) is 

10 amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(7) BIENNIAL REPORT.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in con13 sultation with the United States Trade Rep14 resentative, shall submit every two years to the 

15 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep16 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

17 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 

18 detailing the competitiveness of United States 

19 specialty crops. 

20 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—The report required by 

21 subparagraph (A) shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) identify and analyze acts, policies, 

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1 tions of, United States exports of specialty 

2 crops, including the imposition of— 

3 ‘‘(I) tariffs (including retaliatory 

4 tariffs) or quotas (including tariff-rate 

5 quotas); and 

6 ‘‘(II) non-tariff barriers, includ7 ing technical barriers to trade, sani8 tary and phytosanitary measures, im9 port licensing procedures, and sub10 sidies; 

11 ‘‘(ii) identify and analyze acts, poli12 cies, or practices of foreign countries that 

13 enhance the competitiveness of imported 

14 specialty crops with domestic specialty crop 

15 producers, including— 

16 ‘‘(I) the subsidization of exports 

17 from the producing country; and 

18 ‘‘(II) the impact of any lack or 

19 circumvention of labor and environ20 mental laws in the producing country; 

21 ‘‘(iii) identify and analyze any dif22 ferences in applicable food safety regula23 tions of foreign countries that may result 

24 in imported specialty crops posing a risk to 

25 United States consumers; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) make an estimate— 

2 ‘‘(I) of the impacts on the com3 petitiveness of United States specialty 

4 crops of any act, policy, or practice 

5 identified under clauses (i) and (ii); 

6 ‘‘(II) if feasible, of the value of 

7 additional specialty crops that would, 

8 during the year preceding submission 

9 of the report, have been exported from 

10 the United States to each foreign 

11 country an act, policy, or practice of 

12 which is identified under clause (i) if 

13 each such act, policy, or practice of 

14 that country did not exist; and 

15 ‘‘(III) if feasible, of the injury 

16 caused to domestic specialty crop pro17 ducers for any acts, policies, or prac18 tices identified under clause (ii). 

19 ‘‘(v) assess the extent to which each 

20 act, policy, or practice identified under 

21 clauses (i) and (ii) are subject to inter22 national agreements to which the United 

23 States is a party; 

24 ‘‘(vi) include information with respect 

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1 islative branches during the two years pre2 ceding submission of the report, or ex3 pected to be taken after submission of the 

4 report, to eliminate any act, policy, or 

5 practice identified under clauses (i) and 

6 (ii), including— 

7 ‘‘(I) any action under section 

8 301; 

9 ‘‘(II) negotiations or consulta10 tions with foreign governments, which 

11 may include engagement through the 

12 standing committee on sanitary and 

13 phytosanitary matters established 

14 under a free trade agreement to which 

15 the United States is a party; and 

16 ‘‘(III) action at the World Trade 

17 Organization, including dispute settle18 ment actions, consultations, or nego19 tiations; and 

20 ‘‘(vii) a description of— 

21 ‘‘(I) any funds provided under 

22 subsection (f)(3)(A)(iv) that were not 

23 obligated in the fiscal year preceding 

24 submission of the report; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) the reason such funds were 

2 not obligated. 

3 ‘‘(C) COMMENT PERIOD.—In preparing the 

4 report required by subparagraph (A), the Sec5 retary, in coordination with the United States 

6 Trade Representative, shall seek and consider 

7 comments from the public and from the Agri8 cultural Technical Advisory Committee for 

9 Trade in Fruits and Vegetables. 

10 ‘‘(D) FORM OF REPORT.—The report re11 quired by subparagraph (A) shall be made 

12 available to the public in machine-readable for13 mat.’’. 

14 (c) MODIFICATION AND EXTENSION OF FUNDING.— 

15 Section 203(f) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 

16 U.S.C. 5623(f)) is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ each place 

18 it appears and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking 

20 ‘‘$255,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$489,500,000’’; 

21 (3) in paragraph (3)(A)(i), by striking 

22 ‘‘$200,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$400,000,000’’; 

23 (4) in paragraph (3)(A)(ii), by striking 

24 ‘‘$34,500,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$69,000,000’’; and 


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1 (5) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘during the 

2 period in which that memorandum is in effect’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘during the period in which the directives 

4 in such memorandum are in effect’’. 

5 (d) REPEAL.—Section 718 of title VII of the Agri6 culture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administra7 tion, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (as 

8 enacted by section 101(a) of division A of Public Law 

9 105–277; 7 U.S.C. 5623 note) is repealed. 

10 SEC. 3202. PRESERVING FOREIGN MARKETS FOR GOODS 

11 USING COMMON NAMES. 

12 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 102 of the Agricultural 

13 Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602) is amended— 

14 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

15 striking ‘‘As used in this Act—’’ and inserting ‘‘In 

16 this Act:’’; 

17 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

18 (8) as paragraphs (3), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and 

19 (4), respectively, and reordering such paragraphs in 

20 numerical sequence; 

21 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(2) COMMON NAME.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘common 

2 name’ means a name that, as determined by the 

3 Secretary— 

4 ‘‘(i) is ordinarily or customarily used 

5 for an agricultural commodity or food 

6 product; 

7 ‘‘(ii) is typically placed on the pack8 aging and product label of the agricultural 

9 commodity or food product; 

10 ‘‘(iii) with respect to wine— 

11 ‘‘(I) is— 

12 ‘‘(aa) ordinarily or custom13 arily used for a wine grape vari14 etal name; or 

15 ‘‘(bb) a traditional term or 

16 expression that is typically placed 

17 on the packaging and label of the 

18 wine; and 

19 ‘‘(II) does not mean any appella20 tion of origin for wine listed in sub21 part C of part 9 of title 27, Code of 

22 Federal Regulations (or successor reg23 ulations); and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the use of which is consistent 

2 with standards of the Codex Alimentarius 

3 Commission. 

4 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making a de5 termination under subparagraph (A), the Sec6 retary may take into account— 

7 ‘‘(i) competent sources, such as dic8 tionaries, newspapers, professional journals 

9 and literature, and information posted on 

10 websites that are determined by the Sec11 retary to be reliable in reporting market 

12 information; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the use of the common name in 

14 a domestic, regional, or international prod15 uct standard, including a standard promul16 gated by the Codex Alimentarius Commis17 sion, for the agricultural commodity or 

18 food product; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) the ordinary and customary use 

20 of the common name in the production or 

21 marketing of the agricultural commodity or 

22 food product in the United States or in 

23 other countries.’’; and 

24 (4) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), in 

25 subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (A) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (B) in clause (vi), by striking the period at 

4 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

6 ‘‘(vii) prohibits or disallows the use of 

7 the common name of an agricultural com8 modity or food product of the United 

9 States.’’. 

10 (b) NEGOTIATIONS TO DEFEND USE OF COMMON

11 NAMES.—Title III of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 

12 (7 U.S.C. 5652 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 303. NEGOTIATIONS TO DEFEND THE USE OF COM15 MON NAMES. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall coordinate 

17 efforts with the United States Trade Representative to se18 cure the right of United States agricultural producers, 

19 processors, and exporters to use common names for agri20 cultural commodities or food products in foreign markets 

21 through the negotiation of bilateral, plurilateral, or multi22 lateral agreements, memoranda of understanding, or ex23 changes of letters that assure the current and future use 

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1 nection with United States agricultural commodities or 

2 food products. 

3 ‘‘(b) BRIEFING.—The Secretary and the United 

4 States Trade Representative shall jointly provide to the 

5 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representa6 tives, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For7 estry of the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means 

8 of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 

9 Finance of the Senate, a briefing, twice annually, on ef10 forts and successes in carrying out subsection (a).’’. 

11 SEC. 3203. INTERAGENCY SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE 

12 FRUITS AND VEGETABLE WORKING GROUP. 

13 Subtitle B of title IV of the Agricultural Trade Act 

14 of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5671 et seq.) is amended by adding 

15 at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 418. INTERAGENCY SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE 

17 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WORKING GROUP. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary (acting through 

19 the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign 

20 Agricultural Affairs), the United States Trade Represent21 ative, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other 

22 Federal agencies or entities as determined to be appro23 priate by the Secretary, shall jointly establish an inter24 agency working group (referred to in this section as the 

25 ‘working group’) composed of representatives from each 


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1 agency to monitor and assess, on an ongoing basis, sea2 sonal and perishable fruits and vegetables trade data and 

3 related information. 

4 ‘‘(b) 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 ‘‘(c) TRADE ACTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS.—The 

11 working group shall coordinate as appropriate regarding 

12 potential additional trade actions and investigations with 

13 respect to any seasonal or perishable fruits and vegetables, 

14 as determined to be advisable by the working group. 

15 ‘‘(d) RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SECRETARY.—The 

16 working group shall recommend programs or assistance 

17 that the Secretary could provide to producers of seasonal 

18 and perishable fruits and vegetables to address market im19 pacts.’’. 

20 Subtitle C—Other Agricultural 

21 Trade Laws 

22 SEC. 3301. GROWING AMERICAN FOOD EXPORTS. 

23 Section 1543A of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva24 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5679) is amended 


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1 in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 3302. FOOD FOR PROGRESS ACT OF 1985. 

4 Section 1110 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (com5 monly referred to as the ‘‘Food for Progress Act of 1985’’; 

6 7 U.S.C. 1736o) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (c)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘enter into’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘annually enter into two or more’’; and 

10 (B) by inserting ‘‘two or more’’ before ‘‘eli11 gible entities’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

14 (3) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

16 (4) in subsection (k), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

18 (5) in subsection (l)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

21 (B) in the heading of paragraph (4), by 

22 striking ‘‘HUMANITARIAN OR’’; 

23 (6) in subsection (m)(2), by striking ‘‘humani24 tarian and’’; and 


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1 (7) in subsection (n)(2)(C), by striking ‘‘Com2 mittee on International Relations’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘Committee on Foreign Affairs’’. 

4 SEC. 3303. BILL EMERSON HUMANITARIAN TRUST ACT. 

5 Section 302 of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust 

6 Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f–1) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(B)(i), by striking 

8 ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

9 (2) by amending the matter preceding subclause 

10 (I) of subsection (c)(1)(B)(i) to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Without undue 

12 delay, any funds or commodities held in 

13 the trust may be released by the Secretary, 

14 which shall be informed by information 

15 provided by the Administrator regarding 

16 the ongoing programs of the Adminis17 trator, to provide food, and cover any asso18 ciated costs, under title II of the Food for 

19 Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.)—’’; 

20 (3) in subsection (c)(1)(C), by striking ‘‘the Ad21 ministrator’’ and inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (f)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘by the 

23 Secretary’’ after ‘‘reimbursed’’; and 

24 (5) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

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


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1 SEC. 3304. PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS TO 

2 EMERGING MARKETS. 

3 Section 1542(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva4 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5622 note; Public 

5 Law 101–624) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 3305. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 

8 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

9 Section 3307 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

10 2018 (7 U.S.C. 3295) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (g)(1)), by striking ‘‘2019 

12 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; 

13 (2) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub14 section (h); and 

15 (3) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(g) PROGRAM CONTINUITY.—To assist eligible 

18 countries in the long-term development of enduring, 

19 school-based agricultural education and youth extension 

20 programs, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 

21 practicable— 

22 ‘‘(1) implement the fellowship program in each 

23 participating host country for not fewer than 3 con24 secutive years; and 

25 ‘‘(2) ensure that contracts awarded to outside 

26 organizations are multi-year.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3306. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE CULTURAL IM2 MERSION AND EXCHANGE PROGRAM. 

3 Title III of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 

4 (Public Law 115–334) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following new section: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 3313. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE CULTURAL IM7 MERSION AND EXCHANGE PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE CANDIDATE.—The term ‘eligible 

10 candidate’ means an individual that— 

11 ‘‘(A) is between the ages of 19 and 30 

12 years; 

13 ‘‘(B) has demonstrated experience in agri14 cultural sciences, food systems, and food and 

15 nutrition education; 

16 ‘‘(C) is prepared to live in 1 or more host 

17 countries for at least 2 months or up to 6 

18 months; and 

19 ‘‘(D) is a resident of the United States. 

20 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE COUNTRY.—The term ‘eligible 

21 country’ means a country that has agricultural trade 

22 relations with the United States, as recognized by 

23 the Foreign Agriculture Service. 

24 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 

25 the International Agriculture Cultural Immersion 


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1 and Exchange Program established under subsection 

2 (b). 

3 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

4 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

5 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab6 lish an international cultural immersion and exchange pro7 gram, to be known as the ‘International Agriculture Cul8 tural Immersion and Exchange Program’, under which the 

9 Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) provide eligible candidates with inter11 national cultural exchange and immersion experi12 ences focused on agricultural sciences, food systems, 

13 and food and nutrition education through placement 

14 with host families in eligible countries; and 

15 ‘‘(2) place in the United States with host fami16 lies individuals that meet the requirement of sub17 section (a)(1)(A) and are residents of eligible coun18 tries to experience United States agriculture, trade 

19 relations, and culture. 

20 ‘‘(c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Program 

21 are— 

22 ‘‘(1) to develop globally minded citizens of the 

23 United States; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) to strengthen and enhance trade between 

2 eligible countries and the United States in agricul3 tural, food, nutrition, and environmental industries. 

4 ‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To administer the Pro6 gram, the Secretary shall enter into a cooperative 

7 agreement with a nonprofit organization that has ex8 perience in implementing international cultural ex9 change programs focused on agricultural sciences, 

10 food and nutrition education, and cultural under11 standing through placement with host families. 

12 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 

13 the Secretary shall give priority to a nonprofit orga14 nization with which the Secretary has a memo15 randum of understanding dated not earlier than 

16 January 1, 2019. 

17 ‘‘(3) MATCHING FUNDS.—As a condition of en18 tering into a cooperative agreement under this sub19 section, a nonprofit organization shall provide equal 

20 matching funds from non-Federal sources. 

21 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to carry 

23 out this section for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

24 2029.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3307. INTERNATIONAL FOOD SECURITY TECHNICAL 

2 ASSISTANCE. 

3 Section 1543B(f) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva4 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 is amended by striking 

5 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 3308. MCGOVERN-DOLE INTERNATIONAL FOOD FOR 

7 EDUCATION AND CHILD NUTRITION PRO8 GRAM. 

9 Section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest10 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o–1) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (c)(2)(B)(ii), by inserting ‘‘or 

12 lower-middle’’ before ‘‘income’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (h)(2), by striking ‘‘Com14 mittee on International Relations’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘Committee on Foreign Affairs’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (l)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

18 (4) in subsection (l)(4), by striking ‘‘not more 

19 than 10 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than 8 per20 cent, but not more than 15 percent’’. 

21 SEC. 3309. GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST. 

22 Section 3202 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

23 Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 2220a note; Public Law 110–246) 

24 is amended— 

25 (1) by amending subsection (b)(1) to read as 

26 follows: 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the period of fiscal 

2 years 2025 through 2029, the aggregate contribu3 tions of funds of the Federal Government provided 

4 to the Trust under this section shall not exceed 33 

5 percent of the total amount of funds contributed to 

6 the Trust from all sources and for all purposes.’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

8 (A) by inserting ‘‘under this section’’ after 

9 ‘‘Trust’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘2029’’; and 

12 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

14 SEC. 3310. LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOOD AID PROCURE15 MENT PROJECTS. 

16 Section 3206(e)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and 

17 Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1726c(e)(1)) is amended 

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

19 SEC. 3311. AGRICULTURAL TRADE ENFORCEMENT TASK 

20 FORCE. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

22 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

23 establish a joint task force, to be known as the ‘‘Agricul24 tural Trade Enforcement Task Force’’ (referred to in this 

25 section as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 


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1 (b) DUTIES.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall— 

3 (A) identify trade barriers to United States 

4 agricultural exports that are vulnerable to dis5 pute settlement under the World Trade Organi6 zation (‘‘WTO’’) or other trade agreements; 

7 (B) develop and implement a strategy for 

8 enforcing violations of trade agreements related 

9 to these trade barriers; 

10 (C) identify like-minded trading partners 

11 for specific trade barriers that could act as co12 complainants or primary complainants on dis13 putes that are systemically or economically im14 portant to the United States; and 

15 (D) report quarterly to Congress on 

16 progress towards resolving cases or filing dis17 putes. 

18 (2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out its duties 

19 under this subsection, the Task Force shall regularly 

20 consult, to the extent necessary and appropriate, 

21 with the following: 

22 (A) Relevant stakeholders in the private 

23 sector, including the agricultural trade advisory 

24 committees. 


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1 (B) Federal departments and agencies that 

2 are not represented on the Task Force. 

3 (C) Like-minded trading partners that are 

4 similarly concerned with trade barriers and are 

5 potential participants in the dispute settlement 

6 process. 

7 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall be 

9 comprised of the following members: 

10 (A) One or more employees of the Foreign 

11 Agricultural Service, who shall be appointed by 

12 the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag13 ricultural Affairs. 

14 (B) One of more employees of the Office of 

15 the United States Trade Representative, who 

16 shall be appointed jointly by the General Coun17 sel for the Office of the United States Trade 

18 Representative and the Chief Agricultural Ne19 gotiator. 

20 (C) One or more employees of other Fed21 eral agencies as needed, who shall be appointed 

22 jointly by the officials specified in subpara23 graphs (A) and (B). 

24 (2) QUALIFICATION.—Employees of the Federal 

25 agencies specified in subparagraphs (A), (B), and 


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1 (C) of paragraph (1) may be appointed as members 

2 of the Task Force only if such employees have ap3 propriate expertise in agricultural trade policy and 

4 trade enforcement. 

5 (d) REPORT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

7 the date of enactment of this Act, and on a quar8 terly basis thereafter, the Task Force shall submit 

9 to Congress a report on its progress in identifying 

10 and addressing trade barriers to United States agri11 cultural exports. 

12 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

13 required by this subsection shall include the fol14 lowing: 

15 (A) A description of the systemic and eco16 nomically significant trade barriers that have 

17 been identified. 

18 (B) A justification for including the identi19 fied trade barriers. 

20 (C) A description of the progress that has 

21 been made in developing dispute settlement 

22 cases and further information that is required. 

23 (D) The current status of ongoing disputes 

24 at the WTO and implementation of panel, arbi25 tration, or Appellate Body decisions. 


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1 (3) ADDITIONAL MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED IN

2 INITIAL REPORT.—The initial report required by this 

3 subsection shall, in addition to the matters described 

4 in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of para5 graph (2), include a plan to file a request under the 

6 WTO dispute settlement process for consultations to 

7 address India’s minimum price supports. The plan 

8 shall include— 

9 (A) an identification of like-minded trading 

10 partners that could act as co-complainants or 

11 primary complainants with respect to the re12 quest; 

13 (B) a description of specific claims the 

14 United States intends to make with respect to 

15 the request; and 

16 (C) a timeline to— 

17 (i) request consultations; and 

18 (ii) request the establishment of a 

19 panel not later than 60 days after the date 

20 of the request for consultations if India 

21 does not provide assurances that it will ad22 dress its minimum price supports. 

23 (e) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFINGS.—The United States 

24 Trade Representative and the Secretary of Agriculture 


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1 shall provide briefings on the Task Force to appropriate 

2 Members of Congress and congressional staff. 

3 TITLE IV—NUTRITION 

4 Subtitle A—Supplemental 

5 Nutrition Assistance Program 

6 SEC. 4101. DECLARATION OF POLICY. 

7 Section 2 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

8 U.S.C. 2011) is amended— 

9 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a)’’ before ‘‘It.’’, and 

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

11 ‘‘(b) Congress recognizes the supplemental nutrition 

12 assistance program allows low-income households to ob13 tain supplemental food for an active, healthy life that sup14 ports the prevention of— 

15 ‘‘(1) diet-related chronic disease, including— 

16 ‘‘(A) obesity; 

17 ‘‘(B) diabetes; 

18 ‘‘(C) hypertension; 

19 ‘‘(D) heart disease; and 

20 ‘‘(E) cancer; 

21 ‘‘(2) disability; 

22 ‘‘(3) premature death; 

23 ‘‘(4) unsustainable health care costs; and 

24 ‘‘(5) undermining of military readiness. 


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1 ‘‘(c) Accordingly, it is also the policy of the Congress 

2 that the Secretary should administer the supplemental nu3 trition assistance program in a manner that will provide 

4 participants, especially children, access to a variety of 

5 foods essential to optimal health and well-being.’’. 

6 SEC. 4102. FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RES7 ERVATIONS. 

8 (a) SELF-DETERMINATION FOR SNAP.—Title I of 

9 the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

10 Act (25 U.S.C. 5321 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

11 the end the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 112. SELF-DETERMINATION FOR SNAP. 

13 ‘‘(a) AGRICULTURE SELF-DETERMINATION AUTHOR14 IZED.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall enter into self15 determination contracts, in accordance with subsection 

16 (b), with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, on the 

17 request of any Indian Tribe by Tribal resolution, to plan, 

18 conduct, and administer any function, service, or activity 

19 of the supplemental nutrition assistance program estab20 lished under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

21 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for the Indian Tribe. 

22 ‘‘(b) SELF-DETERMINATION CONTRACT.—A self-de23 termination contract entered into under subsection (a) 

24 shall have the same terms and conditions, and be subject 

25 to the same procedures, regulations, and requirements, as 


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1 a self-determination contract entered into under section 

2 102, except that the Secretary of Agriculture and the De3 partment of Agriculture shall be the appropriate Secretary 

4 and agency for purposes of a self-determination contract 

5 entered into under subsection (a). 

6 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Office of Self7 Governance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs shall provide 

8 technical assistance regarding the self-determination con9 tracts authorized under this section to— 

10 ‘‘(1) the Secretary of Agriculture; and 

11 ‘‘(2) Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations 

12 that request that assistance.’’. 

13 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— Section 

14 4(b)(6)(E) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

15 U.S.C. 2013(b)(5)(E)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 4103. EXCLUSIONS FROM INCOME AND RESOURCES. 

18 (a) EXCLUSIONS FROM INCOME.—Section 5(d) of the 

19 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(d)) is 

20 amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (7)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘a child who is’’, and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘17’’ and inserting ‘‘21’’, 

24 and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (18) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

2 end, 

3 (3) in paragraph (19) by striking the period at 

4 the end and by inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 

5 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(20) Any payment, income, allowance, or earn7 ings made to household members derived from— 

8 ‘‘(A) any program defined in section 

9 6(o)(1), except any earnings made to a house10 hold member derived from any program estab11 lished under the Post-9/11 Veterans Edu12 cational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 

13 or the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational 

14 Assistance Act of 2017; 

15 ‘‘(B) any program established under sec16 tion 6(d)(4), any vocational rehabilitation pro17 gram established as defined in the Rehabilita18 tion Act of 1973; or 

19 ‘‘(C) any refugee employment program es20 tablished under section 412(c) of the Immigra21 tion and Nationality Act.’’. 

22 (b) REPEAL OF CERTAIN EARNED INCOME INCLU23 SION.—Section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

24 (7 U.S.C. 2014) is amended by striking subsection (l). 


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1 (c) EXCLUSION OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

2 PROGRAMS FROM ALLOWABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.— 

3 Section 5(g) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

4 U.S.C. 2014(g)) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(9) EXCLUSION OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAIN7 ING PROGRAMS FROM ALLOWABLE FINANCIAL RE8 SOURCES.—The Secretary shall exclude from finan9 cial resources under this subsection the value of any 

10 earnings made to household members derived 

11 from— 

12 ‘‘(A) any program defined in section 

13 6(o)(1), except any earnings derived from any 

14 program established under the Post-9/11 Vet15 erans Educational Assistance Improvements Act 

16 of 2010 or the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 

17 Educational Assistance Act of 2017; 

18 ‘‘(B) any program established under sec19 tion 6(d)(4) and any vocational rehabilitation 

20 program established as defined in the Rehabili21 tation Act of 1973; or 

22 ‘‘(C) any refugee employment program es23 tablished under section 412(c) of the Immigra24 tion and Nationality Act.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4104. EARNED INCOME DEDUCTION. 

2 Section 5(e)(2)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

3 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(2)(B)) is amended by striking 

4 ‘‘20’’ and inserting ‘‘22’’. 

5 SEC. 4105. SNAP EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROVIDER 

6 SERVICE REFERRALS. 

7 Section 6(d)(4) of the Food and Nutrition act (7 

8 U.S.C. 2015) is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(P) SNAP EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

11 PROVIDER SERVICE REFERRALS.—In the case 

12 of any individual who is a member of a house13 hold that received supplemental nutrition assist14 ance program benefits and who is exempt from 

15 requirements by the State agency specified in 

16 (d)(1)(A)(ii) of this section, the State may use 

17 personnel exempt from Merit System require18 ments specified in section 11(e)(6)(B) to screen 

19 the recipient for appropriateness for participa20 tion in the service program, notwithstanding 

21 any determination otherwise by the State agen22 cy of eligibility of such individual for such serv23 ices.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4106. PROHIBITED FEES. 

2 Section 7(h)(13)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act 

3 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(13)(B)) is amended to read 

4 as follows: 

5 ‘‘(B) OTHER FEES.— 

6 ‘‘(i) PROHIBITION.—Neither a State, 

7 nor any agent, contractor, or subcontractor 

8 of a State who facilitates the provision of 

9 supplemental nutrition assistance program 

10 benefits in such State may impose a fee on 

11 a SNAP authorized retailer for EBT 

12 transactions including switching (as de13 fined in subsection (j)(1)(H)) or routing 

14 such benefits, for costs to implement sub15 sections (d) and (f)(5)(B). 

16 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition 

17 against fees described in clause (i) shall 

18 not apply towards costs associated with 

19 equipment rentals.’’. 

20 SEC. 4107. PROHIBITION ON BENEFIT REDEMPTION BY 

21 OWNERS OF RETAIL FOOD STORES. 

22 Section 7 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

23 U.S.C. 2016) is amended by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 

25 ‘‘(l) OWNERS OF RETAIL FOOD STORES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF COVERED PERSON.—In 

2 this subsection, the term ‘covered person’ means a 

3 person who— 

4 ‘‘(A) is a member of a household that re5 ceives benefits under the supplemental nutrition 

6 assistance program; and 

7 ‘‘(B) owns or is a member of a household 

8 in which another member owns a retail food 

9 store that is authorized to accept and redeem 

10 benefits under the supplemental nutrition as11 sistance program under section 9. 

12 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—A covered person shall not 

13 redeem benefits under the supplemental nutrition as14 sistance program at a retail food store owned by the 

15 covered person or a member of the household of the 

16 covered person.’’. 

17 SEC. 4108. SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PRO18 GRAM BENEFIT TRANSFER TRANSACTION 

19 DATA REPORT. 

20 Section 9 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

21 U.S.C. 2018) is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

23 (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

24 at the end, 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the 

2 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 

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

4 ‘‘(C) parameters for third party coopera5 tion with the Secretary sufficient to carry out 

6 subsection (k).’’, and 

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

8 ‘‘(k) DATA COLLECTION FOR SNAP TRANS9 ACTIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) COLLECTION OF DATA.—To assist in mak11 ing improvements to supplemental nutrition assist12 ance program design, for each interval not greater 

13 than a 2-year period, the Secretary shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) collect a statistically significant sam15 ple of transaction data consisting of an aggre16 gation of costs and a description of items pur17 chased for all customers including those using 

18 supplemental nutrition assistance program ben19 efits, to the extent practicable and without af20 fecting retail food store confidential information 

21 or document retention practices; 

22 ‘‘(B) prioritize consumer single sourced 

23 data as a component of the aggregate summary 

24 with verified purchases to capture consumers 

25 natural purchase behavior; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) make a summarized report of aggre2 gated data collected under subparagraph (A) 

3 available to the public in a manner that pre4 vents identification of individual retail food 

5 stores, individual retail food store chains, and 

6 households that use such benefits. 

7 ‘‘(2) NONDISCLOSURE.—Any data that contains 

8 information specific to a retail food store, a retail 

9 food store location, a person, or other entity shall be 

10 exempt from the disclosure requirements of Section 

11 552(a) of title 5 of the United States Code pursuant 

12 to section 552(b)(3)(B) of title 5 of the United 

13 States Code. The Secretary shall limit the use or 

14 disclosure of information obtained under this sub15 section in a manner consistent with sections 9(c) 

16 and 11(e)(8).’’. 

17 SEC. 4109. PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF STATE PLANS. 

18 Section 11(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act (7 

19 U.S.C. 2020(d)) is amended by inserting after the 1st sen20 tence the following: 

21 ‘‘The Secretary shall maintain a publicly available data22 base of the parts of each State agency approved plan of 

23 operation in accordance with criteria established by the 

24 Secretary not later than 180 days after the enactment of 

25 the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4110. NATIONAL ACCURACY CLEARINGHOUSE. 

2 Section 11(x) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

3 (7 U.S.C. 2020(x)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘an 

6 interstate’’ and inserting ‘‘a centralized na7 tional’’, 

8 (B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 

9 as follows: 

10 ‘‘(B) DATA MATCHING.—The Secretary 

11 shall require that State agencies make available 

12 to the National Accuracy Clearinghouse only 

13 such information as is necessary for the pur14 pose described in subparagraph (A), including 

15 the following for each member of a partici16 pating household— 

17 ‘‘(i) the social security number or the 

18 social security number substitute; 

19 ‘‘(ii) the current residence of such 

20 member; 

21 ‘‘(iii) the employment status of such 

22 member; 

23 ‘‘(iv) the amount of income and 

24 whether that income is earned or un25 earned; 


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1 ‘‘(v) that member’s portion of the 

2 household monthly allotment; and 

3 ‘‘(vi) the portion of the aggregate 

4 value of household assets attributed to that 

5 member.’’, 

6 (C) in subparagraph (C)— 

7 (i) by striking clauses (i), (ii), and 

8 (iii), and 

9 (ii) by redesignating clauses (iv) and 

10 (v) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and 

11 (D) by adding at end the following: 

12 ‘‘(D) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary 

13 shall enter into a contract with a single national 

14 contractor that may subcontract with other en15 tities as necessary to administer the National 

16 Accuracy Clearinghouse established in this 

17 paragraph.’’, 

18 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘18 months’’ and all that 

20 follows through ‘‘promulgate regulations’’, and 

21 inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘ 6 months after the date of the enactment of the 

23 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the 

24 Secretary shall withdraw regulations promulgated to 


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1 implement the National Accuracy Clearinghouse and 

2 promulgate new regulations’’, 

3 (B) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘from 

4 the’’ and inserting ‘‘since the implementation of 

5 the’’, 

6 (C) in subparagraph (C) by inserting ‘‘and 

7 subsection (e)(8)’’ before the semicolon at the 

8 end, and 

9 (D) by amending subparagraph (D) to 

10 read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(D) require a State agency, as determined 

12 by the Secretary— 

13 ‘‘(i) to conduct initial and ongoing 

14 matches of participant and applicant data; 

15 ‘‘(ii) to identify and act on all appar16 ent instances of duplicative participation 

17 by participants or applicants in multiple 

18 States; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) to disenroll an individual who 

20 has applied to participate in another State 

21 in a manner sufficient to allow the State in 

22 which the individual is currently applying 

23 to comply with paragraphs (3) and (9) of 

24 section 11(e); and’’, and 

25 (3) in paragraph (4)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘3 years’’ and inserting ‘‘1 

2 year’’, and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘Agriculture Improvement 

4 Act of 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm, Food, and 

5 National Security Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 4111. SNAP STAFFING FLEXIBILITY. 

7 Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act (7 U.S.C. 

8 2020) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(y) SNAP STAFFING FLEXIBILITY.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 

11 11(e)(6)(B), a State agency (as defined in section 3 

12 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008) may, by 

13 contract with the State agency at a reasonable cost 

14 in accordance with the State agency’s standard con15 tracting rules, hire a contractor to undertake supple16 mental nutrition assistance program certification or 

17 carry out any other function of the State agency 

18 under such program so long as— 

19 ‘‘(A) the contract does not provide incen20 tives for the agency or contractor to delay eligi21 bility determinations or to deny eligibility for 

22 individuals otherwise eligible for supplemental 

23 nutrition assistance program benefits; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the contractor has no direct or indi2 rect financial interest in an approved retail 

3 store. 

4 ‘‘(2) USE.—A State agency may use the au5 thority provided in paragraph (1) when the State ex6 periences increases in supplemental nutrition assist7 ance program applications or an inability to timely 

8 process such applications from causes that include 

9 but are not limited to— 

10 ‘‘(A) pandemics and other health emer11 gencies, 

12 ‘‘(B) seasonal workforce cycles, 

13 ‘‘(C) temporary staffing shortages, and 

14 ‘‘(D) weather or other natural disasters. 

15 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—A State agency that 

16 hires a contractor under paragraph (1) shall ensure 

17 such action— 

18 ‘‘(A) is consistent with all principles under 

19 section 900.603 of title 5 of the Code of Fed20 eral Regulations; and 

21 ‘‘(B) is part of a blended workforce and 

22 does not supplant existing merit-based per23 sonnel in the State. 

24 ‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION.—A State agency shall no25 tify the Secretary of its intent to use the authority 


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1 provided in this section and shall provide any infor2 mation or data supporting State agency increases in 

3 supplemental nutrition assistance program applica4 tions or any inability to timely process such applica5 tions. 

6 ‘‘(5) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 10 

7 days after the date of the receipt of a notification 

8 submitted by a State agency under paragraph (4), 

9 the Secretary shall make publicly available on the 

10 website of the Department of Agriculture the notifi11 cation submitted by such State agency and any ac12 companying information or data supporting such no13 tification so submitted. 

14 ‘‘(6) PROGRAM DESIGN.—Any action taken by a 

15 State agency under paragraph (1) shall not be— 

16 ‘‘(A) considered to be a major change in 

17 the operations of such State agency for pur18 poses of section 11(a)(4) of this Act, or 

19 ‘‘(B) subject to any requirement specified 

20 in such section. 

21 ‘‘(7) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall 

22 submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

23 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag24 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, an 

25 annual report that contains— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a description of measures taken to 

2 address increases in supplemental nutrition as3 sistance program applications and any inability 

4 to timely process such applications; 

5 ‘‘(B) information or data supporting State 

6 agency notifications provided pursuant to para7 graph (4); and 

8 ‘‘(C) recommendations for changes to the 

9 Secretary’s authority under this Act to assist 

10 the Secretary, States, and local governments of 

11 States in preparing for any future increases in 

12 supplemental nutrition assistance program ap13 plications or inability to timely process such ap14 plications. 

15 ‘‘(8) TEMPORARY STAFFING SHORTAGES.—In 

16 cases of temporary staffing shortages, the authority 

17 provided to State agencies under paragraph (1) 

18 shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) expire when the backlog of supple20 mental nutrition assistance program applica21 tions has been eliminated; and 

22 ‘‘(B) not override any collective bargaining 

23 agreement or memorandum of understanding in 

24 effect between the State and employees of the 

25 State or of a local government of such State.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4112. UPDATES TO ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES FOR 

2 SNAP RETAILERS. 

3 (a) ADMINISTRATIVE AMENDMENTS.—Section 14(a) 

4 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2023(a)) 

5 is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘by any’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘to each of the firm’s owners, officers, and 

8 managers by email and via any other’’, 

9 (2) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘ten’’ and in10 serting ‘‘30’’, 

11 (3) by amending subparagraph (4) to read as 

12 follows: 

13 ‘‘(4) If such a request is not made by such store, con14 cern, or State agency or if such store, concern, or State 

15 agency otherwise fails to submit information in support 

16 of its position after filing a request, the administrative de17 termination shall be a final determination, subject to the 

18 provisions of judicial review.’’, and 

19 (4) by amending paragraph (5) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(5) If such request is made by such store, concern, 

22 or State agency, such information as may be submitted 

23 by such store, concern, or State agency, as well as such 

24 other information as may be available, shall be reviewed 

25 by the person or persons designated by the Secretary, who 

26 shall, subject to the right of judicial review hereinafter 


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1 provided, make a determination within 60 days after sub2 mission of such store’s response. The agency’s determina3 tion shall be final and shall take effect 30 days after the 

4 date of the delivery or service of such final notice of deter5 mination. In all administrative proceedings involving the 

6 denial, withdrawal, or disqualification of a retail food store 

7 from the supplemental nutrition assistance program, the 

8 agency shall bear the burden of proof of establishing that 

9 the denial, withdrawal, or disqualification is based on a 

10 preponderance of the evidence. The agency shall produce, 

11 within 10 days of any request by such store or its counsel, 

12 all records reviewed or relied upon by the agency in issuing 

13 the charge letter or other notice. Notwithstanding any 

14 other provision of this Act or of any other Act, the agency 

15 shall produce information and records otherwise prohib16 ited from disclosure to counsel for such store subject to 

17 a nondisclosure agreement.’’. 

18 (b) REPORTING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri20 culture shall conduct a study and submit the Committee 

21 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the 

22 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 

23 Senate, a report that contains the results of such study, 

24 including— 


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1 (1) the number of times first-time trafficking 

2 offenders are given a penalty of permanent disquali3 fication in lieu of civil penalty, disaggregated by— 

4 (A) the number of employees and revenue; 

5 and 

6 (B) the race and ethnicity of owners. 

7 (2) an analysis of the Anti-Fraud Locator 

8 Using Electronic Benefits Transfer System 

9 (ALERT) including— 

10 (A) the metrics of detecting fraudulent ac11 tivity; 

12 (B) how the metrics of detecting fraudu13 lent activity were determined; 

14 (C) how often these metrics are updated to 

15 ensure they continue to be reliable; and 

16 (D) what metrics are reviewed in addition 

17 to ALERT findings to determine fraudulent ac18 tivity. 

19 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

20 subsection (a) shall take effect 1 year after the date of 

21 the enactment of this Act. 

22 SEC. 4113. ADJUSTMENT TO PERCENTAGE OF RECOVERED 

23 FUNDS RETAINED BY STATES. 

24 Section 16(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

25 (7 U.S.C. 2025(a)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the 1st sentence by striking ‘‘35 percent’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘50 percent’’, and 

3 (2) by inserting after the 1st sentence the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘A State agency shall use such funds retained only to 

6 carry out the supplemental nutrition assistance program, 

7 including investments in technology, improvements in ad8 ministration and distribution, and actions to prevent fraud 

9 (including skimming).’’. 

10 SEC. 4114. TOLERANCE LEVEL FOR PAYMENT ERRORS. 

11 Section 16(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Food and Nutrition Act 

12 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(c)(1)(A)(ii)) is amended— 

13 (1) in subclause (I) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

14 end, 

15 (2) in subclause (II)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘fiscal year thereafter’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘of the fiscal years 2015 through 

18 2024’’, and 

19 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

20 inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 

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

22 ‘‘(III) for each fiscal year there23 after, $0.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4115. PUBLIC COMMENT ON QUALITY CONTROL GUID2 ANCE. 

3 Section 16(c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

4 (7 U.S.C. 2025(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following— 

6 ‘‘(10) PUBLIC COMMENT ON QUALITY CONTROL

7 GUIDANCE.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

9 provide notice, and make available for public 

10 comment for a period of not fewer than 60 

11 days, any new or updated guidance proposing 

12 substantive changes for conducting quality con13 trol reviews prior to any such guidance being fi14 nalized. 

15 ‘‘(B) SCOPE.—The requirement in (A) 

16 shall be applicable to any proposed guidance 

17 reasonably expected to require State agencies to 

18 make changes to systems, procedures, or staff19 ing pertaining to quality control reviews or that 

20 impact verification requirements for supple21 mental nutrition assistance program benefits re22 cipients. 

23 ‘‘(C) EXCEPTION.—In the case of an ur24 gent and immediate need, the Secretary may 

25 issue interim final guidance simultaneous with 


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1 the notice and comment requirements required 

2 in subparagraph (A).’’. 

3 SEC. 4116. OFFICE OF PROGRAM INTEGRITY. 

4 Section 16 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

5 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(l) OFFICE OF PROGRAM INTEGRITY.— 

7 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 18 

8 months after enactment of the Farm, Food, and Na9 tional Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall es10 tablish within the Food and Nutrition Service an Of11 fice of Program Integrity. 

12 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary, in consulta13 tion with the office of Inspector General, shall ap14 point a senior official to serve as the Director of the 

15 Office of Program Integrity (referred to in this sec16 tion as the ‘Director’). 

17 ‘‘(3) MISSION.—The mission of the Office of 

18 Program Integrity shall be to reduce fraud, waste, 

19 and abuse in nutrition programs administered by the 

20 Food and Nutrition Service, and improve the devel21 opment, implementation, evaluation, and monitoring 

22 of nutrition programs and policies administered by 

23 the Food and Nutrition Service. 

24 ‘‘(4) DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—The Director 

25 of the Office of Program Integrity shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) evaluate current program integrity 

2 policies, and where applicable develop and im3 plement, in coordination with the Food and Nu4 trition Service and State agencies, program in5 tegrity policies, including reporting require6 ments, for all nutrition programs administered 

7 by the agency, including but not limited to 

8 the— 

9 ‘‘(i) supplemental nutrition assistance 

10 program; 

11 ‘‘(ii) emergency food assistance pro12 gram; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) commodity supplemental food 

14 program; 

15 ‘‘(B) continuously track and evaluate pro16 gram spending, participation, and outcomes; 

17 ‘‘(C) monitor, evaluate, and work to miti18 gate, instances of program fraud, waste, and 

19 abuse by the Food and Nutrition Service, State 

20 agencies, and program participants; 

21 ‘‘(D) annually prepare and submit to the 

22 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep23 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

24 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, reports 

25 on program trends, outcomes, recommendaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00292 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 tions, and instances of fraud, waste, and abuse 

2 where enforcement action was not taken, which 

3 shall be made publicly available; and 

4 ‘‘(E) at the Director’s discretion, and after 

5 informing the Secretary, refer instances of pro6 gram fraud by the Food and Nutrition Service, 

7 State agencies, and program participants, to 

8 appropriate law enforcement agencies. 

9 ‘‘(5) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out the du10 ties required under paragraph (4), the Director shall 

11 collaborate with other Federal Departments and 

12 Agencies with offices or functions similar to the Of13 fice of Program Integrity to identify and incorporate 

14 best practices.’’. 

15 SEC. 4117. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 The 1st sentence of section 18(a)(1) of the Food and 

17 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)(1)) is amended 

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

19 SEC. 4118. ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS. 

20 Section 25(b)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

21 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2034(b)(2)) is amended— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

23 the end; 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (D) by striking ‘‘year 2019 

2 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘years 2019 through 2024; and’’; and 

4 (3) by adding at end the following: 

5 ‘‘(E) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

6 each fiscal year thereafter.’’. 

7 SEC. 4119. EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

8 (a) DIRECT PURCHASE OF COMMODITIES.—Section 

9 202 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 

10 U.S.C. 7502) is amended by inserting after subsection (a) 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(b) DIRECT PURCHASE OF COMMODITIES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

14 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘eligible 

15 State’ has the meaning given the term in sec16 tion 4206(b) of the Agriculture Improvement 

17 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7518(b)). 

18 ‘‘(B) ENTITLEMENT FUNDS.—The term 

19 ‘entitlement funds’, with respect to an eligible 

20 State, means the dollar amount used by the 

21 Secretary to purchase commodities pursuant to 

22 section 27 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

23 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036) to distribute to the eligi24 ble State in accordance with section 214. 


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1 ‘‘(2) DIRECT PURCHASE.—The Secretary shall 

2 allow an eligible State to elect to receive all of the 

3 entitlement funds of the eligible State as cash to 

4 make direct purchases of commodities through the 

5 private commercial marketplace.’’. 

6 (b) STATE AND LOCAL SUPPLEMENTATION OF COM7 MODITIES.—Section 203D(d)(5) of the Emergency Food 

8 Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7507(d)(5)) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘ subsection’’ and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘ subsection— 

13 ‘‘(A)’’; 

14 (2) by striking the period at the end and insert15 ing ‘‘; and’’; and 

16 (3) by adding at end the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2025 through 2029, to remain available until 

19 the end of the subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

20 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

21 204(a)(1) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 

22 (7 U.S.C. 7508(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘year 2008’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘years 2008 through 2024, and 

24 $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’. 


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1 (d) EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE

2 GRANTS.—Section 209(d) of the Emergency Food Assist3 ance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7511a(d)) is amended by 

4 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 (e) AVAILABILITY OF COMMODITIES FOR THE EMER6 GENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Section 27(a) of 

7 the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036(a)) 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in10 serting ‘‘2029’’; and 

11 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (A) in subparagraph (C) by striking 

13 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025’’; and 

14 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

15 (i) by striking ‘‘2023’’ the 1st place it 

16 appears and inserting ‘‘2025’’; 

17 (ii) in clause (ix) by striking ‘‘fiscal 

18 year 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘each of the fis19 cal years 2023 and 2024’’; and 

20 (iii) by adding at end the following: 

21 ‘‘(x) for fiscal year 2025, 

22 $40,000,000; and’’, and 

23 (C) in subparagraph (E)— 

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

25 ‘‘2026’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘(D)(ix)’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘(D)(x)’’. 

3 SEC. 4120. NUTRITION EDUCATION. 

4 Section 28 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

5 (7 U.S.C. 2036a) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) by amending paragraph (1)(B) to read 

8 as follows: 

9 ‘‘(B) through agreements or partnerships 

10 with other State or local agencies, nonprofit or11 ganizations, schools, Reserve Officers’ Training 

12 Corps, or community organizations.’’, 

13 (B) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

14 (i) in clause (i) by inserting ‘‘, includ15 ing how the projects will reach a broad age 

16 range of individuals and how each local 

17 project will be evaluated by the local part18 ner’’ before the semicolon at the end, 

19 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

20 (I) by inserting ‘‘of all ages’’ 

21 after ‘‘individuals’’, and 

22 (II) by striking ‘‘constrained’’, 

23 and 

24 (iii) in clause (iii)— 


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1 (I) in item (hh) by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end, and 

3 (II) by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(JJ) cost of conducting re6 search to assess and evaluate the 

7 projects; and’’, 

8 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

9 (i) in subparagraph (A)(i) by inserting 

10 ‘‘culinary and’’ after ‘‘group-based’’, and 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

12 (I) in clause (iii) by striking 

13 ‘‘and’’ at the end, 

14 (II) in clause (iv) by striking the 

15 period at the end and inserting a 

16 semicolon, and 

17 (III) by adding at end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(v) healthcare practitioners and com20 munity health workers; and 

21 ‘‘(vi) educators.’’, 

22 (D) in paragraph (6) by inserting ‘‘evi23 dence-based and’’ after ‘‘section are’’, 

24 (E) in paragraph (9)— 


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1 (i) by inserting ‘‘, based on external 

2 review by non-government experts with rec3 ognized expertise in quality of evidence 

4 evaluation’’ after ‘‘report that’’; 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (A)(iii) by strik6 ing ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

7 (iii) in subparagraph (B) by striking 

8 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

9 and’’; and 

10 (iv) by adding at end the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) includes comprehensive analysis of 

12 the impacts, outcomes, and efficacy of all 

13 projects described in subparagraph (8).’’, and 

14 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(10) PROJECT EVALUATION.—Project recipi16 ents shall use not less than 5 percent of funds re17 ceived for process and impact evaluation and may 

18 contract with land-grant colleges and universities (as 

19 defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural 

20 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

21 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to carry out this evalua22 tion.’’, 

23 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (E) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

25 at the end, and 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (F)— 

2 (i) by striking ‘‘2016 and each subse3 quent fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal 

4 years 2016 through 2024’’, and 

5 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

6 and inserting a semicolon, and 

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

8 ‘‘(G) for fiscal year 2025, $521,000,000; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(H) for fiscal year 2026 and each subse11 quent fiscal year, the applicable amount during 

12 the preceding fiscal year, as adjusted to reflect 

13 any increases for the 12-month period ending 

14 the preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price 

15 Index for All Urban Consumers published by 

16 the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Depart17 ment of Labor.′′’’. 

18 (3) by adding at end the following: 

19 ‘‘(f) PROPOSED UNIFICATION OF NUTRITION EDU20 CATION PROGRAMS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 

22 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National 

23 Security Act of 2024, the Administrator of the Food 

24 and Nutrition Service, in consultation with the Di25 rector of the National Institute of Food and AgriVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00300 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 culture, and the Secretary of Health and Human 

2 Services, shall issue recommendations to Congress 

3 on how to unify the nutrition education and obesity 

4 prevention grant program under this section with 

5 the expanded food and nutrition education program 

6 under section 1425 of the National Agricultural Re7 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 

8 (7 U.S.C. 3175). In developing these recommenda9 tions, the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition 

10 Service, the Director of the National Institute of 

11 Food and Agriculture, and the Secretary of Health 

12 and Human Services shall consider the policy op13 tions described in the Comptroller General report de14 scribed in paragraph (2). 

15 ‘‘(2) COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—Not later than 

16 2 years after the date of enactment of the Farm, 

17 Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the Comp18 troller General of the United States shall finalize 

19 and submit to the United States House of Rep20 resentatives Committees on Agriculture, and Energy 

21 and Commerce, a report that examines policy op22 tions to unify the nutrition education and obesity 

23 prevention grant program under this section with 

24 the expanded food and nutrition education program 

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1 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 

2 (7 U.S.C. 3175).′′.’’. 

3 SEC. 4121. RETAIL FOOD STORE AND RECIPIENT TRAF4 FICKING. 

5 Section 29(c)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

6 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036b) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 4122. REPEAL OF DENIAL OF BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN 

9 DRUG-RELATED CONVICTIONS. 

10 (a) REPEALER.—Section 115 of the Personal Re11 sponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 

12 1996 (21 U.S.C. 862a) is amended— 

13 (1) in the heading by striking ‘‘AND BENE14 FITS’’, 

15 (2) in subsection (a)— 

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

17 the end and inserting a period, 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘for—’’ and all that fol19 lows through ‘‘(1)’’, and inserting ‘‘for’’, and 

20 (C) by striking paragraph (2), 

21 (3) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘AND BENEFITS FOR OTH23 ERS’’ and all that follows through ‘‘FAMILIES’’, 

24 and 

25 (B) by striking paragraph (2), 


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1 (4) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘or benefits’’, 

2 and 

3 (5) in subsection (e)— 

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

5 at the end and inserting a period, 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘it—’’ and all that follows 

7 through ‘‘(1)’’, and inserting ‘‘it’’, and 

8 (C) by striking paragraph (2). 

9 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The Personal Re10 sponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 

11 1996 is amended in the table of contents by striking the 

12 item relating to section 115 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 115. Denial of assistance for certain drug-related convictions.’’.’’. 

13 (c) COMPARABLE TREATMENT FOR DISQUALIFICA14 TION.—Section 6(i) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

15 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(i) is amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(i) COMPARABLE TREATMENT FOR DISQUALIFICA17 TION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

19 ‘‘(A) DISQUALIFICATION.—Except as pro20 vided in subparagraph (B), if a disqualification 

21 is imposed on a household member for a failure 

22 of the member to perform an action required 

23 under a Federal, State, or local law relating to 

24 a means-tested public assistance program, the 

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1 tion on the member of the household under the 

2 supplemental nutrition assistance program. 

3 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—A State agency may 

4 not impose a disqualification under subpara5 graph (A) for a felony-drug conviction or for a 

6 failure to satisfy an action required under a 

7 Federal, State, or local law relating to a means8 tested public assistance program that was re9 quired as a result of a felony drug conviction. 

10 ‘‘(2) RULES AND PROCEDURES.—If a disquali11 fication is imposed under paragraph (1) for a failure 

12 of a household member to perform an action re13 quired under part A of title IV of the Social Security 

14 Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the State agency may 

15 use the rules and procedures that apply under part 

16 A of title IV of the Act to impose the same disquali17 fication under the supplemental nutrition assistance 

18 program, provided that there may be no disqualifica19 tion under the supplemental nutrition assistance 

20 program for a felony-drug conviction or for a failure 

21 to satisfy an action required under a Federal, State, 

22 or local law relating to a means-tested public assist23 ance program that was required as a result of a fel24 ony drug conviction. 


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1 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION AFTER DISQUALIFICATION

2 PERIOD.—A household member disqualified under 

3 paragraph (1) may, after the disqualification period 

4 has expires, apply for supplemental nutrition assist5 ance program benefits and shall be treated as a new 

6 applicant, except that a prior disqualification under 

7 subsection (d) shall be considered in determining eli8 gibility. 

9 ‘‘(4) FELONY DRUG CONVICTION.—In this sub10 section, the term ‘felony drug conviction’ means a 

11 criminal conviction under a Federal or State law 

12 that includes an element that is the possession, use, 

13 or distribution of a controlled substance as defined 

14 in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 

15 U.S.C. 802).’’. 

16 SEC. 4123. RESIDENTS OF INSTITUTIONS. 

17 Section 3(m)(5) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

18 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(m)(5)) is amended by adding at the 

19 end the following: 

20 ‘‘(F) Incarcerated individuals who are 

21 scheduled to be released from an institution 

22 within 30 days.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4124. BLOCK GRANTS FOR PUERTO RICO AND AMER2 ICAN SAMOA. 

3 Section 19(a)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

4 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)) is amended— 

5 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

6 (A) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘2003, 

7 $1,401,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘2025, 

8 $1,451,000,000’’, and 

9 (B) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘2002’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘2024’’, 

11 (2) in subparagraph (B)(i) by striking ‘‘2003’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘2025’’, 

13 (3) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘2003’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘2025’’, and 

15 (4) in subparagraph (D) by striking ‘‘2002’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘2024’’. 

17 SEC. 4125. ELDERLY SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION PROGRAM. 

18 The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 

19 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 31. ELDERLY SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION PROGRAM. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

22 the effective date of this section, the Secretary shall estab23 lish a program, to be known as the ‘elderly simplified ap24 plication program’ (referred to in this section as ‘ESAP’), 

25 under which a State, in carrying out the supplemental nu26 trition assistance program, may elect to implement a 


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1 streamlined application and certification process for 

2 households in which all adult members— 

3 ‘‘(1) are elderly or disabled members; and 

4 ‘‘(2) have no earned income. 

5 ‘‘(b) CERTIFICATION PERIOD.—The certification pe6 riod for participants in ESAP shall be 36 months. 

7 ‘‘(c) INCOME AND OTHER DATA VERIFICATION.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State agency deter9 mining the eligibility for an applicant household 

10 under ESAP shall, notwithstanding section 

11 11(e)(3)— 

12 ‘‘(A) to the maximum extent practicable, 

13 use data matching for income verification and 

14 household size; and 

15 ‘‘(B) allow self-declaration by the house16 hold of the information required under section 

17 273.2(f) of title 7 of the Code of Federal Regu18 lations (or successor regulations), subject to 

19 household certification after verification of the 

20 information provided that relates to eligibility 

21 factors and that the State agency determines is 

22 questionable. 

23 ‘‘(2) ACCOUNTABILITY AND FRAUD PREVEN24 TION.—In carrying out paragraph (1), a State agen25 cy shall establish accountability and fraud protection 


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1 measures to deter fraud and ensure the integrity of 

2 ESAP and the supplemental nutrition assistance 

3 program. 

4 ‘‘(d) INTERVIEWS.—Notwithstanding section 

5 11(e)(6)(A), for recertification of a household under 

6 ESAP, the State agency shall not require an interview un7 less requested by the household, which may be conducted 

8 virtually. 

9 ‘‘(e) GUIDANCE.—Before establishment of ESAP 

10 under subsection (a), the Administrator of the Food and 

11 Nutrition Service shall develop guidance for States, after 

12 consultation with States, to carry out ESAP, including— 

13 ‘‘(1) general implementation guidelines; 

14 ‘‘(2) reporting requirements; 

15 ‘‘(3) quality control requirements; and 

16 ‘‘(4) best practices.’’. 

17 SEC. 4126. AMENDMENT TO CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIA18 TIONS ACT, 2023. 

19 Section 501 of title IV of division HH of the Consoli20 dated Appropriations Act, 2023, is amended by adding at 

21 the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(e) EXCLUSIVELY OUT-OF-STATE PURCHASES.— 

23 The State agency shall review and, where appropriate, sus24 pend the accounts of households for which EBT card 


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1 transactions are made exclusively out-of-State for a period 

2 longer than 90 days, until— 

3 ‘‘(1) the household affirmatively provides sub4 stantiating evidence that the members of the house5 hold who are program participants still reside in the 

6 State from which they receive benefits; or 

7 ‘‘(2) an inquiry is conducted and conclusively 

8 determines that the members of the household who 

9 are program participants still reside in the State 

10 from which they receive benefits.’’. 

11 SEC. 4127. MODIFICATION OF STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT. 

12 Section 11(e) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

13 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking paragraph (24); and 

15 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (25) and (26) 

16 as paragraphs (24) and (25), respectively. 

17 SEC. 4128. FOOD SECURITY AND DIET QUALITY REPORT. 

18 The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 

19 et seq.), as amended by section 4125, is amended by add20 ing at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 32. FOOD SECURITY AND DIET QUALITY REPORT. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

23 effective date of this section, and annually thereafter, the 

24 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 

25 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 


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1 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report 

2 on food security and diet quality in the United States. 

3 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The report required to be sub4 mitted under subsection (a) shall include— 

5 ‘‘(1) an analysis of the food security and diet 

6 quality of participants and nonparticipants in the 

7 supplemental nutrition assistance program; 

8 ‘‘(2)(A) a summary of legislative and Executive 

9 branch changes made to the supplemental nutrition 

10 assistance program in the year covered by the report 

11 that are intended to improve food security and diet 

12 quality; and 

13 ‘‘(B) an analysis of the impact and effec14 tiveness of those changes on food security and 

15 diet quality; and 

16 ‘‘(3) recommendations to the Congress on how 

17 to improve food security and diet quality for partici18 pants and nonparticipants in the supplemental nutri19 tion assistance program.’’. 

20 SEC. 4129. NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEER21 ING, AND MEDICINE STUDY AND REPORT. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

23 date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Secu24 rity Act of 2024, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

25 through the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition 


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1 Service, shall contract with the National Academies of 

2 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to carry out a study 

3 to assess the efficacy of allowing hot foods or hot food 

4 products ready for immediate consumption to be pur5 chased with supplemental nutrition assistance program 

6 benefits issued under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

7 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), including the impact on diet qual8 ity, purchasing power, and access to food. 

9 (b) INCLUSIONS.—The study pursuant to the con10 tract under subsection (a) shall include— 

11 (1) an assessment of currently available data, 

12 including data of instances of temporary emergency 

13 standards which disrupt commercial channels of food 

14 distribution where the prohibition on hot foods or 

15 hot food products ready for immediate consumption 

16 was temporarily lifted; 

17 (2) an assessment of participating households’ 

18 diet quality, including whether diet quality would im19 prove or worsen upon the termination of the prohibi20 tion on hot foods or hot food products ready for im21 mediate consumption; 

22 (3) an assessment of food access, including 

23 changes in the types of foods accessed for eligible 

24 households participating in the Supplemental Nutri25 tion Assistance Program upon the termination of the 


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1 prohibition on hot foods or hot food products ready 

2 for immediate consumption; 

3 (4) an assessment of participating households’ 

4 purchasing power of current supplemental nutrition 

5 assistance program allotments compared with what 

6 the purchasing power would be upon the termination 

7 of the prohibition on hot foods or hot food products 

8 ready for immediate consumption; and 

9 (5) factors for the Congress to contemplate if 

10 considering the authorization of a pilot to test the 

11 termination of the prohibition on hot foods or hot 

12 food products ready for immediate consumption. 

13 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

14 of enactment of this Act, the National Academies of 

15 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall submit to the 

16 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

17 a report on the study carried out under subsection (a) to 

18 determine whether a pilot program for the termination of 

19 the prohibition on hot foods or hot food products ready 

20 for immediate consumption is warranted. 

21 (d) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred22 it Corporation, the Secretary of Agriculture shall make 

23 available to carry out this section $1,000,000, to remain 

24 available until expended. 


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1 Subtitle B—Commodity 

2 Distribution Programs 

3 SEC. 4201. COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM. 

4 (a) SENIORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PRO5 GRAM.—Section 4402(a) of the Farm Security and Rural 

6 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007(a)) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘$20,600,000’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘$22,600,000’’; and 

9 (2) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

10 (b) EXPANSION OF THE SENIORS FARMERS’ MARKET

11 NUTRITION PROGRAM.—Section 4402(b)(1) of the Farm 

12 Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 

13 3007(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘and herbs’’ and in14 serting ‘‘herbs, and maple syrup’’. 

15 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—The 1st 

16 sentence of section 4(a) of the Agriculture and Consumer 

17 Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note) is amended 

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

19 SEC. 4202. COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM. 

20 Section 5 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protec21 tion Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public Law 93– 

22 86) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘2029’’, and 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), in the matter 

2 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in3 serting ‘‘2029’’, 

4 (2) in subsection (d)(2), in the 1st sentence, by 

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

6 (3) by amending subsection (g)(1) to read as 

7 follows— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub9 section (m)— 

10 ‘‘(A) the States shall only provide assist11 ance under the commodity supplemental food 

12 program to low-income persons aged 60 and 

13 older; and 

14 ‘‘(B) any amount deducted from social se15 curity payments for premiums paid under part 

16 B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act shall 

17 not be considered income for the purposes of 

18 this section.’’, and 

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

20 ‘‘(n) COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM

21 DELIVERY PILOT PROGRAM.— 

22 ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection 

23 is to award grants for the operation of projects that 

24 increase the access of low-income elderly persons to 


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1 commodities through home delivery or other means 

2 and to evaluate such projects. 

3 ‘‘(2) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award, 

4 on a competitive basis, grants directly to State agen5 cies, or to State agencies on behalf of eligible enti6 ties, to carry out the activities described in para7 graph (5). 

8 ‘‘(3) MAXIMUM GRANT AWARD.—A grant 

9 awarded to a State agency under this subsection 

10 shall not exceed— 

11 ‘‘(A) the greater of— 

12 ‘‘(i) the State’s commodity supple13 mental food program caseload at time of 

14 application multiplied by 60; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) $10,000; or 

16 ‘‘(B) $4,000,000; 

17 whichever is less. 

18 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—A State agency seeking a 

19 grant under this subsection shall submit to the Sec20 retary an application in such form, at such time, 

21 and containing such information as the Secretary 

22 may require. 

23 ‘‘(5) GRANT USES.—A State agency awarded a 

24 grant under this subsection shall distribute grant 

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1 cilitate delivery of commodities to participants in the 

2 commodity supplemental food program, including 

3 with respect to costs associated with— 

4 ‘‘(A) transportation and distribution of 

5 commodities to participants in the commodity 

6 supplemental food program, including transpor7 tation and distribution services provided by a 

8 third party; 

9 ‘‘(B) staffing required to operate delivery 

10 services; and 

11 ‘‘(C) outreach to participants or potential 

12 participants in the commodity supplemental 

13 food program with respect to home delivery. 

14 ‘‘(6) PRIORITY.—A State agency awarded a 

15 grant under this subsection must prioritize eligible 

16 entities that serve participants in the commodity 

17 supplemental food program who reside in a rural 

18 area. 

19 ‘‘(7) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Not later 

20 than 180 days after the end of the fiscal year in 

21 which a State agency is awarded a grant under this 

22 subsection and has distributed grant funds to eligi23 ble entities, and in each succeeding fiscal year until 

24 grant funds are expended, a State agency shall sub25 mit a report to the Secretary that includes— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a summary of the activities carried 

2 out under the project, including the quantity of 

3 commodities delivered, number of participants 

4 in the commodity supplemental food program 

5 served, and total number of deliveries; 

6 ‘‘(B) an assessment of the effectiveness of 

7 the project, including a calculation of the aver8 age cost per delivery, and an evaluation of any 

9 services provided by a third party; and 

10 ‘‘(C) best practices regarding use of home 

11 delivery to improve the effectiveness of the com12 modity supplemental food program. 

13 ‘‘(8) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

14 ‘‘(A) TERMS IN REGULATIONS.—The term 

15 ‘State agency’, ‘local agency’, and ‘subdistrib16 uting agency’ have the meanings given such 

17 terms in section 247.1 of title 7 of the Code of 

18 Federal Regulations (or any successor regula19 tions). 

20 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi21 ble entity’ means— 

22 ‘‘(i) a local agency; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a subdistributing agency; 

24 ‘‘(C) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 

25 has the meaning given such term in section 


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1 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

2 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)). 

3 ‘‘(9) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

5 this subsection $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2025 through 2029 to remain available until ex7 pended.’’. 

8 SEC. 4203. DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS COMMODITIES TO 

9 SPECIAL NUTRITION PROJECTS. 

10 Section 1114(a)(2)(A) of the Agriculture and Food 

11 Act of 1981 (7 U.S.C. 1431e(a)(2)(A)) is amended by 

12 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 SEC. 4204. COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM 

14 DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR TRIBAL OR15 GANIZATIONS. 

16 (a) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR TRIBAL ORGANI17 ZATIONS.— 

18 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

19 ‘‘(A) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.—The 

20 term ‘demonstration project’ means the dem21 onstration project established under paragraph 

22 (2).’’. 

23 (A) FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM.—The 

24 term ‘‘food distribution program’’ means the 

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1 fied in section 4 of the Agriculture and Con2 sumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c 

3 note; Public Law 93–86). 

4 (B) INDIAN RESERVATION.—The term ‘‘In5 dian reservation’’ has the meaning given the 

6 term ‘‘reservation’’ in section 3 of the Food and 

7 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012). 

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) SELF-DETERMINATION CONTRACT.— 

13 The term ‘‘self-determination contract’’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in section 4 of the In15 dian Self-Determination and Education Assist16 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304) with modification as 

17 determined by the Secretary. 

18 (E) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term 

19 ‘‘Tribal organization’’ has the meaning given 

20 the term in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition 

21 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012). 

22 (2) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the avail23 ability of appropriations, the Secretary shall estab24 lish a demonstration project under which 1 or more 

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1 tion contracts to purchase agricultural commodities 

2 under the food distribution program for the Indian 

3 reservation of that Tribal organization. 

4 (3) ELIGIBILITY.— 

5 (A) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall 

6 consult with Indian Tribes to determine the 

7 process and criteria under which a Tribal orga8 nization may participate in the demonstration 

9 project. 

10 (B) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall select 

11 for participation in the demonstration project 

12 Tribal organizations that— 

13 (i) are successfully administering the 

14 food distribution program of the Tribal or15 ganization under section 4(b)(2)(B) of the 

16 Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act 

17 of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note); 

18 (ii) have the capacity to purchase ag19 ricultural commodities in accordance with 

20 paragraph (4) for the food distribution 

21 program of the Tribal organization; and 

22 (iii) meet any other criteria deter23 mined by the Secretary, in consultation 

24 with the Secretary of the Interior and In25 dian tribes. 


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1 (4) PROCUREMENT OF AGRICULTURAL COM2 MODITIES.—Any agricultural commodities purchased 

3 by a Tribal organization under the demonstration 

4 project shall— 

5 (A) be domestically produced; 

6 (B) not result in a material increase in the 

7 amount of food in the food package of that 

8 Tribal organization compared to the amount of 

9 food that the Secretary authorized to be pro10 vided through the Commodity Supplemental 

11 Food Program Guide Rate; 

12 (C) be of similar or higher nutritional 

13 value as the type of agricultural commodities 

14 that would be supplanted in the existing food 

15 package for that Tribal organization or be an 

16 agricultural commodity with Tribal significance 

17 to that Indian Tribe; and 

18 (D) meet any other criteria determined by 

19 the Secretary. 

20 (5) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

21 date on which funds are appropriated under para22 graph (6) and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

23 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

24 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag25 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 


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1 report describing the activities carried out under the 

2 demonstration project during the preceding year. 

3 (6) FUNDING.— 

4 (A) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA5 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

6 to carry out this subsection $5,000,000, to re7 main available until expended. 

8 (B) APPROPRIATIONS IN ADVANCE.—Only 

9 funds appropriated under subparagraph (A) in 

10 advance specifically to carry out this subsection 

11 shall be available to carry out this subsection. 

12 (b) ADMINISTRATION OF TRIBAL SELF-DETERMINA13 TION CONTRACTS.— 

14 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall ap15 point an existing office of the United States Depart16 ment of Agriculture to administer Tribal self-deter17 mination contracts to include but not limited to: 

18 (A) awarding of Food and Nutrition Serv19 ice nutrition program self-determination con20 tracts to selected Tribal organizations; and 

21 (B) hiring contract officers and program 

22 staff in order to manage the selection of Tribal 

23 organizations and execution of self-determina24 tion contracts. 


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1 (2) STAFFING MINIMUM FUNDING.—Notwith2 standing any other provision of law, there is author3 ized to be appropriated $1,200,000 for each of fiscal 

4 years 2025 through 2029 for the payment of De5 partment contract officers and program staff sala6 ries and benefits. 

7 Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 

8 SEC. 4301. PURCHASE OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 

9 FOR DISTRIBUTION TO SCHOOLS AND SERV10 ICE INSTITUTIONS. 

11 Section 10603(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In12 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c-4(b)) is amended 

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

14 SEC. 4302. FOOD BOX PILOT PROGRAM. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture, 

16 acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Mar17 keting Service and in consultation with the Food and Nu18 trition Service, shall— 

19 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

20 the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Se21 curity Act of 2024— 

22 (A) establish a pilot program for the pur23 pose of procuring and distributing foods from 

24 the categories of staple foods listed in section 

25 3(q) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 


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1 U.S.C. 2012(q)) that align with dietary pat2 terns as defined in the most recent Dietary 

3 Guidelines for Americans; and 

4 (B) publish guidance for participation in 

5 such program; and 

6 (2) not later than 270 days after the date of 

7 the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Se8 curity Act of 2024, enter into contracts with eligible 

9 entities to carry out not more than 20 pilot projects 

10 under such program. 

11 (b) GOALS.—The pilot program established under 

12 subsection (a) shall be designed— 

13 (1) to supplement, not supplant, the nutrition 

14 of food insecure households in a manner complemen15 tary to other food nutrition programs administered 

16 by the Department; 

17 (2) to expand the capacity of nonprofit organi18 zations, including community-based and faith-based 

19 organizations; and 

20 (3) to support local and regional food systems 

21 to improve food access. 

22 (c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In determining whether 

23 to award contracts under subsection (a), the Secretary 

24 may consider whether an eligible entity— 


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1 (1) demonstrates the capability to meet the pro2 gram goals in subsection (b); 

3 (2) offers a price inclusive of all inspection, 

4 transportation, and distribution costs, including last 

5 mile distribution; 

6 (3) proposes to deliver a variety of staple foods 

7 determined by the Secretary to be the best value 

8 using trade-offs among evaluation factors other than 

9 lowest price or highest technical rating; 

10 (4) demonstrates an established network of 

11 partners or affiliates with distribution and logistics 

12 capability to provide last mile delivery to individuals 

13 in need; 

14 (5) will engage small- and medium-sized farm15 ers or retailers, or distributors who source from such 

16 farmers; or 

17 (6) will source local and regional products rel18 ative to the proposed distribution area when com19 mercially and seasonally available at a fair and rea20 sonable price. 

21 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than one year 

22 after the entering into a contract to carry out this section, 

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1 ate, a report on the status of activities carried out under 

2 this section, including— 

3 (1) the amount and types of products pur4 chased and the proximity to relevant distribution 

5 points; 

6 (2) the distribution data for each project suffi7 cient to identify all partners involved and their re8 spective roles in the distribution process, the means 

9 of distribution and the ultimate destination of prod10 ucts; 

11 (3) the number of farms sourced from; 

12 (4) the number of boxes delivered to households 

13 and number of households receiving boxes; and 

14 (5) the associated economic impact of each 

15 project. 

16 (e) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section the term 

17 ‘‘eligible entity’’ includes— 

18 (1) small- and medium-sized farmers, as deter19 mined by the Secretary; 

20 (2) distributors with demonstrated capacity to 

21 source from small- and medium-sized farmers; and 

22 (3) recipient and nonprofit organizations with 

23 expertise in management or administration of food 

24 distribution, including— 


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1 (A) faith-based organizations that distrib2 utes food or meals; 

3 (B) Tribal organizations that distribute 

4 food or meals; 

5 (C) child or adult care centers; and 

6 (D) any other similar feeding entity, as de7 termined by the Secretary. 

8 (f) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred9 it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry 

10 out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

11 and 2026, to remain available until expended. 

12 SEC. 4303. NUTRITION STANDARDS FOR FOOD DISTRIBU13 TION PROGRAMS. 

14 (a) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 120 days after 

15 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

16 Agriculture shall promulgate regulations with respect to 

17 nutrition guidelines for food distributed under the pro18 grams established under— 

19 (1) section 4(a) of the Agriculture and Con20 sumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note); 

21 (2) the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 

22 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501); and 

23 (3) section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act 

24 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)). 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—In promulgating regulations 

2 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

3 (1) ensure that the food products distributed 

4 under the programs described in such subsection are 

5 consistent with the goals of the most recent Dietary 

6 Guidelines for Americans published under section 

7 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Re8 lated Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341) and de9 signed to meet the quantitative recommendations of 

10 such Guidelines; and 

11 (2) Ensure that the nutrition standards reflect 

12 the different cultural and religious dietary needs of 

13 the populations being served food products under the 

14 programs described in such subsection. 

15 SEC. 4304. GUIDANCE REGARDING NOTIFYING CERTAIN 

16 STUDENTS REGARDING SNAP BENEFITS. 

17 The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 

18 et seq.), as amended by sections 4125 and 4128, is amend19 ed by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 33. GUIDANCE REGARDING NOTIFYING CERTAIN STU21 DENTS REGARDING SNAP BENEFITS. 

22 ‘‘(a) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall 

23 issue guidance to States on how to identify and notify eli24 gible students who are likely to qualify for the supple25 mental nutrition assistance program. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—In issuing the guidance under 

2 subsection (a), the Secretary of Agriculture may consult 

3 with the Secretary of Education. 

4 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE STUDENT DEFINED.—In this section, 

5 the term ‘eligible student’ means a student receiving work6 study assistance under part C of title IV of the Higher 

7 Education Act of 1965.’’. 

8 SEC. 4305. BUY AMERICAN REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN 

9 SCHOOL MEALS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 12(n)(2)(A) of the Rich11 ard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 1760(n)(2)(A)) is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(A) REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) PURCHASE EXPENDITURES BY

15 CATEGORY.—Subject to clause (ii) and 

16 subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall re17 quire that a school food authority pur18 chase, with respect to each food purchase 

19 category designated by the Agricultural 

20 Marketing Service, at least 95 percent do21 mestic products and commodities in each 

22 such category for each school year. 

23 ‘‘(ii) DOMESTICALLY UNAVAILABLE

24 FOOD ARTICLES.—Domestically unavailable 

25 products and commodities included on a 


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1 list issued pursuant to clause (iii) with re2 spect to a school year and purchased by a 

3 school food authority during such school 

4 year shall not be used to calculate whether 

5 such school food authority meets the re6 quirements under clause (i). 

7 ‘‘(iii) UPDATED LIST.— Not later 

8 than 6 months after the date of the enact9 ment of this subparagraph, and every 2 

10 years thereafter, the Secretary shall make 

11 available to school food authorities a list of 

12 domestically unavailable products.’’. 

13 (b) APPLICATION.—The amendment made by sub14 section (a) shall apply to school food authorities beginning 

15 on the first day of the first school year that begins after 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

17 SEC. 4306. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE GUS SCHUMACHER 

18 NUTRITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM. 

19 Section 4405 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

20 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by amending sub23 paragraph (C) to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(C) FEDERAL SHARE.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro2 vided in clause (ii) and subparagraph 

3 (D)(iii), the Federal share of the cost of 

4 carrying out an activity under this sub5 section shall not exceed 50 percent of the 

6 total cost of the activity. 

7 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER FOR PERSISTENT POV8 ERTY COUNTIES.—The Secretary may 

9 waive the application of clause (i) in the 

10 case of an activity carried out in a county 

11 that, during the preceding 30-year period 

12 has had a population of which greater than 

13 or equal to 20 percent of such population 

14 are living in poverty (as measured by the 

15 most recent decennial censuses).’’; and 

16 (B) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

17 (i) by redesignating clauses (ix) and 

18 (x) as clauses (x) and (xi); and 

19 (ii) by inserting after clause (viii) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(ix) increase year-round availability 

22 of incentives by offering all forms of fruits 

23 or vegetables;’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (c)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘fresh fruits and vegeta2 bles’’ and inserting ‘‘all forms of fruits, vegeta3 bles, and legumes’’ each place it appears; and 

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

5 ‘‘(6) TRANSITION TO HEALTH AND HUMAN

6 SERVICES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 

8 after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, 

9 and National Security Act of 2024, the Sec10 retary, in consultation with the Secretary of 

11 Health and Human Services, shall issue rec12 ommendations to Congress on how to transition 

13 the produce prescription program established 

14 under this subsection to the Department of 

15 Health and Human Services to be administered 

16 by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv17 ices. In developing these recommendations, the 

18 Secretary and the Secretary of Health and 

19 Human Services, shall consider the policy op20 tion described in the Comptroller General re21 port described in subparagraph (B). 

22 ‘‘(B) COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—Not later 

23 than 18 months after the date of enactment of 

24 the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 

25 2024, the Comptroller General of the United 


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1 States shall finalize and submit to the United 

2 States House of Representatives Committees on 

3 Agriculture, and Energy and Commerce, a re4 port that examines policy options relating to the 

5 transition of the produce prescription program 

6 established under this subsection to the Depart7 ment of Health and Human Services to be ad8 ministered by the Secretary of Health and 

9 Human Services. 

10 ‘‘(7) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The au11 thority to carry out this subsection shall terminate 

12 on September 30, 2029.’’; and 

13 (3) in subsection (f)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (2)(G), by striking 

17 ‘‘$56,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$75,000,000’’; 

18 and 

19 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it 

21 appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

22 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

23 ‘‘8 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘7 percent’’; 

24 and 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by strik2 ing ‘‘$7,000,000’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘$4,000,000’’. 

4 SEC. 4307. FOOD LOSS AND WASTE REDUCTION LIAISON AN5 NUAL REPORT. 

6 Section 224(e)(2) of the Department of Agriculture 

7 Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6924(e)(2)) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘ANNUAL’’ be10 fore ‘‘REPORT’’; 

11 (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 

12 by inserting ‘‘and annually thereafter,’’ before ‘‘the 

13 Secretary shall’’; 

14 (3) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (4) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period 

17 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

18 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(C) a general description of each project 

20 and activity implemented pursuant to this sec21 tion; 

22 ‘‘(D) a summary of the cooperative agree23 ments entered into pursuant to subsection (c); 


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1 ‘‘(E) a detailed account of how the Sec2 retary avoided, managed, or will manage mar3 ket disruption; and 

4 ‘‘(F) a summary of coordinated activities 

5 with the Administrator of the Environmental 

6 Protection Agency and the Commissioner of the 

7 Food and Drug Administration, including inter8 agency communication and coordination related 

9 to the promotion or exclusion of practices and 

10 technologies to limit food waste.’’. 

11 SEC. 4308. HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING INITIATIVE. 

12 Section 243(d) of the Department of Agriculture Re13 organization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6953(d)) is amended 

14 by striking ‘‘$125,000,000’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘$135,000,000’’. 

16 SEC. 4309. MICRO-GRANTS FOR FOOD SECURITY. 

17 Section 4206(g)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement 

18 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7518(g)(1)) is amended by striking 

19 ‘‘$10,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000,000’’. 

20 SEC. 4310. HEALTHY FLUID MILK INCENTIVES PROJECTS. 

21 Section 4208 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

22 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2026a) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘fla25 voring or’’ and inserting ‘‘artificial’’; 


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1 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

2 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

3 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3); and 

4 (2) in subsection (e)— 

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

6 $20,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$50,000,000 for 

7 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029’’; 

8 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or 

9 made available under paragraph (3)’’ before 

10 ‘‘shall be’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(3) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

13 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

14 shall make available to carry out this section 

15 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

16 2029, to remain available until expended.’’. 

17 TITLE V—CREDIT 

18 Subtitle A—Farm Ownership Loans 

19 SEC. 5101. PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR REAL ESTATE LOANS. 

20 Section 302(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

21 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922(a)) is amended— 

22 (1) in the 2nd sentence of paragraph (1), by 

23 striking ‘‘a majority’’ each place it appears and in24 serting ‘‘at least a 50 percent’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs 

2 (A) and (B) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED OPERA4 TORS.—Qualified operators, as defined by the 

5 Secretary, shall be considered to meet the oper6 ator requirement of paragraph (1). 

7 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN OPER8 ATING-ONLY ENTITIES.— An applicant that is 

9 or will become only the operator of farm real 

10 estate acquired, improved, or supported with 

11 funds under this subtitle shall be considered to 

12 meet the owner-operator requirements of para13 graph (1) if 1 or more of the individuals who 

14 is an owner of the farm real estate owns at 

15 least 50 percent (or such other percentage as 

16 the Secretary determines is appropriate) of the 

17 applicant. 

18 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN EMBEDDED

19 ENTITIES.—An entity that is an owner-operator 

20 described in paragraph (1), or an operator de21 scribed in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph 

22 that is owned, in whole or in part, by 1 or more 

23 other entities, shall be considered to meet the 

24 direct ownership requirement imposed under 

25 paragraph (1) if at least 75 percent of the total 


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1 ownership interests of the embedded entity, or 

2 of the other entities, is owned, directly or indi3 rectly, by qualified operators of the farm ac4 quired, improved, or supported with funds 

5 under this subtitle.’’. 

6 SEC. 5102. EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS. 

7 Section 302(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

8 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922(b)) is amended— 

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

10 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘3 years’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘2 years’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (4)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (i) in the matter preceding clause 

15 (i)— 

16 (I) by striking ‘‘3-year’’ and in17 serting ‘‘2-year’’; and 

18 (II) by striking ‘‘1 or 2 years’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘1 year’’; 

20 (ii) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘or 

21 operational’’ before ‘‘responsibilities’’; 

22 (iii) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘or’’; 

23 and 

24 (iv) by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(ix) met any other criteria estab2 lished by the Secretary; or’’; and 

3 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘3- 

4 year’’ and inserting ‘‘2- year’’. 

5 SEC. 5103. CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE 

6 PROGRAM. 

7 Section 304 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De8 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1924) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (d)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

11 the end; 

12 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘1985.’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘1985 (16 U.S.C. 3812); and’’; 

14 and 

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

16 ‘‘(4) producers who use the loans to adopt pre17 cision agriculture practices or acquire precision agri18 culture technologies, including adoption or acquisi19 tion for the purpose of participating in the environ20 mental quality incentives program under subchapter 

21 A of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food 

22 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.).’’; 

23 and 

24 (2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 5104. LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF FARM OWNERSHIP 

2 LOANS. 

3 Section 305(a)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925(a)(2)) is amended 

5 by striking ‘‘$600,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed 

6 by the Secretary, $1,750,000 (increased, beginning with 

7 fiscal year 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘$850,000, or, in the case 

8 of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, $3,500,000 (in9 creased, beginning with fiscal year 2025’’. 

10 SEC. 5105. INFLATION PERCENTAGE. 

11 Section 305(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

12 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925(c)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘of the Prices 

14 Paid By Farmers Index (as compiled by the Na15 tional Agricultural Statistics Service of the Depart16 ment of Agriculture) for the 12-month period ending 

17 on July 31 of the immediately preceding fiscal year’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘of the per acre average United States 

19 farm real estate value, the per acre average United 

20 States cropland value, and the per acre average 

21 United States pasture value for the preceding year 

22 (as published in the applicable Agricultural Land 

23 Values report of the National Agricultural Statistics 

24 Service of the Department of Agriculture), weighted 

25 equally’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘of such index 

2 (as so defined) for the 12-month period that imme3 diately precedes the 12-month period described in 

4 paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘of the per acre aver5 age United States farm real estate value, the per 

6 acre average United States cropland value, and the 

7 per acre average United States pasture value for the 

8 year immediately preceding the year described in 

9 paragraph (1) (as so published), weighted equally’’. 

10 SEC. 5106. AUTHORITY OF FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSTITU11 TIONS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR 

12 ESSENTIAL RURAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES 

13 PROJECTS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Farm Credit Act of 1971 is 

15 amended by inserting after section 4.18A (12 U.S.C. 

16 2206a) the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 4.18B. ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A Farm Credit Bank, direct 

19 lender association, or bank for cooperatives chartered 

20 under this Act may, for the purpose of making available 

21 capital to develop, build, maintain, improve, or provide re22 lated equipment or other support for essential community 

23 facilities in rural areas, make and participate in loans and 

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1 gible for financing under section 306(a) of the Consoli2 dated Farm and Rural Development Act. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—Only an entity eligible for financ4 ing under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and 

5 Rural Development Act may receive financing or any other 

6 assistance under subsection (a) of this section. 

7 ‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) FINANCING.—A Farm Credit System insti9 tution described in subsection (a) shall not provide 

10 financing or assistance under this section in an ag11 gregate amount that exceeds 15 percent of the total 

12 of all outstanding loans of the institution. 

13 ‘‘(2) OFFER REQUIREMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A Farm Credit Sys15 tem institution shall not provide financing or 

16 assistance under this section unless the institu17 tion— 

18 ‘‘(i) has offered, under reasonable 

19 terms and conditions acceptable to the bor20 rower involved, an interest in the financing 

21 to at least 1 domestic lending institution 

22 not referred to in subsection (a) other than 

23 the Department of Agriculture; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) has reported the offer to the 

25 Farm Credit Administration. 


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1 ‘‘(B) RURAL COMMUNITY BANK PRI2 ORITY.—In offering an interest in a financing 

3 to a domestic lending institution described in 

4 subparagraph (A)(i), the Farm Credit System 

5 institution shall give priority to community 

6 banks located in the service area of the essen7 tial community facility being financed. 

8 ‘‘(d) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Within 1 

9 year after the date of the enactment of this section and 

10 annually thereafter, the Farm Credit Administration shall 

11 provide a report to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

12 House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri13 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on the ac14 tivities undertaken pursuant to this section by Farm Cred15 it System institutions during the period covered by the re16 port, including through partnerships between such an in17 stitution and other lending institutions, which shall also 

18 be posted on the website of the Farm Credit Administra19 tion.’’. 

20 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

21 subsection (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2024. 

22 SEC. 5107. DOWN PAYMENT LOAN PROGRAM. 

23 Section 310E(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

24 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1935(b)(1)) is amend25 ed— 


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1 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 

2 by striking ‘‘exceed 45 percent of the least’’ and in3 serting ‘‘exceed, subject to section 305(a), 45 per4 cent of the lesser’’; 

5 (2) in subparagraph (A), by adding ‘‘or’’ after 

6 the semicolon; 

7 (3) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 

8 inserting a period; and 

9 (4) by striking subparagraph (C). 

10 SEC. 5108. HEIRS PROPERTY. 

11 (a) REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HEIRS PROPERTY

12 INTERMEDIARY RELENDING PROGRAM.—Section 310I(g) 

13 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

14 U.S.C. 1936c(g)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in15 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR HEIRS PROP17 ERTY RESOLUTION THROUGH DIRECT PUBLIC INTEREST

18 LEGAL SERVICES.—Section 310I of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

19 1936c) is amended— 

20 (1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 

21 subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and 

22 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol23 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(f) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR HEIRS PROP2 ERTY RESOLUTION THROUGH DIRECT PUBLIC INTEREST

3 LEGAL SERVICES.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter 

5 into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to 

6 provide legal or accounting services to underserved 

7 heirs, at no cost to the underserved heirs, to assist 

8 in resolving undivided ownership interests on farm9 land or forest land, or land transitioning to farmland 

10 or forest land, that has multiple owners. Such a co11 operative agreement must be for any of the following 

12 purposes: 

13 ‘‘(A) To assist with transitioning land to 

14 agricultural production. 

15 ‘‘(B) To maintain land in agricultural pro16 duction. 

17 ‘‘(C) To increase access to programs ad18 ministered by the Secretary through the resolu19 tion of real property claims in order to allow 

20 real property owners to meet land ownership 

21 eligibility requirements for participation in a 

22 program administered by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION OF COOPERATIVE

24 AGREEMENTS.— 

25 ‘‘(A) DURATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A cooperative 

2 agreement under paragraph (1) shall be in 

3 effect for not more than 4 years, subject to 

4 clause (ii). 

5 ‘‘(ii) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary 

6 may extend a cooperative agreement or re7 enter into a cooperative agreement with 

8 the same or a different eligible entity to 

9 provide continued services for heirs if— 

10 ‘‘(I) property ownership is not re11 solved within the initial term of the 

12 original cooperative agreement; and 

13 ‘‘(II) the entity certifies that the 

14 entity understands that the coopera15 tive agreement is not guaranteed to be 

16 funded for more than 4 years after 

17 the commencement of the original co18 operative agreement. 

19 ‘‘(B) MANAGEMENT OF PERFORMANCE.— 

20 ‘‘(i) ANNUAL REPORTS.—An eligible 

21 entity must provide annual reports to the 

22 Secretary summarizing the progress made 

23 during each fiscal year towards achieving 

24 the goals of the cooperative agreement for 


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1 the heirs for whom services are provided 

2 under the cooperative agreement. 

3 ‘‘(ii) INFORMATION AND DATA.—The 

4 Secretary may require an eligible entity to 

5 provide the Secretary with such informa6 tion or data as the Secretary deems nec7 essary to determine that the eligible entity 

8 is making acceptable progress. The data 

9 may not include personally identifiable in10 formation. 

11 ‘‘(iii) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO DEM12 ONSTRATE SUCCESS.—If an eligible entity 

13 providing services under such a cooperative 

14 agreement does not demonstrate success, 

15 as determined by the Secretary, in resolv16 ing or reasonably attempting to resolve the 

17 property claims of an heir, the Secretary 

18 may terminate the agreement 

19 ‘‘(C) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary 

20 may utilize requests for public input or the for21 mal rulemaking process to effectuate this sub22 section. At a minimum, the Secretary shall 

23 make publicly available the criteria for selecting 

24 an eligible entity to enter into an agreement to 

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1 formance requirements for cooperative agree2 ments under this subsection, as well as codify 

3 within its internal policy its implementation 

4 process. 

5 ‘‘(D) HEIRS PROPERTY NOT IN FARM6 ING.—On a limited basis, and when determined 

7 by the Secretary to meet the purposes of a pro8 gram administered by the Secretary and to ex9 pand access to such a program, the Secretary 

10 may allow an eligible entity to provide services 

11 at no cost to an heir who is not an underserved 

12 heir if— 

13 ‘‘(i) the land with respect to which the 

14 services are to be provided is not farmland 

15 or in agricultural production, but could be 

16 viably productive for agricultural, con17 servation, or forestry purposes; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the heir satisfies all other re19 quirements of the definition of ‘under20 served heir’; 

21 ‘‘(iii) the heir can provide proof to 

22 substantiate that the heir is in control of 

23 the real property; and 

24 ‘‘(iv) the heir certifies to the Secretary 

25 that the heir intends to apply for, and 


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1 make a good faith effort to enroll the land 

2 in, a program administered by the Sec3 retary once property claims to the land are 

4 resolved through services provided under a 

5 cooperative agreement entered into under 

6 this subsection. 

7 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

8 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi9 ble entity’ means a nonprofit organization 

10 that— 

11 ‘‘(i) provides legal or accounting serv12 ices to an underserved heir at no cost to 

13 the underserved heir to resolve property 

14 ownership issues; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) has demonstrated experience in 

16 resolving issues related to ownership and 

17 succession on farmland or forest land that 

18 has multiple owners. 

19 ‘‘(B) LIMITED RESOURCE HEIR.—An heir 

20 shall be considered a limited resource heir for 

21 purposes of this subsection if— 

22 ‘‘(i) the total household income of the 

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1 come for the 2 immediately preceding cal2 endar years, as determined annually using 

3 data of the Department of Commerce; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) the property of the heir for which 

5 legal services are provided pursuant to a 

6 cooperative agreement entered into under 

7 this subsection is in a persistent poverty 

8 community, as determined annually on the 

9 basis of data from the Department of 

10 Commerce, or a socially vulnerable area, as 

11 designated by the Centers on Disease Con12 trol and Prevention. 

13 ‘‘(C) UNDERSERVED HEIR.—The term ‘un14 derserved heir’ means an heir with an undivided 

15 ownership interest in farmland or forest land 

16 that has multiple owners, who is— 

17 ‘‘(i) a limited resource heir; 

18 ‘‘(ii) a member of a socially disadvan19 taged group (as defined in section 2501(a) 

20 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

21 and Trade Act of 1990); or 

22 ‘‘(iii) a veteran (as defined in section 

23 101(2) of title 38, United States Code). 

24 ‘‘(4) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Within 

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1 section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 

2 prepare, make public, and submit to the Committee 

3 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and 

4 the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For5 estry of the Senate a written report on the activities 

6 carried out under this subsection in the year covered 

7 by the report. 

8 ‘‘(5) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF AP9 PROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this subsection, there 

10 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 

11 $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

12 2029.’’. 

13 (c) ANNUAL REPORT ON OPERATIONS AND OUT14 COMES UNDER THE RELENDING PROGRAM TO RESOLVE

15 OWNERSHIP AND SUCCESSION ON FARMLAND.—Section 

16 310I(g) of such Act, as so redesignated by subsection (b) 

17 of this section, is amended by striking ‘‘Not later than 

18 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec19 retary shall’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary shall annu20 ally’’. 

21 SEC. 5109. PROMPT APPROVAL OF LOANS AND LOAN GUAR22 ANTEES. 

23 Section 333A of the of the Consolidated Farm and 

24 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (g)— 


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1 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) REAL ESTATE AND OPERATING GUARAN4 TEED LOANS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

6 provide to lenders a short, simplified application 

7 form for real estate and operating guaranteed 

8 loans under this title, for loans of not more 

9 than $1,000,000. 

10 ‘‘(B) NOTICE.—Within 5 business days 

11 after receipt of an application to guarantee a 

12 farm ownership or operating loan that meets 

13 the requirements under subparagraph (A) origi14 nated by a USDA preferred lender, the Sec15 retary shall notify the lender as to whether the 

16 application is approved or disapproved. 

17 ‘‘(C) MAXIMUM GUARANTEE.—The per18 centage of the principal amount of a loan which 

19 may be guaranteed pursuant to this paragraph 

20 shall not exceed— 

21 ‘‘(i) 90 percent, in the case of a loan 

22 not exceeding $125,000; 

23 ‘‘(ii) 75 percent, in the case of a loan 

24 of more than $125,000 and not more than 

25 $500,000; or 


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1 ‘‘(iii) 50 percent, in the case of a loan 

2 of more than $500,000 and not more than 

3 $1,000,000.’’; and 

4 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

5 (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively, and 

6 inserting after paragraph (1) the following: 

7 ‘‘(2) BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY GUARANTEED

8 LOANS TO ASSIST RURAL ENTITIES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

10 develop an application process that accelerates, 

11 to the maximum extent practicable, the proc12 essing of applications for business and industry 

13 guaranteed loans to assist rural entities, as de14 scribed under section 310B(a)(2)(A), for loans 

15 not exceeding $400,000. 

16 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—The accelerated appli17 cation process, as provided under subparagraph 

18 (A), shall apply to loans not exceeding 

19 $600,000 if there is not a significant increased 

20 risk of a default on the loan, as determined by 

21 the Secretary.’’; and 

22 (2) by striking subsection (h). 


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1 SEC. 5110. FARMER LOAN PILOT PROJECTS. 

2 Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De3 velopment Act is amended by inserting after section 333D 

4 (7 U.S.C. 1983d) the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 333E. PRIOR APPROVAL AUTHORIZATION PILOT PRO6 GRAM. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

8 the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency, shall carry 

9 out a pilot program to establish a pre-approval process 

10 for direct farm ownership loans made under subtitle A in 

11 order to streamline the application process and provide 

12 greater certainty to borrowers. 

13 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

15 provision of this Act, the Secretary may establish eli16 gibility requirements for direct farm ownership loans 

17 under subtitle A. 

18 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—This section shall not be in19 terpreted to repeal any borrowing requirement im20 posed under subtitle A. 

21 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

22 of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 

23 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture 

24 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

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1 port examining the actions undertaken under, and the re2 sults of, the pilot program. 

3 ‘‘(d) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS.—The au4 thority provided by this section shall terminate effective 

5 September 30, 2029.’’. 

6 SEC. 5111. REFINANCING OF GUARANTEED LOANS INTO DI7 RECT LOANS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting 

10 through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency 

11 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), shall pro12 mulgate regulations allowing certain loans guaranteed by 

13 the Farm Service Agency to be refinanced into direct loans 

14 issued by the Farm Service Agency, in accordance with 

15 this section. 

16 (b) REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The regulations promulgated 

18 under subsection (a) shall provide that a guaranteed 

19 loan described in that subsection may be refinanced 

20 into a direct loan described in that subsection only 

21 if the Secretary determines that— 

22 (A) the guaranteed loan is distressed; 

23 (B) the borrower on that guaranteed loan 

24 has attempted to work with the lender and has 

25 been unsuccessful; 


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1 (C) a reasonable chance for the success of 

2 the operation financed by the guaranteed loan 

3 exists; and 

4 (D) all other criteria established by the 

5 Secretary for purposes of this section to protect 

6 taxpayer funds and the loan programs of the 

7 Farm Service Agency have been satisfied. 

8 (2) REASONABLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS.—For 

9 purposes of paragraph (1)(C), the Secretary may de10 termine that a reasonable chance for the success of 

11 an operation exists if the Secretary determines 

12 that— 

13 (A) all relevant problems with the oper14 ation financed by the guaranteed loan— 

15 (i) have been identified; and 

16 (ii) can be corrected; and 

17 (B) on correction of those problems, the 

18 operation can achieve, or be returned to, a 

19 sound financial basis. 

20 (c) NO EFFECT ON SUBSIDIES.—In carrying out this 

21 section, the Secretary shall ensure that the refinancing of 

22 guaranteed loans into direct loans has no impact on the 

23 subsidy rate of— 

24 (1) loans guaranteed by the Farm Service 

25 Agency; or 


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1 (2) direct loans issued by the Farm Service 

2 Agency. 

3 (d) LOAN PROGRAMS.—In making direct loans pur4 suant to the regulations promulgated under subsection 

5 (a), the Secretary may refinance a loan guaranteed under 

6 1 program of the Farm Service Agency into a direct loan 

7 issued under another program of the Farm Service Agen8 cy, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate and in 

9 accordance with the laws applicable to the program under 

10 which the new direct loan is issued. 

11 (e) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DIRECT REFINANCING

12 LOANS.—A direct loan issued by the Farm Service Agency 

13 pursuant to the regulations promulgated under subsection 

14 (a) shall be subject to any otherwise applicable limitation 

15 on the maximum amount of a direct loan issued by the 

16 Farm Service Agency, including, if applicable, the limita17 tions described in— 

18 (1) section 305 of the Consolidated Farm and 

19 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925); and 

20 (2) section 313 of that Act (7 U.S.C. 1943). 

21 Subtitle B—Operating Loans 

22 SEC. 5201. PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR OPERATING LOANS. 

23 Section 311(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

24 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1941) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the 2nd sentence of paragraph (1), by 

2 striking ‘‘a majority’’ each place it appears and in3 serting ‘‘at least a 50 percent’’; and 

4 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

6 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—An entity’’ and inserting 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED OPERA10 TORS.—Qualified operators, as defined by the 

11 Secretary, shall be considered to meet the oper12 ator requirement of paragraph (1). 

13 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN OPER14 ATING-ONLY ENTITIES.—An entity’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘ownership interests of 

16 each embedded entity of the entity is owned di17 rectly or indirectly by the individuals that own 

18 the family farm’’ and inserting ‘‘total ownership 

19 interests of the embedded entity, or of the other 

20 entities, is owned, directly or indirectly, by 

21 qualified operators of the farm improved or 

22 supported with funds under this subtitle’’. 


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1 SEC. 5202. LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF OPERATING 

2 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, $3,000,000 (in9 creased, beginning with fiscal year 2025’’. 

10 SEC. 5203. LIMITATION ON MICROLOAN AMOUNTS. 

11 Section 313(c)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and 

12 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(c)(2)) is amended 

13 by striking ‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000’’. 

14 SEC. 5204. COOPERATIVE LENDING PILOT PROJECTS. 

15 Section 313(c)(4)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and 

16 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(c)(4)(A)) is 

17 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

18 Subtitle C—Emergency Loans 

19 SEC. 5301. PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR EMERGENCY LOANS. 

20 Section 321 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De21 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1961) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking all that precedes ‘‘shall make 

23 and insure’’ and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘SEC. 321. ELIGIBILITY FOR LOANS. 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec2 retary’’; 

3 (2) in the 1st sentence— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(A)’’; 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘(B)’’; 

6 (C) by striking ‘‘(A)’’ the 1st place it ap7 pears and inserting ‘‘(i)’’; 

8 (D) by striking ‘‘(B)’’ the 1st place it ap9 pears and inserting ‘‘(ii)’’; and 

10 (E) by striking ‘‘a majority’’ each place it 

11 appears and inserting ‘‘at least a 50 percent’’; 

12 (3) by striking the 5th sentence; and 

13 (4) by adding after and below the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED OPERA17 TORS.—Qualified operators, as defined by the 

18 Secretary, shall be considered to meet the oper19 ator requirement of paragraph (1). 

20 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN OPER21 ATING-ONLY ENTITIES.— An applicant that is 

22 or will become only the operator of farm real 

23 estate acquired, improved, or supported with 

24 funds under this subtitle shall be considered to 

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1 graph (1) if 1 or more of the individuals who 

2 is an owner of the real estate owns at least 50 

3 percent (or such other percentage as the Sec4 retary determines is appropriate) of the appli5 cant. 

6 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN EMBEDDED

7 ENTITIES.—An entity that is an owner-operator 

8 described in paragraph (1), or an operator de9 scribed in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph 

10 that is owned, in whole or in part, by 1 or more 

11 other entities, shall be considered to meet the 

12 direct ownership requirement imposed under 

13 paragraph (1) if at least 75 percent of the total 

14 ownership interests of the embedded entity, or 

15 of the other entities, is owned, directly or indi16 rectly, by qualified operators of the farm ac17 quired, improved, or supported with funds 

18 under this subtitle.’’. 

19 Subtitle D—Administrative 

20 Provisions 

21 SEC. 5401. BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER INDIVIDUAL 

22 DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS PILOT PROGRAM. 

23 Section 333B(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

24 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983b(h)) is amended by 

25 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 5402. LOAN AUTHORIZATION LEVELS. 

2 Section 346(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

3 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(1)) is amended 

4 in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking 

5 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 5403. LOAN FUND SET-ASIDES. 

7 Section 346(b)(2)(A)(ii)(III) of the Consolidated 

8 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

9 1994(b)(2)(A)(ii)(III)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 5404. USE OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR DIRECT OPER12 ATING MICROLOANS UNDER CERTAIN CONDI13 TIONS. 

14 Section 346(b)(5)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and 

15 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(5)(C)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 Subtitle E—Miscellaneous 

18 SEC. 5501. EXPORT FINANCE AUTHORITY. 

19 Section 3.7(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Farm Credit Act of 

20 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2128(b)(2)(A)(i)) is amended— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘50 percent of the bank’s cap22 ital’’ and inserting ‘‘15 percent of the total assets of 

23 the bank’’; and 

24 (2) by striking ‘‘an amount equal to 50 percent 

25 of the bank’s capital’’ and inserting ‘‘15 percent of 

26 the total assets of the bank’’. 


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1 SEC. 5502. SUPPORT FOR RURAL WATER AND WASTE SYS2 TEMS. 

3 Section 3.7(f) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 

4 U.S.C. 2128(f)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, or in the case 

5 of such loans, commitments, and assistance that are guar6 anteed, the term ‘rural area’ means an area described in 

7 section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and 

8 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A))’’ be9 fore the period at the end. 

10 SEC. 5503. FARMER LOAN DATA COLLECTION. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 

12 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 

13 4.20 the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 4.21. SMALL FARMER LOAN DATA COLLECTION. 

15 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to af16 firm that the Farm Credit Administration is the sole and 

17 independent regulator of the Farm Credit System. 

18 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘small 

19 farmer’ means a ‘small farmer, rancher, or producer or 

20 harvester of aquatic products’ as defined pursuant to sec21 tion 4.19. 

22 ‘‘(c) COLLECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC DATA BY FARM

23 CREDIT SYSTEM LENDERS.—Notwithstanding any other 

24 provision of law, Farm Credit System institutions, pursu25 ant to regulations promulgated by the Farm Credit Ad26 ministration, shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) request that loan applicants and borrowers 

2 that are small farmers disclose information identi3 fying their race, sex, and ethnicity; 

4 ‘‘(2) collect and maintain the information re5 sulting from the requests; and 

6 ‘‘(3) report to the Farm Credit Administration 

7 on an annual basis the information collected pursu8 ant to the requests. 

9 ‘‘(d) DIRECTIONS TO THE FARM CREDIT ADMINIS10 TRATION.—The Farm Credit Administration— 

11 ‘‘(1) shall collect the information gathered by 

12 Farm Credit System institutions under this section 

13 and make the information available to the public on 

14 an annual basis; and 

15 ‘‘(2) shall not require, in prescribing regulations 

16 to implement this section, that any Farm Credit 

17 System institution contradict the wishes of a cus18 tomer who does not wish to voluntarily report race, 

19 sex, or ethnicity by requiring the Farm Credit Sys20 tem institution to report the race, sex, or ethnicity 

21 of the customer based on visual observation, sur22 name, or any other method. 

23 ‘‘(e) PROTECTION OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE

24 INFORMATION.—In reporting the information collected 

25 under this section, the Farm Credit Administration shall 


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1 not include any information that would reveal the identity 

2 of any loan applicant or borrower. 

3 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

4 only to applications received and loans made 1 year or 

5 more after the date of the enactment of this section.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

7 704B(h)(1) of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 

8 U.S.C. 1691c–2(h)(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, other 

9 than any entity that is supervised by the Farm Credit Ad10 ministration’’ before the period at the end. 

11 (c) COMPLIANCE.— 

12 (1) EFFECTIVE DATE.—A Farm Credit System 

13 institution shall not be required to comply with any 

14 regulation promulgated pursuant to this section until 

15 January 1, 2026. 

16 (2) CESSATION.—If a financial institution sub17 ject to subpart B of part 1002 of title 12, Code of 

18 Federal Regulations, is not required to comply with 

19 the rule, whether because a court invalidates the rule 

20 or the rule is otherwise repealed, the Farm Credit 

21 System institutions shall not be required to comply 

22 with any regulation promulgated pursuant to this 

23 section or an amendment made by this section. 


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1 SEC. 5504. LOAN GUARANTEES. 

2 Section 8.0(7)(B) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 

3 (12 U.S.C. 2279aa(7)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘ or 

4 section 9007(c)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural Invest5 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107(c)(1))’’ before the 1st 

6 comma. 

7 SEC. 5505. STANDARDS FOR QUALIFIED LOANS. 

8 Section 8.8 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 

9 U.S.C. 2279aa–8) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘mortgage 

11 investors’’ and inserting ‘‘investors in those types of 

12 loans’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (c)— 

14 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

15 ‘‘LIMITATION’’ and inserting ‘‘LIMITATIONS’’; 

16 and 

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

18 ‘‘(3) FURTHER LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding 

19 paragraphs (1) and (2), the Farm Credit Adminis20 tration may establish such other loan amount limita21 tions to reflect the treatment as a qualified loan of 

22 a moderately sized agricultural mortgage loan, as 

23 determined by the Farm Credit Administration, with 

24 appropriate periodic adjustments for geographic dif25 ferences and valuations, consistent with maintaining 

26 the safety and soundness of the Corporation.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5506. STATE AGRICULTURAL MEDIATION PROGRAMS. 

2 (a) DEFINITION OF STATE.—Section 501 of the Agri3 cultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101) is amended 

4 by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF STATE.—In this title, the term 

6 ‘State’ has the meaning given the term in section 1404 

7 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977, and includes 

8 any Indian tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian 

9 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act).’’. 

10 (b) MATCHING GRANTS TO STATES.—Section 502 of 

11 the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5102) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘$500,000’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘$700,000’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(c) CARRYOVER OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—The 

17 Secretary shall permit a State that receives financial as18 sistance under subsection (a) for a fiscal year to carry over 

19 not more than 25 percent of the financial assistance that 

20 is not expended by the end of the fiscal year, for use dur21 ing the next fiscal year without deducting the amount 

22 from any assistance provided under this Act in subsequent 

23 fiscal years.’’. 

24 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

25 506 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 5106) is amended by striking 

26 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 5507. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

2 (a) ELIMINATION OF OBSOLETE REFERENCES TO

3 COUNTY COMMITTEES.— 

4 (1) Section 333A(a)(2)(B)(vi) of the Consoli5 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

6 1983a(a)(2)(B)(vi)) is amended by striking ‘‘by the 

7 county committee’’ and inserting ‘‘of the applica8 tion’’. 

9 (2) Section 336 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1986) is 

10 amended— 

11 (A) by striking the last sentence of sub12 section (b); and 

13 (B) by striking subsection (c) and redesig14 nating subsection (d) as subsection (c). 

15 (3) Section 339 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1989) is 

16 amended— 

17 (A) in subsection (c)(4)(A), by striking 

18 ‘‘county committee certification that the bor19 rower of the loan meets the eligibility require20 ments and’’ and inserting ‘‘the borrower meet21 ing’’; and 

22 (B) in subsection (d)(4)(A), by striking 

23 ‘‘county committee certification that the bor24 rower meets the eligibility requirements or’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘the borrower meeting’’. 


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1 (4) Section 359(c)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

2 2006a(c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘(as determined 

3 by the appropriate county committee during the de4 termination of eligibility for the loan)’’. 

5 (b) REVISION OF LOAN ASSESSMENT REQUIRE6 MENTS.—Section 360(d)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

7 2006b(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘annual review of di8 rect loans, and periodic review (as determined necessary 

9 by the Secretary) of guaranteed loans’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘periodic review (as determined by the Secretary) of direct 

11 and guaranteed loans’’. 

12 (c) UPDATING OF OUTDATED REFERENCES TO THE

13 FARMERS HOME ADMINISTRATION AND THE RURAL DE14 VELOPMENT AGENCY.— 

15 (1) Section 309(e) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

16 1928(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

17 Administration and the Rural Development Adminis18 tration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency and 

19 Rural Development’’. 

20 (2) Section 331(a)(5) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

21 1981(a)(5)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

22 Administration’’ each place it appears and inserting 

23 ‘‘Farm Service Agency and Rural Development’’. 

24 (3) Section 331(a)(7) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

25 1981(a)(7)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 


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1 Administration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agen2 cy and Rural Development’’. 

3 (4) Section 331(a)(8) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

4 1981(a)(8)) is amended by striking ‘‘Rural Develop5 ment Administration or by the Farmers Home Ad6 ministration’’ ‘‘Farm Service Agency and Rural De7 velopment’’. 

8 (5) Section 331(b)(4) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

9 1981(b)(4)) is amended by striking ‘‘Consolidated’’. 

10 (6) Section 331(b) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

11 1981(b)) is amended in each of paragraphs (5) and 

12 (7) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Administration’’ 

13 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Farm Service 

14 Agency and Rural Development’’. 

15 (7) Section 331(b)(8) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

16 1981(b)(8)) is amended by striking ‘‘Rural Develop17 ment Administration or by the Farmers Home Ad18 ministration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency 

19 and Rural Development’’. 

20 (8) Section 331A(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

21 1981a(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

22 Administration or by the Rural Development Admin23 istration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency or by 

24 Rural Development’’. 


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1 (9) Section 335(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

2 1985(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

3 Administration or the Rural Development Adminis4 tration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency or 

5 Rural Development’’. 

6 (10) Section 335(f)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

7 1985(f)(1)) is amended— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘Agricultural Stabilization 

9 and Conservation Service payments’’ and insert10 ing ‘‘Farm Service Agency farm program’’; 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Adminis12 tration liens’’ and inserting ‘‘liens for a farmer 

13 program loan’’; and 

14 (C) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Adminis15 tration farmer’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service 

16 Agency farmer’’. 

17 (11) Section 338(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

18 1988(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home 

19 Administration or the Rural Development Adminis20 tration’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency and 

21 Rural Development’’. 

22 (12) Section 347 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1995) 

23 is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Administra24 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service Agency and 

25 Rural Development’’. 


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1 (13) Section 356 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2004) 

2 is amended— 

3 (A) by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Adminis4 tration may’’ and inserting ‘‘Farm Service 

5 Agency and Rural Development may’’; and 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘the inventory of the 

7 Farmers Home Administration’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘inventory’’. 

9 (14) Section 370(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

10 2008e(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘the Rural Devel11 opment Administration, the Farmers Home Admin12 istration, the Rural Electrification Administration’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘Rural Development, the Farm Serv14 ice Agency, the Rural Utilities Service’’. 

15 (15) Each of the following provisions of such 

16 Act is amended by striking ‘‘Farmers Home Admin17 istration’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Farm 

18 Service Agency’’: 

19 (A) Section 309(g)(1) (7 U.S.C. 

20 1929(g)(1)). 

21 (B) Section 331A(a) (7 U.S.C. 1981a(a)). 

22 (C) Section 333A(a)(2)(B) (7 U.S.C. 

23 1983a(a)(2)(B)). 

24 (D) Section 333A(e)(1) (7 U.S.C. 

25 1983a(e)(1)). 


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1 (E) Section 335(d) (7 U.S.C. 1985(d)). 

2 (F) Section 353A (7 U.S.C. 2001a). 

3 (G) Section 349(e)(1)(B) (7 U.S.C. 

4 1997(e)(1)(B)). 

5 (H) Section 361 (7 U.S.C. 2006c). 

6 (d) Section 335(c)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

7 1985(c)(1)) is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘15’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘60’’; 

10 (2) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘135’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘180’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting ‘‘suitable for farming and 

14 ranching, as determined by the Secretary’’ be15 fore the comma; and 

16 (3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘not later 

17 than 135 days after acquiring the real property, the 

18 Secretary shall, not later than 30 days after the 

19 135-day period,’’ and inserting ‘‘or if the property is 

20 not suitable for farming and ranching as determined 

21 by the Secretary, not later than 60 days after the 

22 180-day period, the Secretary shall’’. 

23 (e) CORRECTION OF INFEASIBLE INVENTORY PROP24 ERTY DISPOSITION FRAMEWORK.— 


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1 (1) Section 331(b)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

2 1981(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘, and until Jan3 uary’’ and all that follows through ‘‘fit)’’. 

4 (2) Section 335(f) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1985(f)) is amended— 

6 (A) by striking paragraphs (3) through (5) 

7 and redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph 

8 (3); and 

9 (B) by striking paragraph (7) and insert10 ing the following: 

11 ‘‘(4) The Secretary shall issue regulations consistent 

12 with this section that ensures the release of funds to each 

13 borrower.’’. 

14 (f) REPLACEMENT OF REFERENCES TO DISTRICT

15 OFFICE WITH REFERENCES TO DISTRICT DIRECTOR.— 

16 Section 333A(a)(2)(B) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

17 1983a(a)(2)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘district office’’ 

18 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘District Director’’. 

19 (g) CORRECTION OF OBSOLETE REFERENCE TO

20 FORMER TRUST TERRITORIES.—Section 343(a)(6) of 

21 such Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(6)) is amended by striking 

22 ‘‘the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of 

24 Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands’’. 


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1 (h) REVISION OF FARMER PROGRAM LOAN DEFINI2 TION.—Section 343(a)(10) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

3 1991(a)(10)) is amended by inserting ‘‘before June 18, 

4 2008, conservation loan (CL) under section 304 on or 

5 after June 18, 2008,’’ before ‘‘emergency loan (EM)’’. 

6 (i) ELIMINATION OF INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN

7 RULES APPLICABLE TO BEGINNING FARMERS.—Section 

8 343(a)(11)(C) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(11)(C)) is 

9 amended by striking ‘‘related to one another by blood or 

10 marriage’’ and inserting ‘‘qualified beginning farmers’’. 

11 (j) UPDATING OF PROVISIONS TO REFLECT

12 REPURPOSING OF CONSERVATION LOAN PROVISIONS.— 

13 (1) Section 303(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

14 1923(a)) is amended in each of paragraphs (1)(D) 

15 and (2)(D) by striking ‘‘described in section 304’’. 

16 (2) Section 310D of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1934) 

17 is amended by striking ‘‘, or paragraphs (1) through 

18 (5) of section 304(a),’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

19 304(a)’’. 

20 (k) UPDATING OF NOTICE PROVISION REQUIREMENT

21 AND LIFETIME DEBT FORGIVENESS LIMIT.—Section 353 

22 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2001) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (i)(1), by striking ‘‘registered 

24 or certified mail’’ and inserting ‘‘any method that 

25 provides documentation of delivery’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (o), by striking ‘‘$300,000’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘$600,000’’. 

3 (l) UPDATING OF OBSOLETE REFERENCE TO THE

4 SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE.—Section 306(a)(13) of 

5 such Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(13)) is amended by striking 

6 ‘‘Soil Conservation Service’’ and inserting ‘‘Natural Re7 sources Conservation Service’’. 

8 (m) CLARIFICATION OF INTEREST RATE REQUIRE9 MENTS.— 

10 (1) Section 307(a)(3)(B) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

11 1927(a)(3)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘not be—’’ 

12 and all that follows and inserting ‘‘be equal to the 

13 interest rate for direct farm ownership loans under 

14 this subtitle, not to exceed 5 percent per year.’’. 

15 (2) Section 316(a)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

16 1946(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘not be—’’ and 

17 all that follows and inserting ‘‘be equal to the inter18 est rate for direct farm ownership loans under this 

19 subtitle, not to exceed 5 percent per year.’’. 

20 (n) CORRECTION OF HEADING.—Section 309(h)(6) 

21 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1929(h)(6)) is amended in the para22 graph heading by striking ‘‘BEGINNING FARMER LOANS’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘DOWN PAYMENT LOAN PROGRAM PARTICI24 PANT’’. 


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1 (o) ELIMINATION OF SUPERFLUOUS RESTRIC2 TIONS.—Section 312 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1942) is 

3 amended by striking subsection (d) and redesignating sub4 section (e) as subsection (d). 

5 (p) ELIMINATION OF CONFUSING REFERENCES TO

6 LOAN GUARANTEES.—Section 319 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

7 1949) is amended— 

8 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘or loan 

9 guarantees’’; 

10 (2) by striking ‘‘(a)’’; and 

11 (3) by striking ‘‘or with respect to whom there 

12 is an outstanding guarantee under this subtitle’’. 

13 (q) ELIMINATION OF OBSOLETE REPORTING RE14 QUIREMENTS.—Section 346 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1994) 

15 is amended by striking subsections (c) and (d). 

16 (r) CORRECTION OF OBSOLETE APPEALS PROVI17 SIONS.— 

18 (1) Section 352(c)(3) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

19 2000(c)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 333B’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘subtitle H of title II of Federal Crop 

21 Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture 

22 Reorganization Act of 1994’’. 

23 (2) Section 353 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2001) is 

24 amended— 


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1 (A) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘under 

2 section 333B’’; and 

3 (B) in subsection (j)— 

4 (i) by striking ‘‘filed with the appeals 

5 division under section 333B’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘to the National Appeals Division’’; 

7 (ii) by striking ‘‘appeals division 

8 shall’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary shall’’; and 

9 (iii) by striking ‘‘county supervisor’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘Secretary’’. 

11 (s) ELIMINATION OF UNNECESSARY CONSTRAINT ON

12 PILOT PROJECTS.—Section 333D(a) of such Act (7 

13 U.S.C. 1983d(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘that are con14 sistent with subtitle A through this subtitle’’. 

15 (t) CORRECTION OF HEADING.—The paragraph 

16 heading in section 8.8(a)(3) of the Farm Credit Act of 

17 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2279aa–8(a)(3)) is amended by striking 

18 ‘‘MORTGAGE LOANS’’ and inserting ‘‘LOAN QUALITY’’. 


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1 TITLE VI—RURAL 

2 DEVELOPMENT 

3 Subtitle A—Improving Health 

4 Outcomes in Rural America 

5 SEC. 6101. PRIORITIZATIONS FOR DISTANCE LEARNING 

6 AND TELEMEDICINE AND COMMUNITY FA7 CILITIES PROGRAM. 

8 Section 6101(a) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

9 of 2018 (132 Stat. 4726; Public Law 115–334) is amend10 ed— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

12 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

13 (A), by striking ‘‘2025’’ and inserting ‘‘2026’’; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (i) in clause (i)— 

16 (I) in the heading, by striking 

17 ‘‘SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SET18 ASIDE’’ and inserting ‘‘SET-ASIDE’’; 

19 and 

20 (II) by inserting ‘‘, mental 

21 health, behavioral health, or maternal 

22 health’’ before ‘‘treatment’’; and 

23 (ii) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘mental 

24 health, behavioral health, maternal health, 

25 or’’ before ‘‘substance’’; 


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1 (C) in subparagraph (B)— 

2 (i) in clause (i)— 

3 (I) in the heading, by striking 

4 ‘‘SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER SE5 LECTION’’ and inserting ‘‘SELEC6 TION’’; 

7 (II) in subclause (I), by inserting 

8 ‘‘mental health, behavioral health, ma9 ternal health, or’’ before ‘‘substance’’; 

10 and 

11 (III) in subclause (II), by insert12 ing ‘‘mental health concerns, behav13 ioral health concerns, maternal health 

14 concerns, or’’ before ‘‘substance’’; and 

15 (ii) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘, be16 havioral health treatment, mental health 

17 treatment, or maternal health, respec18 tively’’ before the period; and 

19 (D) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘be20 havioral health, mental health, maternal health, 

21 or’’ before ‘‘substance’’; and 

22 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2025’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2026’’. 


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1 SEC. 6102. DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE 

2 LOANS AND GRANTS. 

3 Section 2335A of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva4 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–5) is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘$82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$82,000,000 for each 

7 of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available for 

8 2 fiscal years after the fiscal year for which appropriated’’. 

9 Subtitle B—Connecting Rural 

10 Americans to High Speed 

11 Broadband 

12 SEC. 6201. RURAL BROADBAND PROGRAM LOANS AND 

13 GRANTS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 601 of the Rural Elec15 trification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended— 

16 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘AC17 CESS TO BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

18 SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS’’ and inserting ‘‘RE19 CONNECT RURAL BROADBAND PROGRAM’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The purpose’’ 

21 and all that follows through ‘‘provide funds for’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘The Secretary shall establish a program, 

23 which shall be known as the ‘ReConnect Rural 

24 Broadband Program’, to provide grants, loans, and 

25 loan guarantees to finance’’; 

26 (3) in subsection (c)— 


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1 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

4 grants, loans, and loan guarantees to eligible entities 

5 described in subsection (d) for the purpose of financ6 ing the construction, improvement, or acquisition of 

7 facilities and equipment necessary for delivering 

8 broadband service in rural areas.’’; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara10 graphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In making grants, 

12 making loans, and guaranteeing loans under 

13 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give the 

14 highest priority to applications for projects to 

15 provide broadband service to unserved rural 

16 communities that do not have any residential 

17 broadband service of at least— 

18 ‘‘(i) a 25–Mbps downstream trans19 mission capacity; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) a 3–Mbps upstream transmission 

21 capacity. 

22 ‘‘(B) OTHER.—After giving priority to the 

23 applications described in subparagraph (A), the 

24 Secretary shall then give priority to applica25 tions— 


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1 ‘‘(i) for projects to provide broadband 

2 service to rural communities— 

3 ‘‘(I) with a population of less 

4 than 10,000 inhabitants; or 

5 ‘‘(II) in geographically under6 served and distressed areas, includ7 ing— 

8 ‘‘(aa) a socially vulnerable 

9 community (as determined by the 

10 Secretary); 

11 ‘‘(bb) a persistent poverty 

12 county (as determined by the 

13 Secretary); or 

14 ‘‘(cc) in an economically dis15 tressed area (as determined by 

16 the Secretary); 

17 ‘‘(ii) that were developed with the par18 ticipation of, and will receive a substantial 

19 portion of the funding or in-kind assistance 

20 for the project from, 2 or more stake21 holders, including— 

22 ‘‘(I) State, local, and tribal gov23 ernments; 

24 ‘‘(II) nonprofit institutions; 


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1 ‘‘(III) community anchor institu2 tions, such as— 

3 ‘‘(aa) public libraries; 

4 ‘‘(bb) elementary schools 

5 and secondary schools (as defined 

6 in section 8101 of the Elemen7 tary and Secondary Education 

8 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)); 

9 ‘‘(cc) institutions of higher 

10 education (including 1862 Land11 Grant Institutions, 1890 Land12 Grant Institutions, 1994 Land13 Grant Institutions, Hispanic14 Serving Institutions, and Histori15 cally Black Colleges and Univer16 sities); 

17 ‘‘(dd) health care facilities; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(ee) facilities essential for 

20 local or regional commerce or for 

21 the movement of goods; 

22 ‘‘(IV) private entities; 

23 ‘‘(V) philanthropic organizations; 

24 and 

25 ‘‘(VI) cooperatives; or 


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1 ‘‘(iii) that are submitted by an eligible 

2 entity or is owned by an entity that has 

3 provided broadband service or other utility 

4 service for at least 5 years in rural areas 

5 in the State in which the project would be 

6 carried out.’’; 

7 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end 

10 of clause (i); 

11 (II) by striking the period at the 

12 end of clause (ii) and inserting ‘‘; 

13 and’’; and 

14 (III) by adding at the end the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(iii) shall be subject to a grant 

17 agreement of not less than 10 years.’’; 

18 (ii) by striking subparagraphs (C) and 

19 (D) and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(C) APPLICATIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(i) GRANT-ONLY APPLICATIONS.— 

22 The Secretary shall establish an applica23 tion process that permits an application for 

24 a grant-only award. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) COMBINED APPLICATIONS.—The 

2 Secretary shall establish an application 

3 process that— 

4 ‘‘(I) permits a single application 

5 for a grant and a loan under title I or 

6 II, or this title, that is associated with 

7 the grant; and 

8 ‘‘(II) provides a single decision to 

9 award the grant and the loan.’’; 

10 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

11 (E) as subparagraph (D); and 

12 (iv) by striking subparagraph (F); and 

13 (D) by striking paragraph (4) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(4) FEES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) INITIAL GUARANTEE FEE.—The Sec17 retary may assess an initial guarantee fee for 

18 any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modi19 fied under this section in an amount that does 

20 not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed prin21 cipal portion of the loan. 

22 ‘‘(B) PERIODIC RETENTION FEE.—The 

23 Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee 

24 for any insured or guaranteed loan or modified 

25 under this section in an amount that does not 


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1 exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal 

2 of the guarantee loan. 

3 ‘‘(C) DISCLOSURE.—In altering any fee 

4 charged for any insured or guaranteed loan 

5 issued or modified under this section, the Sec6 retary, not less than 30 days in advance of any 

7 fee change, shall provide a public disclosure, of 

8 the financial data, economic and behavioral as9 sumptions, calculations, and other factors used 

10 to determine the new fee rates.’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (d)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (I) in clause (i), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

15 at the end; and 

16 (II) by striking ‘‘require; and’’ 

17 and all that follows through ‘‘agree’’ 

18 and insert ‘‘require, and agree’’; 

19 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

20 (B) as subparagraph (E) and inserting 

21 after subparagraph (A) the following: 

22 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—An entity eligible to 

23 obtain assistance under subsection (c) may in24 clude— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a State or local government, in2 cluding any agency, subdivision, instru3 mentality, or political subdivision of a 

4 State or local government; 

5 ‘‘(ii) a territory or possession of the 

6 United States; 

7 ‘‘(iii) an Indian Tribe (as defined in 

8 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 

9 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

10 5304)); 

11 ‘‘(iv) a cooperative or mutual organi12 zation; 

13 ‘‘(v) an organization of 2 or more in14 corporated areas that have established an 

15 intermunicipal legal agreement for the pur16 poses of delivering communication services 

17 to residents; 

18 ‘‘(vi) a corporation; or 

19 ‘‘(vii) a limited liability company or 

20 limited liability partnership. 

21 ‘‘(C) INELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An indi22 vidual or legal general partnership that is 

23 formed with individuals shall not be eligible to 

24 obtain a grant, loan, or grant and loan com25 bination under subsection (c). 


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1 ‘‘(D) AFFILIATED OWNED AND OPERATED

2 NETWORKS.—Under this subsection, the Sec3 retary may fund the construction of networks 

4 owned and operated by an affiliate of an eligible 

5 entity receiving the grant, loan, or loan guar6 antee, if the eligible entity, the affiliate, or 

7 both, as determined necessary by the Secretary, 

8 furnishes adequate security for the grant, loan, 

9 or loan guarantee.’’; and 

10 (iii) in subparagraph (E) (as so redes11 ignated by clause (ii) of this subpara12 graph), by inserting ‘‘, directly or in con13 junction with any combination of affili14 ates,’’ before ‘‘may not’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

17 (I) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs 

18 (B) and (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subpara19 graph (B)’’; 

20 (II) by striking ‘‘is submitted—’’ 

21 and all that follows through ‘‘(i) not 

22 less than 50’’ and inserting ‘‘is sub23 mitted not less than 75’’ ; and 

24 (III) by striking ‘‘(e); and’’ and 

25 all that follows and inserting ‘‘(e).’’; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 ‘‘(A)(i)’’ and inserting ‘‘(A)’’; and 

3 (iii) by striking subparagraph (C); 

4 and 

5 (C) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5); 

6 (5) in subsection (e)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘Subject to paragraph 

9 (2), for’’ and inserting ‘‘For’’; 

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

11 ‘‘25’’ and inserting ‘‘50’’; and 

12 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

13 ‘‘3’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’; 

14 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert15 ing the following: 

16 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary may ad17 just, through a 30-day public notice and comment 

18 period published in the Federal Register, an increase 

19 in the minimum level of broadband service under 

20 paragraph (1) of no more than 50 percent from the 

21 preceding year, if less than 95 percent of the funds 

22 of the program are obligated in the preceding 2 

23 funding rounds.’’; and 

24 (C) in paragraph (4)— 


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1 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik2 ing ‘‘BUILDOUT’’ and inserting ‘‘PROJECT

3 AGREEMENT’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) 

5 through (D) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(B) BROADBAND BUILDOUT STANDARDS

7 DEFINED.—A project must meet the following 

8 applicable broadband standard in order to be 

9 considered for assistance; 

10 ‘‘(i) A project with an award term of 

11 less than 8 years must provide service at 

12 2 times the minimum broadband speed es13 tablished in subsection (e)(1). 

14 ‘‘(ii) A project with an award term of 

15 at least 8 years and less than 14 years 

16 must provide service at 5 times the min17 imum broadband speed established in sub18 section (e)(1). 

19 ‘‘(iii) A project with an award term of 

20 14 or more years must provide service at 

21 10 times the minimum broadband speed 

22 established in subsection (e)(1). 

23 ‘‘(C) NETWORK UPGRADE PLANNING.— 

24 The Secretary may prioritize an applicant seek25 ing to meet the broadband buildout standards 


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1 under clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (B) if 

2 the applicant submits information regarding the 

3 potential for the physical infrastructure of the 

4 network to be upgraded to meet the broadband 

5 buildout standards under subparagraph (B)(iii) 

6 at the time of the application, assuming reason7 able progress in relevant networking tech8 nologies.’’; 

9 (6) by striking subsection (j) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

13 out this section $350,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

14 through 2029, to remain available until expended.’’; and 

15 (7) in subsection (k), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 270 days after 

18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

19 promulgate rules to carry out the amendments made by 

20 subsection (a) of this section, and complete the biennial 

21 review process required by section 601(e)(2) of the Rural 

22 Electrification Act of 1936. 

23 (c) SUNSET.—The authorities provided by section 

24 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public 


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1 Law 115–141) shall have no force or effect beginning 270 

2 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 (d) TRANSITION RULES.— 

4 (1) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR ADMINISTRA5 TIVE COSTS.—Not more than 1 percent of the unob6 ligated balances of amounts made available, as of 

7 the date that is 270 days after the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, to carry out the pilot program de9 scribed in section 779 of the Consolidated Appro10 priations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) may be 

11 used for the costs of transitioning from the pilot 

12 program to the program under section 601 of the 

13 Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended by 

14 this Act. 

15 (2) CONSOLIDATION OF FUNDS.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The unobligated bal17 ances of all amounts made available on or be18 fore June 30, 2025, to carry out the pilot pro19 gram described in section 779 of the Consoli20 dated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 

21 115–141) that are in excess of the amount de22 scribed in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph 

23 are hereby transferred to and merged with 

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1 gram authorized under section 601 of the Rural 

2 Electrification Act of 1936. 

3 (B) UNFUNDED APPROVALS.—The amount 

4 described in this subparagraph is the amount 

5 required to fully fund each project approved as 

6 of the date that is 270 days after the date of 

7 the enactment of this Act, under the pilot pro8 gram described in such section 779 for which 

9 amounts were not obligated or partially obli10 gated as of such date. 

11 SEC. 6202. EXPANSION OF MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE 

12 INTO RURAL AREAS. 

13 Section 602(g) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

14 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb-1(g)) is amended by striking ‘‘2018 

15 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

16 SEC. 6203. INNOVATIVE BROADBAND ADVANCEMENT PRO17 GRAM. 

18 Section 603 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

19 (7 U.S.C. 950bb-2) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 603. INNOVATIVE BROADBAND ADVANCEMENT PRO21 GRAM. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

23 program to be known as the ‘Innovative Broadband Ad24 vancement Program’, under which the Secretary may pro25 vide a grant, a loan, or both to an eligible entity for the 


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1 purpose of demonstrating innovative broadband tech2 nologies or methods of broadband deployment that signifi3 cantly decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and 

4 provide substantially faster broadband speeds than are 

5 available, in a rural area. 

6 ‘‘(b) TERRESTRIAL BROADBAND DEMONSTRATION

7 PROJECTS.— 

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

9 grants or loans to eligible entities for the purpose of 

10 deploying innovative broadband technologies to 

11 qualified consumers who subscribe to terrestrial 

12 broadband service in rural areas. 

13 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to obtain as14 sistance under this subsection for a project, an enti15 ty shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) submit to the Secretary an applica17 tion— 

18 ‘‘(i) that describes a terrestrial 

19 broadband demonstration project designed 

20 to decrease the cost of broadband deploy21 ment, and substantially increase broadband 

22 speed to not less than the maximum 

23 broadband project agreement requirements 

24 established under section 601(e)(4), to 


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1 qualified consumers in a rural area to be 

2 served by the project; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) at such time, in such manner, 

4 and containing such other information as 

5 the Secretary may require; 

6 ‘‘(B) demonstrate that the entity is able to 

7 carry out the project; and 

8 ‘‘(C) agree to complete the project build9 out within 5 years after the date the assistance 

10 is first provided for the project. 

11 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding assistance 

12 under this subsection, the Secretary shall give pri13 ority to proposals for projects that— 

14 ‘‘(A) involve partnerships between or 

15 among multiple entities; 

16 ‘‘(B) would provide broadband service to 

17 the greatest number of rural entities at or 

18 above the broadband requirements referred to 

19 in paragraph (2)(A)(i); 

20 ‘‘(C) the Secretary determines could be 

21 replicated in rural areas described in paragraph 

22 (2); and 

23 ‘‘(D) are located in States and territories 

24 selected by the Secretary to be diverse on the 


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1 basis of geography, topography, and demo2 graphics. 

3 ‘‘(4) QUALIFIED CONSUMER.—In this sub4 section, the term ‘qualified consumer’ means— 

5 ‘‘(A) an individual or member of a house6 hold who lives in a rural area; 

7 ‘‘(B) a rural small business; or 

8 ‘‘(C) an essential community facility, as 

9 defined pursuant to section 306(a) of the Con10 solidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

11 U.S.C. 1926(a)). 

12 ‘‘(5) RURAL AREA.—In this subsection, the 

13 term ‘rural area’ has the meaning provided in sec14 tion 601(b)(3). 

15 ‘‘(c) SATELLITE BROADBAND DEMONSTRATION

16 PROJECTS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection 

18 is to reduce or eliminate the costs to access satellite 

19 broadband service for remote subscribers. 

20 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

21 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi22 ble entity’ means a broadband service provider 

23 that provides Internet access directly to quali24 fied consumers in remote areas via satellite 

25 technology. 


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1 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED CONSUMER.—The term 

2 ‘qualified consumer’ means a consumer served 

3 by an eligible entity that receives a grant under 

4 paragraph (3), who is— 

5 ‘‘(i) an individual or a member of a 

6 household at or below the poverty line (as 

7 defined in section 673(2) of the Omnibus 

8 Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, includ9 ing any revision required by such section, 

10 applicable to a family of the size involved); 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(ii) an essential community facility, 

13 as defined pursuant to section 306(a) of 

14 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop15 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)). 

16 ‘‘(C) SATELLITE BROADBAND EQUIP17 MENT.—The term ‘satellite broadband equip18 ment’ means user terminals, wi-fi routers, 

19 power supplies, mounts, and any other equip20 ment necessary to connect a qualified consumer 

21 to satellite broadband service. 

22 ‘‘(D) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

23 means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

24 through the Administrator of the Rural Utilities 

25 Service. 


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1 ‘‘(E) REMOTE.—The term ‘remote’ means 

2 a region classified within level 3 or level 4 of 

3 the frontier and remote zip code areas pub4 lished by the Economic Research Service of the 

5 Department of Agriculture. 

6 ‘‘(3) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph 

8 (B), the Secretary shall make grants to eligible 

9 entities for the purpose of reducing or elimi10 nating the cost associated with the purchase or 

11 installation, or both, of satellite broadband 

12 equipment to qualified consumers to subscribe 

13 to satellite broadband service in remote areas. 

14 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—As a condition of 

15 receiving a grant under this subsection, an eli16 gible entity shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) provide retail broadband service 

18 delivered via satellite technology to quali19 fied consumers, that— 

20 ‘‘(I) enables a qualified consumer 

21 to the service to originate and receive 

22 high-quality voice, data, graphics, 

23 video; and 

24 ‘‘(II) has a latency which does 

25 not exceed 250 milliseconds; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) submit to the Secretary an appli2 cation at such time, in such manner, and 

3 containing such other information as the 

4 Secretary may require; 

5 ‘‘(iii) agree to reduce or eliminate the 

6 cost associated with the purchase, installa7 tion, or both, of satellite broadband equip8 ment for qualified consumers; and 

9 ‘‘(iv) agree to provide qualified con10 sumers with the reduction or elimination of 

11 that cost within 1 year of the assistance 

12 being obligated to the eligible entity. 

13 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY MAP OF QUALIFIED CON14 SUMERS.—Within 1 year after the date of the 

15 enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 

16 the Secretary shall publish a map of the remote 

17 areas of qualified consumers that do not have 

18 access to terrestrial broadband service of at 

19 least— 

20 ‘‘(i) a 25–Mbps downstream trans21 mission capacity; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) a 3–Mbps upstream transmission 

23 capacity. 

24 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Within 1 year after the date of the 

25 enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 


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1 Secretary shall submit a comprehensive report to the Com2 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and 

3 the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 

4 the Senate that shall provide the outcomes, effectiveness, 

5 and impact of the Innovative Broadband Advancement 

6 Program, including— 

7 ‘‘(1) an assessment of the broadband infra8 structure funded, including the scope, scale, nature 

9 and geographic locations of each award; 

10 ‘‘(2) the broadband access and speeds achieved, 

11 including the download and upload speeds, latency, 

12 and overall network reliability; 

13 ‘‘(3) any technical or logistical challenges en14 countered by the eligible entities; and 

15 ‘‘(4) any recommendations for future innovative 

16 broadband deployment initiatives in rural areas. 

17 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

19 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

20 SEC. 6204. COMMUNITY CONNECT GRANTS. 

21 Section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

22 (7 U.S.C. 950bb-3) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘10’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘25’’; and 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘1’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘3’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)— 

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

5 the end; 

6 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe7 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(3) provides broadband speeds not less than 

10 the broadband project agreement requirements es11 tablished under section 601(e)(4)(B)(ii) to the eligi12 ble entity within the proposed eligible service area.’’; 

13 and 

14 (3) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2019 through 

15 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

16 SEC. 6205. RATE REGULATION. 

17 Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 

18 U.S.C. 950bb–950bb-5) is amended by adding at the end 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 607. RATE REGULATION. 

21 ‘‘Nothing in this title authorizes the Secretary to reg22 ulate rates charged for broadband service.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6206. PUBLIC NOTICE, ASSESSMENTS, TECHNICAL AS2 SISTANCE, AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

3 Section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

4 (7 U.S.C. 950cc) is amended— 

5 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘TECH6 NICAL ASSISTANCE,’’ before ‘‘AND’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (a)(1)(B)(i), by inserting ‘‘, 

8 including a complete shapefile map’’ before the semi9 colon; 

10 (3) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

13 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

14 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

15 (B) as subparagraph (C) and inserting 

16 after subparagraph (A) the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) validate the information submitted by 

18 service providers under subparagraph (A) 

19 through procedures established by the Sec20 retary, which shall include an agency deter21 mination provided to the submitter, an oppor22 tunity of the submitter to respond, and a final 

23 non-appealable determination of the Secretary; 

24 and’’; and 

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1 graph), by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking all that 

4 precedes subparagraph (B) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(2) ASSESSMENT OF ELIGIBILITY.—In making 

7 any determination to award a loan, loan guarantee, 

8 or grant for any retail broadband project provided 

9 assistance or for which assistance is sought that is 

10 administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 

11 confirm that each unserved rural community identi12 fied in the application is eligible for funding by— 

13 ‘‘(A) utilizing the map created by the Fed14 eral Communications Commission under section 

15 802(c)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 

16 1934 and the Deployment Locations Map estab17 lished under section 60104(b) of the Infrastruc18 ture Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 

19 1704(b));’’; and 

20 (4) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(e) BROADBAND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PRO23 GRAM.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

25 grants to private, nonprofit, or public organizations 


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1 to provide or receive eligible entities broadband tech2 nical assistance and training to expand access to 

3 broadband service in rural communities through the 

4 broadband programs of the Department of Agri5 culture including— 

6 ‘‘(A) preparing applications for grants, 

7 loans and loan guarantees under this section; 

8 ‘‘(B) identifying resources to finance 

9 broadband facilities from public and private 

10 sources, including other Federal agencies; 

11 ‘‘(C) preparing feasibility studies, financial 

12 forecasts, market surveys, environmental stud13 ies, and technical design information to support 

14 broadband services; 

15 ‘‘(D) preparing reports and surveys nec16 essary to support the need for broadband serv17 ices, the price range, and request financial as18 sistance; 

19 ‘‘(E) analyzing and improving operations 

20 related to the management, including financial 

21 management, of broadband facilities and to the 

22 efficiency of the entity; 

23 ‘‘(F) collecting broadband infrastructure 

24 data; or 


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1 ‘‘(G) assisting with other areas of need 

2 identified by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to ob4 tain assistance under this subsection, an entity shall 

5 be— 

6 ‘‘(A) a federally recognized tribe or tribal 

7 entity; 

8 ‘‘(B) a State or local government, includ9 ing any agency, subdivision, instrumentality, or 

10 political subdivision thereof; 

11 ‘‘(C) a territory or possession of the 

12 United States; 

13 ‘‘(D) an institution of higher education (in14 cluding a 1862 Land-Grant Institution, 1890 

15 Land-Grant Institution, 1994 Land-Grant In16 stitution, Hispanic-Serving Institution, or His17 torically Black College or University); 

18 ‘‘(E) a nonprofit organization described in 

19 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 

20 of 1986; 

21 ‘‘(F) a cooperative or mutual organization; 

22 ‘‘(G) a corporation; or 

23 ‘‘(H) a limited liability company or limited 

24 liability partnership. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SELECTION PRIORITY.—In selecting recipi2 ents of grants under this paragraph, the Secretary 

3 shall give priority to organizations that have experi4 ence in providing technical assistance and training 

5 to rural entities. 

6 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary 

7 shall allow applications for grants under this para8 graph from qualified organizations for the sole pur9 pose of providing on-site community technical assist10 ance and training on a national or multi-State re11 gional basis. 

12 ‘‘(f) ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY BROADBAND

13 MAPPING.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 

15 grants to eligible entities for the purpose of col16 lecting broadband service data to assist the Sec17 retary in— 

18 ‘‘(A) establishing the availability of 

19 broadband service or middle mile infrastructure 

20 in a rural area; 

21 ‘‘(B) determining the eligibility of a com22 munity for assistance under any broadband pro23 gram administered by the Secretary; 

24 ‘‘(C) undertaking a service area assess25 ment under this section; or 


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1 ‘‘(D) collecting information to submit a 

2 challenge to the National Broadband Map cre3 ated by the Federal Communications Commis4 sion pursuant to section 802(c)(1) of the Com5 munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(c)(1)). 

6 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To apply for a grant 

7 under this section, an entity shall submit an applica8 tion which identifies— 

9 ‘‘(A) the data collection area; 

10 ‘‘(B) the purpose of the data collection; 

11 ‘‘(C) the types of broadband service data 

12 to be collected; 

13 ‘‘(D) the survey and data collection meth14 ods utilized; and 

15 ‘‘(E) any other information the Secretary 

16 determines necessary to promote the integrity 

17 of broadband service collected under this sec18 tion. 

19 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION OF GRANT AMOUNT.—The 

20 amount of a grant made available under this sub21 section shall not exceed $50,000. 

22 ‘‘(4) BROADBAND SERVICE DATA USAGE.—The 

23 Secretary shall ensure that any broadband service 

24 data collected under this section is— 


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1 ‘‘(A) measured or assessed in accordance 

2 with such standards as are established by the 

3 Federal Communications Commission pursuant 

4 to section 802(a)(1)(A) of the Communications 

5 Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(a)(1)(A)); 

6 ‘‘(B) accurate and verifiable in accordance 

7 with such standards as are established by the 

8 Federal Communications Commission pursuant 

9 to section 802(a)(1)(A) of the Communications 

10 Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(a)(1)(A)); 

11 ‘‘(C) included in any broadband maps or 

12 data sets maintained by the Secretary; and 

13 ‘‘(D) made available to the Chair of the 

14 Federal Communications Commission and the 

15 Administrator of the National Telecommuni16 cations and Information Administration for in17 clusion in any broadband maps or data sets ei18 ther may maintain. 

19 ‘‘(5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

20 ‘‘(A) BROADBAND SERVICE.—The term 

21 ‘broadband service’ has the same meaning given 

22 the term in section 601. 

23 ‘‘(B) BROADBAND SERVICE DATA.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term 

2 ‘broadband service data’ means informa3 tion related to— 

4 ‘‘(I) the location and type of 

5 broadband service; 

6 ‘‘(II) the location and type of 

7 broadband infrastructure; 

8 ‘‘(III) the advertised, maximum, 

9 and average speed of broadband serv10 ice; 

11 ‘‘(IV) the average price of the 

12 most subscribed tier of broadband 

13 service; 

14 ‘‘(V) the speed tiers of broadband 

15 service available in the area; or 

16 ‘‘(VI) any additional metric the 

17 Secretary deems appropriate. 

18 ‘‘(ii) FURTHER DEFINITION.—The 

19 Secretary shall further define the term 

20 ‘broadband service area’ to ensure that 

21 data is measured and collected in a man22 ner consistent with the reporting require23 ments under this section, and any 

24 broadband coordination or data-sharing ob25 ligations. 


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1 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi2 ble entity’ means— 

3 ‘‘(i) a unit of local government in a 

4 rural area; 

5 ‘‘(ii) a tribal government or unit of 

6 tribal government; 

7 ‘‘(iii) an economic development or 

8 other community organization; 

9 ‘‘(iv) an eligible entity under title I or 

10 II that serves persons in rural areas; 

11 ‘‘(v) an internet service provider that 

12 has not more than 100,000 subscribers; or 

13 ‘‘(vi) any other entity eligible under a 

14 title VI program that is not an internet 

15 service provider. 

16 ‘‘(D) MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE.— 

17 The term ‘middle mile infrastructure’ has the 

18 meaning given the term in section 602. 

19 ‘‘(E) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 

20 has the meaning given the term in section 601. 

21 ‘‘(6) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT MADE AVAILABLE

22 FOR GRANTS.—The Secretary may not expend more 

23 than 1 percent of the amounts made available under 

24 subsection (g) for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

25 2029 to carry out this subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(g) LIMITATIONS ON RESERVATION OF FUNDS.— 

2 Not less than 3 but not more than 5 percent of the 

3 amounts appropriated to the program to carry out title 

4 VI shall be set aside to be used for— 

5 ‘‘(1) conducting oversight under such title; 

6 ‘‘(2) implementing accountability measures and 

7 related activities authorized under such title; or 

8 ‘‘(3) carrying out this section.’’. 

9 SEC. 6207. LIMITATION ON OVERBUILDING. 

10 Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 

11 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 608. LIMITATION ON OVERBUILDING. 

14 ‘‘Any area in a proposed service area under this title 

15 shall not be considered unserved if an applicant in another 

16 Federal or State broadband program has received an obli17 gation of funding to offer retail broadband service in the 

18 area not more than 5 years from the date of the obligation 

19 of funds, at a speed of at least 100 Mbps download and 

20 20 Mbps upload.’’. 

21 Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 

22 SEC. 6301. RURAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM. 

23 Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest24 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

3 ‘‘, if the entity continues to serve rural 

4 areas (as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) 

5 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De6 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A))’’ 

7 before the semicolon; 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

9 ‘‘or’’ at the end; and 

10 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

11 (C) as subparagraph (E) and inserting 

12 after subparagraph (B) the following: 

13 ‘‘(C) any Indian Tribe (as defined in sec14 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 

15 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); 

16 ‘‘(D) any public, quasi-public, or nonprofit 

17 entity that uses innovative financing techniques 

18 and market development tools to accelerate the 

19 deployment of energy efficiency technology; or’’; 

20 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(2) ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES.—The 

23 term ‘energy efficiency measures’ means, with re24 spect to any property service by an eligible entity— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a structural improvement or invest2 ment in a cost-effective, commercial technology 

3 to increase energy efficiency (including cost-ef4 fective on-or off-grid renewable energy or en5 ergy storage system); and 

6 ‘‘(B) the replacement of a manufactured 

7 housing unit or large appliance with a substan8 tially similar manufacturing housing unit or ap9 pliance, respectively, if that replacement is a 

10 cost-effective option with respect to energy sav11 ings.’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (c)— 

13 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

14 ‘‘AND GRANTS’’ before ‘‘TO’’; 

15 (B) by striking paragraph (1) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to this subsection, 

18 the Secretary shall provide— 

19 ‘‘(A) loans to eligible entities that agree to 

20 use the loan funds to make loans under sub21 section (d) to qualified consumers for the pur22 pose of implementing energy efficiency meas23 ures; and 

24 ‘‘(B) at the election of any eligible entity 

25 that receives a loan under subparagraph (A) of 


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1 this paragraph, a grant in accordance with 

2 paragraph (11).’’; 

3 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

4 through (9) as paragraphs (3) through (10), re5 spectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary shall 

8 give priority to applications from eligible entities 

9 serving at least 80 percent of their ratepayers resid10 ing in rural areas, as defined in section 

11 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

12 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).’’; 

13 (D) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated 

14 by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph)— 

15 (i) in the paragraph heading, by in16 serting ‘‘FOR LOANS’’ before the period; 

17 and 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (A)(i), by strik19 ing ‘‘that is’’; 

20 (E) by striking paragraph (6) (as so redes21 ignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph) 

22 and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(6) REPAYMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara2 graph (B) of this paragraph, with respect to a 

3 loan under paragraph (1)(A)— 

4 ‘‘(i) the term shall not exceed 20 

5 years from the date on which the loan is 

6 closed; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) except as provided in paragraph 

8 (8), the repayment of each advance shall 

9 be amortized for a period not to exceed 10 

10 years. 

11 ‘‘(B) EXTENSIONS.—The Secretary may 

12 extend the term of a loan under subparagraph 

13 (A)(i), or the deadline for repayment of an ad14 vance under subparagraph (A)(ii), as the Sec15 retary determines appropriate.’’; 

16 (F) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated 

17 by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

19 ‘‘(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(1)(A)’’; and 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

21 ‘‘Repayment’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to an 

22 applicable extension under paragraph 

23 (6)(B), repayment’’; 


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1 (G) by striking paragraph (9) (as so redes2 ignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph) 

3 and inserting the following: 

4 ‘‘(9) LIMITATIONS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) SPECIAL ADVANCES.—All special ad6 vances shall be made under a loan described in 

7 paragraph (1) during the first 10 years of the 

8 term of the loan. 

9 ‘‘(B) REPLACEMENT OF MANUFACTURED

10 HOUSING UNITS OR LARGE APPLIANCES.—Not 

11 more than 10 percent of the total annual 

12 amount of budget authority for loans described 

13 in paragraph (1) may be used for the replace14 ment of manufactured housing units or large 

15 appliances.’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(11) GRANTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—At the election of an 

19 eligible entity that receives a loan under this 

20 subsection, the Secretary may provide to the eli21 gible entity a grant to pay for a portion of the 

22 costs incurred in— 

23 ‘‘(i) making repairs to the property of 

24 a qualified consumer that facilitates the 

25 energy efficiency measures for the property 


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1 financed through a loan provided to the 

2 qualified consumer under subsection (d); or 

3 ‘‘(ii) providing technical assistance, 

4 outreach, and training. 

5 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro7 vided in clause (ii), the amount of a grant 

8 provided to an eligible entity under this 

9 paragraph shall be equal to not more than 

10 5 percent of the amount of the loan pro11 vided to the eligible entity under this sub12 section. 

13 ‘‘(ii) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUN14 TIES.—The amount of a grant provided 

15 under this paragraph to an eligible entity 

16 that will use the grant to make loans 

17 under subsection (d) to qualified con18 sumers located in a persistent poverty 

19 county (as determined by the Secretary) 

20 shall be equal to 10 percent of the amount 

21 of the loan provided to the eligible entity 

22 under this subsection.’’; 

23 (3) in subsection (d)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding subpara2 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘or grant’’ before 

3 ‘‘funds’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and 

5 (C) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(B)(i) may have a term and amortization 

7 schedule the length of which is the useful life 

8 of the energy efficiency measures implemented 

9 using the loan, if the loan term does not exceed 

10 20 years; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) shall finance energy efficiency meas12 ures for the purpose of decreasing energy usage 

13 or costs of the qualified consumer by an 

14 amount that ensures, to the maximum extent 

15 practicable, that the applicable loan term de16 scribed in clause (i) will not pose an undue fi17 nancial burden on the qualified consumer, as 

18 determined by the eligible entity; 

19 ‘‘(C) shall not be used to fund purchases 

20 of, or modifications to, personal property unless 

21 the personal property— 

22 ‘‘(i) is a manufactured housing unit or 

23 large appliance described in subsection 

24 (b)(2)(B); or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) is or becomes attached to real 

2 property as a fixture;’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(3) CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—Not5 withstanding any other provision of law (including 

6 regulations), an eligible entity may make a loan 

7 under this subsection to any qualified consumer lo8 cated within the service territory of the eligible enti9 ty, regardless of whether the qualified consumer is 

10 located in a rural area.’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (e)— 

12 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

13 ‘‘OUTREACH,’’ before ‘‘AND TECHNICAL ASSIST14 ANCE’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

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

17 ‘‘and technical assistance of the program’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘outreach, and technical as19 sistance relating to the program under this 

20 section’’; and 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by insert22 ing ‘‘, outreach,’’ before ‘‘and training’’; 

23 and 

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


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1 ‘‘(3) FUNDING.—Not less than 3 but not more 

2 than 5 percent of amounts appropriated under sub3 section (i) may be used to provide outreach, train4 ing, and technical assistance under this subsection.’’; 

5 and 

6 (5) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘2014 through 

7 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

8 SEC. 6302. REGIONAL COMMISSION REAUTHORIZATION. 

9 (a) STATE CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM.—Section 

10 6304(c)(9)(A) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

11 2018 (40 U.S.C. 15501 note) is amended by striking 

12 ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

13 2029’’. 

14 (b) REGIONAL COMMISSION.—Section 15751(a) of 

15 title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking 

16 ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

17 2029’’. 

18 SEC. 6303. PROMOTING PRECISION AGRICULTURE. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) ADVANCED WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

21 TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘‘advanced wireless com22 munications technology’’ means advanced technology 

23 that contributes to mobile (5G or beyond) networks, 

24 next-generation Wi-Fi networks, or other future net25 works using other technologies, regardless of whethVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00421 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 er the network is operating on an exclusive licensed, 

2 shared licensed, or unlicensed frequency band. 

3 (2) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term ‘‘ar4 tificial intelligence’’ has the meaning given the term 

5 in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National 

6 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 

7 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061). 

8 (3) FOREIGN ADVERSARY.—The term ‘‘foreign 

9 adversary’’ means any foreign government or foreign 

10 nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pat11 tern or serious instances of conduct significantly ad12 verse to the national security of the United States, 

13 or security and safety of United States persons. 

14 (4) PRECISION AGRICULTURE; PRECISION AGRI15 CULTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The terms ‘‘precision agri16 culture’’ and ‘‘precision agriculture technology’’ have 

17 the meanings given the terms in section 1201 of the 

18 Food Security Act of 1985. 

19 (5) TRUSTED.—The term ‘‘trusted’’ means, 

20 with respect to a provider of advanced communica21 tions service or a supplier of communications equip22 ment or service, that the Secretary has determined 

23 that the provider or supplier is not owned by, con24 trolled by, or subject to the influence of, a foreign 

25 adversary. 


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1 (6) VOLUNTARY CONSENSUS STANDARDS DE2 VELOPMENT ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘voluntary 

3 consensus standards development organization’’ 

4 means an organization that develops standards in a 

5 process that meets the principles for the develop6 ment of voluntary consensus standards (as defined 

7 in the document of the Office of Management and 

8 Budget entitled ‘‘Federal Participation in the Devel9 opment and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards 

10 and in Conformity Assessment Activities’’ (OMB 

11 Circular A–119)). 

12 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

13 (1) to enhance the participation of precision ag14 riculture in the United States; and 

15 (2) to promote United States leadership in vol16 untary consensus standards development organiza17 tions that set standards for precision agriculture. 

18 (c) INTERCONNECTIVITY STANDARDS FOR PRECI19 SION AGRICULTURE.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 

22 consultation with the Director of the National Insti23 tute of Standards and Technology and the Federal 

24 Communications Commission, shall— 


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1 (A) develop voluntary, consensus-based, 

2 private sector-led interconnectivity standards, 

3 guidelines, and best practices for precision agri4 culture that will promote economies of scale and 

5 ease the burden of the adoption of precision ag6 riculture; and 

7 (B) in carrying out subparagraph (A)— 

8 (i) coordinate with relevant public and 

9 trusted private sector stakeholders and 

10 other relevant industry organizations, in11 cluding voluntary consensus standards de12 velopment organizations; and 

13 (ii) consult with sector-specific agen14 cies, other appropriate agencies, and State 

15 and local governments. 

16 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Secretary, in car17 rying out paragraph (1), shall, in consultation with 

18 the Federal Communications Commission and the 

19 Director of the National Institute of Standards and 

20 Technology, consider— 

21 (A) the evolving demands of precision agri22 culture; 

23 (B) the connectivity needs of precision ag24 riculture technology; 


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1 (C) the cybersecurity challenges facing pre2 cision agriculture, including cybersecurity 

3 threats for agriculture producers and agri4 culture supply chains; 

5 (D) the impact of advanced wireless com6 munications technology on precision agriculture; 

7 and 

8 (E) the impact of artificial intelligence on 

9 precision agriculture. 

10 (d) GAO ASSESSMENT OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE

11 STANDARDS.— 

12 (1) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the 

13 Secretary develops standards under subsection (c), 

14 and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 

15 years, the Comptroller General of the United States 

16 shall conduct a study that assesses those standards, 

17 including the extent to which those standards, as ap18 plicable— 

19 (A) are voluntary; 

20 (B) were developed in coordination with 

21 relevant industry organizations, including vol22 untary consensus standards development orga23 nizations; and 

24 (C) have successfully encouraged the adop25 tion of precision agriculture. 


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1 (2) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 

2 United States shall submit to the Committee on 

3 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen4 ate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech5 nology of the House of Representatives, the Com6 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representa7 tives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

8 and Forestry of the Senate a report that summa9 rizes the findings of each study conducted under 

10 paragraph (1). 

11 SEC. 6304. FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN GUARANTEED LOANS. 

12 Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

13 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is amended by inserting 

14 after subsection (e) the following: 

15 ‘‘(f) FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN CAPACITY AND RESIL16 IENCE GUARANTEED LOANS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

18 GUARANTEED LOAN.—In this subsection, the term 

19 ‘food supply chain guaranteed loan’ means a busi20 ness and industry guaranteed loan that is made or 

21 guaranteed by the Secretary under subsection 

22 (a)(2)(A), including a guarantee described in sub23 section (a)(3). 

24 ‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—A food supply chain guaran25 teed loan may be made for the purpose of financing 


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1 new investments in the start-up or expansion of 

2 projects in the United States that will increase the 

3 capacity of the food supply chain in the United 

4 States to aggregate, process, manufacture, store, 

5 transport, wholesale, or distribute food, agricultural 

6 products, or agricultural inputs. 

7 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.—The maximum amount of 

8 a food supply chain guaranteed loan shall not exceed 

9 $40,000,000. 

10 ‘‘(4) LOAN GUARANTEES IN NONRURAL

11 AREAS.—The Secretary may guarantee a food supply 

12 chain guaranteed loan to an eligible entity for a fa13 cility that is not located in a rural area if— 

14 ‘‘(A) the primary purpose of the loan guar15 antee is for a facility to aggregate, process, 

16 manufacture, store, transport, wholesale, or dis17 tribute food agricultural products, or agricul18 tural inputs for agricultural producers or proc19 essors that are located within 80 miles of the 

20 facility; 

21 ‘‘(B) the applicant demonstrates to the 

22 Secretary that the primary benefit of the loan 

23 guarantee will be to provide employment for 

24 residents of a rural area; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) the total principal amount of food 

2 supply chain guaranteed loans guaranteed for a 

3 fiscal year under this paragraph does not ex4 ceed 10 percent of the total principal amount of 

5 food supply chain guaranteed loans made for 

6 the fiscal year under subsection (a)(2)(A). 

7 ‘‘(5) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal 

9 years 2025 through 2029, the Secretary shall 

10 reserve not more than 5 percent of the funds 

11 made available to carry out subsection (a) to 

12 carry out this subsection. 

13 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Funds re14 served under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year 

15 shall be reserved until April 1 of the fiscal 

16 year.’’. 

17 SEC. 6305. NEW, MOBILE, AND EXPANDED MEAT PROC18 ESSING AND RENDERING GRANTS. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti21 ty’’ means— 

22 (A) a public, private, or cooperative organi23 zation organized on a for-profit or nonprofit 

24 basis, including a small establishment and very 

25 small establishment; 


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1 (B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 

2 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu3 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); 

4 (C) a land-grant college or university (as 

5 defined in section 1404 of the National Agricul6 tural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

7 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); 

8 (D) a non-land-grant college of agriculture 

9 (as defined in that section); and 

10 (E) a State department of agriculture or 

11 other applicable State office with authority over 

12 meat and poultry processing and rendering. 

13 (2) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT; VERY SMALL ES14 TABLISHMENT.—The terms ‘‘small establishment’’ 

15 and ‘‘very small establishment’’ have the meanings 

16 given the terms ‘‘smaller establishment’’ and ‘‘very 

17 small establishment’’, respectively, in the final rule 

18 entitled ‘‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and 

19 Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’’ (61 Fed. 

20 Reg. 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regula21 tions). 

22 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

23 (1) to create more resilient local and regional 

24 food systems; 


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1 (2) to expand, diversify, and increase resilience 

2 in meat and poultry processing and rendering activi3 ties; 

4 (3) to increase farmer and rancher access to 

5 animal slaughter options; 

6 (4) to improve compliance of processors with 

7 livestock and poultry processing statutes (including 

8 regulations), including the Federal Meat Inspection 

9 Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Prod10 ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.); 

11 (5) to reduce barriers to entry for new meat 

12 and poultry processors and renderers; 

13 (6) to establish new, or update, expand, or oth14 erwise improve existing, meat and poultry processing 

15 and rendering facilities; and 

16 (7) to support the processing and slaughtering 

17 of niche production methods such as halal, kosher, 

18 and other specific cultural methods. 

19 (c) GRANTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

21 grants to eligible entities to use in accordance with 

22 subsection (d). 

23 (2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The maximum 

24 amount of a grant awarded under paragraph (1) 

25 shall not exceed $500,000. 


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1 (3) DURATION.—The term of a grant awarded 

2 under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 3 years. 

3 (4) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under para4 graph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to small 

5 establishments and very small establishments. 

6 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 

7 grant under this section shall use the grant to carry out 

8 activities in support of the purposes described in sub9 section (b), including activities— 

10 (1) to identify and analyze business opportuni11 ties, including feasibility studies required for credit 

12 worthiness; 

13 (2) to achieve compliance with applicable Fed14 eral, State, or local regulations; 

15 (3) to conduct regional, community, and local 

16 economic development planning and coordination 

17 and leadership development; 

18 (4) to incentivize new, innovative, or mobile en19 terprises for increasing or improving local and re20 gional meat or poultry processing and rendering; 

21 (5) to implement humane handling infrastruc22 ture, including holding space for livestock prior to 

23 slaughter, shade structures, and structures and 

24 equipment for humane slaughter; 


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1 (6) to develop a feasibility study or business 

2 plan for, or carry out any other activity associated 

3 with, establishing or expanding a small meat or 

4 poultry slaughter, processing, or rendering facility; 

5 (7) to purchase equipment that enables the fur6 ther use or value-added sale of coproducts or by7 products; and 

8 (8) to purchase cold storage and related equip9 ment. 

10 (e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the ac11 tivities carried out using a grant awarded under this sec12 tion shall not exceed— 

13 (1) 90 percent in the case of a grant in the 

14 amount of $100,000 or less; or 

15 (2) 75 percent in the case of a grant in an 

16 amount greater than $100,000. 

17 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

19 out this section $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

20 through 2029. 

21 SEC. 6306. EXPANDING CHILDCARE IN RURAL AMERICA INI22 TIATIVE. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) CHILDCARE.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘childcare’’ 

2 means any program that— 

3 (i) provides quality care and early 

4 education for children who have not yet en5 tered first grade; and 

6 (ii) is operated by— 

7 (I) an eligible childcare provider 

8 described in section 658P(6)(A) of the 

9 Child Care and Development Block 

10 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

11 9858n(6)(A)); or 

12 (II) a childcare provider that, on 

13 the date of enactment of this Act— 

14 (aa) is licensed, regulated, 

15 or registered in the State, terri16 tory, or Indian Tribe in which 

17 the provider is located; and 

18 (bb) meets applicable State, 

19 Tribal, territorial, and local 

20 health and safety requirements. 

21 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘childcare’’ 

22 includes— 

23 (i) a school-based program described 

24 in subparagraph (A); 


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1 (ii) a facility used for a program de2 scribed in subparagraph (A); and 

3 (iii) a service provided under a pro4 gram described in subparagraph (A). 

5 (2) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Initiative’’ means 

6 the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative 

7 established under subsection (b). 

8 (3) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’ has 

9 the meaning given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A) 

10 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 

11 Act. 

12 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

13 an initiative, to be known as the ‘‘Expanding Childcare 

14 in Rural America Initiative’’, under which the Secretary 

15 shall provide, for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2027, 

16 priority in accordance with subsection (c) to address the 

17 availability, quality, and cost of childcare in rural areas. 

18 (c) CHILDCARE PRIORITIES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

20 provision of law, in selecting recipients of loans and 

21 grants under a program described in paragraph (2), 

22 the Secretary shall give priority to any qualified ap23 plicant that proposes to use the loan or grant to ad24 dress the availability, quality, or cost of childcare. 


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1 (2) DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS.—The pro2 grams referred to in paragraph (1) are the following: 

3 (A) The essential community facilities loan 

4 and grant programs authorized under section 

5 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

6 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)). 

7 (B) The business and industry direct and 

8 guaranteed loan program authorized under sec9 tion 310B(g) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)). 

10 (C) The rural microentrepreneur assistance 

11 program authorized under section 379E of that 

12 Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s). 

13 (D) The intermediary relending program 

14 authorized under the Food Security Act of 

15 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1936b). 

16 (d) REQUIREMENTS.—In providing funding in ac17 cordance with the Initiative, the Secretary shall ensure a 

18 balanced geographical distribution of the benefits under 

19 the Initiative. 

20 (e) EVALUATION; REPORT.— 

21 (1) EVALUATION.—Not later than 3 years after 

22 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

23 shall conduct a comprehensive quantitative and qual24 itative evaluation of the projects carried out using 

25 assistance provided under the Initiative, including— 


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1 (A) a description of— 

2 (i) the types of projects carried out; 

3 (ii) the communities in which the 

4 projects are carried out; 

5 (iii) the organizations and entities 

6 participating in the projects; and 

7 (iv) the types of partnerships devel8 oped to carry out the projects; and 

9 (B) the economic and social impacts of the 

10 investments in the projects. 

11 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 

12 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

13 submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

14 and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on 

15 Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report 

16 describing the evaluation conducted under paragraph 

17 (1), including a thorough analysis of the outcomes of 

18 the evaluation. 

19 SEC. 6307. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY 

20 UNDERSERVED AND DISTRESSED AREAS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Within 1 year after the date of 

22 the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall directly, 

23 or through cooperative agreements, provide technical as24 sistance and strengthen local capacity to improve access 

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1 retary for local partners (including local governments, co2 operatives, businesses, and community anchor institu3 tions) in geographically underserved and distressed areas. 

4 (b) REPORTS.—Beginning 1 year after the date of 

5 the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall annually 

6 publish, make available to the public, and submit to the 

7 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

8 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For9 estry of the Senate a report on how the provision of tech10 nical assistance under subsection (a) has affected geo11 graphically underserved and distressed areas in the year 

12 covered by the report. 

13 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) GEOGRAPHICALLY UNDERSERVED AND DIS15 TRESSED AREA.—The term ‘‘geographically under16 served and distressed area’’ means a rural area (as 

17 defined 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 (A) in a socially vulnerable community (as 

21 determined by the Secretary); 

22 (B) in a persistent poverty county (as de23 termined by the Secretary); 

24 (C) in an economically distressed area (as 

25 determined by the Secretary); or 


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1 (D) in a colonia. 

2 (2) COMMUNITY ANCHOR INSTITUTION.—The 

3 term ‘‘community anchor institution’’ means— 

4 (A) a public library; 

5 (B) an elementary or secondary school; 

6 (C) an institution of higher education; 

7 (D) a health care facility; or 

8 (E) any other nonprofit or governmental 

9 community support organization. 

10 SEC. 6308. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT 

11 INNOVATION CENTER. 

12 Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De13 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1981- 2008w) is amended by 

14 adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 379J. RURAL DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION CENTER. 

16 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT MISSION

17 AREAS.—In this section, the term ‘Rural Development 

18 Mission Areas’ means the agencies under the Rural Devel19 opment Agency at the Department of Agriculture, includ20 ing the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Business-Coopera21 tive Service, and the Rural Housing Service. 

22 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

23 within the Rural Development Mission Areas a Rural De24 velopment Innovation Center (the ‘Innovation Center’) to 

25 promote and facilitate innovation in the administration 


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1 and implementation of rural development programs and 

2 initiatives. 

3 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Innovation Center shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) review all processes for Rural Development 

5 Mission Area programs to identify inefficiencies, 

6 redundancies, and barriers to access, including— 

7 ‘‘(A) unnecessary delays in loan and grant 

8 applications processing and approvals; 

9 ‘‘(B) high application costs; and 

10 ‘‘(C) deficiencies in technical assistance for 

11 programs; 

12 ‘‘(2) establish and maintain an ongoing public 

13 process for public and private stakeholders to pro14 vide perspectives on the challenges faced when ap15 plying for, utilizing, or participating in Rural Devel16 opment Mission Area programs; 

17 ‘‘(3) identify and assess any innovative strate18 gies and collaborative models to enhance the effi19 ciency and effectiveness of rural development pro20 grams and initiatives; 

21 ‘‘(4) foster and maintain partnerships with pub22 lic and private stakeholders to leverage expertise and 

23 resources for the Rural Development Mission Areas; 


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1 ‘‘(5) promote cross-agency collaborations and 

2 identify best practices in rural economic develop3 ment; 

4 ‘‘(6) identify and implement technological solu5 tions and software applications to improve the effec6 tiveness and efficiency of Rural Development Mis7 sion Area programs, including enhancing data man8 agement systems; 

9 ‘‘(7) conduct research, analysis, and evaluation 

10 to modernize, simplify, and improve Rural Develop11 ment Mission Area programs, and ensure that the 

12 programs are accessible, transparent, and user13 friendly; and 

14 ‘‘(8) disseminate information, guidance, and 

15 training materials to Rural Development Mission 

16 Area personnel and stakeholders on innovative rural 

17 development practices and opportunities. 

18 ‘‘(d) MODERNIZATION PLAN.—The Innovation Cen19 ter shall develop, and periodically update, a modernization 

20 plan to facilitate innovation in administering and imple21 menting rural development programs and initiatives 

22 that— 

23 ‘‘(1) outlines strategies aimed at harnessing the 

24 potential of emerging technologies for program deliv25 ery and overall service; 


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1 ‘‘(2) enhances program efficiencies by identi2 fying and implementing measures to streamline pro3 gram and administrative processes, reduce 

4 redundancies, and optimize resource allocation; 

5 ‘‘(3) expands the availability and accessibility of 

6 digital services, leveraging digital platforms and 

7 tools to broaden the reach of the programs and im8 prove the overall user experience for rural stake9 holders; 

10 ‘‘(4) integrates data-driven solutions to optimize 

11 program delivery and maximize impact and effective12 ness of the efforts in rural development; and 

13 ‘‘(5) establishes periodic milestones and goals to 

14 track the progress of the modernization plan. 

15 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit an annual 

16 report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 

17 Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri18 tion, and Forestry of the Senate on— 

19 ‘‘(1) the activities and accomplishments of the 

20 Innovation Center, including progress in advancing 

21 rural development innovation and the outcome 

22 achieved; 

23 ‘‘(2) a comprehensive working plan designed to 

24 actively engage public and private stakeholders, as 

25 described in subsection (c)(2); and 


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1 ‘‘(3) the progress on the modernization plan de2 scribed in subsection (d).’’. 

3 SEC. 6309. RURAL HEALTH LIAISON REPORT. 

4 Section 236 of the Department of Agriculture Reor5 ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6946) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

8 the end; 

9 (B) in paragraph (9), by striking the pe10 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(10) coordinate with the National Institute of 

13 Food and Agriculture in implementation of the 

14 Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network pro15 vided for in section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, 

16 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936).’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Rural Health Liaison shall sub19 mit an annual report to the Committee on Agriculture of 

20 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri21 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate outlining 

22 the activities conducted under subsection (b).’’. 


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1 SEC. 6310. PRECISION AGRICULTURE TASK FORCE AMEND2 MENTS. 

3 Section 12511(b) of the Agriculture Improvement 

4 Act of 2018 (132 Stat. 4992) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (3)— 

6 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (i) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘2025’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘2026’’; and 

9 (ii) by redesignating clauses (iv) 

10 through (vi) as clauses (vi) through (viii), 

11 respectively, and inserting after clause (iii) 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(iv) conduct a comprehensive evalua14 tion of international standards and guide15 lines pertaining to precision agriculture 

16 policies and offer recommendations on 

17 their suitability and integration within the 

18 United States regulatory framework; 

19 ‘‘(v) review the competitive and secu20 rity implications of the use and deployment 

21 of precision agricultural technologies by 

22 foreign governments or state sponsored en23 tities in third countries;’’; and 

24 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘(v) 

25 and (vi)’’ and inserting ‘‘(vii) and (viii)’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘2025’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2026’’. 

3 Subtitle D—Additional Amend4 ments to the Consolidated Farm 

5 and Rural Development Act 

6 SEC. 6401. WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND WASTEWATER 

7 FACILITY GRANTS. 

8 Section 306(a)(2)(B)(vii) of the Consolidated Farm 

9 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(2)(B)(vii)) 

10 is amended by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

12 SEC. 6402. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CIRCUIT 

13 RIDER PROGRAM. 

14 Section 306(a)(22) of the Consolidated Farm and 

15 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)) is amend16 ed to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(22) RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CIR18 CUIT RIDER PROGRAM.— 

19 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, 

20 through the Rural Utilities Service, shall con21 tinue a national rural water and wastewater cir22 cuit rider program that is consistent with the 

23 activities and results of the program conducted 

24 before the date of enactment of this Act, and 


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1 with this section, as determined by the Sec2 retary. 

3 ‘‘(B) PURPOSE.—The Rural Water and 

4 Wastewater Circuit Rider Program shall pro5 vide a network of expert rural water Circuit 

6 Riders located in all 50 States, including 

7 United States territories and Freely Associated 

8 States, which work one-on-one with eligible 

9 rural water and wastewater systems in major 

10 assistance categories described in subparagraph 

11 (D). The program is intended to help rural 

12 water systems operate effectively and efficiently 

13 and achieve long-term sustainability and com14 pliance with certain Federal laws and require15 ments, including the Safe Water Drinking Act 

16 (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.) and the Clean Water 

17 Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.). 

18 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In selecting re19 cipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative 

20 agreements to be made available for activities 

21 listed under subparagraph (D), the Secretary 

22 shall select nonprofit organizations that have 

23 demonstrated experience providing technical as24 sistance and disaster and recovery assistance 

25 for water and wastewater utilities nationwide. 


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1 Awardees shall rely on personnel that possess 

2 active water and wastewater operators’ licenses 

3 or overall knowledge of water utilities necessary 

4 to carry out eligible activities under subpara5 graph (D). 

6 ‘‘(D) ELIGIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—An eli7 gible entity shall use funds under the Rural 

8 Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider program 

9 for a rural water, wastewater, or wastewater 

10 disposal facility for— 

11 ‘‘(i) technical assistance, including— 

12 ‘‘(I) Board training; 

13 ‘‘(II) managerial and financial 

14 operations with the effort to enhance 

15 the long-term sustainability of rural 

16 water and wastewater systems, includ17 ing partnerships, consolidation, and 

18 regionalization; 

19 ‘‘(III) physical operation and 

20 maintenance of rural water and 

21 wastewater infrastructure; 

22 ‘‘(IV) water treatment; 

23 ‘‘(V) regulatory compliance; 

24 ‘‘(VI) facility security; 


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1 ‘‘(VII) loan application and re2 porting; 

3 ‘‘(VIII) cybersecurity; or 

4 ‘‘(IX) other areas the Secretary 

5 deems appropriate; 

6 ‘‘(ii) disaster and recovery assistance 

7 including— 

8 ‘‘(I) direct on-site personnel and 

9 equipment to eligible utilities; 

10 ‘‘(II) coordinating in statewide 

11 emergency response networks; 

12 ‘‘(III) facilitating the develop13 ment of action plans between utilities, 

14 local governments, the Federal Emer15 gency Management Agency and the 

16 State emergency management agen17 cies; 

18 ‘‘(IV) resiliency and mitigation 

19 planning; 

20 ‘‘(V) GIS mapping; 

21 ‘‘(VI) updating vulnerability as22 sessments, preparation of emergency 

23 response plans, communication proto24 cols, hazard recognition and evalua25 tion skills; 


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1 ‘‘(VII) conducting preliminary 

2 damage assessments of critical infra3 structure; 

4 ‘‘(VIII) addressing outstanding 

5 deficiencies focused on resolving 

6 health-based regulatory, operational, 

7 financial, and managerial deficiencies 

8 that impact the sustainability of the 

9 affected utilities; 

10 ‘‘(IX) application and reporting 

11 assistance for Federal and State re12 quirements including Federal Emer13 gency Management Agency and insur14 ance recovery claims; 

15 ‘‘(X) providing for disaster readi16 ness, support, and response activities 

17 targeted to disadvantaged commu18 nities that lack the financial resources 

19 and human capital necessary to ade20 quately address significant health, 

21 safety, or sanitary concerns; and 

22 ‘‘(XI) other areas the Secretary 

23 deems appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(iii) ADDITIONAL USES.—In response 

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1 lated to natural disasters and emergencies, 

2 not more than 5 percent of each award 

3 may be used to purchase or reimburse the 

4 rental costs of appropriate emergency 

5 equipment, as determined by the Sec6 retary. 

7 ‘‘(E) ELIGIBLE PROJECT AREAS.—To re8 ceive assistance under the Rural Water and 

9 Wastewater Circuit Rider Program and carry 

10 out activities, an eligible entity must serve— 

11 ‘‘(i) an area with a population of— 

12 ‘‘(I) 10,000 or fewer inhabitants 

13 for technical assistance under sub14 paragraph (D)(i); or 

15 ‘‘(II) 50,000 or fewer inhabitants 

16 for disaster and recovery assistance 

17 under subparagraph (D)(ii); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) a public body, non-profit cor19 poration, or Indian tribe with legal author20 ity to own and operate the water facility. 

21 ‘‘(F) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA22 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

23 to carry out this paragraph $25,000,000 for fis24 cal year 2025 through fiscal year 2029.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6403. ZERO AND LOW INTEREST LOANS FOR DIS2 TRESSED WATER SYSTEMS. 

3 Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

4 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by in5 serting after paragraph (22) the following: 

6 ‘‘(23) ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRESSED WATER

7 SYSTEMS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) To promote the long-term sustain9 ability and financial viability of eligible rural 

10 community waste disposal and water facilities 

11 as described in subparagraph (B), for any enti12 ty described in subparagraph (C), the Secretary 

13 may— 

14 ‘‘(i) make a zero percent interest loan 

15 or a 1 percent interest loan pursuant to 

16 paragraph (1); 

17 ‘‘(ii) forgive the principal or interest, 

18 or modify any term or condition of a new 

19 or existing loan made pursuant to para20 graph (1); 

21 ‘‘(iii) refinance all or part of any 

22 other loan made for an eligible purpose 

23 under paragraph (1) of this subsection or 

24 section 306C; or 


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1 ‘‘(iv) waive any fee required to insure 

2 or guarantee a loan pursuant to paragraph 

3 (1) or (24). 

4 ‘‘(B) To promote the long-term sustain5 ability and financial viability of eligible entities, 

6 the Secretary shall— 

7 ‘‘(i) provide assistance to an eligible 

8 entity for the purpose of— 

9 ‘‘(I) ensuring the entity has nec10 essary resources to maintain public 

11 health, safety, or order; 

12 ‘‘(II) addressing financial hard13 ships of the eligible entity, its cus14 tomers, and the community it serves; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(III) identifying the financial 

17 stability of the eligible entity, includ18 ing— 

19 ‘‘(aa) operational practices; 

20 ‘‘(bb) revenue enhance21 ments; 

22 ‘‘(cc) policy revisions; 

23 ‘‘(dd) partnerships, regional24 ization, or consolidation of water 

25 systems; and 


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1 ‘‘(ee) contract services; 

2 ‘‘(ii) require an applicant to— 

3 ‘‘(I) receive financial planning as4 sistance; and 

5 ‘‘(II) prepare a long-term finan6 cial plan. 

7 ‘‘(C) An entity shall be eligible for assist8 ance under this paragraph if the entity— 

9 ‘‘(i) is a rural water, wastewater, or 

10 wastewater disposal system with respect to 

11 which assistance may be provided under a 

12 water or wastewater, or waste disposal pro13 gram under this subsection or section 

14 306A, 306C, or 306D, and 

15 ‘‘(ii) is— 

16 ‘‘(I) located in a socially dis17 advantaged community, a persistent 

18 poverty county, colonia, or distressed 

19 tribal area, as determined by the Sec20 retary; or 

21 ‘‘(II) facing an economic hard22 ship as defined by the Secretary.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6404. TRIBAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ESSENTIAL 

2 COMMUNITY FACILITIES. 

3 Section 306(a)(25)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(25)(C)) is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘2008 through 2023’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

7 SEC. 6405. EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY 

8 WATER ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 306A(i)(2) of the Consoli10 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

11 1926a(i)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

13 SEC. 6406. WATER SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AND NATIVE VIL14 LAGES IN ALASKA. 

15 Section 306D(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

16 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d(d)(1)) is amend17 ed by striking ‘‘2008 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

18 through 2029’’. 

19 SEC. 6407. RURAL DECENTRALIZED WATER SYSTEMS. 

20 Section 306E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

21 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926e) is amended to read 

22 as follows: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 306E. RURAL DECENTRALIZED WATER SYSTEMS. 

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

25 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 

26 individual’ means an individual who is a member of 


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1 a household the members of which have a combined 

2 income (for the most recent 12-month period for 

3 which the information is available) that is not more 

4 than 80 percent of the median nonmetropolitan 

5 household income for the State or territory in which 

6 the individual resides, according to the most recent 

7 decennial census of the United States. 

8 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term 

9 ‘eligible grant recipient’ means a private nonprofit 

10 organization that uses a grant provided under this 

11 section for the purposes described in subsection 

12 (b)(1). 

13 ‘‘(3) QUALIFIED WATER QUALITY TESTING.— 

14 The term ‘qualified water quality testing’ means a 

15 baseline analysis of the bacterial and chemical char16 acteristics of concern from a drinking water sample 

17 collected at the point of consumption and tested by 

18 a laboratory certified to conduct water quality test19 ing that is provided to— 

20 ‘‘(A) the Secretary; and 

21 ‘‘(B) the eligible grant recipient receiving a 

22 grant under this section and any eligible indi23 vidual served by the eligible grant recipient. 

24 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 

2 grants to an eligible grant recipient for the purpose 

3 of— 

4 ‘‘(A) providing loans and subgrants to eli5 gible individuals for— 

6 ‘‘(i) the construction, refurbishing, 

7 and servicing of individual household water 

8 well systems and individually owned house9 hold decentralized wastewater systems in 

10 rural areas that are or will be owned by 

11 the eligible individuals; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) in the event of ground well water 

13 contamination, the installation or replace14 ment of water treatment, where needed as 

15 determined by a qualified water quality 

16 test or other third party documentation to 

17 the satisfaction of the Secretary; 

18 ‘‘(B) performing qualified water quality 

19 testing of individual household water well sys20 tems and individually utilized household decen21 tralized wastewater systems in rural areas that 

22 are or will be utilized by the eligible individuals; 

23 or 

24 ‘‘(C) providing technical assistance to eligi25 ble individuals for— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the installation or replacement of 

2 individual household water well systems 

3 and individually owned household decen4 tralized wastewater systems in rural areas 

5 that are or will be owned by the eligible in6 dividuals; 

7 ‘‘(ii) interpreting qualified water qual8 ity tests; or 

9 ‘‘(iii) addressing ground well water 

10 contamination. 

11 ‘‘(2) TERMS AND AMOUNTS FOR LOANS AND

12 SUBGRANTS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) TERMS OF LOANS.—A loan made 

14 with grant funds under this section— 

15 ‘‘(i) shall have an interest rate of 1 

16 percent; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) shall have a term not to exceed 

18 20 years. 

19 ‘‘(B) AMOUNTS.—A loan or subgrant made 

20 with grant funds under this section shall not 

21 exceed $20,000 for each water well system or 

22 decentralized wastewater system described in 

23 paragraph (1). 

24 ‘‘(3) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A recipient 

25 of a grant made under this section may use grant 


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1 funds to pay administrative expenses associated with 

2 providing the assistance described in paragraph (1), 

3 as determined by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(4) WATER TREATMENT STANDARDS.—Water 

5 treatment provided under this section shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) incorporate components that are 

7 third-party certified as compliant with relevant 

8 consensus-based standards for drinking water 

9 treatment units or systems, as determined by 

10 the Secretary; and 

11 ‘‘(B) be installed, according to the instruc12 tions of the manufacturer, by a qualified, cer13 tified, or licensed water treatment professional, 

14 including a professional credentialed through a 

15 manufacturer or third-party. 

16 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In awarding 

17 grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority 

18 to an applicant that has substantial expertise and experi19 ence in promoting the safe and effective use of individually 

20 owned household water well systems, individually owned 

21 household decentralized wastewater systems, and ground 

22 water. 

23 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION.—An eligible grant recipient cannot 

24 use more than 10 percent of a grant awarded under this 


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1 section for the activities described under subparagraphs 

2 (B) and (C) of subsection (b)(1). 

3 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

5 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

6 SEC. 6408. ASSISTANCE TO RURAL ENTITIES. 

7 Section 310B(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

8 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(a)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(C) PRECISION AGRICULTURE; PRECISION

12 AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The terms ‘pre13 cision agriculture’ and ‘precision agriculture 

14 technology’ have the meanings given those 

15 terms in section 1201 of the Food Security Act 

16 of 1985.’’; and 

17 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub19 paragraph (C); 

20 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

21 subparagraph (D) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(E) expanding the adoption of precision 

24 agriculture practices, including by financing the 

25 acquisition of precision agriculture technology, 


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1 in order to promote best practices, reduce costs, 

2 and improve the environment.’’. 

3 SEC. 6409. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT GRANTS. 

4 Section 310B(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

5 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(b)) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘governments 

7 and related agencies’’ and inserting ‘‘governments, 

8 related agencies, and Indian tribes’’; and 

9 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2014 

10 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

11 SEC. 6410. RURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 

12 Section 310B(c)(4)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and 

13 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(4)(A)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘2014 through 2023’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

16 SEC. 6411. RURAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 

17 Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

18 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(C) COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT.—The 

22 term ‘cooperative development’ means activities 

23 including education, training, and technical as24 sistance, to support the start-up, expansion, or 


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1 ongoing sustainability of new and existing co2 operatives.’’; 

3 (2) in paragraph (5)— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘un5 derserved and economically distressed areas in 

6 rural areas of the United States’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘socially vulnerable, underserved, or distressed 

8 communities’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (F)— 

10 (i) by inserting ‘‘at least’’ before ‘‘a 

11 25 percent’’; and 

12 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and all applications 

13 that satisfy this subparagraph shall be 

14 given the same priority for the scoring cri15 terion based on satisfying this subpara16 graph’’ before the period; 

17 (3) in paragraph (6), by striking subparagraph 

18 (B) and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(B) AWARD RENEWALS FOR QUALIFIED

20 NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary 

21 shall award a grant under this subsection to a 

22 non-profit institution on the same terms and for 

23 the establishment or operation of the same cen24 ter or centers for cooperative development for 

25 which the non-profit institution was awarded a 


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1 grant in the current fiscal year, if the non-prof2 it institution— 

3 ‘‘(i) is a recipient of an award under 

4 this subsection; 

5 ‘‘(ii) requests a renewal under this 

6 subparagraph; 

7 ‘‘(iii) has submitted a complete appli8 cation under this subsection in the pre9 ceding 2 fiscal years; and 

10 ‘‘(iv) has operated the center or cen11 ters for cooperative development in a man12 ner which successfully meets the param13 eters described in paragraph (5), as deter14 mined by the Secretary.’’; 

15 (4) in paragraph (10), by adding at the end the 

16 following: ‘‘The Secretary shall analyze the data re17 sulting from the research, and include the data and 

18 the analysis in the annual report submitted by the 

19 interagency working group under paragraph (12).’’; 

20 (5) in paragraph (12), by adding at the end the 

21 following: ‘‘Not later than 180 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this sentence and annually 

23 thereafter, the interagency working group shall sub24 mit to the Congress a report describing the activities 

25 carried out by the working group.’’; and 


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1 (6) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘‘2014 

2 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

3 SEC. 6412. LENDER FEES IN GUARANTEED LOAN PRO4 GRAMS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 333 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

6 1983) is amended— 

7 (1) by inserting ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 

8 ‘‘In connection’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (5), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 

10 end; 

11 (3) in paragraph (6)(E), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

12 and inserting a period; 

13 (4) by striking paragraph (7); and 

14 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) FEES.— 

16 ‘‘(1) INITIAL GUARANTEE FEE.—The Secretary 

17 may assess an initial guarantee fee for any insured 

18 or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 

19 306(a) in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent 

20 of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan. 

21 ‘‘(2) PERIODIC RETENTION FEE.—The Sec22 retary may assess a periodic retention fee for any in23 sured or guaranteed loan or modified under section 

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1 cent of the outstanding principal of the guaranteed 

2 loan. 

3 ‘‘(3) DISCLOSURE.—In altering any fee charged 

4 for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modi5 fied under section 306(a), the Secretary, not less 

6 than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall 

7 provide a public disclosure, of the financial data, 

8 economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, 

9 and other factors used to determine the new fee 

10 rates.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 310B(g)(5) 

12 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(5)) is amended to read as 

13 follows: 

14 ‘‘(5) FEES.— 

15 ‘‘(A) INITIAL GUARANTEE FEE.—The Sec16 retary may assess an initial guarantee fee for 

17 any guaranteed business and industry loan in 

18 an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of 

19 the guaranteed principal portion of the loan. 

20 ‘‘(B) PERIODIC RETENTION FEE.—The 

21 Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee 

22 for any guaranteed business and industry loan 

23 in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent 

24 of the outstanding principal of the guaranteed 

25 loan. 


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1 ‘‘(C) DISCLOSURE.—In altering any fee 

2 charged for any guaranteed business and indus3 try loan, the Secretary, not less than 30 days 

4 in advance of any fee change, shall provide a 

5 public disclosure, of the financial data, eco6 nomic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, 

7 and other factors used to determine the new fee 

8 rates.’’. 

9 SEC. 6413. LOCALLY OR REGIONALLY PRODUCED AGRICUL10 TURAL FOOD PRODUCTS. 

11 Section 310B(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I) of the Consolidated 

12 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

13 1932(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I)) is amended by striking ‘‘2008 

14 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

15 SEC. 6414. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR 

16 RURAL AREAS PROGRAM. 

17 Section 310B(i)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and 

18 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(i)(4)) is amended 

19 by striking ‘‘2008 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

20 through 2029’’. 

21 SEC. 6415. RURAL ECONOMIC AREA PARTNERSHIP ZONES. 

22 Section 310B(j) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

23 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(j)) is amended by strik24 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6416. INTERMEDIARY RELENDING PROGRAM. 

2 Section 310H(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

3 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936b(i)) is amended by strik4 ing ‘‘2014 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

5 2029’’. 

6 SEC. 6417. RURAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY ASSISTANCE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 342 of the Consolidated 

8 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1990a) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘Assistance’’ and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(a) REFINANCING OF CERTAIN RURAL HEALTH

13 CARE FACILITY DEBT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Assistance’’; 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘rural hospital’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘an eligible health care facility’’; 

17 (3) by striking ‘‘a community’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘an area’’; 

19 (4) by striking ‘‘hospital,’’ and inserting ‘‘eligi20 ble health care facility,’’; and 

21 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—To promote the long23 term sustainability and financial viability of an eligi24 ble health care facility, the Secretary shall— 

25 ‘‘(A) provide assistance to an eligible 

26 health care facility for the purpose of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) ensuring the facility has nec2 essary resources to maintain public health, 

3 safety, or order; 

4 ‘‘(ii) addressing financial hardships of 

5 the facility, its patients, and the area it 

6 serves; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) identifying the financial stability 

8 of the facility, including— 

9 ‘‘(I) operational practices; 

10 ‘‘(II) revenue enhancements; 

11 ‘‘(III) policy revisions; 

12 ‘‘(IV) partnerships, regionaliza13 tion, or consolidation of rural health 

14 systems; and 

15 ‘‘(V) contract services; and 

16 ‘‘(B) require an applicant to— 

17 ‘‘(i) receive financial planning assist18 ance; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) prepare a long-term financial 

20 plan. 

21 ‘‘(3) WAIVER.—In the case of an application 

22 for refinancing pursuant to this section, the Sec23 retary may waive the requirement of section 

24 302(a)(1)(D) if the eligible health care facility is in25 solvent. 


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1 ‘‘(b) RURAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY TECHNICAL

2 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In lieu of any other author4 ity under which the Secretary may provide technical 

5 assistance to any eligible health care facility, the 

6 Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or 

7 by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a 

8 Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance 

9 Program (in this section referred to as the ‘Pro10 gram’) to provide technical assistance and training, 

11 tailored to the capacity and needs of each eligible 

12 health care facility, to help eligible health care facili13 ties in rural areas— 

14 ‘‘(A) identify development needs for main15 taining essential health care services, and sup16 port action plans for operational and quality 

17 improvement projects to meet the development 

18 needs; 

19 ‘‘(B) better manage their financial and 

20 business strategies, including providing finan21 cial planning assistance and preparing long22 term financial plans; and 

23 ‘‘(C) identify, and apply for assistance 

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1 ment of Agriculture for which the facilities are 

2 eligible. 

3 ‘‘(2) GOALS.—The goals of the Program shall 

4 be to— 

5 ‘‘(A) improve the long-term financial posi6 tion and operational efficiency of the eligible 

7 health care facilities; 

8 ‘‘(B) prevent the closure of eligible health 

9 care facilities; 

10 ‘‘(C) strengthen the delivery of health care 

11 in rural areas; 

12 ‘‘(D) help eligible health care facilities bet13 ter access and compete for loans and grants 

14 from programs administered by the Department 

15 of Agriculture; and 

16 ‘‘(E) continue the activities of the Rural 

17 Hospital Technical Assistance Program in ef18 fect as of the date of the enactment of this sub19 section. 

20 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

22 engage in outreach and engagement strategies 

23 to encourage eligible health care facilities to 

24 participate in the Program. 


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1 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE FACILITY

2 SELECTION.—In selecting eligible health care 

3 facilities to participate in the Program, the Sec4 retary shall give priority to borrowers and 

5 grantees of the Rural Housing Service, Rural 

6 Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utili7 ties Service. The Secretary may also consider— 

8 ‘‘(i) the age and physical state of the 

9 health care facility involved; 

10 ‘‘(ii) the financial vulnerability of the 

11 eligible health care facility, and the ability 

12 of the eligible health care facility to meet 

13 debt obligations; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the electronic health record im15 plementation needs of the health care facil16 ity; 

17 ‘‘(iv) whether the eligible health care 

18 facility is located in a health professional 

19 shortage area or a medically underserved 

20 area; 

21 ‘‘(v) whether the eligible health care 

22 facility serves a medically underserved pop23 ulation; and 


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1 ‘‘(vi) such other criteria and priorities 

2 as are determined by the Secretary of Ag3 riculture. 

4 ‘‘(C) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not 

5 later than 1 year after the date of the enact6 ment of this section, and annually thereafter, 

7 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

8 Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

9 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

10 and Forestry of the Senate a written report de11 scribing the progress and results of the pro12 gram conducted under this section, which 

13 should include— 

14 ‘‘(i) a brief description of each project 

15 to provide technical assistance to an eligi16 ble health care facility under this section, 

17 including— 

18 ‘‘(I) the name and location of the 

19 facility; 

20 ‘‘(II) a description of the assist21 ance provided; 

22 ‘‘(III) a description of the out23 comes for completed projects; 

24 ‘‘(IV) the cost of the technical 

25 assistance; and 


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1 ‘‘(V) any other information the 

2 Secretary deems appropriate; 

3 ‘‘(ii) a summary of the technical as4 sistance projects completed; 

5 ‘‘(iii) a summary of the outcomes of 

6 the technical assistance projects; 

7 ‘‘(iv) an assessment of the effective8 ness of the Program; and 

9 ‘‘(v) recommendations for improving 

10 the Program. 

11 ‘‘(D) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF

12 APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, 

13 there are authorized to be appropriated to the 

14 Secretary not more than $2,000,000 for each of 

15 fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

16 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 ‘‘(1) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ has 

18 the meaning given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A) 

19 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 

20 Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)). 

21 ‘‘(2) DEVELOPMENT NEEDS.—The term ‘devel22 opment needs’ includes— 

23 ‘‘(A) constructing, expanding, renovating 

24 or otherwise modernizing health care facilities; 

25 ‘‘(B) increasing telehealth capabilities; 


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1 ‘‘(C) acquiring or upgrading health care 

2 information systems such as electronic health 

3 records; 

4 ‘‘(D) providing financial planning assist5 ance and preparing long-term financial plan; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(E) such other needs as the Secretary 

8 deems critical to maintaining health care serv9 ices in the community in which an eligible 

10 health care facility is located. 

11 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE FACILITY.—The 

12 term ‘eligible health care facility’ means a facility 

13 that is located in a rural area and is— 

14 ‘‘(A) a hospital (as defined in section 

15 1861(e) of the Social Security Act; 

16 ‘‘(B) a psychiatric hospital (as defined in 

17 section 1861(f) of such Act); 

18 ‘‘(C) a long-term care hospital (as defined 

19 in section 1861(ccc) of such Act); 

20 ‘‘(D) a critical access hospital (as defined 

21 in section 1861(mm)(1) of such Act); 

22 ‘‘(E) a rural health clinic (as defined in 

23 section 1861(aa)(2) of such Act); 


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1 ‘‘(F) a religious nonmedical health care in2 stitution (as defined in section 1861(ss)(1) of 

3 such Act); 

4 ‘‘(G) a sole community hospital (as defined 

5 in section 1886(d)(5)(C)(iii) of such Act); 

6 ‘‘(H) a rural emergency hospital (as de7 fined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of such Act); 

8 ‘‘(I) a home health agency (as defined in 

9 section 1861(o) of such Act); or 

10 ‘‘(J) a community health center (as de11 fined in section 330 of the Public Health Serv12 ice Act). 

13 ‘‘(4) HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE

14 AREA.—The term ‘health professional shortage area’ 

15 has the meaning given the term in section 

16 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act. 

17 ‘‘(5) MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREA.—The 

18 term ‘medically underserved area’ has the meaning 

19 given the term in section 330I(a)(5) of the Public 

20 Health Service Act. 

21 ‘‘(6) MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED POPU22 LATION.—The term ‘medically underserved popu23 lation’ has the meaning given the term in section 

24 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 subsection (a) shall take effect on the completion of a rule3 making carrying out such amendments. 

4 SEC. 6418. ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF 

5 LOANS FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES. 

6 Section 363 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De7 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2006e) is hereby repealed. 

8 SEC. 6419. RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE PRO9 GRAMS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAIN10 ING. 

11 Section 368(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 

12 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008c(d)(1)) is amend13 ed by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

14 through 2029’’. 

15 SEC. 6420. NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNER16 SHIP. 

17 Section 378 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De18 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2008m) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘2008 

20 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’; 

21 and 

22 (2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6421. 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 ‘‘2014 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

6 through 2029’’. 

7 SEC. 6422. RURAL MICROENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE 

8 PROGRAM. 

9 Section 379E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

10 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)(4), by striking ‘‘$50,000’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘$75,000’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘shall 

14 not exceed 75 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘may be up to 

15 100 percent, and a loan under this section for a 

16 project may be used to cover not more than 50 per17 cent of any renovation, construction, or related costs 

18 of real estate improvements under the project’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2019 through 

20 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

21 SEC. 6423. HEALTH CARE SERVICES. 

22 Section 379G(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

23 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008u(e)) is amended by 

24 striking ‘‘2008 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

25 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 6424. STRATEGIC ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVEL2 OPMENT. 

3 Section 379H(d)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v(d)(4)) is amend5 ed by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

6 through 2029’’. 

7 SEC. 6425. RURAL INNOVATION STRONGER ECONOMY 

8 GRANT PROGRAM. 

9 Section 379I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

10 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

13 (i) in clause (iii)— 

14 (I) by striking subclause (I) and 

15 inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(I) an institution of higher edu17 cation (as defined in section 101, and 

18 subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 

19 102(a)(1), of the Higher Education 

20 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 

21 1002(a)(1)));’’; 

22 (II) by redesignating subclauses 

23 (II) and (III) as subclauses (III) and 

24 (IV), respectively, and inserting after 

25 subclause (I) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(II) an area career and tech2 nical education school (as defined in 

3 section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Ca4 reer and Technical Education Act of 

5 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302);’’; and 

6 (III) in subclause (IV) (as so re7 designated by subclause (II) of this 

8 clause), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

9 (ii) in clause (iv)— 

10 (I) by striking subclause (IV) 

11 and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(IV) an institution of higher 

13 education (as defined in section 101, 

14 and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 

15 section 102(a)(1), of the Higher Edu16 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 

17 1002(a)(1)));’’; and 

18 (II) by redesignating subclause 

19 (V) as subclause (VI) and inserting 

20 after subclause (IV) the following: 

21 ‘‘(V) an area career and technical 

22 education school (as defined in section 

23 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

24 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

25 U.S.C. 2302); or’’; and 


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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(v) in the case of a career pathway 

4 program, includes 1 or more members of 

5 the local workforce development board es6 tablished under section 107 of the Work7 force Innovation and Opportunity Act and 

8 serving the region to ensure the program is 

9 integrated with the activities carried out by 

10 the local workforce development board; 

11 and’’; and 

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

13 ‘‘(6) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘career 

14 pathway’ has the meaning given the term in section 

15 3(7) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

16 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(7)). 

17 ‘‘(7) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.— 

18 The term ‘industry or sector partnership’ has the 

19 meaning given the term in section 3 of the Work20 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

21 3102).’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (b)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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1 reer pathway training programs or indus2 try or sector partnerships aligned with in3 dustry sectors in rural communities’’ be4 fore ‘‘, including’’; 

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

6 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

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

8 the period and inserting a semicolon; and 

9 (iv) by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(C) address workforce challenges, includ12 ing worker displacement, faced by specific in13 dustry sectors in rural communities; and 

14 ‘‘(D) promote targeted skills development 

15 and training initiatives to stimulate innovation 

16 and enhance economic development in rural re17 gions.’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

20 (I) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, 

21 career pathway programs, or industry 

22 or sector partnerships’’ before the 

23 semicolon; and 

24 (II) in clause (ii)— 


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1 (aa) by inserting ‘‘, career 

2 pathway programs, or industry or 

3 sector partnerships’’ before ‘‘to 

4 provide’’; and 

5 (bb) by inserting ‘‘leadership 

6 development,’’ before ‘‘cus7 tomized training’’; 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

9 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (iii) by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(G) the ability of the eligible entity to 

13 carry out activities to address the issues of 

14 worker displacement, an aging workforce, and 

15 youth migration.’’; and 

16 (C) by striking paragraph (5) and insert17 ing the following: 

18 ‘‘(5) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Sec19 retary shall ensure regional diversity of recipients of 

20 grants or participants in providing grants under 

21 paragraph (1) for jobs accelerators, career pathway 

22 programs, and related programming.’’; 

23 (3) in subsection (d)(1)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (B)(xi), by striking 

25 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(C) to support career pathway programs 

3 or industry or sector partnerships to be carried 

4 out within industries in rural communities, in5 cluding— 

6 ‘‘(i) telecommunications or broadband 

7 services; 

8 ‘‘(ii) water, waste water, or disposal 

9 services; 

10 ‘‘(iii) electric supply services; 

11 ‘‘(iv) forestry and logging operations; 

12 ‘‘(v) conservation practices and man13 agement; 

14 ‘‘(vi) health care and child care; 

15 ‘‘(vii) manufacturing; 

16 ‘‘(viii) agribusiness related to produc17 tion, processing, and distribution; 

18 ‘‘(ix) veterinarian services; and 

19 ‘‘(x) any other sectors identified by 

20 the local workforce development board 

21 serving the region to be an in-demand in22 dustry sector or occupation, as defined in 

23 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 

24 Opportunity Act.’’; 

25 (4) in subsection (e)— 


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

2 (B) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

3 (i) in clause (xvii), by striking ‘‘or’’; 

4 (ii) by redesignating clause (xviii) as 

5 clause (xix) and inserting after clause 

6 (xvii) the following: 

7 ‘‘(xviii) the number of individuals who 

8 have completed skills development, recog9 nized postsecondary credentials, or gained 

10 specialized education through career path11 ways programs or industry or sector part12 nerships; or’’; and 

13 (iii) in clause (xix) (as so redesignated 

14 by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph), 

15 by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; 

16 and’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(3) in the case of a career pathway program 

19 or industry or sector partnership, report to the Sec20 retary the employment and earnings outcomes for 

21 individuals who participate in the program on the in22 dicators described in subclauses (I) through (III) of 

23 section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Workforce Innovation 

24 and Opportunity Act.’’; and 


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1 (5) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2019 through 

2 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

3 SEC. 6426. DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY. 

4 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

5 382M(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop6 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–12(a)) is amended by striking 

7 ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 

8 2029’’. 

9 (b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 382N of 

10 such Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–13) is amended by striking 

11 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 (c) CLARIFICATION OF DELTA REGIONAL AUTHOR13 ITY AREAS.—Section 4(2)(D) of the Delta Development 

14 Act (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; Public Law 100–460) is 

15 amended by inserting ‘‘Sabine, Vernon,’’ after ‘‘Webster,’’. 

16 SEC. 6427. LIMITATION ON RURAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT 

17 COMPANIES CONTROLLED BY FARM CREDIT 

18 SYSTEM INSTITUTIONS. 

19 Section 384J(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

20 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc-9(c)) is amended by 

21 striking ‘‘50’’ and inserting ‘‘75’’. 

22 SEC. 6428. RURAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT PROGRAM. 

23 Section 384S of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

24 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–18) is amended by 


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1 striking ‘‘2014 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

2 through 2029’’. 

3 SEC. 6429. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

4 Each of the following provisions of the Consolidated 

5 Farm and Rural Development Act are amended by strik6 ing ‘‘urbanized’’ and inserting ‘‘urban’’: 

7 (1) Section 343(a)(13)(A)(ii) (7 U.S.C. 

8 1991(a)(13)(A)(ii)). 

9 (2) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(I) (7 U.S.C. 

10 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)), in the matter preceding item 

11 (aa). 

12 (3) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)(bb) (7 U.S.C. 

13 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)(bb)). 

14 (4) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(II) (7 U.S.C. 

15 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(II)). 

16 (5) Section 343(a)(13)(E) (7 U.S.C. 

17 1991(a)(13)(E)). 

18 (6) Section 343(a)(13)(F)(i)(II) (7 U.S.C. 

19 1991(a)(13)(F)(i)(II)). 

20 (7) Section 384I(c)(4)(C) (7 U.S.C. 2009cc– 

21 8(c)(4)(C)). 


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1 SEC. 6430. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER TECHNICAL 

2 ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. 

3 Section 306(a)(14) of the Consolidated Farm and 

4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 926(a)(14)) is amend5 ed— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘technical assistance and 

8 training to—’’ and inserting ‘‘for—’’; 

9 (B) in clause (v), by striking the period 

10 and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

11 (C) by redesignating clauses (i) through 

12 (v) as subclauses (I) through (V), respectively, 

13 and moving each such provision 2 ems to the 

14 right; and 

15 (D) by inserting before the matter so re16 designated the following: 

17 ‘‘(i) technical assistance and training 

18 to—’’; and 

19 (E) by adding after and below the end the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(ii) disaster and recovery assist22 ance.’’; and 

23 (2) in subparagraph (B),by inserting ‘‘or dis24 aster and recovery assistance’’ before ‘‘described’’. 


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1 Subtitle E—Additional Amend2 ments to the Rural Electrifica3 tion Act of 1936 

4 SEC. 6501. GUARANTEES FOR BONDS AND NOTES ISSUED 

5 FOR UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE PURPOSES. 

6 Section 313A(f) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

7 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–1(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 6502. EXTENSION OF THE RURAL ECONOMIC DEVEL10 OPMENT LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAM. 

11 Section 313B of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

12 (7 U.S.C. 940c–2) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(b) REPAYMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of zero interest 

17 loans, the Secretary shall establish such reasonable 

18 repayment terms as will encourage borrower partici19 pation. 

20 ‘‘(2) LETTERS OF CREDIT.—The Secretary 

21 shall not require a letter of credit or other similar 

22 guarantee from a recipient of a zero-interest loan 

23 under this section if the borrower assigns the Sec24 retary a security interest in any collateral provided 

25 to secure a loan made with funds loaned under this 


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1 section, or makes other similar arrangements to the 

2 satisfaction of the Secretary.’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘2019 

4 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

5 SEC. 6503. EXPANSION OF 911 ACCESS. 

6 Section 315(d) of the Rural Electrification Act of 

7 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940e(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2008 

8 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

9 TITLE VII—RESEARCH, EXTEN10 SION, AND RELATED MAT11 TERS 

12 Subtitle A—National Agricultural 

13 Research, Extension, and Teach14 ing Policy Act of 1977 

15 SEC. 7101. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTEN16 SION, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMICS ADVI17 SORY BOARD. 

18 Section 1408 of the National Agricultural Research, 

19 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

20 3123) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘15’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘16’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) 1 member representing the industry, 

2 consumer, or rural interests of insular areas.’’; 

3 and 

4 (C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘7’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘3’’; and 

6 (2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 7102. SPECIALTY CROP COMMITTEE. 

9 Section 1408A of the National Agricultural Research, 

10 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

11 3123a) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Not 

14 later than’’ and all that follows through ‘‘initial 

15 members of’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary shall 

16 continue to implement, and appoint the mem17 bers of’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (C), by adding a 

20 period at the end; and 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

22 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘executive 

24 committee’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary’’. 


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1 SEC. 7103. VETERINARY MEDICINE LOAN REPAYMENT. 

2 Section 1415A of the National Agricultural Research, 

3 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

4 3151a) is amended— 

5 (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(b) DETERMINATION OF VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE

8 SITUATIONS.—In determining ‘veterinarian shortage situ9 ations’, the Secretary— 

10 ‘‘(1) may consider— 

11 ‘‘(A) geographical areas that the Secretary 

12 determines have a shortage of veterinarians; 

13 ‘‘(B) areas of veterinary practice that the 

14 Secretary determines have a shortage of veteri15 narians, such as food animal medicine, public 

16 health, epidemiology, and food safety; and 

17 ‘‘(C) areas described in subparagraphs (A) 

18 and (B) identified by appropriate State agen19 cies; and 

20 ‘‘(2) shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) develop quantitative mechanisms for 

22 predicting the emergence of new veterinarian 

23 shortage situations in the short-term and long24 term; and 

25 ‘‘(B) make available to State agencies de26 scribed in paragraph (1)(C) the quantitative 


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1 mechanisms developed under subparagraph 

2 (A).’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(9) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary shall not 

6 make a veterinarian ineligible for the program under 

7 this section based on a veterinarian’s participation in 

8 a comparable Federal, State, or local program. 

9 ‘‘(10) APPLICATION PROCESS.—Not later than 

10 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Farm, 

11 Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the Sec12 retary shall establish streamlined application proce13 dures and guidelines for entering into agreements 

14 with veterinarians under this section.’’. 

15 SEC. 7104. VETERINARY SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM. 

16 Section 1415B of the National Agricultural Research, 

17 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

18 3151b) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘, 

21 as defined in’’ and all that follows through 

22 ‘‘1991(a))’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(3) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’ has 

25 the meaning given such term in section 343(a) of 


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1 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 

2 (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

4 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

5 and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec6 tively; and 

7 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(B) expand, retain, or attract additional 

10 veterinary practices in rural areas;’’; 

11 (3) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(5) APPLICATION PROCESS.—Not later than 1 

14 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, 

15 and National Security Act of 2024 the Secretary 

16 shall establish a streamlined application process.’’; 

17 and 

18 (4) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

20 ‘‘TO RELIEVE VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE SITU21 ATIONS AND SUPPORT VETERINARY SERV22 ICES’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

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1 port’’ and inserting ‘‘situations, to expand, 

2 retain, or attract additional veterinary 

3 practices in rural areas, and to support’’; 

4 and 

5 (ii) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(G) To cover expenses associated with 

8 starting a new veterinary practice or attracting 

9 new veterinarians to existing practices, includ10 ing— 

11 ‘‘(i) relocation expenses; 

12 ‘‘(ii) the purchase of necessary start13 up equipment; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) housing or living stipends for 

15 veterinary students, veterinary interns, 

16 externs, fellows, and residents, and veteri17 nary technician students.’’. 

18 SEC. 7105. GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS FOR FOOD AND AG19 RICULTURE SCIENCES EDUCATION. 

20 Section 1417(m)(2) of the National Agricultural Re21 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

22 U.S.C. 3152(m)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7106. AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD POLICY RESEARCH 

2 CENTERS. 

3 Section 1419A(e) of the National Agricultural Re4 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

5 U.S.C. 3155(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in6 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 7107. EDUCATION GRANTS TO ALASKA NATIVE SERV8 ING INSTITUTIONS AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN 

9 SERVING INSTITUTIONS. 

10 Section 1419B of the National Agricultural Research, 

11 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

12 3156) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 

15 the following: ‘‘The term of such grants may be 

16 for a period of more than 1 year, but not more 

17 than 5 years.’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (b)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 

22 the following: ‘‘The term of such grants may be 

23 for a period of more than 1 year, but not more 

24 than 5 years.’’; and 

25 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

26 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7108. 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. 7109. 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 that fiscal year may be carried over 

17 for use during the following fiscal year.’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7110. EXTENSION AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AT 

21 1890 LAND-GRANT COLLEGES, INCLUDING 

22 TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY. 

23 (a) EXTENSION.—Section 1444(a)(2) of the National 

24 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

25 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3221(a)(2)) is amended by striking 

26 ‘‘20 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘40 percent’’. 


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1 (b) RESEARCH.—Section 1445 of the National Agri2 cultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

3 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘30 per5 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘40 percent’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘the research 

7 director’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘the 

8 agricultural research director’’; and 

9 (3) in subsection (d)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘a research director’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘an agricultural research director’’; 

12 and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘or other officer’’. 

14 SEC. 7111. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS AT 1890 INSTITU15 TIONS. 

16 Section 1446(b) of the National Agricultural Re17 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

18 U.S.C. 3222a(b)) is amended— 

19 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

22 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

23 shall make available to carry out this section— 

24 ‘‘(A) $40,000,000, not later than October 

25 1, 2019, to remain available until expended; 


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1 ‘‘(B) $10,000,000, not later than Novem2 ber 17, 2023, to remain available until ex3 pended; and 

4 ‘‘(C) $100,000,000, not later than October 

5 1, 2024, to remain available until expended.’’; 

6 and 

7 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 7112. GRANTS TO UPGRADE AGRICULTURAL AND 

10 FOOD SCIENCES FACILITIES AT 1890 LAND11 GRANT COLLEGES, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE 

12 UNIVERSITY. 

13 Section 1447(b) of the National Agricultural Re14 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

15 U.S.C. 3222b(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in16 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 7113. GRANTS TO UPGRADE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD 

18 SCIENCES FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT AND 

19 SUPPORT TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL AG20 RICULTURAL RESEARCH AT INSULAR AREA 

21 LAND-GRANT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. 

22 Section 1447B(d) of the National Agricultural Re23 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

24 U.S.C. 3222b–2(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7114. MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT FOR RE2 SEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES AT ELI3 GIBLE INSTITUTIONS. 

4 Section 1449 of the National Agricultural Research, 

5 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

6 3222d) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘Not later than September 

9 30, 1999’’ and inserting ‘‘Beginning on Sep10 tember 30, 2025, and not later than September 

11 30 of each fiscal year thereafter’’; and 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 1999’’ and in13 serting ‘‘the fiscal year ending on that Sep14 tember 30’’; and 

15 (2) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol16 lows: 

17 ‘‘(c) STATE MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT.— 

18 Notwithstanding any other provision of this subtitle, for 

19 each fiscal year, a State shall provide to each eligible insti20 tution located in the State matching funds from non-Fed21 eral sources in an amount equal to the amounts provided 

22 to the eligible institution under sections 1444 and 1445 

23 for the purposes described in subsection (b)(1).’’. 


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1 SEC. 7115. NEW BEGINNING FOR TRIBAL STUDENTS. 

2 Section 1450 of the National Agricultural Research, 

3 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

4 3222e) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (5); 

6 and 

7 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 7116. EDUCATION GRANTS PROGRAMS FOR HISPANIC10 SERVING INSTITUTIONS. 

11 Section 1455(c) of the National Agricultural Re12 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

13 U.S.C. 3241(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in14 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7117. BINATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND 

16 DEVELOPMENT. 

17 Section 1458(e) of the National Agricultural Re18 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

19 U.S.C. 3291(e)) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘entered into’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘, as entered into in 1977,’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘United 

23 States and Israel’’ and inserting ‘‘United States, 

24 Israel, or other signatories of the Abraham Accords 

25 Declaration’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(3) BARD FUND ACCELERATOR.—The BARD 

2 Fund shall establish an accelerator program that 

3 supports mid-stage research, as determined by the 

4 technology readiness level, in priority areas estab5 lished by the BARD Fund that— 

6 ‘‘(A) fast-tracks cooperative research be7 tween scientists participating in activities de8 scribed in paragraph (2); 

9 ‘‘(B) accelerates the successful develop10 ment of agricultural research through resources 

11 and services developed or orchestrated by the 

12 BARD Fund; 

13 ‘‘(C) provides management guidance, tech14 nical assistance, and consulting to scientists 

15 participating in activities described in para16 graph (2); or 

17 ‘‘(D) advances cooperative agricultural re18 search projects of mutual interest to the United 

19 States, Israel, or other signatories of the Abra20 ham Accords Declaration.’’. 


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1 SEC. 7118. GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR INTER2 NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EX3 TENSION, AND EDUCATION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1458A of the National 

5 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

6 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3292) is amended— 

7 (1) by amending the section heading to read as 

8 follows ‘‘GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR

9 INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, 

10 EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION’’; 

11 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in12 serting the following: 

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

14 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPING COUNTRY.—The term ‘devel15 oping country’ means a country that meets such cri16 teria as determined by the Secretary, established 

17 using a gross national income per capita test se18 lected by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi20 ble institution’ means— 

21 ‘‘(A) a land-grant colleges or university; 

22 ‘‘(B) a non-land-grant college of agri23 culture; 

24 ‘‘(C) a Hispanic-serving agricultural col25 lege or university; and 

26 ‘‘(D) a cooperating forestry school. 


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1 ‘‘(3) INTERNATIONAL PARTNER INSTITUTION.— 

2 The term ‘international partner institution’ means a 

3 higher education institution in a developing country 

4 that is performing, or desiring to perform, activities 

5 similar to agricultural research, extension, and edu6 cation activities carried out through eligible institu7 tions in the United States. 

8 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary may make com10 petitive grants to eligible institutions in order to 

11 strengthen United States economic competitiveness 

12 and to promote international market development 

13 through— 

14 ‘‘(A) enhancing the international content 

15 of the curricula in colleges and universities so 

16 as to ensure that United States students ac17 quire an understanding of the international di18 mensions and trade implications of their stud19 ies; 

20 ‘‘(B) ensuring that United States sci21 entists, extension agents, and educators in22 volved in agricultural research and development 

23 activities outside of the United States have the 

24 opportunity to convey the implications of their 

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1 dents in the United States and to the users of 

2 agricultural research, extension, and teaching; 

3 ‘‘(C) enhancing the capabilities of colleges 

4 and universities to do collaborative research 

5 with other countries, in cooperation with other 

6 Federal agencies, on issues relevant to United 

7 States agricultural competitiveness; 

8 ‘‘(D) enhancing the capabilities of colleges 

9 and universities to provide cooperative extension 

10 education to promote the application of new 

11 technology developed in foreign countries to 

12 United States agriculture; and 

13 ‘‘(E) enhancing the capability of United 

14 States colleges and universities, in cooperation 

15 with other Federal agencies, to provide leader16 ship and educational programs that will assist 

17 United States natural resources and food pro18 duction, processing, and distribution businesses 

19 and industries to compete internationally, in20 cluding through the use of product market iden21 tification, international policies limiting or en22 hancing market production, the development of 

23 new or enhancement of existing markets, and 

24 production efficiencies. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary may pro2 mote cooperation and coordination between eligible 

3 institutions and international partner institutions 

4 through— 

5 ‘‘(A) improving extension by— 

6 ‘‘(i) encouraging the exchange of re7 search materials and results between eligi8 ble institutions and international partner 

9 institutions; 

10 ‘‘(ii) facilitating the broad dissemina11 tion of agricultural research through exten12 sion; 

13 ‘‘(iii) assisting with efforts to plan 

14 and initiate extension services in devel15 oping countries; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) developing self-sustaining re17 gional agricultural markets and promoting 

18 the application of new agricultural tech19 nologies and techniques; 

20 ‘‘(B) improving agricultural research by— 

21 ‘‘(i) in partnership with international 

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1 riculture, forestry, livestock, and fisheries, 

2 including local challenges; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) supporting and strengthening na4 tional agricultural research systems in de5 veloping countries; 

6 ‘‘(C) supporting the participation of eligi7 ble institutions in programs of international or8 ganizations, such as the United Nations, the 

9 World Bank, regional development banks, and 

10 international agricultural research centers; 

11 ‘‘(D) improving agricultural teaching and 

12 education by— 

13 ‘‘(i) in partnership with international 

14 partner institutions, supporting education 

15 and teaching relating to food and agricul16 tural sciences, including technical assist17 ance, degree training, research collabora18 tions, classroom instruction, workforce 

19 training, and education programs; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) assisting with efforts to increase 

21 student capacity, including to encourage 

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1 ships with, and improving the capacity of, 

2 eligible institutions; 

3 ‘‘(E) assisting eligible institutions in 

4 strengthening their capacity for food, agricul5 tural, and related research, extension, and 

6 teaching programs relevant to agricultural de7 velopment activities in developing countries to 

8 promote the application of new technology to 

9 improve education delivery; 

10 ‘‘(F) providing support for the internation11 alization of resident instruction programs of eli12 gible institutions; 

13 ‘‘(G) establishing a program, to be coordi14 nated by the Director of the National Institute 

15 of Food and Agriculture and the Administrator 

16 of the Foreign Agricultural Service, to place in17 terns from eligible institutions in, or in service 

18 to benefit, developing countries; and 

19 ‘‘(H) establishing a program to provide fel20 lowships to students at eligible institutions to 

21 study at foreign agricultural colleges and uni22 versities.’’; 

23 (3) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding 

24 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘covered Institutions’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘eligible institutions’’; and 


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1 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1459A of 

4 the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

5 Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3292b) is repealed. 

6 SEC. 7119. RESEARCH EQUIPMENT GRANTS. 

7 Section 1462A(e) of the National Agricultural Re8 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

9 U.S.C. 3310a(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in10 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 7120. UNIVERSITY RESEARCH. 

12 Section 1463 of the National Agricultural Research, 

13 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

14 3311) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it ap15 pears in subsections (a) and (b) and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 7121. EXTENSION SERVICE. 

17 Section 1464 of the National Agricultural Research, 

18 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

19 3312) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 7122. SUPPLEMENTAL AND ALTERNATIVE CROPS. 

22 Section 1473D of the National Agricultural Re23 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

24 U.S.C. 3319d) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)(3)— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

5 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

6 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as 

7 subparagraph (G); and 

8 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(F) to examine potential benefits and opportu11 nities for supplemental and alternative crops (includ12 ing winter-planted rapeseed and winter-planted 

13 canola crops); and’’; and 

14 (3) in subsection (e)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 7123. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE AGRI17 CULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRO18 GRAMS. 

19 Section 1473E of the National Agricultural Research, 

20 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

21 3319e) is amended— 

22 (1) by amending the section heading to read as 

23 follows: ‘‘GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

24 AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

25 PROGRAMS’’; 


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1 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub2 section (e); 

3 (3) by striking subsections (a) through (c) and 

4 inserting the following: 

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

6 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en7 tity’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) a junior or community college (as de9 fined in section 312 of the Higher Education 

10 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058)) supporting agri11 culture advancement; 

12 ‘‘(B) a consortium or alliance of 2-year 

13 public colleges supporting agriculture advance14 ment; or 

15 ‘‘(C) an area career and technical edu16 cation school (as defined in section 3 of the 

17 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu18 cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)) that of19 fers a program of study in agriculture. 

20 ‘‘(2) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term 

21 ‘work-based learning’ has the meaning given such 

22 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

23 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 

24 ‘‘(b) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—The Secretary shall 

25 make competitive grants to eligible entities to conduct 


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1 workforce training, education, research, and outreach ac2 tivities relating to food and agricultural sciences. 

3 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In making grants under subsection 

4 (b), the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 

5 coordinating with a local agriculture industry operator to 

6 provide work-based learning, experiential training, and 

7 other opportunities for students. 

8 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

9 a grant under subsection (b) may use the funds made 

10 available through the grant— 

11 ‘‘(1) to offer educational programming on agri12 cultural industry jobs, including farm business man13 agement-related subjects, such as accounting, para14 legal studies, and finance; 

15 ‘‘(2) to develop apprenticeships and other work16 based learning opportunities; and 

17 ‘‘(3) other services that would increase work18 force training, education, research, and outreach ac19 tivities relating to food and agricultural sciences, as 

20 determined by the Secretary.’’; and 

21 (4) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by 

22 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7124. CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR NLGCA INSTI2 TUTIONS. 

3 Section 1473F(b) of the National Agricultural Re4 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

5 U.S.C. 3319i(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in6 serting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 7125. AGRICULTURE ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DE8 VELOPMENT AUTHORITY. 

9 Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Re10 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

11 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

14 (i) by inserting ‘‘, including precision 

15 agriculture,’’ after ‘‘equipment’’; and 

16 (ii) by striking ‘‘relating to the re17 search and development of qualified prod18 ucts and projects’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (5)— 

20 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik21 ing ‘‘PERSON’’ and inserting ‘‘ELIGIBLE

22 ENTITY’’; 

23 (ii) in the matter preceding subpara24 graph (A), by striking ‘‘person’’ and in25 serting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 


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1 (iii) by striking subparagraph (E); 

2 and 

3 (iv) by redesignating subparagraphs 

4 (F) through (H) as subparagraphs (E) 

5 through (G), respectively; 

6 (C) in paragraph (6)— 

7 (i) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by strik8 ing ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

9 (ii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by strik10 ing the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

11 or’’; and 

12 (iii) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(D) any other product or project, as de15 termined by the Secretary.’’; and 

16 (D) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘that is 

17 developed to assist in the discovery, develop18 ment, or manufacture of a qualified product or 

19 project’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (b)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (2), by amending sub22 paragraph (B) to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(B) to overcome the long-term and high24 risk technological barriers in the development of 

25 agricultural technologies, research tools, and 


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1 qualified products and projects that enhance ex2 port competitiveness, environmental sustain3 ability, water conservation, and resilience to ex4 treme weather, drought, infectious diseases, 

5 plant and animal pathogens, and plant and ani6 mal pests;’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (4)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

9 ‘‘persons’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entities’’; 

10 and 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

12 ‘‘persons’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entities’’; 

13 and 

14 (C) in paragraph (7)(A)— 

15 (i) by striking ‘‘a person’’ and insert16 ing ‘‘an eligible entity’’; and 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘person’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘eligible entity’’; 

19 (3) in subsection (c)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘per21 sons’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entities’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(4) USE OF STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Secretary 

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1 graph (1) to inform the administration of AGARDA 

2 under this section.’’; 

3 (4) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

5 (5) in subsection (e)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘5 

7 years’’ and inserting ‘‘11 years’’; and 

8 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘5- 

9 year’’ and inserting ‘‘11-year’’. 

10 SEC. 7126. AQUACULTURE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. 

11 Section 1477(a)(2) of the National Agricultural Re12 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

13 U.S.C. 3324(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

14 insert ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7127. SPECIAL AUTHORIZATION FOR BIOSECURITY 

16 PLANNING AND RESPONSE. 

17 Section 1484(a)(3) of the National Agricultural Re18 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

19 U.S.C. 3351(a)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 7128. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROTECTION GRANT 

22 PROGRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1485 of the National Ag24 ricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act 

25 of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3352) is amended— 


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1 (1) by amending the section heading to read as 

2 follows: ‘‘AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROTEC3 TION GRANT PROGRAM’’; 

4 (2) by striking subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), 

5 and (f) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

7 competitive grant program under which the Secretary will 

8 award grants to eligible entities to support research, ex9 tension, and education activities that improve the capa10 bility of the United States to protect the food and agricul11 tural system from any chemical, biological, cybersecurity, 

12 or bioterrorism attack. 

13 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants made under this sec14 tion shall be used to— 

15 ‘‘(1) encourage basic and applied research and 

16 development of agricultural countermeasures; 

17 ‘‘(2) promote the development and expansion of 

18 teaching programs in agriculture, veterinary medi19 cine, and other disciplines closely allied to the food 

20 and agriculture system to increase the number of 

21 trained individuals with an expertise in agricultural 

22 biosecurity and cybersecurity; 

23 ‘‘(3) expand or upgrade facilities to meet bio24 safety and biosecurity requirements necessary to 

25 protect facility staff, members of the public, and the 


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1 food supply while carrying out agricultural biosecu2 rity research; 

3 ‘‘(4) costs associated with the acquisition of 

4 equipment and other capital costs related to expan5 sion of food, agriculture, and veterinary medicine 

6 teaching programs in agricultural biosecurity and cy7 bersecurity; or 

8 ‘‘(5) otherwise improve the capacity of the 

9 United States to respond in a timely manner to 

10 emerging or existing threats. 

11 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Entities eligible to receive 

12 a grant under this section include— 

13 ‘‘(1) State agricultural experiment stations; 

14 ‘‘(2) State departments of agriculture; 

15 ‘‘(3) colleges and universities; 

16 ‘‘(4) university research foundations; 

17 ‘‘(5) other research institutions and organiza18 tions; 

19 ‘‘(6) Federal agencies; 

20 ‘‘(7) national laboratories; or 

21 ‘‘(8) any group consisting of 2 or more of the 

22 entities described in paragraphs (1) through (7).’’; 

23 (3) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub24 section (d); and 


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1 (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by 

2 striking ‘‘for each fiscal year.’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

3 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

5 (1) Section 14112 of the Food, Conservation, 

6 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8912) is re7 pealed. 

8 (2) Section 14113 of the Food, Conservation, 

9 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8913) is re10 pealed. 

11 (3) Section 14121 of the Food, Conservation, 

12 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8921) is re13 pealed. 

14 (4) Section 14122 of the Food, Conservation, 

15 and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8922) is re16 pealed. 

17 SEC. 7129. DISTANCE EDUCATION GRANTS FOR INSULAR 

18 AREAS. 

19 Section 1490(f)(2) of the National Agricultural Re20 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

21 U.S.C. 3362(f)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in22 serting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7130. RESIDENT INSTRUCTION GRANTS FOR INSULAR 

2 AREAS. 

3 Section 1491(c)(2) of the National Agricultural Re4 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

5 U.S.C. 3363(c)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 7131. REPEALS. 

8 (a) Section 1410 of the National Agricultural Re9 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 ((7 

10 U.S.C. 3125) is repealed. 

11 (b) Section 1419C of the National Agricultural Re12 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

13 U.S.C. 3158) is repealed. 

14 (c) Section 1447A of the National Agricultural Re15 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

16 U.S.C. 3222b–1) is repealed. 

17 (d) Subtitle M of title XIV of the National Agricul18 tural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

19 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3331 et seq.) is repealed. 

20 Subtitle B—Food, Agriculture, Con21 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 

22 SEC. 7201. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND 

23 EDUCATION. 

24 Subtitle B of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Con25 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.) 

26 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears in 


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1 sections 1624 (7 U.S.C. 5814), 1627(d) (7 U.S.C. 

2 5821(d)), 1628(f)(2) (7 U.S.C. 1631(f)(2)), and 1629(i) 

3 (7 U.S.C. 5832(i)), and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

4 SEC. 7202. NATIONAL GENETICS RESOURCES PROGRAM. 

5 Section 1635(b)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con6 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5844(b)(2)) 

7 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 7203. AGRICULTURAL GENOME TO PHENOME INITIA9 TIVE. 

10 Section 1671(g) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva11 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5924(g)) is amend12 ed by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

13 SEC. 7204. HIGH-PRIORITY RESEARCH AND EXTENSION INI14 TIATIVES. 

15 Section 1672 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

16 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (d)— 

18 (A) by striking paragraphs (5), (6), (9), 

19 (10), (11), (13), and (18); 

20 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (7), (8), 

21 (12), (14), (15), (16), (17), (19), and (20) as 

22 paragraphs (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), 

23 (12), and (13); 


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1 (C) in paragraph (11), as so redesignated, 

2 by inserting ‘‘and harmful algal blooms’’ after 

3 ‘‘macro-algae systems’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(14) FERTILIZER AND NUTRIENT MANAGE6 MENT INITIATIVE.—Research and extension grants 

7 may be made under this section for the purposes of 

8 carrying out research to improve fertilizer use effi9 ciency in crops and examining nutrient management 

10 based on the source, rate, timing, and placement of 

11 crop nutrients. 

12 ‘‘(15) TROPICAL PLANT HEALTH INITIATIVE.— 

13 Research and extension grants may be made under 

14 this section for the purposes of— 

15 ‘‘(A) developing and disseminating science16 based tools and treatments to combat plant 

17 pests and noxious weeds (as those terms are de18 fined in section 403 of the Plant Protection Act 

19 (7 U.S.C. 7702)) that impact tropical plants, 

20 including— 

21 ‘‘(i) coffee plants; 

22 ‘‘(ii) macadamia trees; 

23 ‘‘(iii) cacao trees; 

24 ‘‘(iv) plantains and bananas; 

25 ‘‘(v) mangos; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) tropical floriculture and nursery 

2 crops; and 

3 ‘‘(vii) any other tropical plant as de4 termined by the Secretary; 

5 ‘‘(B) establishing an areawide integrated 

6 pest management program in areas affected by, 

7 or areas at risk of being affected by, plant pests 

8 or noxious weeds; 

9 ‘‘(C) surveying and collecting data on trop10 ical plant production and health; 

11 ‘‘(D) investigating tropical plant biology, 

12 immunology, ecology, genomics, and 

13 bioinformatics; and 

14 ‘‘(E) conducting research on various fac15 tors that may contribute to, or be associated 

16 with, tropical plant immune systems and other 

17 serious threats to tropical plants. 

18 ‘‘(16) BIOCHAR RESEARCH.—Research and ex19 tension grants may be made under this section for 

20 the purpose of testing the full range of biochar types 

21 across soil types, soil health and soil management 

22 conditions, application methods, and climatic and 

23 agronomic regions, including through the establish24 ment of a national biochar research network, to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) assess the soil carbon sequestration 

2 potential of various biochars and management 

3 systems integrating biochar use; 

4 ‘‘(B) understand how to use biochar pro5 ductively to contribute to climate mitigation, 

6 crop production, resilience to extreme weather 

7 events, ecosystem and soil health, natural re8 source conservation, and farm profitability; and 

9 ‘‘(C) deliver science-based, region-specific, 

10 cost-effective, and practical information to 

11 farmers, ranchers, foresters, land reclamation 

12 managers, urban land managers, and other land 

13 and natural resource managers and businesses 

14 on sustainable biochar production and applica15 tion. 

16 ‘‘(17) WILDFIRE SMOKE EXPOSURE RE17 SEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be 

18 made under this section for the purposes of studying 

19 the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on specialty 

20 crops, including wine grapes, hops, stone fruit, and 

21 apples, by— 

22 ‘‘(A) conducting research— 

23 ‘‘(i) to identify the compounds respon24 sible for smoke exposure; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) to establish standard methodolo2 gies for sampling and testing smoke-ex3 posed specialty crops and smoke-affected 

4 products, including fast and inexpensive 

5 screening methods; 

6 ‘‘(B) establishing a reliable database of 

7 background levels of smoke exposure com8 pounds that occur naturally in specialty crops; 

9 ‘‘(C) developing risk assessment tools or 

10 mitigation methods to reduce or eliminate 

11 smoke exposure; and 

12 ‘‘(D) studying compounds that can act as 

13 a barrier between specialty crops and smoke 

14 compounds. 

15 ‘‘(18) INVASIVE SPECIES RESEARCH.—Research 

16 and extension grants may be made under this sec17 tion for the purposes of developing and dissemi18 nating science-based tools and treatments to manage 

19 or eradicate (including through methods of biocon20 trol and sterile insect techniques) invasive species of 

21 plants and animals, such as the spotted lanternfly 

22 (Lycorma delicatula), navel orangeworm (Amyelois 

23 transitella), and spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila 

24 suzukii). 


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1 ‘‘(19) MICROPLASTICS AND PER- AND

2 POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES ON FARMLAND.— 

3 Research and extension grants may be made under 

4 this section for the purposes of carrying out or en5 hancing research on the agricultural impacts of 

6 microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl sub7 stances, including structural firefighting foam, in 

8 land-applied biosolids or compost on farmland, in9 cluding by— 

10 ‘‘(A) conducting surveys and collecting 

11 data on concentration, particle size, and chem12 ical composition of such substances in land-ap13 plied biosolids on farmland; 

14 ‘‘(B) the development or analysis of tech15 niques, including wastewater treatment and 

16 composting, to filter out or biodegrade such 

17 substances from biosolids intended to be used 

18 for agricultural purposes; 

19 ‘‘(C) conducting an analysis of the impact 

20 on agricultural crops and soil health of such 

21 substances in land-applied biosolids on farm22 land, including the uptake of such substances 

23 by various crops or livestock; 


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1 ‘‘(D) conducting research to better under2 stand how wastewater processing impacts such 

3 substances; 

4 ‘‘(E) conducting research to better under5 stand the fate, residence time, and transport of 

6 such substances on farmland; and 

7 ‘‘(F) conducting research on how to reme8 diate soil and water systems contaminated with 

9 such substances. 

10 ‘‘(20) AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS RE11 SEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be 

12 made under this section for the purposes of con13 verting agricultural byproducts or forest residuals 

14 into valuable materials and products, including inno15 vations in production processes for easily deployable 

16 refining facilities, developing alternatives to agricul17 tural burning, and fostering energy production 

18 through recycling animal byproducts, wet waste, and 

19 plant-based waste. 

20 ‘‘(21) SOIL HEALTH RESEARCH.—Research and 

21 extension grants may be made under this section for 

22 the purposes of— 

23 ‘‘(A) developing management practices 

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1 position of soil organic compounds that are ben2 eficial to soil quality and the environment; and 

3 ‘‘(B) disseminating such practices through 

4 methods such as innovative coursework and 

5 work-based learning. 

6 ‘‘(22) WHITE OAK RESEARCH.—Research and 

7 extension grants may be made under this section for 

8 the purposes of white oak research, including con9 ducting research on— 

10 ‘‘(A) white oak genes with resistance and 

11 stress tolerance; 

12 ‘‘(B) white oak trees that exhibit vigor for 

13 the purpose of increasing survival and growth; 

14 ‘‘(C) establishing a diverse white oak seed 

15 bank capable of responding to stressors; 

16 ‘‘(D) providing a sustainable supply of 

17 white oak seedlings and genetic resources; 

18 ‘‘(E) reforestation of white oak through 

19 natural and artificial regeneration; and 

20 ‘‘(F) the best methods for reforesting 

21 abandoned mine land sites. 

22 ‘‘(23) ALTERNATIVE GROWING MEDIA RE23 SEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be 

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1 tion, utilization, and evaluation of alternative grow2 ing media, including science-based techniques that 

3 maximize functions in the growth of plants and har4 vest yields. 

5 ‘‘(24) RANGELAND RESEARCH.—Research and 

6 extension grants may be made under this section for 

7 the purposes of carrying out or enhancing research 

8 on the development of forage production and im9 proved grazing and range management, including 

10 the adoption of virtual fencing technology that si11 multaneously enhance wildlife habitat, protect water12 sheds, and reduce hazards of erosion and flooding. 

13 ‘‘(25) SPECIALTY CROP MECHANIZATION AND

14 AUTOMATION RESEARCH.—Research and extension 

15 grants may be made under this section for the pur16 pose of developing and evaluating mechanization and 

17 automation technologies for specialty crops.’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (e)(5), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

20 (3) in subsection (f)(5), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (g)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking 

24 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking 

2 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

5 (5) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub6 section (i); 

7 (6) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(h) REPORT.—Not later than February 1, 2026, 

10 and not less frequently than once every other year there11 after, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ag12 riculture of the House of Representatives and the Com13 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen14 ate a report describing how the Department carried out 

15 research and extension activities specified in subsections 

16 (d) through (f) for the previous two fiscal years, including 

17 the amount of funding allocated to each high-priority re18 search and extension initiative, through— 

19 ‘‘(1) amounts made available under appropria20 tions Acts to the Agricultural Research Service; 

21 ‘‘(2) amounts made available to the National 

22 Institute of Food and Agriculture under capacity 

23 and infrastructure programs (as defined in section 

24 251 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganiza25 tion Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971)); 


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1 ‘‘(3) amounts made available to the National 

2 Institute of Food and Agriculture under competitive 

3 programs (as defined in such section); and 

4 ‘‘(4) amounts made available through other 

5 agencies within the Department.’’; and 

6 (7) in subsection (i) (as redesignated by para7 graph (4)), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 7205. ORGANIC AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTEN10 SION INITIATIVE. 

11 Section 1672B of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva12 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925b) is amend13 ed— 

14 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

16 (2) by striking subsection (e); 

17 (3) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub18 section (e); and 

19 (4) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 

20 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

22 (B) by striking paragraph (3). 


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1 SEC. 7206. FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 

2 Section 1672D(d)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con3 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925f(d)(2)) 

4 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 7207. URBAN, INDOOR, AND OTHER EMERGING AGRI6 CULTURAL PRODUCTION RESEARCH, EDU7 CATION, AND EXTENSION INITIATIVE. 

8 Section 1672E of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva9 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925g)— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

12 (1)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘the Urban Agriculture 

14 and Innovative Production Advisory Com15 mittee established under section 222(b) of 

16 the Department of Agriculture Reorganiza17 tion Act of 1994’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

18 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Produc19 tion Advisory Committee and the Office of 

20 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Produc21 tion established under section 222 of the 

22 Department of Agriculture Reorganization 

23 Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923)’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘emerging agricultural 

25 production’’ and inserting ‘‘emerging agriVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00529 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 cultural production practices (as described 

2 in subsection (a)(3) of such section)’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘emerg4 ing agricultural production’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘emerging agricultural production practices’’; 

6 (C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

7 the end; 

8 (D) in paragraph (8), by striking the pe9 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

11 ‘‘(9) managing waste streams to improve the 

12 environmental footprint; or 

13 ‘‘(10) advising land-grant colleges and univer14 sities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Ag15 ricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

16 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)), minority-serving in17 stitutions (as described in section 371(a) of the 

18 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

19 1067q(a))), junior or community colleges (as defined 

20 in section 312(f) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1058(f))), 

21 and vocational schools, with respect to career and 

22 technical education.’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7208. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 

2 Section 1673 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

3 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5926) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and 

5 inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(a) CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agri8 culture shall establish at least one center of excel9 lence for the purpose of carrying out research, ex10 tension, and education activities for each of the 

11 areas of focus described in paragraph (3). 

12 ‘‘(2) HOST INSTITUTIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Institutions eligible to 

14 host or co-host a center of excellence estab15 lished under this subsection include— 

16 ‘‘(i) 1862 Institutions, as defined in 

17 section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Ex18 tension, and Education Reform Act of 

19 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601); 

20 ‘‘(ii) 1890 Institutions, as defined in 

21 section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Ex22 tension, and Education Reform Act of 

23 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601); 

24 ‘‘(iii) 1994 Institutions, as defined in 

25 section 532 of the Equity in Educational 


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1 Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

2 301 note); 

3 ‘‘(iv) non-land-grant colleges of agri4 culture, as defined in section 1404 of the 

5 National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

6 and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

7 3103); 

8 ‘‘(v) Hispanic-serving agricultural col9 leges or universities, as defined in section 

10 1404 of the National Agricultural Re11 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

12 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103); and 

13 ‘‘(vi) accredited schools of veterinary 

14 medicine. 

15 ‘‘(B) DISTRIBUTION.—To the maximum 

16 extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure 

17 the geographic diversity of institutions selected 

18 to host or co-host a center of excellence estab19 lished under this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—An institution may 

21 host or co-host only one center of excellence 

22 under this subsection at a time. 

23 ‘‘(D) DUTIES.—The institution or institu24 tions selected to host or co-host a center of ex25 cellence established under this subsection shall 


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1 partner with the Agricultural Research Service, 

2 other Federal agencies, State governments, 

3 other institutions of higher education (as de4 fined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

5 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), agricultural in6 dustry groups, or other relevant entities to— 

7 ‘‘(i) reduce duplicative efforts and 

8 focus on filling gaps across research, ex9 tension, and education activities by en10 hancing coordination and improving cost11 effectiveness; 

12 ‘‘(ii) leverage available resources by 

13 using public-private partnerships; 

14 ‘‘(iii) implement training and edu15 cational initiatives to increase awareness 

16 and effectively disseminate solutions to tar17 get audiences through extension activities; 

18 ‘‘(iv) increase the economic returns to 

19 rural communities by identifying, attract20 ing, and directing funds to high-priority 

21 agricultural issues; 

22 ‘‘(v) rapidly respond to emerging 

23 issues that threaten any sector of the 

24 United States agricultural industry; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) focus on workforce development 

2 for employers to recruit and retain high3 quality employees in rural areas; and 

4 ‘‘(vii) engage in assistance for admin5 istrative management and education re6 garding potentially valuable intellectual 

7 property derived from federally-supported 

8 research, extension, and education activi9 ties. 

10 ‘‘(3) AREAS OF FOCUS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) AQUACULTURE.—A center of excel12 lence established under this subsection may en13 gage in research, extension, and education ac14 tivities focused on developing and applying 

15 aquaculture methods, including through the 

16 propagation and rearing of economically and 

17 ecologically valuable aquatic and marine species. 

18 ‘‘(B) BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCH19 ERS.—A center of excellence established under 

20 this subsection may engage in research, exten21 sion and education activities focused on training 

22 beginning farmers and ranchers, including farm 

23 and agribusiness management, mentoring and 

24 technical assistance, and access to capital. 


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1 ‘‘(C) BIOSECURITY AND CYBERSECU2 RITY.—A center of excellence established under 

3 this subsection may engage in research, exten4 sion, and education activities focused on agri5 cultural biosecurity and cybersecurity efforts to 

6 defend the United States food supply from any 

7 attacks. 

8 ‘‘(D) BIOSYSTEMS AND AGRICULTURAL

9 ENGINEERING.—A center of excellence estab10 lished under this subsection may engage in re11 search, extension, and education activities fo12 cused on biosystems and agricultural engineer13 ing, including precision agriculture technologies 

14 and mechanization and automation technologies 

15 for specialty crops. 

16 ‘‘(E) BIOTECHNOLOGY.—A center of excel17 lence established under this subsection may en18 gage in research, extension, and education ac19 tivities focused on development of animal and 

20 plant biotechnologies that will increase agricul21 tural productivity. 

22 ‘‘(F) CROP PRODUCTION, PROTECTION, 

23 AND RESILIENCE.—A center of excellence estab24 lished under this subsection may engage in re25 search, extension, and education activities foVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00535 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 cused on crop production and protection, in2 cluding the development, manufacture, and use 

3 of fertilizer, crop protection tools, and adju4 vants in increasing productivity and protecting 

5 crops from damaging pests and diseases. 

6 ‘‘(G) DIGITAL AGRICULTURE.—A center of 

7 excellence established under this subsection may 

8 engage in research, extension, and education ac9 tivities focused on developing, evaluating, and 

10 deploying digital agriculture, including artificial 

11 intelligence and remote sensing systems. 

12 ‘‘(H) FARM BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL

13 MANAGEMENT.—A center of excellence estab14 lished under this subsection may engage in re15 search, extension, and education activities fo16 cused on farm business and financial manage17 ment activities, including marketing plans, pro18 duction diversification, and cash forward con19 tracting. 

20 ‘‘(I) FOOD QUALITY.—A center of excel21 lence established under this subsection may en22 gage in research, extension, and education ac23 tivities focused on improving food quality, in24 cluding research on the uptake of per- and 

25 polyfluoroalkyl substances in food, the presence 


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1 of microplastics in biosolids, and the efficacy 

2 and feasibility of reducing levels of inorganic 

3 arsenic, lead, cadmium, or mercury in food. 

4 ‘‘(J) FOREIGN ANIMAL DISEASE.—A center 

5 of excellence established under this subsection 

6 may engage in research, extension, and edu7 cation activities focused on foreign animal dis8 eases, including the ecology and etiology of 

9 emerging diseases, control methods, and imple10 mentation strategies to enhance preparedness 

11 and response efforts to protect the livestock and 

12 poultry industry. 

13 ‘‘(K) FORESTRY.—A center of excellence 

14 established under this subsection may engage in 

15 research, extension, and education activities fo16 cused on forest productivity and forest health, 

17 including invasive species control, biochar and 

18 pyrolysis development and commercialization, 

19 reforestation and restoration of damaged land20 scapes, and new wood-based materials. 

21 ‘‘(L) INVASIVE SPECIES.—A center of ex22 cellence established under this subsection may 

23 engage in research, extension, and education ac24 tivities focused on the control and eradication of 

25 invasive species that pose a persistent and 


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1 growing threat to United States agricultural 

2 production, forest resources, global food secu3 rity, and rural economies. 

4 ‘‘(M) LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY.—A cen5 ter of excellence established under this sub6 section may engage in research, extension, and 

7 education activities focused on issues impacting 

8 livestock (including equines) and poultry pro9 duction in the United States, including eco10 nomic research to understand policy implica11 tions for producers. 

12 ‘‘(N) VETERINARY MEDICINE.—A center of 

13 excellence established under this subsection may 

14 engage in research, extension, and education ac15 tivities focused on developing large animal vet16 erinarians and addressing the veterinarian 

17 shortage in rural areas. 

18 ‘‘(O) WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY.—A 

19 center of excellence established under this sub20 section may engage in research, extension, and 

21 education activities focused on water quality 

22 and quantity efforts, including drought, water 

23 management, natural resource benefits, and the 

24 health and resilience of the water supply in the 

25 United States. 


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1 ‘‘(4) TERMS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) DURATION.—The term of an award 

3 under this subsection shall be for a five-year pe4 riod, and may be renewed for not more than 

5 one additional five-year period. 

6 ‘‘(B) CONSTRUCTION PROHIBITED.— 

7 Funds made available under this subsection 

8 shall not be used for the construction of a new 

9 building or facility or the acquisition, expan10 sion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing 

11 building or facility (including site grading and 

12 improvement, and architect fees). 

13 ‘‘(5) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one 

14 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

15 and every year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit 

16 to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 

17 Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

18 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report de19 scribing— 

20 ‘‘(A) the projects initiated by each center 

21 of excellence established under this subsection 

22 in the preceding year; 

23 ‘‘(B) the amount of funding for each such 

24 project and the funding source; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the institutions participating in each 

2 such project and their shares of the overall 

3 funding for each project; 

4 ‘‘(D) the level of cost sharing for each such 

5 project; 

6 ‘‘(E) any technology transfer and intellec7 tual property management actions taken by 

8 each such center of excellence, such as the num9 ber of relevant invention disclosures, any provi10 sional patents filed, any non-provisional patents 

11 filed and issued, the number of licenses exe12 cuted, and any start-up companies registered; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(F) any additional information deemed 

15 necessary.’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub17 section (b); 

18 (3) in subsection (b), as so redesignated— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘In addition to the centers of ex22 cellence established under subsection (a), 

23 the Secretary’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘not less than 3 cen2 ters of excellence’’ and inserting ‘‘not less 

3 than 8 centers of excellence’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

6 (I) in the subparagraph heading, 

7 by striking ‘‘AND WORKFORCE DEVEL8 OPMENT’’ and inserting ‘‘, WORK9 FORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND RURAL

10 STUDIES’’; and 

11 (II) by inserting ‘‘economics, psy12 chology, rural sociology, data 

13 sciences,’’ after ‘‘mathematics,’’; 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (E), by inserting 

15 ‘‘and nature-based solutions to improve the 

16 composition of soil organic compounds, in17 cluding carbon, that are beneficial to soil 

18 quality and the environment’’ before the 

19 period at the end; and 

20 (iii) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(G) FOREST HEALTH AND CONSERVA23 TION.—A center of excellence established under 

24 paragraph (1) may focus on forest health, sus25 tainable forest management, agroforestry, enVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00541 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 hancing forest resilience to catastrophic wild2 fire, supporting rural infrastructure, and urban 

3 and community forestry programs to promote 

4 healthy forest ecosystems and resilient commu5 nities. 

6 ‘‘(H) FOOD SAFETY, BIOPROCESSING, AND

7 VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURE.—A center of ex8 cellence established under paragraph (1) may 

9 focus on food safety, bioprocessing, value-added 

10 agriculture enterprise development, and innova11 tive food and agriculture product develop12 ment.’’; and 

13 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7209. THINKDIFFERENTLY NATIONAL AGRABILITY 

16 PROJECT. 

17 Section 1680 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

18 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5933) is amended— 

19 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘ASSIST20 IVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FOR FARMERS

21 WITH DISABILITIES’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘THINKDIFFERENTLY NATIONAL AGRABILITY

23 PROJECT’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (a)(3)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the 

4 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

6 ‘‘(F) provide education and support to 

7 youth and young adults with disabilities inter8 ested in farming and farm-related occupa9 tions.’’; and 

10 (3) in subsection (c)— 

11 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

12 ‘‘AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘FUNDING’’; 

14 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

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

16 (C) by inserting before paragraph (2), as 

17 so redesignated, the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

19 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

20 shall use to carry out this section $8,000,000, to re21 main available until expended.’’; 

22 (D) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated— 

23 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik24 ing ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘AU25 THORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS’’; 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘Subject to paragraph 

2 (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph 

3 (3)’’; and 

4 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

5 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

6 (E) by amending paragraph (3), as so re7 designated, to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL GRANT.—Not more than 

9 15 percent of the amounts made available 

10 under this subsection shall be used to carry out 

11 subsection (b).’’. 

12 SEC. 7210. FARMING OPPORTUNITIES TRAINING AND OUT13 REACH. 

14 Section 2501 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

15 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (c)(2)— 

17 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

18 (A)— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Agri20 culture’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary of Agri21 culture, acting through the Director of the 

22 National Institute of Food and Agri23 culture,’’; and 

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

25 ‘‘2029’’; and 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears in 

2 subsections (d)(1) and (l)(2) and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 7211. NATIONAL RURAL INFORMATION CENTER 

4 CLEARINGHOUSE. 

5 Section 2381(e) of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva6 tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 3125b(e)) is 

7 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 7212. REPEAL. 

9 Subtitle D of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Con10 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5851 et seq.) 

11 is repealed. 

12 Subtitle C—Agricultural Research, 

13 Extension, and Education Re14 form Act of 1998 

15 SEC. 7301. NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY TRAINING, EDUCATION, 

16 EXTENSION, OUTREACH, AND TECHNICAL AS17 SISTANCE PROGRAM. 

18 Section 405 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, 

19 and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7625) is 

20 amended— 

21 (1) by striking subsection (d); 

22 (2) by redesignating subsections (e) through (j) 

23 as subsections (d) through (i), respectively; and 

24 (3) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, by 

25 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 7302. INTEGRATED RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EX2 TENSION COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM. 

3 Section 406(f) of the Agricultural Research, Exten4 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

5 7626(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 7303. SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH REGARDING DISEASES 

8 OF WHEAT, TRITICALE, AND BARLEY CAUSED 

9 BY FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM OR BY 

10 TILLETIA INDICA. 

11 Section 408(e)(3) of the Agricultural Research, Ex12 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

13 7628(e)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7304. GRANTS FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS. 

16 Section 410(d)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Ex17 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

18 7630(d)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘2029’’. 

20 SEC. 7305. SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 

21 Section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, 

22 and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632) is 

23 amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ‘‘subsection 

25 (d) and (j)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (d), (j), and 

26 (k)’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (g)(3), by adding at the end 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 

4 the matching funds requirement under subpara5 graph (A) with respect to a grant if the Sec6 retary determines that— 

7 ‘‘(i) the results of the grant are of a 

8 particular benefit to a specific specialty 

9 crop, but such results are likely to be ap10 plicable to specialty crops or agricultural 

11 commodities, generally; or 

12 ‘‘(ii)(I) the grant— 

13 ‘‘(aa) involves a minor com14 modity; and 

15 ‘‘(bb) deals with scientifically im16 portant research; and 

17 ‘‘(II) the recipient is unable to satisfy 

18 the matching funds requirement.’’; 

19 (3) in subjection (j)(5), by striking ‘‘subsection 

20 (k)(1)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (l)(1)(C)’’; 

21 (4) by redesignating subsection (k) as sub22 section (l); 

23 (5) by inserting after subsection (j) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(k) SPECIALTY CROP MECHANIZATION AND AUTO2 MATION RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROGRAM.—The 

3 Secretary shall establish a competitive research and exten4 sion grant program to award grants to eligible entities to 

5 increase the competitiveness of specialty crops in the 

6 United States through the advancement and acceleration 

7 of mechanization and automation, including projects 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(1) create or improve cost-effective mechaniza10 tion and automation technologies to— 

11 ‘‘(A) reduce the manual labor requirements 

12 of a specialty crop grower; or 

13 ‘‘(B) increase the efficiency of— 

14 ‘‘(i) crop production; 

15 ‘‘(ii) resource management; 

16 ‘‘(iii) harvesting; 

17 ‘‘(iv) processing; 

18 ‘‘(v) post-harvest technologies; or 

19 ‘‘(vi) packing; 

20 ‘‘(2) increase adoption of mechanization and 

21 automation technologies by— 

22 ‘‘(A) emphasizing adoption drivers, includ23 ing— 

24 ‘‘(i) connectivity; 

25 ‘‘(ii) autonomy; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) reliability; 

2 ‘‘(iv) durability; 

3 ‘‘(v) in-field validation; or 

4 ‘‘(vi) cost-effectiveness; or 

5 ‘‘(B) investing in, and developing human 

6 capital to, increase the capacity to— 

7 ‘‘(i) utilize new technologies; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) manage a more tech-focused 

9 farm workforce; or 

10 ‘‘(3) accelerate automation and mechanization 

11 through— 

12 ‘‘(A) prototype development; 

13 ‘‘(B) in-field trial testing; 

14 ‘‘(C) ongoing industry engagement; or 

15 ‘‘(D) rapid commercialization.’’; and 

16 (6) in subsection (l), as redesignated by para17 graph (4)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

20 ‘‘section $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2014’’ 

21 and inserting the following: ‘‘section— 

22 ‘‘(i) $80,000,000 for each of fiscal 

23 years 2014 through 2024; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) $175,000,000 for fiscal year 

25 2025’’; 


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1 (ii) by amending subparagraph (C) to 

2 read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(C) RESERVATION.— 

4 ‘‘(i) EMERGENCY CITRUS DISEASE RE5 SEARCH AND EXTENSION PROGRAM.— 

6 ‘‘(I) FISCAL YEARS 2014

7 THROUGH 2018.—For each of fiscal 

8 years 2014 through 2018, the Sec9 retary shall reserve not less than 

10 $25,000,000 of the funds made avail11 able under subparagraph (B) to carry 

12 out the program established under 

13 subsection (j). 

14 ‘‘(II) FISCAL YEARS 2025

15 THROUGH 2029.—For each of fiscal 

16 years 2025 through 2029, the Sec17 retary shall reserve not less than 

18 $25,000,000 of the funds made avail19 able under subparagraph (B) to carry 

20 out the program established under 

21 subsection (j). 

22 ‘‘(ii) SPECIALTY CROP MECHANIZA23 TION AND AUTOMATION RESEARCH AND

24 EXTENSION PROGRAM.—For each of fiscal 

25 years 2025 through 2029, the Secretary 


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1 shall reserve not less than $20,000,000 of 

2 the funds made available under subpara3 graph (B) to carry out the program estab4 lished under subsection (k).’’; and 

5 (iii) by amending subparagraph (D) to 

6 read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(D) REALLOCATION.—Notwithstanding 

8 paragraph (4), any funds reserved under sub9 paragraph (C) that remain unobligated at the 

10 end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year 

11 in which such funds are first made available 

12 shall be reallocated to carry out activities of the 

13 specialty crop research initiative established 

14 under subsection (b).’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik17 ing ‘‘FOR FISCAL YEARS 2014 THROUGH

18 2023’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘2029’’; 

21 (C) by striking paragraph (3); and 

22 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 

23 (5) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively. 


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1 SEC. 7306. AGRICULTURE GRANTS FOR VETERAN EDU2 CATION AND TRAINING SERVICES. 

3 Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

4 Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7624 et seq.) 

5 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 414. AGRICULTURE GRANTS FOR VETERAN EDU7 CATION AND TRAINING SERVICES. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

9 program under which the Secretary will award competitive 

10 grants to eligible entities for the purpose of establishing 

11 and enhancing farming and ranching opportunities for 

12 veterans (as defined in section 101(2) of title 38, United 

13 States Code). 

14 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity is eligible for 

15 a grant under this section if such entity is— 

16 ‘‘(1) a cooperative extension service; 

17 ‘‘(2) a land-grant college or university (as de18 fined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural 

19 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

20 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); 

21 ‘‘(3) a non-land-grant college of agriculture (as 

22 defined in such section); 

23 ‘‘(4) a Hispanic-serving agricultural college and 

24 university (as defined in such section); 

25 ‘‘(5) a State department of agriculture; 

26 ‘‘(6) a nonprofit organization; 


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1 ‘‘(7) a community-based organization; or 

2 ‘‘(8) a combination of 2 or more eligible entities 

3 described in paragraphs (1) through (7). 

4 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

5 a grant under this section shall use the funds received 

6 through the grant— 

7 ‘‘(1) to provide training and classroom edu8 cation that leads to a comprehensive understanding 

9 of farm and ranch business operations and manage10 ment practices; 

11 ‘‘(2) to develop or identify curriculum that vet12 eran farmers and ranchers can adopt to help man13 age their enterprise; 

14 ‘‘(3) to offer education, workshops, tours, and 

15 instructor-supervised field experiences; or 

16 ‘‘(4) to support any other activity, as identified 

17 by the Secretary, to increase the number of veterans 

18 pursuing knowledge and skills development in agri19 culture. 

20 ‘‘(d) MATCHING FUNDS.—An entity that receives a 

21 grant under this section shall provide non-Federal match22 ing funds for the purposes of carrying out this section in 

23 an amount equal to not less than the amount of the grant. 


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1 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

4 SEC. 7307. FOOD ANIMAL RESIDUE AVOIDANCE DATABASE 

5 PROGRAM. 

6 Section 604(e) of the Agricultural Research, Exten7 sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

8 7642(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘2029’’. 

10 SEC. 7308. OFFICE OF PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY. 

11 Section 614(f)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Ex12 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

13 7653(f)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7309. FORESTRY PRODUCTS ADVANCED UTILIZATION 

16 RESEARCH. 

17 Section 617(f)(1) of the Agricultural Research, Ex18 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 

19 7655b(f)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 7310. REPEALS. 

22 The Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 

23 Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.) is amended— 

24 (1) by striking section 404 (7 U.S.C. 7624); 

25 and 


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1 (2) by striking section 411 (7 U.S.C. 7631). 

2 Subtitle D—Food, Conservation, 

3 and Energy Act of 2008 

4 SEC. 7401. GRAZINGLANDS RESEARCH LABORATORY. 

5 Section 7502 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

6 Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–246; 122 Stat. 2019) is 

7 amended by striking ‘‘, for the 15-year period beginning 

8 on the date of enactment of this Act’’. 

9 SEC. 7402. FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE NET10 WORK. 

11 Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

12 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, in14 cluding crisis hotlines’’ after ‘‘websites’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

17 (3) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub18 section (g); and 

19 (4) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(f) REFERRALS TO PROVIDERS.—As part of the ef22 forts of the recipient of a grant under subsection (a) to 

23 connect individuals to behavioral health counseling and 

24 wellness support and to ensure individuals have access to 

25 a comprehensive scope of mental health and substance use 


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1 treatments and supports, when applicable, the grant re2 cipient may establish referral relationships with— 

3 ‘‘(1) certified community behavioral health clin4 ics described in section 223 of the Protecting Access 

5 to Medicare Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 1396a note; 

6 Public Law 113–93); 

7 ‘‘(2) health centers (as defined in section 

8 330(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 254b(a))); 

10 ‘‘(3) rural health clinics (as defined in section 

11 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 1395x(aa))); 

13 ‘‘(4) Federally qualified health centers (as de14 fined in that section); and 

15 ‘‘(5) critical access hospitals (as defined in sec16 tion 1861(mm) of the Social Security Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 1395x(mm))).’’. 

18 SEC. 7403. SUN GRANT PROGRAM. 

19 Section 7526 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

20 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8114) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

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

23 bioproduct’’ before ‘‘technologies’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘prod25 uct’’ and inserting ‘‘bioproduct’’; and 


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1 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘prod2 uct’’ and inserting ‘‘bioproduct’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ‘‘4 percent’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘30 percent’’; and 

5 (3) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

7 SEC. 7404. REPEALS. 

8 The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 

9 U.S.C. 8701 et seq.) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking section 7521 (7 U.S.C. 3202); 

11 and 

12 (2) by striking section 7525 (7 U.S.C. 5937). 

13 Subtitle E—Amendments to Other 

14 Laws 

15 SEC. 7501. EQUITY IN EDUCATIONAL LAND-GRANT STATUS 

16 ACT OF 1994. 

17 The Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act 

18 of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382) is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) in section 533(b), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

22 (2) in section 534(a)(1), by striking ‘‘equal to’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘not less than’’; 


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1 (3) in section 535, by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

2 place it appears in subsections (b)(1) and (c) and in3 serting ‘‘2029’’; 

4 (4) in section 536— 

5 (A) by striking subsection (b); 

6 (B) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub7 section (b); and 

8 (C) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated), 

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

10 SEC. 7502. RESEARCH FACILITIES ACT. 

11 Section 6 of the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 

12 390d) is amended— 

13 (1) in the section heading by striking ‘‘AU14 THORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘FUNDING’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Sub18 ject to’’ and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

20 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

21 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

22 shall make available to carry out the competitive 

23 grant program under section 4, $2,500,000,000 for 

24 fiscal year 2025, to remain available until expended. 


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1 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 Subject to’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), as so designated, by 

4 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 7503. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIA6 TIVE. 

7 Subsection (b) of the Competitive, Special, and Fa8 cilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

11 (A) in subparagraph (A)(iii)— 

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘regionally adapted’’ 

13 before ‘‘cultivar’’; and 

14 (ii) by inserting ‘‘breeding for environ15 mental resilience,’’ before ‘‘and 

16 participatory breeding’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (B)(i), by inserting ‘‘, 

18 including methods of increasing survival rate 

19 and adaptability of shellfish’’ after ‘‘aqua20 culture’’; 

21 (C) in subparagraph (E)— 

22 (i) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

23 the end; 

24 (ii) in clause (v), by striking the pe25 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(vi) hydroponics, aquaponics, 

4 aeroponics, and other production tech5 nologies used in controlled-environment ag6 riculture production.’’; and 

7 (D) in subparagraph (F)— 

8 (i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, includ9 ing supply chain coordination and capacity 

10 building’’ after ‘‘overseas markets’’; 

11 (ii) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

12 at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

13 (iii) in clause (viii), by striking the pe14 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

15 (iv) by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(ix) workforce training and develop18 ment, including meat and poultry proc19 essing (including rendering) and precision 

20 agriculture.’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (7)— 

22 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) 

23 through (I) as subparagraphs (E) through (J), 

24 respectively; 


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1 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(D) area career and technical education 

4 schools;’’; and 

5 (C) in subparagraph (J), as so redesig6 nated, by striking ‘‘(H)’’ and inserting ‘‘(I)’’; 

7 and 

8 (3) in paragraph (11)(A), in the matter pre9 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2029’’. 

11 SEC. 7504. EXTENSION DESIGN AND DEMONSTRATION INI12 TIATIVE. 

13 Subsection (d)(6) of the Competitive, Special, and 

14 Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(d)(6)) is 

15 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 7505. BIOMASS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

17 Section 9008(h)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural 

18 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8108(h)(2)) is amended 

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

20 SEC. 7506. RENEWABLE RESOURCES EXTENSION ACT OF 

21 1978. 

22 The Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978 (16 

23 U.S.C. 1671 et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 6 (16 U.S.C. 1675), in the first 

2 sentence, by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) in section 8 (16 U.S.C. 1671 note), by 

5 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 7507. NATIONAL AQUACULTURE ACT OF 1980. 

7 The National Aquaculture Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 

8 2801 et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) in section 4 (16 U.S.C. 2803)— 

10 (A) in subsection (a)(2), by striking 

11 ‘‘acquaculture’’ and inserting ‘‘aquaculture’’; 

12 (B) in subsection (d), in the matter pre13 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, not less 

14 than once every 3 years,’’ after ‘‘periodic re15 views’’; and 

16 (C) in subsection (e)— 

17 (i) in the matter preceding paragraph 

18 (1), by inserting ‘‘, not less than once 

19 every 3 years,’’ after ‘‘undertake a con20 tinuing assessment of aquaculture in the 

21 United States’’; 

22 (ii) in paragraph (5), by striking 

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (iii) in paragraph (6), by striking the 

2 period at the end and inserting a semi3 colon; and 

4 (iv) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(7) a catalog of new and existing capital con7 straints, as described in the capital requirements 

8 plan formulated under section 8(b), that affect the 

9 development of the aquaculture industry in the 

10 United States; and 

11 ‘‘(8) a catalog of new and existing Federal or 

12 State regulatory barriers, as described in the regu13 latory constraints plan formulated under section 

14 9(b), to the initiation and operation of commercial 

15 aquaculture ventures.’’; 

16 (2) in section 5 (16 U.S.C. 2804), by striking 

17 subsection (d) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(d) AQUACULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

20 after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and 

21 National Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall 

22 establish an advisory committee, to be known as the 

23 Aquaculture Advisory Committee (referred to in this 

24 subsection as the ‘Committee’), to advise the Sec25 retary on— 


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1 ‘‘(A) oversight of programs of the Depart2 ment and other members of the coordinating 

3 group to support development of, and to ad4 vance, aquaculture best practices using the best 

5 available science, in consultation with farmers 

6 and industry partners; 

7 ‘‘(B) providing technical assistance to 

8 aquaculture farmers and businesses, including 

9 technical assistance that pertains to shellfish, 

10 algae, and land-based aquaculture systems, 

11 using the best available science; and 

12 ‘‘(C) any other aspects of the implementa13 tion of this Act. 

14 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall 

16 be composed of 14 members, who are not offi17 cers or employees of the Federal Government. 

18 ‘‘(B) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Sec19 retary shall appoint the members of the Com20 mittee not later than 180 days after the date of 

21 enactment of this section. 

22 ‘‘(C) PERIOD OF INITIAL APPOINTMENT; 

23 VACANCIES.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro25 vided in clause (ii), a member of the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00564 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 mittee shall be appointed for a term of 3 

2 years. 

3 ‘‘(ii) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Of the 

4 members first appointed to the Com5 mittee— 

6 ‘‘(I) 5 of the members, as deter7 mined by the Secretary, shall be ap8 pointed for a term of 3 years; 

9 ‘‘(II) 5 of the members, as deter10 mined by the Secretary, shall be ap11 pointed for a term of 2 years; and 

12 ‘‘(III) 4 of the members, as de13 termined by the Secretary, shall be 

14 appointed for a term of 1 year. 

15 ‘‘(iii) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in 

16 the Committee— 

17 ‘‘(I) shall not affect the powers of 

18 the Committee; and 

19 ‘‘(II) shall be filled as soon as 

20 practicable in the same manner as the 

21 original appointment. 

22 ‘‘(D) CONSECUTIVE TERMS.—An initial 

23 appointee of the Committee may serve an addi24 tional consecutive term if the member is re25 appointed by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(3) MEETINGS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) FREQUENCY.—The Committee shall 

3 meet not fewer than 3 times per year. 

4 ‘‘(B) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 

5 180 days after the date on which the members 

6 are appointed under paragraph (2)(B), the 

7 Committee shall hold the first meeting of the 

8 Committee. 

9 ‘‘(4) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) develop recommendations and advise 

11 the Secretary on aquaculture policies, initia12 tives, and outreach administered by the Depart13 ment; 

14 ‘‘(B) evaluate and review ongoing research 

15 and extension activities relating to aquaculture 

16 practices; 

17 ‘‘(C) identify new and existing barriers to 

18 successful aquaculture practices; and 

19 ‘‘(D) provide additional assistance and ad20 vice to the Secretary as appropriate. 

21 ‘‘(5) PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) COMPENSATION.—A member of the 

23 Committee shall serve without compensation. 

24 ‘‘(B) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of 

25 the Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, 


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1 including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in ac2 cordance with section 5703 of title 5, United 

3 States Code. 

4 ‘‘(6) TERMINATION.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara6 graph (B), the Committee shall terminate on 

7 the date that is 5 years after the date on which 

8 the members are appointed under paragraph 

9 (2)(B). 

10 ‘‘(B) EXTENSIONS.—Before the date on 

11 which the Committee terminates, the Secretary 

12 may renew the Committee for 1 or more 2-year 

13 periods. 

14 ‘‘(e) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 

15 the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and Na16 tional Security Act of 2024, and each year thereafter, the 

17 Secretary, acting through the coordinating group and in 

18 consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Sec19 retary of the Interior, shall prepare on an annual basis, 

20 and submit to Congress, a report on the status of aqua21 culture in the United States. Such report shall contain— 

22 ‘‘(1) a description and evaluation of the actions 

23 undertaken with respect to the Plan during the re24 porting period; 


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1 ‘‘(2) an explanation of any revisions made to 

2 the Plan during the reporting period; 

3 ‘‘(3) the results of the continuing assessment 

4 established under section 4(e); 

5 ‘‘(4) an evaluation of the role each Federal de6 partment or agency has in supporting the aqua7 culture industry; 

8 ‘‘(5) the total amount and value of expenditures 

9 of Federal departments or agencies on— 

10 ‘‘(A) aquaculture purchases; 

11 ‘‘(B) aquaculture promotion and outreach 

12 supporting the aquaculture industry; 

13 ‘‘(C) grants made to the aquaculture in14 dustry; and 

15 ‘‘(D) grants to facilitate aquaculture re16 search and the subject matter of such research; 

17 ‘‘(6) a summary of the activities and rec18 ommendations of the Aquaculture Advisory Com19 mittee established under subsection (d); 

20 ‘‘(7) a summary of the activities and rec21 ommendations of the coordinating group; and 

22 ‘‘(8) such other comments and recommenda23 tions as the Secretary determines appropriate.’’; and 


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1 (3) in section 10 (16 U.S.C. 2809), by striking 

2 ‘‘2023’’ each place it appears in paragraphs (1), (2), 

3 and (3) and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

4 SEC. 7508. REPORTS ON DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS FOR AG5 RICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION AT 

6 1862 AND 1890 LAND-GRANT COLLEGES, IN7 CLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY. 

8 Section 7116 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

9 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2207d) is amended— 

10 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

11 striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and inserting the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(b) OUTREACH.—Not later than February 1 of each 

16 fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide information relat17 ing to each matching requirement applicable to the State 

18 under the programs referred to in subsection (a) to the 

19 Governor and legislature of each State in which an 1862 

20 Institution or 1890 Institution (as those terms are defined 

21 in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

22 Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)) is lo23 cated. 

24 ‘‘(c) ATTESTATIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

2 once each calendar year, the Governor of each State 

3 described in subsection (b) shall submit to the Sec4 retary an attestation that describes if the State is 

5 able to fulfill each matching requirement with re6 spect to which information is provided by the Sec7 retary under such subsection for such State and cal8 endar year. 

9 ‘‘(2) REPORTS.—Not later than December 31 

10 of each calendar year, the Secretary shall submit to 

11 Congress, and make publicly available on the website 

12 of the Department of Agriculture, an annual report 

13 describing the attestations received under paragraph 

14 (1) during that calendar year.’’. 

15 SEC. 7509. REPEAL. 

16 Section 1431 of the National Agricultural Research, 

17 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act Amendments of 1985 

18 (title XIV of Public Law 99–198; 99 Stat. 1556) is re19 pealed. 

20 Subtitle F—Other Matters 

21 SEC. 7601. FOUNDATION FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE RE22 SEARCH. 

23 Section 7601 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

24 U.S.C. 5939) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (d)(1)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

2 (i) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘of Agri3 culture; and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

4 and 

5 (ii) by striking clause (iii); and 

6 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘the 

7 roadmap for agricultural research, education, 

8 and extension authorized by section 7504 of the 

9 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 

10 U.S.C. 7614a)’’ and inserting ‘‘the national re11 search policies and priorities set forth in section 

12 1402 of the National Agricultural Research, 

13 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

14 U.S.C. 3101)’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (e)(2)(C)(i)— 

16 (A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘National 

17 Academy of Sciences’’ and inserting ‘‘National 

18 Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, 

19 and Economics Advisory Board established 

20 under section 1408 of the National Agricultural 

21 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act 

22 of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123)’’; and 

23 (B) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘indus24 try’’ and inserting ‘‘national farm, producer, or 

25 research organizations’’; and 


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1 (3) in subsection (f)(3)(B)(i)— 

2 (A) in subclause (I)— 

3 (i) in the matter preceding item (aa), 

4 by striking ‘‘and post online’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘online and submit to the Committee on 

6 Agriculture of the House of Representa7 tives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

8 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate’’; 

9 (ii) in item (bb), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

10 the end; 

11 (iii) in item (cc), by striking the pe12 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

13 and 

14 (iv) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(dd) the source and a de17 scription of all gifts to the Foun18 dation of real or personal prop19 erty; 

20 ‘‘(ee) the source and amount 

21 of each gift to the Foundation of 

22 money, including a specification 

23 of any restrictions on the pur24 poses for which a gift to the 

25 Foundation may be used; 


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1 ‘‘(ff) the source and amount 

2 of any Federal or State grant, 

3 contract, or cooperative agree4 ment awarded to the Foundation; 

5 ‘‘(gg) an accounting of the 

6 use of funds made available 

7 under subsection (g)(1); 

8 ‘‘(hh) a description of the 

9 Foundation’s outreach activities 

10 to agricultural stakeholders and 

11 potential research partners; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) a description of the 

13 Foundation’s consultation proc14 ess with the Department under 

15 subsection (d)(1)(B).’’; 

16 (B) by striking subclauses (II) and (III); 

17 and 

18 (C) by redesignating subclause (IV) as 

19 subclause (II). 

20 SEC. 7602. AGRICULTURE INNOVATION CENTER DEM21 ONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

22 Section 6402 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest23 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1632b) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (d)— 

25 (A) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘Each Agriculture In2 novation Center’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to 

3 paragraph (3), each Agriculture Innovation 

4 Center’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘following::’’ and in6 serting ‘‘following:’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(3) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the 

9 requirement described in paragraph (2) with respect 

10 to an eligible entity if the Secretary determines that 

11 the eligible entity has a board of directors adequate 

12 for the purpose of carrying out this section.’’; and 

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

14 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 7603. LIVESTOCK INSECTS LABORATORY. 

16 The Act of December 23, 1987 (Public Law 100– 

17 208; 101 Stat. 1439) is amended by striking ‘‘Knipling18 Bushland Research Laboratory’’ each place it appears and 

19 inserting ‘‘Knipling-Bushland Research Center’’. 

20 SEC. 7604. HATCH ACT OF 1887. 

21 Section 5 of the Hatch Act of 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361e) 

22 is amended— 

23 (1) in the second sentence— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘known as a director’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘known as an experiment station di3 rector’’; and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘or other officer appointed 

5 by the government board of the station’’; 

6 (2) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘or other 

7 officer’’; and 

8 (3) by striking ‘‘the authorized receiving offi9 cer’’ and inserting ‘‘the experiment station director’’. 

10 SEC. 7605. COMMISSION ON NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STA11 TISTICS SERVICE MODERNIZATION. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a com13 mission to be known as the Commission on National Agri14 cultural Statistics Service Modernization (referred to in 

15 this section as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

16 (b) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a study 

17 of the National Agricultural Statistics Service and provide 

18 recommendations on— 

19 (1) how data collection can be modernized and 

20 streamlined to— 

21 (A) improve the quality of statistics re22 ported; 

23 (B) account for differences of national, re24 gional, and local production; 


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1 (C) accelerate adoption of new and innova2 tive technologies to reduce the number of sur3 veys needed; 

4 (D) improve producer response rates in 

5 statistical surveys and identifying ways to re6 duce survey fatigue; 

7 (E) increase transparency and confidence 

8 in statistical reports through improved collabo9 ration with agricultural stakeholders; 

10 (F) use more real-time statistical and envi11 ronmental data to complement existing survey12 based data and reporting; and 

13 (G) improve collection and generation of 

14 timely data on the specialty crop industry; and 

15 (2) how the recommendations under paragraph 

16 (1) with respect to modernizing and streamlining 

17 data collection can be implemented and the esti18 mated costs of such implementation. 

19 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

20 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

21 composed of 11 members, as follows: 

22 (A) The Administrator of the National Ag23 ricultural Statistics Service. 

24 (B) The Administrator of the Economic 

25 Research Service. 


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1 (C) The Chief Economist of the Depart2 ment. 

3 (D) The Chair of the World Agricultural 

4 Outlook Board of the Department. 

5 (E) A representative from the Bureau of 

6 Labor Statistics. 

7 (F) 3 members appointed by the Com8 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

9 of the Senate, of which— 

10 (i) 1 shall be appointed by the chair 

11 of the Committee; 

12 (ii) 1 shall be appointed by the rank13 ing member of the Committee; and 

14 (iii) 1 shall be appointed jointly by the 

15 chair and ranking member of the Com16 mittee. 

17 (G) 3 members appointed by the Com18 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep19 resentatives, of which— 

20 (i) 1 shall be appointed by the chair 

21 of the Committee; 

22 (ii) 1 shall be appointed by the rank23 ing member of the Committee; and 


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1 (iii) 1 shall be appointed jointed by 

2 the chair and ranking member of the Com3 mittee. 

4 (2) DATE OF APPOINTMENTS.—The appoint5 ment of all members of the Commission shall be 

6 made not later than 60 days after the date of enact7 ment of this Act. 

8 (3) TERM; VACANCIES.— 

9 (A) TERM.—A member shall be appointed 

10 for the life of the Commission. 

11 (B) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Com12 mission— 

13 (i) shall not affect the powers of the 

14 Commission; and 

15 (ii) shall be filled in the same manner 

16 as the original appointment was made. 

17 (4) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 60 days 

18 after the date on which all members of the Commis19 sion have been appointed, the Commission shall hold 

20 the initial meeting of the Commission. 

21 (d) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the 

22 Commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction 

23 of business, but a lesser number of members may hold 

24 hearings. 


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1 (e) CHAIR.—The Chair of the Commission shall be 

2 selected by a majority of the members of the Commission. 

3 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

4 of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to 

5 the President, the Committee on Agriculture of the House 

6 of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, 

7 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing 

8 the results of the study required by subsection (b), includ9 ing— 

10 (1) an inventory of surveys conducted by the 

11 Commission, and the frequency with which they are 

12 conducted; and 

13 (2) such recommendations for administrative, 

14 regulatory, and legislative changes as the Commis15 sion considers appropriate. 

16 (g) HEARINGS.—The Commission shall hold such 

17 hearings, meet and act at such times and places, take such 

18 testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission 

19 considers advisable to carry out this section. 

20 (h) STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.—The Commission 

21 shall establish a process to collect feedback from agricul22 tural stakeholders to inform the results of the study re23 quired under subsection (b) and the report required under 

24 subsection (f). 


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1 (i) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The 

2 Commission may secure directly from a Federal agency 

3 such information as the Commission considers necessary 

4 to carry out this section. On request of the Chairperson 

5 of the Commission, the head of the agency shall provide 

6 the information to the Commission. 

7 (j) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may use 

8 the United States mail in the same manner and under the 

9 same conditions as other agencies of the Federal Govern10 ment. 

11 (k) ASSISTANCE FROM SECRETARY.—The Secretary 

12 shall provide to the Commission appropriate office space 

13 and such reasonable administrative and support services 

14 as the Commission may request. 

15 (l) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

16 (1) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of 

17 the Commission who is not an officer or employee of 

18 the Federal Government shall be compensated at a 

19 rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate 

20 of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive 

21 Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 

22 States Code, for each day (including travel time) 

23 during which the member is engaged in the perform24 ance of the duties of the Commission. 


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1 (2) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of the 

2 Commission who is an officer or employee of the 

3 Federal Government shall serve without compensa4 tion in addition to the compensation received for the 

5 services of the member as an officer or employee of 

6 the Federal Government. 

7 (3) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 

8 Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, includ9 ing per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates author10 ized for an employee of an agency under subchapter 

11 I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while 

12 away from the home or regular place of business of 

13 the member in the performance of the duties of the 

14 Commission. 

15 (m) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—Sec16 tions 1009 and 1013 of title 5, United States Code, shall 

17 not apply to the Commission or any proceeding of the 

18 Commission. 

19 (n) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate 

20 on September 30, 2029. 

21 (o) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred22 it Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this 

23 section $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, to remain avail24 able until expended. 


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1 SEC. 7606. RESTORATION OF 4–H NAME AND EMBLEM AU2 THORITY. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) 4–H CLUB.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘4–H club’’ 

6 means a 4–H club recognized under the 4–H 

7 Program. 

8 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘4–H club’’ 

9 includes an authorized agent of a 4–H club. 

10 (2) 4–H EMBLEM OR NAME.—The term ‘‘4–H 

11 emblem or name’’ means the 4–H sign or emblem, 

12 consisting of a green four-leaf clover with stem and 

13 the letter ‘‘H’’ in white or gold on each leaflet, and 

14 the words ‘‘4–H’’, ‘‘4–H Club’’, and ‘‘4–H Clubs’’, 

15 used to identify and distinguish the 4–H Program 

16 and the activities, clubs, members, goods, and serv17 ices of the 4–H Program. 

18 (3) 4–H PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘4–H Pro19 gram’’— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘4–H Pro21 gram’’ means the youth development program 

22 of the land-grant colleges or universities, the 

23 Cooperative Extension System (as defined by 

24 the Secretary), and the Department. 


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1 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘4–H Pro2 gram’’ includes an authorized agent of the 4– 

3 H Program. 

4 (4) LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.— 

5 The term ‘‘land-grant college or university’’— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘land-grant 

7 college or university’’ means an 1862 Institu8 tion, an 1890 Institution, or a 1994 Institution 

9 (as those terms are defined in section 2 of the 

10 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Edu11 cation Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)). 

12 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘land-grant 

13 college or university’’ includes an authorized 

14 agent of a land-grant college or university. 

15 (b) EFFECT OF REPEAL; RATIFICATION.— 

16 (1) CIVIL ACTS.—Any civil act or action of the 

17 4–H Program, a 4–H club, the Secretary, or a land18 grant college or university taken with respect to the 

19 use of the 4–H emblem or name, or the recognition 

20 of any 4–H club, during the period beginning on 

21 May 8, 1914, and ending on the date of enactment 

22 of this Act, is deemed to be of legal force and effect 

23 and ratified as if section 1002(3) of the Clean Up 

24 the Code Act of 2019 (title X of division O of Public 


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1 Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 2155) had not been en2 acted into law. 

3 (2) EFFECT ON CRIMINAL LAW.—Nothing in 

4 this subsection affects the effect on criminal law of 

5 the repeal made by section 1002(3) of the Clean Up 

6 the Code Act of 2019 (title X of division O of Public 

7 Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 2155). 

8 (c) AUTHORIZATIONS FOR USE OF 4–H EMBLEM OR

9 NAME; FEES; DEPOSITS.— 

10 (1) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may— 

11 (A) use the 4–H emblem or name; and 

12 (B) grant authorizations to use the 4–H 

13 emblem or name, as provided by regulations 

14 issued by the Secretary. 

15 (2) FEES.—An authorization under paragraph 

16 (1) may be granted— 

17 (A) without a fee or other consideration; or 

18 (B) for a fee or other consideration. 

19 (3) USE OF FEES.—The Secretary shall deposit 

20 into a special account any fees collected under para21 graph (2)(B), the amounts in which shall remain 

22 available to the Secretary until expended, without 

23 further appropriation, for furthering the 4–H Pro24 gram. 


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1 (d) UNAUTHORIZED USE OF 4–H EMBLEM OR

2 NAME.— 

3 (1) PROHIBITION.—Whoever, other than the 4– 

4 H Program, a 4–H club, the Department, a land5 grant college or university, and those authorized by 

6 them, uses in commerce the 4–H emblem or name 

7 or any reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable 

8 imitation of the 4–H emblem or name to indicate 

9 membership in an association, organization, or other 

10 collective group, or in connection with the sale, offer11 ing for sale, distribution, or advertising of goods or 

12 services, on or in connection with which that use is 

13 likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake, or to de14 ceive as to membership or participation in, an affili15 ation, connection, or association with, or authoriza16 tion or approval by, a 4–H club or the 4–H Pro17 gram, shall be subject to the civil action under para18 graph (2). 

19 (2) CIVIL ACTION.—The Attorney General, on 

20 behalf of the Secretary, or contract counsel procured 

21 by the Secretary, may bring a civil action in an ap22 propriate district court of the United States against 

23 whoever engages in any of the prohibited acts de24 scribed in paragraph (1) for the remedies provided 

25 in the Act of July 5, 1946 (commonly known as the 


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1 ‘‘Trademark Act of 1946’’ or the ‘‘Lanham Act’’) 

2 (15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.). 

3 (e) SAVINGS CLAUSES.— 

4 (1) PRIOR AUTHORIZED USES.—Nothing in this 

5 section makes unlawful the use of any emblem, 

6 name, sign, symbol, insignia, or words that was law7 ful on December 26, 2020. 

8 (2) DELEGATION.—Nothing in this section lim9 its the authority of the Secretary to delegate the au10 thority of the Secretary as otherwise authorized by 

11 law. 

12 SEC. 7607. UNDER SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE FOR RE13 SEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMICS. 

14 Section 251 of the Department of Agriculture Reor15 ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (c)— 

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

18 at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

19 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe20 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(3) be responsible for the coordination of re23 search activities with other Federal agencies.’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (e)(3)(C), by striking ‘‘not less 

25 than 3 years’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than 1 year’’; 


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1 (3) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub2 section (g); and 

3 (4) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(f) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

7 out cross-cutting and collaborative research and de8 velopment activities focused on the joint advance9 ment of the mission requirements and priorities of 

10 the Department of Agriculture and other Federal 

11 agencies. 

12 ‘‘(2) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.— 

13 ‘‘(A) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 

15 year after the date of enactment of the 

16 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 

17 2024, the Secretary and the Secretary of 

18 Energy (referred to in this subparagraph 

19 as the ‘Secretaries’) shall coordinate the 

20 activities under paragraph (1) through the 

21 establishment of memoranda of under22 standing or other appropriate interagency 

23 agreements. Such a memorandum or such 

24 an agreement shall require the use of a 

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1 propriate. Activities may include compo2 nents proposed by Federal agencies, Na3 tional Laboratories, institutions of higher 

4 education, nonprofit organizations, and 

5 other entities deemed appropriate under 

6 the memorandum or agreement. 

7 ‘‘(ii) COORDINATION.—In carrying out 

8 the activities under paragraph (1), the Sec9 retaries may— 

10 ‘‘(I) conduct collaborative re11 search in a variety of focus areas; 

12 ‘‘(II) develop methods to accom13 modate large voluntary standardized 

14 and integrated data sets on agricul15 tural, environmental, supply chain, 

16 and economic information with vari17 able accuracy and scale; 

18 ‘‘(III) promote collaboration and 

19 open community-based development 

20 between— 

21 ‘‘(aa) Federal agencies; 

22 ‘‘(bb) National Laboratories; 

23 ‘‘(cc) institutions of higher 

24 education (as defined in section 


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1 101 of the Higher Education Act 

2 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); 

3 ‘‘(dd) nonprofit institutions; 

4 ‘‘(ee) industry partners; and 

5 ‘‘(ff) other entities deemed 

6 appropriate under the memo7 randum or agreement involved; 

8 ‘‘(IV) support research infra9 structure, including new facilities and 

10 equipment, and workforce develop11 ment as the Secretaries determine 

12 necessary; 

13 ‘‘(V) conduct collaborative re14 search, development, and demonstra15 tion of methods and technologies; and 

16 ‘‘(VI) facilitate relations between 

17 public and private entities to carry on 

18 the activities of this clause upon the 

19 termination of any agreement estab20 lished under this subparagraph. 

21 ‘‘(iii) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out 

22 the activities under this subparagraph, the 

23 Secretaries are authorized to— 

24 ‘‘(I) carry out reimbursable 

25 agreements between the Department 


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1 of Agriculture, the Department of En2 ergy, and other entities in order to 

3 maximize the effectiveness of research 

4 and development; and 

5 ‘‘(II) collaborate with other Fed6 eral agencies, as appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(B) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 

9 year after the date of enactment of the 

10 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 

11 2024, the Secretary and the Director of 

12 the National Science Foundation (referred 

13 to in this subparagraph as the ‘‘Director’’) 

14 shall coordinate the activities under para15 graph (1) through the establishment of 

16 memoranda of understanding or other ap17 propriate interagency agreements. Such a 

18 memorandum or such an agreement shall 

19 require the use of a competitive, merit-re20 viewed process as appropriate. Activities 

21 may include components proposed by Fed22 eral agencies, institutions of higher edu23 cation, nonprofit organizations, and other 

24 entities deemed appropriate under the 

25 memorandum or agreement. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) COORDINATION.—In carrying out 

2 the activities under paragraph (1), the Sec3 retary and the Director may— 

4 ‘‘(I) conduct collaborative re5 search in a variety of focus areas; 

6 ‘‘(II) promote collaboration and 

7 open, community-based development 

8 between— 

9 ‘‘(aa) Federal agencies; 

10 ‘‘(bb) institutions of higher 

11 education; 

12 ‘‘(cc) community colleges (as 

13 defined in section 3167B of the 

14 Energy Science Education En15 hancement Act (42 U.S.C. 

16 7381c–3)); 

17 ‘‘(dd) area career and tech18 nical education schools (as de19 fined in section 3 of the Carl D. 

20 Perkins Career and Technical 

21 Education Act of 2006 (20 

22 U.S.C. 2302)); 

23 ‘‘(ee) nonprofit institutions; 

24 ‘‘(ff) industry partners; and 


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1 ‘‘(gg) other entities deemed 

2 appropriate under the memo3 randum or agreement; 

4 ‘‘(III) support research infra5 structure, including new facilities, 

6 equipment and broadband deploy7 ment, as the Secretary and Director 

8 determine necessary; 

9 ‘‘(IV) develop translational tech10 nologies for commercial utilization; 

11 ‘‘(V) organize education, train12 ing, and research initiatives relating 

13 to STEM education and workforce de14 velopment, which may include— 

15 ‘‘(aa) activities supported by 

16 the Cooperative Extension Sys17 tem; 

18 ‘‘(bb) industrial partnership 

19 programs; 

20 ‘‘(cc) workshops for edu21 cating kindergarten through 

22 grade 12 teachers on how to in23 crease agricultural literacy; 

24 ‘‘(dd) development of agri25 cultural-based science curricula 


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1 for kindergarten through grade 

2 12 students; and 

3 ‘‘(ee) distribution of re4 sources for educators to imple5 ment curricula; and 

6 ‘‘(VI) facilitate relationships be7 tween public and private entities to 

8 carry on the activities under this 

9 clause upon the termination of any 

10 agreement established under this sub11 paragraph. 

12 ‘‘(iii) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out 

13 the activities under this subparagraph, the 

14 Secretary and the Director are authorized 

15 to— 

16 ‘‘(I) carry out reimbursable 

17 agreements between the Department 

18 of Agriculture, the National Science 

19 Foundation, and other entities in 

20 order to maximize the effectiveness of 

21 research and development; and 

22 ‘‘(II) collaborate with other Fed23 eral agencies as appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(C) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—In ad25 dition to the memoranda of understanding with 


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1 Federal agencies described in subparagraphs 

2 (A) and (B), the Secretary shall, as appro3 priate, enter into memoranda of understanding 

4 with the heads of other Federal agencies to co5 ordinate the activities under paragraph (1). 

6 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than two years after 

7 the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and Na8 tional Security Act of 2024, the Secretary shall sub9 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

10 report detailing— 

11 ‘‘(A) interagency coordination between 

12 each Federal agency involved in the research 

13 and development activities carried out under 

14 this section; 

15 ‘‘(B) potential opportunities to expand the 

16 technical capabilities of each Federal agency in17 volved in the research and development activi18 ties carried out under this section; 

19 ‘‘(C) collaborative research achievements; 

20 ‘‘(D) areas of future mutually beneficial 

21 successes; 

22 ‘‘(E) continuation of coordination activities 

23 between each Federal agency involved in the re24 search and development activities carried out 

25 under this section; 


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1 ‘‘(F) potential opportunities for additional 

2 memoranda of understanding with other Fed3 eral agencies; and 

4 ‘‘(G) any additional information as the 

5 Secretary deems appropriate. 

6 ‘‘(4) RESEARCH SECURITY.—The activities au7 thorized under this section shall be applied in a 

8 manner consistent with subtitle D of title VI of the 

9 Research and Development, Competition, and Inno10 vation Act (enacted as division B of the CHIPS Act 

11 of 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 42 U.S.C. 19231 et 

12 seq.)).’’. 

13 SEC. 7608. AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION CORPS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish an 

15 Agricultural Innovation Corps (referred to in this section 

16 as the ‘‘Ag I–Corps’’) to promote technology transfer and 

17 increase the economic impact of federally-funded research 

18 through— 

19 (1) supporting agricultural researchers, stu20 dents, and institutions of higher education (as de21 fined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 

22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), in exploring the commer23 cial potential of technologies developed in labora24 tories through a standardized entrepreneurial train25 ing program; and 


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1 (2) bringing together Agriculture Research 

2 Service researchers and institutions of higher edu3 cation within a distinct geographical region to col4 laborate and deliver a standardized entrepreneurial 

5 training curriculum. 

6 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—Agricultural researchers, stu7 dents, and institutions of higher education receiving funds 

8 from the Department shall be eligible to participate in Ag 

9 I–Corps. 

10 (c) FOLLOW-ON GRANTS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 

12 funds available from the Small Business Innovation 

13 Research Program for competitive grants to Ag I– 

14 Corps participants to help support— 

15 (A) prototype or proof-of-concept develop16 ment; and 

17 (B) such activities as the Secretary con18 siders necessary to build local, regional, and na19 tional infrastructure for agricultural entrepre20 neurship. 

21 (2) LIMITATION.—Grants under paragraph (1) 

22 shall be limited to participants in Ag I–Corps with 

23 innovations that, because of the early stage of devel24 opment of such innovations, are not eligible to par25 ticipate in a Small Business Innovation Research 


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1 Program or Small Business Technology Transfer 

2 Program (as defined in section 9 of the Small Busi3 ness Act (15 U.S.C. 638)). 

4 (d) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary may engage in 

5 partnerships with other Federal agencies, State and local 

6 governments, economic development organizations, and 

7 nonprofit organizations to provide access to Ag I–Corps 

8 to support entrepreneurship education and training for ag9 ricultural researchers, students, and institutions of higher 

10 education under this section. 

11 (e) REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 2025, 

12 and not less frequently than once every other year, the 

13 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture 

14 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

15 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a re16 port on the efficacy of Ag I–Corps, including metrics on 

17 the effectiveness of the program. 

18 TITLE VIII—FORESTRY 

19 Subtitle A—Cooperative Forestry 

20 Assistance Act of 1978 

21 SEC. 8101. SUPPORT FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS AND STRAT22 EGIES FOR FOREST RESOURCES. 

23 Section 2A(f) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance 

24 Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101a(f)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘to carry out 

4 this section’’ and all that follows through the period 

5 at the end and inserting the following: ‘‘the Sec6 retary may use any other funds made available 

7 under this Act to develop and implement the State8 wide assessment and State-wide strategy required by 

9 subsection (a), except that the total amount of com10 bined funding used to develop and implement such 

11 assessment and strategy may not exceed 

12 $10,000,000 in any fiscal year.’’. 

13 SEC. 8102. FOREST LEGACY PROGRAM TECHNICAL COR14 RECTION. 

15 Section 7(l)(3) of the Cooperative Forestry Assist16 ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103c) is amended— 

17 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘the State 

18 of Vermont’’ and inserting ‘‘any State’’; and 

19 (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), in the matter pre20 ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘of Vermont’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘involved’’. 


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1 SEC. 8103. STATE AND PRIVATE FOREST LANDSCAPE-SCALE 

2 RESTORATION PROGRAM. 

3 Section 13A(l)(3) of the Cooperative Forestry Assist4 ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2109a(l)(3)) is amended by 

5 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 Subtitle B—Healthy Forests 

7 Restoration Act of 2003 

8 SEC. 8201. DEFINITION OF AT-RISK COMMUNITY. 

9 Section 101(1) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

10 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511(1)) is amended to read as 

11 follows: 

12 ‘‘(1) AT-RISK COMMUNITY.—The term ‘at-risk 

13 community’ means an area that is comprised of— 

14 ‘‘(A) an interface community as defined in 

15 the notice entitled ‘Wildland Urban Interface 

16 Communities Within the Vicinity of Federal 

17 Lands That Are at High Risk From Wildfire’ 

18 issued by the Secretary of Agriculture and the 

19 Secretary of the Interior in accordance with 

20 title IV of the Department of the Interior and 

21 Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 

22 (114 Stat. 1009) (66 Fed. Reg. 753, January 

23 4, 2001); or 

24 ‘‘(B) a group of homes or other structures 

25 with basic infrastructure and services (such as 

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1 tation routes) at risk from wildfire as recog2 nized by a local, State, regional, Tribal, terri3 torial, or national wildfire risk assessment.’’. 

4 SEC. 8202. PROMOTING CROSS-BOUNDARY WILDFIRE MITI5 GATION. 

6 Section 103(e)(5) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

7 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6513(e)(5)) is amended by strik8 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 8203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HAZ10 ARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION ON FEDERAL 

11 LAND. 

12 Section 108 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

13 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6518) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 8204. WATER SOURCE PROTECTION PROGRAM. 

16 Section 303 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

17 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542(g)(4)(B)) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a)— 

19 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

20 through (7) as paragraphs (2) through (8), re21 spectively; 

22 (B) by inserting before paragraph (2), as 

23 so redesignated, the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) ADJACENT LAND.—The term ‘adjacent 

25 land’ means non-Federal land, including State, local, 


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1 and private land, that is adjacent to, and within the 

2 same watershed as, National Forest System land on 

3 which a watershed protection and restoration project 

4 is carried out under this section.’’; and 

5 (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated— 

6 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

7 (G) and (H) as subparagraphs (K) and 

8 (L), respectively; and 

9 (ii) by inserting after subparagraph 

10 (F) the following: 

11 ‘‘(G) an acequia association; 

12 ‘‘(H) a local, regional, or other public enti13 ty that manages stormwater or wastewater re14 sources or other related water infrastructure; 

15 ‘‘(I) a land-grant mercedes; 

16 ‘‘(J) a local, regional, or other private enti17 ty that has water delivery authority;’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (b)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A watershed protection 

24 and restoration project under the Program shall be 

25 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; flooding; resilience 

16 to climate change; and watershed and fire resil17 ience, including minimizing risks to watershed 

18 health, water supply and quality, and water-re19 lated infrastructure, including municipal and 

20 agricultural water supply systems; 

21 ‘‘(B) support aquatic restoration and con22 servation efforts that complement existing or 

23 planned forest restoration or wildfire risk re24 duction efforts; or 


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1 ‘‘(C) provide quantifiable benefits to water 

2 supply or quality and include the use of nature3 based solutions, such as restoring wetland and 

4 riparian ecosystems. 

5 ‘‘(4) CONDITIONS FOR PROJECTS ON ADJACENT

6 LAND.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No project or activity 

8 may be carried out under this section on adja9 cent land unless the owner of the adjacent land 

10 agrees in writing that the owner is a willing and 

11 engaged partner in carrying out that project or 

12 activity. 

13 ‘‘(B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section 

14 shall be construed to authorize any change in— 

15 ‘‘(i) the ownership of adjacent land on 

16 which a project or activity is carried out 

17 under this section; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) the management of adjacent land 

19 on which a project or activity is carried out 

20 under this section, except during the car21 rying out of that project or activity.’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (c)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘with 

24 end water users’’ and inserting ‘‘with end water 

25 users to protect and restore the condition of 


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1 National Forest watersheds and adjacent land 

2 that provide water— 

3 ‘‘(A) to the end water users subject to the 

4 agreement; or 

5 ‘‘(B) for the benefit of another end water 

6 user.’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

9 ‘‘or’’ at the end; 

10 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

11 (D) as subparagraph (E); and 

12 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

13 (C) the following: 

14 ‘‘(D) a good neighbor agreement entered 

15 into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act 

16 of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); or’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(3) COOPERATION WITH NON-FEDERAL PART19 NERS.—The Secretary shall cooperate with non-Fed20 eral partners in carrying out assessments, planning, 

21 project design, and project implementation under 

22 this section.’’; 

23 (4) in subsection (d)— 

24 (A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

25 follows: 


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1 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—A water source manage2 ment plan shall be— 

3 ‘‘(A) designed to protect and restore eco4 logical integrity (as defined in section 219.19 of 

5 title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in ef6 fect on the date of enactment of this subpara7 graph)); 

8 ‘‘(B) based on the best available scientific 

9 information; and 

10 ‘‘(C) conducted in a manner consistent 

11 with the forest plan applicable to the National 

12 Forest System land on which the watershed 

13 protection and restoration project is carried 

14 out.’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(4) REDUCING REDUNDANCY.—An existing 

17 watershed plan, such as a watershed protection and 

18 restoration action plan developed under section 

19 304(a)(3), or other applicable watershed planning 

20 documents as approved by the Secretary may be 

21 used as the basis for a water source management 

22 plan under this subsection.’’; 

23 (5) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘primary 

24 purpose of’’ and all that follows through the period 

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1 vancing any of the purposes described in subsection 

2 (b)(2).’’; 

3 (6) in subsection (g), by amending paragraph 

4 (2) to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(2) MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRED.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara7 graph (B), the Secretary shall require the con8 tribution of funds or in-kind support from non9 Federal partners to be in an amount that is not 

10 less than 50 percent of the amount of Federal 

11 funds. 

12 ‘‘(B) WAIVER.—The requirement in sub13 paragraph (A) may be waived at the discretion 

14 of the Secretary.’’; and 

15 (7) in subsection (g)(4)— 

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

17 ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 

18 through 2029’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(D) SET-ASIDE FOR PARTNER PARTICIPA21 TION IN PLANNING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST22 ANCE.—Of the amounts made available under 

23 subparagraph (B) to carry out this section for 

24 each fiscal year, the Secretary may not use 

25 more than 10 percent for non-Federal partner 


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1 planning and technical assistance efforts in de2 veloping or implementing a water source man3 agement plan under subsection (d).’’. 

4 SEC. 8205. WATERSHED CONDITION FRAMEWORK TECH5 NICAL CORRECTIONS. 

6 Section 304(a) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

7 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6543(a)) is amended in para8 graphs (3) and (5) by striking ‘‘protection and’’. 

9 SEC. 8206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO COM10 BAT INSECT INFESTATIONS AND RELATED 

11 DISEASES. 

12 Section 406 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

13 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6556) is amended by striking ‘‘Octo14 ber 1, 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘October 1, 2029’’. 

15 SEC. 8207. INSECT AND DISEASE INFESTATION. 

16 Section 602(d)(2) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

17 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591a(d)(2)) is amended by strik18 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

19 SEC. 8208. STEWARDSHIP END RESULT CONTRACTING 

20 PROJECTS. 

21 Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

22 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘, including 

24 retaining and expanding existing forest products in25 frastructure’’ before the period at the end; 


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1 (2) in subsection (d)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘10’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘20’’; and 

3 (3) in subsection (e)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘OTHER LAWS.—’’ and all 

5 that follows through ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ and in6 serting ‘‘OTHER LAWS.—Notwithstanding’’; 

7 and 

8 (B) by striking subparagraph (B). 

9 Subtitle C—Other Forestry 

10 Programs 

11 SEC. 8301. NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGROFORESTRY CEN12 TERS. 

13 Section 1243 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

14 and Trade Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 

15 101–624) is amended— 

16 (1) by striking the section heading and insert17 ing ‘‘NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGRO18 FORESTRY CENTERS’’; 

19 (2) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), (c), 

20 and (d) as subsections (b), (d), (e), and (h), respec21 tively; 

22 (3) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so re23 designated) the following: 

24 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AGROFORESTRY.—In this sec25 tion, the term ‘agroforestry’ means a management system 


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1 that intentionally integrates trees and shrubs into crop 

2 and animal farming systems to build more profitable and 

3 weather-resilient farms, ranches, and communities, ad4 dress natural resource concerns and conservation needs, 

5 and establish productive and sustainable land use prac6 tices, including— 

7 ‘‘(1) riparian forest buffers; 

8 ‘‘(2) alley cropping; 

9 ‘‘(3) silvopasture; 

10 ‘‘(4) forest farming and multistory cropping; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(5) windbreaks, shelterbelts, hedgerows, and, 

13 where applicable, field borders, and living snow 

14 fences.’’; 

15 (4) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated)— 

16 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

17 ‘‘SEMIARID’’ and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL’’; 

18 (B) by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this sec19 tion as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Secretary of Ag20 riculture’’; 

21 (C) by striking ‘‘Semiarid Agroforestry Re22 search, Development, and Demonstration Cen23 ter (hereafter referred to in this section as the 

24 ‘Center’)’’ and inserting ‘‘National Agroforestry 


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1 Research, Development, and Demonstration 

2 Center’’; and 

3 (D) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and in4 serting ‘‘subsection (d)’’; 

5 (5) by inserting after subsection (b) (as so re6 designated) the following: 

7 ‘‘(c) REGIONAL AGROFORESTRY CENTERS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting 

9 through the Chief of the Forest Service and in co10 operation with the Natural Resources Conservation 

11 Service, shall, subject to the availability of appro12 priations, establish 1 or more regional agroforestry 

13 centers to advance agroforestry research, outreach, 

14 technical assistance, and adoption. 

15 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary, acting 

16 through the Chief of the Forest Service and in co17 operation with the Natural Resources Conservation 

18 Service, shall appoint a Director to manage and co19 ordinate the 1 or more regional agroforestry centers 

20 established under paragraph (1). 

21 ‘‘(3) LOCATION.—In selecting the locations for 

22 the 1 or more regional agroforestry centers under 

23 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prioritize loca24 tions at which the Department of Agriculture has, 

25 on the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and 


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1 National Security Act of 2024, at least 1 employee 

2 providing coordination among a diverse group of re3 search institutions and other partners. 

4 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION.—Regional agroforestry 

5 centers established under paragraph (1) shall by ad6 ministered by the National Agroforestry Center.’’; 

7 (6) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

8 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

9 (1)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘the Center’’ and in11 serting ‘‘each of the centers established 

12 under subsections (b) and (c) (referred to 

13 in this section as the ‘Centers’)’’; 

14 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and organizations’’ 

15 after ‘‘nonprofit foundations’’; and 

16 (iii) by inserting ‘‘demonstration 

17 projects,’’ after ‘‘studies,’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands 

20 that’’ and inserting ‘‘that build soil health 

21 and’’; and 

22 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, including agro23 forestry systems on semiarid land and 

24 other fragile agroecosystems where perma25 nent woody perennial plant communities 


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1 can enhance carbon sequestration and re2 duce greenhouse gas emissions’’ before the 

3 semicolon; 

4 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘forestry 

5 products for commercial sale from semiarid 

6 land’’ and inserting ‘‘agroforestry products for 

7 commercial sale’’; 

8 (D) in paragraph (4)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘in semiarid regions’’; 

10 and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘the Great Plains re12 gion’’ and inserting ‘‘particular regions’’; 

13 (E) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘tech14 nical assistance, demonstration projects, and’’ 

15 before ‘‘technology’’; 

16 (F) by redesignating paragraphs (7) 

17 through (11) as paragraphs (8) through (12), 

18 respectively; 

19 (G) by striking paragraph (6) and insert20 ing the following: 

21 ‘‘(6) develop improved silvopasture, alley crop22 ping, forest farming, multistory cropping, riparian 

23 buffer, windbreak and shelterbelt, and other peren24 nial production and conservation systems and tech25 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 extreme weath2 er’’ after ‘‘pollution’’; 

3 (7) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated)— 

4 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

5 by striking ‘‘the Center’’ and inserting ‘‘each of 

6 the Centers’’; 

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

8 the end; 

9 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘forestry’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘forestry, agroforestry,’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

13 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(3) facilitate agroforestry adoption by dissemi16 nating comprehensive information on Federal, State, 

17 local, and Tribal programs that provide support for 

18 agroforestry.’’; 

19 (8) by inserting after subsection (e) (as so re20 designated) the following: 

21 ‘‘(f) REGIONAL SUPPORT.—The Secretary shall pro22 vide targeted regional support for agroforestry projects, 

23 including demonstration sites. 

24 ‘‘(g) SURVEY.—Not later than 5 years after the date 

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1 rity Act of 2024 and every 5 years thereafter, the Sec2 retary shall conduct a National Agroforestry Producers 

3 Survey.’’; and 

4 (9) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘There are’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘In addition to amounts otherwise available, 

7 there is’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of 

9 fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘$7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

11 through 2029’’. 

12 SEC. 8302. NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION ACT. 

13 (a) MATCHING FUNDS.—Section 405(b) of the Na14 tional Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j-3(b)) is 

15 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 (b) WHITE OAK RESTORATION FUND.—Section 409 

17 of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j– 

18 7) is amended— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘The activities’’ and inserting 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The activities’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(b) WHITE OAK RESTORATION FUND.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Funds described in para25 graph (2) shall be made available for activities— 


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1 ‘‘(A) on national forests that are approved 

2 by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of 

3 the Forest Service; and 

4 ‘‘(B) to— 

5 ‘‘(i) re-establish white oak forests 

6 where appropriate; 

7 ‘‘(ii) improve management of existing 

8 white oak forests to foster natural regen9 eration of white oak; 

10 ‘‘(iii) improve and expand white oak 

11 nursery stock; and 

12 ‘‘(iv) adapt and improve white oak 

13 seedlings. 

14 ‘‘(2) FUND.—The National Forest Foundation 

15 may accept gifts, devises, or bequests for the pur16 poses of carrying out the activities specified in para17 graph (1). 

18 ‘‘(3) SUMMARY.—Beginning 1 year after the 

19 date of the enactment of this section, the National 

20 Forest Foundation shall include in the budget jus21 tification materials submitted to Congress in support 

22 of the budget of each such Foundation for each fis23 cal year (as submitted with the budget of the Presi24 dent under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 

25 Code) a summary of the activities carried out under 


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1 paragraph (1) and the funds accepted under para2 graph (2) that includes— 

3 ‘‘(A) the amount— 

4 ‘‘(i) accepted under paragraph (2) in 

5 the preceding fiscal year; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) described in clause (i) that is un7 obligated on the date of the report; and 

8 ‘‘(B) a description of the activities under 

9 paragraph (1) funded during the preceding fis10 cal year.’’. 

11 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

12 410(b) of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 

13 583j-8(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 8303. CONVEYANCES AND LEASES OF FOREST SERV16 ICE ADMINISTRATIVE SITES. 

17 (a) CONVEYANCE OF FOREST SERVICE ADMINISTRA18 TIVE SITES.—Section 503(f) of the Forest Service Facility 

19 Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 (16 U.S.C. 

20 580d note; Public Law 109–54) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘September 30, 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 

22 2029’’. 

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1 culture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 U.S.C. 580d note; 

2 Public Law 115–334) is amended— 

3 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(D), by striking ‘‘dwell4 ing;’’ and inserting ‘‘dwelling or multiunit dwell5 ing;’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (e)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii)— 

8 (i) in subclause (I), by inserting ‘‘such 

9 as housing,’’ after ‘‘improvements,’’; 

10 (ii) in subclause (II), by striking 

11 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (iii) in subclause (III), by striking 

13 ‘‘or’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

14 (iv) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(IV) services occurring off the 

17 administrative site that— 

18 ‘‘(aa) occur at another ad19 ministrative site on the same or a 

20 different unit of the National 

21 Forest System in which the ad22 ministrative site is located; 

23 ‘‘(bb) benefit the National 

24 Forest System; and 


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1 ‘‘(cc) support activities oc2 curring within the unit of the 

3 National Forest System in which 

4 the administrative site is located; 

5 or’’; and 

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

7 ‘‘(6) LEASE TERM.—The term of a lease of an 

8 administrative site under this section shall be not 

9 greater than 100 years.’’; 

10 (3) in subsection (g)— 

11 (A) by inserting ‘‘(or other party)’’ after 

12 ‘‘leaseholder’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting ‘‘or constructed’’ after 

14 ‘‘improved’’; and 

15 (4) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

16 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 8304. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(e) of the Forest and 

19 Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 

20 (16 U.S.C. 1642(e)) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘their resources’’ and in23 serting ‘‘the resources of those forests, includ24 ing forest carbon,’’; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘In compliance’’ and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In compliance’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL METHODS.—Under the 

6 program under this subsection, the Secretary 

7 shall carry out, as a data collection method— 

8 ‘‘(i) a national timber products output 

9 survey; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) a national woodland owner sur11 vey.’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘including 

13 with respect to available forest carbon data,’’ after 

14 ‘‘2 decades,’’; 

15 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

16 (A) in the second sentence, by striking 

17 ‘‘The standards’’ and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The standards de19 scribed in subparagraph (A)’’; 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘(4) NATIONAL STANDARDS

21 AND DEFINITIONS.—To ensure’’ and inserting 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL CONSISTENCY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) STANDARDS AND DEFINITIONS.—To 

25 ensure’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(C) TERMINOLOGY.—The Secretary shall 

3 include a clear description of the definition of 

4 ‘forest’ used for purposes of reporting data 

5 from inventories and analyses of forests and the 

6 resources of forests under this subsection 

7 with— 

8 ‘‘(i) any data or report provided under 

9 the program under this subsection; 

10 ‘‘(ii) Renewable Resource Assessments 

11 prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest 

12 and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan13 ning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)); and 

14 ‘‘(iii) any data or report provided to 

15 an entity outside the United States.’’; 

16 (4) in paragraph (6)— 

17 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

18 (A), by striking ‘‘Not later than 180 days after 

19 the date of enactment of this subsection,’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘In accordance with paragraph (7),’’; 

21 and 

22 (B) by striking subparagraphs (D) and (E) 

23 and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(D) the organization and procedures nec2 essary to understand and report on changes in 

3 land cover and use; 

4 ‘‘(E) the organization and procedures nec5 essary to sample and evaluate carbon-related 

6 data variables, including soil carbon, collected 

7 from forest inventory and analysis plots, timber 

8 products output surveys, and national woodland 

9 owner surveys to ensure that carbon accounting 

10 information needs can be met; and’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(7) UPDATES TO STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

14 days after the date of enactment of this para15 graph, the Secretary shall prepare an update to 

16 the strategic plan under paragraph (6) to in17 clude— 

18 ‘‘(i) a plan to implement nationally 

19 consistent data collection protocols and 

20 procedures to improve the statistical preci21 sion of base program estimates; 

22 ‘‘(ii) pathways to integrate and report 

23 on status and trends in forest carbon 

24 pools, including below-ground carbon; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) plans, including the identifica2 tion of challenges, to collaborate with other 

3 Federal agencies, non-Federal partners, 

4 and the private sector to integrate existing 

5 nationally available data sets and best 

6 available commercial technologies, such as 

7 remote sensing, spatial analysis techniques, 

8 and other new technologies; 

9 ‘‘(iv) a plan to increase transparency 

10 and clarity in reporting in accordance with 

11 paragraph (4)(C); 

12 ‘‘(v) a plan to expand current data 

13 collection, further integrate remote sensing 

14 technology, or both, to include procedures 

15 to improve the statistical precision of esti16 mates at the sub-State level; 

17 ‘‘(vi) a plan to expand current data 

18 collection, further integrate remote sensing 

19 technology, or both, to include information 

20 on renewable biomass supplies and carbon 

21 stocks at the local, State, regional, and na22 tional levels, including by ownership type; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(vii) such other matters as the Sec25 retary determines to be appropriate based 


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1 on recommendations of the Forest Inven2 tory and Analysis National User Group. 

3 ‘‘(B) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 

4 days after the date of enactment of this para5 graph, the Secretary shall 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 the up9 date to the strategic plan prepared under sub10 paragraph (A). 

11 ‘‘(C) FURTHER UPDATES.—Not later than 

12 5 years after the date on which the update is 

13 submitted under subparagraph (B), and every 5 

14 years thereafter, the Secretary shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) prepare an additional update to 

16 the strategic plan; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) submit the additional update to 

18 the committees described in subparagraph 

19 (B). 

20 ‘‘(8) ACCESSIBILITY.—The Secretary shall en21 sure that data collected under this subsection is— 

22 ‘‘(A) easily accessible to all public- and pri23 vate-sector entities; and 

24 ‘‘(B) collected and made accessible using 

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1 cordance with section 1770 of the Food Secu2 rity Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276), of— 

3 ‘‘(i) plot locations; 

4 ‘‘(ii) nonaggregated data of woodland 

5 owners; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) nonaggregated data from timber 

7 product output survey. 

8 ‘‘(9) BIENNIAL COMPILATIONS.—Biennially, the 

9 Secretary shall prepare and make publicly available 

10 a compilation of national forest inventory and anal11 ysis forest statistics, which shall be similar to the ta12 bles contained in the Renewable Resource Assess13 ments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and 

14 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

15 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)), accompanied by relevant 

16 geospatial products. 

17 ‘‘(10) EXTERNAL COMPLEX DATA REQUESTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

19 establish an office, a data platform, or team to 

20 process and respond to complex data requests 

21 submitted by external organizations relating to 

22 the program under this subsection. 

23 ‘‘(B) FEES.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—To cover the costs 

25 of processing of and responding to complex 


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1 data requests described in subparagraph 

2 (A), the Secretary may impose fees on ex3 ternal organizations submitting the re4 quests. 

5 ‘‘(ii) FEES COLLECTED.—Fees col6 lected under clause (i) may only be used 

7 for the purposes described in such clause. 

8 ‘‘(11) REPORTS.—Each year, the Secretary 

9 shall publish as part of the forest inventory and 

10 analysis business report a detailed description of the 

11 progress of the Secretary in implementing the pro12 grammatic elements of the strategic plan described 

13 in paragraph (6), including— 

14 ‘‘(A) the costs and priorities of the stra15 tegic plan; and 

16 ‘‘(B) how the program under this sub17 section leverages new technology, improves and 

18 standardizes collection protocols, and increases 

19 workforce capacity.’’. 

20 (b) REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES.—Section 

21 8632(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 

22 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 115–334) is amended by 

23 striking ‘‘technologies’’ and inserting ‘‘technologies, such 

24 as microwave, LiDAR, hyperspectral, and high-resolution 

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1 nologies for improved modeling to provide tabular statis2 tical estimates and geospatial products,’’. 

3 SEC. 8305. REFORESTATION, NURSERY, AND SEED OR4 CHARD SUPPORT. 

5 (a) PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATION, AND OTHER

6 ASSISTANCE IN SUPPORT OF NURSERIES AND SEED OR7 CHARDS.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the 

8 Forest Service, shall— 

9 (1) partner with Federal and State agencies, 

10 Indian Tribes, private nurseries, and other relevant 

11 entities to provide training, technical assistance, and 

12 research to nursery and tree establishment programs 

13 that support natural regeneration, reforestation, 

14 agroforestry, and afforestation; 

15 (2) promote information sharing to improve the 

16 technical knowledge, practices, and understanding of 

17 the demands, climate change impacts, and other 

18 issues necessary to address all facets of the reforest19 ation pipeline; 

20 (3) provide technical and financial assistance to 

21 international nursery and tree establishment pro22 grams through— 

23 (A) international programs conducted by 

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1 national Forestry Cooperation Act of 1990 (16 

2 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.); 

3 (B) the Institute of Pacific Islands For4 estry of the Forest Service; and 

5 (C) the International Institute of Tropical 

6 Forestry of the Forest Service; 

7 (4) collaborate with other relevant Federal de8 partments and agencies, including the Foreign Agri9 cultural Service of the Department, the United 

10 States Agency for International Development, the 

11 United States Fish and Wildlife Service of the De12 partment of the Interior, and international organiza13 tions to provide technical and financial assistance re14 lated to nurseries and reforestation; 

15 (5) coordinate the efforts of the Department 

16 to— 

17 (A) address the challenges associated with 

18 the reforestation pipeline; and 

19 (B) leverage economic development assist20 ance for work with private nurseries; and 

21 (6) expand science-based reforestation supply 

22 chains through research, seed collection and storage, 

23 and nursery infrastructure and operations in coordi24 nation with the Administrator of the Agricultural 

25 Research Service. 


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1 (b) NURSERY AND SEED ORCHARD FINANCIAL AS2 SISTANCE.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

4 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

5 shall establish a program to provide grants to eligi6 ble recipients to support nurseries and seed or7 chards. 

8 (2) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—The Secretary may 

9 make a grant under this subsection to an eligible re10 cipient for a project to carry out at least one of the 

11 following: 

12 (A) Develop, expand, enhance, or improve 

13 nursery production capacity or other infrastruc14 ture to— 

15 (i) improve seed collection, processing, 

16 and storage; 

17 (ii) increase seedling production, stor18 age, and distribution; or 

19 (iii) enhance seedling survival and 

20 properly manage tree genetic resources. 

21 (B) Establish, improve, or expand a nurs22 ery or seed orchard, including by acquiring 

23 equipment for such nursery or seed orchard. 

24 (C) Develop or implement quality control 

25 measures at nurseries or seed orchards. 


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1 (D) Promote workforce development within 

2 any facet of the reforestation pipeline. 

3 (E) Carry out such other activity as the 

4 Secretary determines appropriate. 

5 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

7 recipient’’ means— 

8 (A) a State forestry agency; 

9 (B) an Indian Tribe; 

10 (C) a private nursery that has experience 

11 growing high-quality native trees of appropriate 

12 genetic sources in bareroot or container 

13 stocktypes specific for reforestation, restoration, 

14 or conservation, including native plants and 

15 seeds that are of cultural significance to Indian 

16 Tribes; 

17 (D) an institution of higher education (as 

18 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

19 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); and 

20 (E) a county or local government with a 

21 nursery or seed orchard. 

22 (2) NURSERY.—The term ‘‘nursery’’ means a 

23 tree or native plant nursery. 

24 (3) SEED ORCHARD.—The term ‘‘seed orchard’’ 

25 means a tree or native plant seed orchard. 


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1 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

2 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

3 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or 

4 possession of the United States. 

5 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

6 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

7 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 

8 Subtitle D—Forest Management 

9 PART I—NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM 

10 MANAGEMENT 

11 SEC. 8401. CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION FOR HIGH PRIORITY 

12 HAZARD TREES. 

13 (a) CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

15 the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 

16 shall develop a categorical exclusion (as defined in 

17 section 1508.4 of title 40, Code of Federal Regula18 tions (or a successor regulation)) for high priority 

19 hazard tree activities. 

20 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—In developing and ad21 ministering the categorical exclusion under para22 graph (1), the Secretary shall— 

23 (A) comply with the National Environ24 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

25 seq.); and 


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1 (B) apply the extraordinary circumstances 

2 procedures under section 220.6 of title 36, Code 

3 of Federal Regulations (or successor regula4 tions), in determining whether to use the cat5 egorical exclusion. 

6 (b) PROJECT SIZE LIMITATIONS.—A project under 

7 this section may not exceed 3,000 acres. 

8 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) HIGH-PRIORITY HAZARD TREE.—The term 

10 ‘‘high-priority hazard tree’’ means a standing tree 

11 that— 

12 (A) presents a visible hazard to people or 

13 Federal property due to conditions such as de14 terioration of or damage to the root system, 

15 trunk, stem, or limbs of the tree, or the direc16 tion or lean of the tree, as determined by the 

17 Secretary; 

18 (B) is determined by the Secretary to be 

19 highly likely to fail and, if it failed, would be 

20 highly likely to cause injury to people or dam21 age to Federal property; and 

22 (C) is within 300 feet of a National Forest 

23 System road with a maintenance level of 3, 4, 

24 or 5, a National Forest System trail, or a devel25 oped recreation site on National Forest System 


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1 lands that is operated and maintained by the 

2 Secretary. 

3 (2) HIGH-PRIORITY HAZARD TREE ACTIVI4 TIES.—The term ‘‘high priority hazard tree activi5 ties’’— 

6 (A) means forest management activities 

7 that mitigate the risks associated with high-pri8 ority hazard trees, including pruning, felling, 

9 and disposal of those trees; and 

10 (B) does not include any activity— 

11 (i) conducted in a wilderness area or 

12 wilderness study area; 

13 (ii) for the construction of a perma14 nent road or permanent trail; 

15 (iii) conducted on Federal land on 

16 which, by Act of Congress or Presidential 

17 proclamation, the removal of vegetation is 

18 restricted or prohibited; 

19 (iv) that would be inconsistent with 

20 the applicable land and resource manage21 ment plan; or 

22 (v) conducted in an inventoried 

23 roadless area. 


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1 SEC. 8402. COLLABORATIVE RESTORATION PROJECTS. 

2 Section 603(c)(1) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

3 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591b(c)(1)) is amended by strik4 ing ‘‘3000 acres’’ and inserting ‘‘10,000 acres’’. 

5 SEC. 8403. WILDFIRE RESILIENCE PROJECT SIZE. 

6 Section 605(c)(1) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

7 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591d(c)(1)) is amended by strik8 ing ‘‘3000 acres’’ and inserting ‘‘10,000 acres’’. 

9 SEC. 8404. FUEL BREAKS IN FORESTS AND OTHER 

10 WILDLAND VEGETATION. 

11 Section 40806(d)(1) of the Infrastructure Investment 

12 and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592b(d)(1)) is amended by 

13 striking ‘‘3,000 acres’’ and inserting ‘‘10,000 acres’’. 

14 SEC. 8405. GREATER SAGE-GROUSE AND MULE DEER HABI15 TAT. 

16 Section 606 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

17 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591e) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(A)— 

19 (A) by striking clause (ii); 

20 (B) by redesignating clauses (iii) through 

21 (vii) as clauses (ii) through (vi), respectively; 

22 and 

23 (C) in clause (iii), as so redesignated, by 

24 striking ‘‘in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘concurrently 

2 for both greater sage-grouse and’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

3 greater sage-grouse or’’; 

4 (3) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(g) LIMITATION.—A covered vegetation manage7 ment activity that is covered by the categorical exclusion 

8 under subsection (b) may not exceed 4,500 acres in a for9 ested ecosystem or 7,500 acres in a rangeland eco10 system.’’. 

11 PART II—FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES 

12 SEC. 8411. NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION REQUIRED. 

13 (a) FOREST SERVICE PLANS.—Section 6(d)(2) of the 

14 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

15 of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604(d)(2)) is amended to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(2) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION RE18 QUIRED UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Not19 withstanding any other provision of law, the Sec20 retary shall not be required to reinitiate consultation 

21 under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act 

22 of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of 

23 title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 

24 regulation), on an approved land management plan 

25 prepared, amended, or revised under this section 


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1 when, after the date of such approval, amendment, 

2 or revision— 

3 ‘‘(A) a species is listed as a threatened or 

4 endangered species under section 4 of the En5 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

6 1533); 

7 ‘‘(B) a critical habitat for a threatened or 

8 endangered species is designated under that 

9 section; or 

10 ‘‘(C) new information concerning a threat11 ened or endangered species or critical habitat 

12 for such a species becomes available.’’. 

13 (b) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT PLANS.—Sec14 tion 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 

15 of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended by adding at the 

16 end the following: 

17 ‘‘(g) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION REQUIRED

18 UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwithstanding 

19 any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be re20 quired to reinitiate consultation under section 7(a)(2) of 

21 the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

22 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of title 50, Code of Federal 

23 Regulations (or a successor regulation), on an approved 

24 land management plan prepared, amended, or revised 


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1 under this section when, after the date of such approval, 

2 amendment, or revision— 

3 ‘‘(1) a species is listed as a threatened or en4 dangered species under section 4 of the Endangered 

5 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533); 

6 ‘‘(2) a critical habitat for a threatened or en7 dangered species is designated under that section; or 

8 ‘‘(3) new information concerning a threatened 

9 or endangered species or critical habitat for such a 

10 species becomes available.’’. 

11 SEC. 8412. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY. 

12 (a) TREATING TRIBES AND COUNTIES AS GOOD

13 NEIGHBORS.—Section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 

14 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ‘‘or Indian 

16 tribe’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (b)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, 

19 Indian tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; 

20 (B) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking clause 

21 (i) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Funds received 

23 from the sale of timber by a Governor, an 

24 Indian tribe, or a county under a good 

25 neighbor agreement shall be retained and 


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1 used by the Governor, Indian tribe, or 

2 county, as applicable— 

3 ‘‘(I) to carry out authorized res4 toration services under the good 

5 neighbor agreement; and 

6 ‘‘(II) if there are funds remain7 ing after carrying out subclause (I), 

8 to carry out authorized restoration 

9 services under other good neighbor 

10 agreements.’’; 

11 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘, In12 dian tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and 

13 (D) by striking paragraph (4). 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 8206(a) 

15 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)) is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

18 tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and 

19 (2) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

20 tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’. 

21 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

22 this section apply to any project initiated pursuant to a 

23 good neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) 

24 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)))— 


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1 (1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if 

2 the project was initiated after the date of enactment 

3 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public 

4 Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4490); or 

5 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this 

6 Act. 

7 SEC. 8413. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORA8 TION PROGRAM. 

9 Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Manage10 ment Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (b)(3)— 

12 (A) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘or 

13 pathogens’’ after ‘‘species’’; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

15 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

16 (C) in subparagraph (H), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

17 after the semicolon at the end; and 

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

19 ‘‘(I) address standardized monitoring ques20 tions and indicators;’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (d)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

2 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

3 and’’; and 

4 (iii) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(G) proposals that seek to use innovative 

7 implementation mechanisms, including con8 servation finance agreements, good neighbor 

9 agreements entered into under section 8206 of 

10 the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 

11 2113a), and similar implementation mecha12 nisms; and 

13 ‘‘(H) proposals that seek to reduce the risk 

14 of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecologi15 cal restoration activities— 

16 ‘‘(i) within areas across land owner17 ships, including State, Tribal, and private 

18 land; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) within the wildland-urban inter20 face; and 

21 ‘‘(I) proposals that seek to enhance water22 shed health and drinking water sources.’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

24 (i) by amending subparagraph (A) to 

25 read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(A) 4 proposals in any 1 region of the 

2 National Forest System to be funded during 

3 any fiscal year; and’’; 

4 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B); and 

5 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

6 (C) as subparagraph (B); and 

7 (3) in subsection (f)(6), by striking ‘‘2019 

8 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

9 SEC. 8414. PUBLIC-PRIVATE WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY DE10 PLOYMENT AND TESTBED PARTNERSHIP. 

11 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES.—The term 

13 ‘‘appropriate committees’’ means— 

14 (A) the Committees on Agriculture, Nat15 ural Resources, and Science, Space, and Tech16 nology of the House of Representatives; and 

17 (B) the Committees on Agriculture, Nutri18 tion, and Forestry, Energy and Natural Re19 sources, and Commerce, Science, and Transpor20 tation of the Senate. 

21 (2) COVERED AGENCY.—The term ‘‘covered 

22 agency’’ means— 

23 (A) the National Park Service; 

24 (B) the United States Fish and Wildlife 

25 Service; 


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1 (C) the Bureau of Land Management; 

2 (D) the Bureau of Reclamation; 

3 (E) the Forest Service; 

4 (F) the Department of Defense; 

5 (G) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

6 Administration; 

7 (H) the United States Fire Administra8 tion; 

9 (I) the Federal Emergency Management 

10 Agency; 

11 (J) the National Aeronautics and Space 

12 Administration; 

13 (K) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and 

14 (L) any other Federal agency involved in 

15 wildfire response. 

16 (3) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en17 tity’’ means— 

18 (A) a private entity; 

19 (B) a nonprofit organization; or 

20 (C) an institution of higher education (as 

21 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

22 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). 

23 (4) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

24 means the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec25 retary of the Interior, acting jointly. 


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1 (5) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Pilot Pro2 gram’’ means the deployment and testbed pilot pro3 gram developed under subsection (b). 

4 (b) DEPLOYMENT AND TESTBED PILOT PROGRAM

5 ESTABLISHED.—Not later than 60 days after the date of 

6 the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordination 

7 with the heads of the covered agencies, shall establish a 

8 deployment and testbed pilot program for new and innova9 tive wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and 

10 mitigation technologies. 

11 (c) FUNCTIONS.—In carrying out the Pilot Program, 

12 the Secretaries shall— 

13 (1) incorporate the Pilot Program into an exist14 ing interagency coordinating group on wildfires; 

15 (2) in consultation with the heads of covered 

16 agencies, identify key technology priority areas with 

17 respect to the deployment of wildfire prevention, de18 tection, communication, and mitigation technologies, 

19 including— 

20 (A) hazardous fuels reduction treatments 

21 or activities; 

22 (B) dispatch communications; 

23 (C) remote sensing and tracking; 

24 (D) safety equipment; and 


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1 (E) common operating pictures or oper2 ational dashboards; and 

3 (3) partner with each covered entity selected to 

4 participate in the Pilot Program with the appro5 priate covered agency to coordinate real-time and 

6 on-the-ground testing of technology during wildland 

7 fire mitigation activities and training. 

8 (d) APPLICATIONS.—To participate in the Pilot Pro9 gram, a covered entity shall submit to the Secretaries an 

10 application at such time, in such manner, and containing 

11 such information as the Secretaries may require, which 

12 shall include a proposal to test technologies specific to key 

13 technology priority areas identified under subsection 

14 (c)(2). 

15 (e) PRIORITIZATION OF EMERGING TECH16 NOLOGIES.—In selecting covered entities to participate in 

17 the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall give priority to 

18 covered entities developing and applying emerging tech19 nologies that address issues identified by the Secretaries, 

20 including artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, com21 puting and quantum-hybrid applications, augmented re22 ality, and 5G private networks and device-to-device com23 munications supporting nomadic mesh networks, for wild24 fire mitigation. 


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1 (f) OUTREACH.—The Secretaries, in coordination 

2 with the heads of the covered agencies, shall make publicly 

3 available the key technology priority areas identified under 

4 subsection (c)(2) and invite covered entities to apply to 

5 test and demonstrate their technologies to address those 

6 priority areas. 

7 (g) REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later 

8 than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

9 and each year thereafter for the duration of the Pilot Pro10 gram, the Secretaries shall submit to the appropriate com11 mittees a report that includes the following with respect 

12 to the Pilot Program: 

13 (1) A list of participating covered entities. 

14 (2) A brief description of the technologies test15 ed by such covered entities. 

16 (3) An estimate of the cost of acquiring the 

17 technology tested in the program and applying it at 

18 scale. 

19 (4) Outreach efforts by Federal agencies to cov20 ered entities developing wildfire technologies. 

21 (5) Assessments of, and recommendations relat22 ing to, new technologies with potential adoption and 

23 application at-scale in Federal land management 

24 agencies’ wildfire prevention, detection, communica25 tion, and mitigation efforts. 


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1 (h) TERMINATION.—The Pilot Program shall expire 

2 on September 30, 2029. 

3 SEC. 8415. FOREST SERVICE PARTICIPATION IN EXPERI4 ENCED SERVICES PROGRAM. 

5 Section 8302 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 

6 U.S.C. 3851a) is amended— 

7 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘ACES’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘EXPERIENCED SERVICES’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (a)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’; 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘Agriculture Conserva12 tion’’; and 

13 (C) by inserting ‘‘, professional, or admin14 istrative’’ after ‘‘technical’’; and 

15 (3) by striking subsection (b). 

16 SEC. 8416. TIMBER SALES ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM 

17 LAND. 

18 Section 14 of the National Forest Management Act 

19 of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (d) by striking ‘‘$10,000’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘$50,000’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(j) In the event of extreme risks to a unit of Na24 tional Forest System land, including catastrophic wildfire, 

25 insect and disease outbreak, wind, hurricane, flood, 


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1 drought, or to avoid impacts from such extreme events, 

2 the Secretary may, without an appraisal and under such 

3 rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary, dispose 

4 of by sale or otherwise, portions of trees, or forest prod5 ucts located on such unit of National Forest System 

6 lands.’’. 

7 SEC. 8417. PERMITS AND AGREEMENTS WITH ELECTRICAL 

8 UTILITIES. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—In any special use permit or ease10 ment on National Forest System lands provided to an elec11 tric utility company (as defined in section 1262 of the En12 ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16451)) the Secretary 

13 may provide permission to cut and remove trees or other 

14 vegetation from within the vicinity of distribution lines or 

15 transmission lines, including hazardous vegetation that in16 creases fire risk, without requiring a separate timber sale 

17 if that cutting and removal is consistent with the applica18 ble land management plan. 

19 (b) USE OF PROCEEDS.—A special use permit or 

20 easement that includes permission for the cutting and re21 moval of trees or other vegetation described in subsection 

22 (a), shall include a requirement that, if the applicable elec23 trical utility sells any portion of the material removed 

24 under the permit or easement, the electrical utility shall 

25 provide to the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the 


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1 Forest Service, any proceeds received from the sale, less 

2 any transportation costs incurred in the sale. 

3 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec4 tion shall be construed to require the sale of any material 

5 removed under a special use permit or easement that in6 cludes permission for the cutting and removal of trees or 

7 other vegetation described in subsection (a). 

8 SEC. 8418. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS 

9 FOR PRESCRIBED FIRE. 

10 (a) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS AND

11 CONTRACTS FOR PRESCRIBED FIRE.— 

12 (1) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary, the Sec13 retary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Defense 

14 may each enter into a cooperative agreement or con15 tract with an eligible entity, for a period of less than 

16 or equal to 10 years, that authorizes the eligible en17 tity to coordinate, plan, or conduct a prescribed fire 

18 on Federal land or to conduct a prescribed fire 

19 training event. 

20 (2) SUBCONTRACTS.—A State, Indian Tribe, or 

21 county that enters into a cooperative agreement or 

22 contract under paragraph (1) may enter into a sub23 contract, in accordance with applicable contracting 

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1 duct a prescribed fire training event pursuant to 

2 that cooperative agreement or contract. 

3 (3) APPLICABLE LAW.—A prescribed fire con4 ducted under this subsection shall be carried out on 

5 a project-by-project basis under existing authorities 

6 of the applicable Federal agency responsible for the 

7 management of the Federal land. 

8 (4) PRESERVATION OF DECISION AUTHORITY.— 

9 An eligible entity may not carry out a project au10 thorized under this subsection pursuant to a cooper11 ative agreement or contract without the prior writ12 ten approval of each Secretary that entered in to 

13 such cooperative agreement or contract. 

14 (5) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this 

15 subsection, the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a State, 

16 Indian Tribe, county or local government, Depart17 ment of Defense military installation (as defined in 

18 section 2801(c) of title 10, United States Code), fire 

19 district, nongovernmental organization, or private 

20 entity. 

21 (b) TRIBAL FOREST PROTECTION ACT OF 2004 

22 AMENDMENTS.—The Tribal Forest Protection Act of 

23 2004 (25 U.S.C. 3115a et seq.) is amended by adding at 

24 the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 3. TRIBAL PRESCRIBED BURN DEMONSTRATION 

2 PROJECT. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a 

4 contract or agreement with an Indian tribe under this Act 

5 that provides for prescribed burns on Federal land under 

6 the additional authorities provided in this section. 

7 ‘‘(b) SCOPE OF CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT.—Con8 tracts or agreements entered into under this section may, 

9 notwithstanding any other provision of law— 

10 ‘‘(1) utilize burn plans that, once approved by 

11 the Secretary, allow multiple prescribed burns to be 

12 conducted in accordance with the burn plan to elimi13 nate the need for individual burn plans for each pre14 scribed burn and enable forest managers to have the 

15 flexibility to conduct prescribed burns when condi16 tions allow; and 

17 ‘‘(2) include terms that— 

18 ‘‘(A) authorize the Secretary to delegate 

19 their authority to an Indian tribe to plan, co20 ordinate, and execute prescribed burns on the 

21 behalf of the Secretary within the scope of the 

22 burn plan including, but not limited to, apply23 ing the National Wildfire Coordinating Group 

24 standards for Prescribed Fire Planning and Im25 plementation, to the extent authorized by Fed26 eral law; 


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1 ‘‘(B) any applicable Federal standard that 

2 requires a certain number of personnel to be 

3 on-hand during prescribed burns may be satis4 fied by regional Federal, State, or tribal re5 sources and personnel; and 

6 ‘‘(C) where appropriate, the Secretary shall 

7 work with other Federal agencies and Tribal, 

8 State, and local governments to coordinate and 

9 communicate the shared objectives of the pre10 scribed burn and ensure activities comply with 

11 applicable law and regulations.’’. 

12 (c) COOPERATIVE FUNDS AND DEPOSITS ACT

13 AMENDMENTS.—Public Law 94–148 is amended— 

14 (1) in section 1 (16 U.S.C. 565a–1), by insert15 ing ‘‘prescribed fire and prescribed fire training 

16 events,’’ after ‘‘including fire protection,’’; and 

17 (2) in section 2 (16 U.S.C. 565a–2), by insert18 ing ‘‘, section 3 of the Tribal Forest Protection Act 

19 of 2004, or section 8418(a) of the Farm, Food, and 

20 National Security Act of 2024’’ after ‘‘authorized by 

21 section 1’’. 

22 SEC. 8419. UTILIZING GRAZING FOR WILDFIRE RISK RE23 DUCTION. 

24 The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest 

25 Service, in coordination with holders of permits to graze 


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1 livestock on Federal land, shall develop a strategy to in2 crease opportunities to utilize livestock grazing and associ3 ated rangeland improvements as a wildfire risk reduction 

4 strategy, including— 

5 (1) completing the reviews required under the 

6 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

7 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)) to allow permitted grazing on 

8 vacant grazing allotments during instances of 

9 drought, wildfire, or other natural disasters that dis10 rupt grazing on allotments already permitted; 

11 (2) using targeted grazing; 

12 (3) increasing the use of all instruments appli13 cable to grazing, including temporary permits, to 

14 promote targeted grazing to reduce fuels and 

15 invasive annual grasses; and 

16 (4) increasing the use of grazing as a postfire 

17 recovery and restoration strategy, where appropriate. 

18 SEC. 8420. JOINT CHIEFS LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PART19 NERSHIP PROGRAM. 

20 Section 40808 of the Infrastructure Investment and 

21 Jobs Act is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (g)(2), by inserting ‘‘and at 

23 least once every 2 fiscal years thereafter’’ after ‘‘and 

24 2023’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (h)(1), by striking ‘‘and 

2 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘through 2029’’. 

3 SEC. 8421. TRIBAL FOREST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TECH4 NICAL CORRECTION. 

5 Section 8703 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

6 2018 is amended— 

7 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘DEMONSTRA8 TION PROJECT’’ and inserting ‘‘PROGRAM’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘demonstra10 tion projects by’’ and inserting ‘‘a program under’’. 

11 PART III—TIMBER INNOVATION 

12 SEC. 8431. COMMUNITY WOOD FACILITIES PROGRAM. 

13 Section 9013 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest14 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8113) is amended— 

15 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘COMMUNITY

16 WOOD ENERGY AND WOOD INNOVATION PRO17 GRAM’’ and inserting ‘‘COMMUNITY WOOD FA18 CILITIES PROGRAM’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(iii), in the matter 

21 preceding subclause (I) by striking ‘‘woody bio22 mass, including residuals’’ and inserting ‘‘pri23 marily forest biomass, including processing or 

24 manufacturing residuals’’; and 


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1 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘Com2 munity Wood Energy and Wood Innovation 

3 Program’’ and inserting ‘‘Community Wood Fa4 cilities Program’’; 

5 (3) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘to be known 

6 as’’ and all that follows through the period at the 

7 end and inserting ‘‘to be known as the ‘Community 

8 Wood Facilities Program’.’’; 

9 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘exceed—’’ in 

10 the matter preceding paragraph (1) and all that fol11 lows through the period at the end of paragraph (2) 

12 and inserting ‘‘exceed $5,000,000.’’; 

13 (5) in subsection (e)— 

14 (A) by striking paragraph (1); 

15 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

16 through (8) as (1) through (7), respectively; 

17 and 

18 (C) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated, 

19 by inserting ‘‘or market competitiveness’’ after 

20 ‘‘cost effectiveness’’; 

21 (6) in subsection (f)— 

22 (A) by striking paragraph (2); 

23 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

24 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and 


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1 (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 

2 by striking ‘‘use or retrofitting (or both) of ex3 isting sawmill’’ and inserting ‘‘construction, use 

4 or retrofitting of forest products manufac5 turing’’; 

6 (7) in subsection (g)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘5 

8 megawatts of thermal energy or combined ther9 mal and electric energy’’ and inserting ‘‘15 

10 megawatts of thermal energy or combined ther11 mal and electric energy’’; and 

12 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘25 per13 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘50 percent’’; and 

14 (8) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 8432. WOOD INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

17 (a) APPLICATION TO TRANSPORTATION COSTS.— 

18 Section 8643(b)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

19 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d(b)(1)) is amended by inserting 

20 ‘‘, including the construction of new facilities that advance 

21 the purposes of the program and for the hauling of mate22 rial removed to reduce hazardous fuels to locations where 

23 that material can be utilized’’ before the period at the end. 

24 (b) TARGETING TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOP25 MENT, ENHANCED BUILDING DESIGN, AND IMPACT ASVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00655 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 SESSMENT.—Section 8643(c) of the Agriculture Improve2 ment Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d(c)) is amended to read 

3 as follows: 

4 ‘‘(c) TARGETING TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOP5 MENT, ENHANCED BUILDING DESIGN, AND IMPACT AS6 SESSMENT.—In selecting among proposals of eligible enti7 ties under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary may give pri8 ority to proposals for projects that— 

9 ‘‘(1) include the use or retrofitting (or both) of 

10 existing sawmill facilities located in counties in 

11 which the average annual unemployment rate ex12 ceeded the national average unemployment rate by 

13 more than 1 percent in the previous calendar year; 

14 ‘‘(2) recognize or enhance carbon reduction 

15 strategies in building design and interior wood prod16 ucts, including forest impacts, which can be im17 proved or by North American manufacturing; or 

18 ‘‘(3) includes in the proposal of the entity an 

19 analysis of the benefits that forest management 

20 under the proposal will have on the resilience and 

21 economy of the community, including benefits associ22 ated with— 

23 ‘‘(A) wood products from anticipated wood 

24 supply areas; 

25 ‘‘(B) wildfire risk reduction; 


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1 ‘‘(C) increased fiber flow; 

2 ‘‘(D) the increase of forest or mill jobs; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(E) support for forested communities.’’. 

5 (c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Section 8643(d) of 

6 the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 

7 7655d(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘50 percent of’’ before 

8 ‘‘the amount’’. 

9 SEC. 8433. FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCTS DATA TRACKER. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting 

12 through the Chief of the Forest Service, in collaboration 

13 with the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation 

14 Service and in consultation with federally-recognized In15 dian Tribes, State foresters, and private sector partners, 

16 shall establish a publicly available platform to provide 

17 measurement, monitoring, verification, and reporting data 

18 regarding the carbon emissions, sequestration, storage, 

19 and related atmospheric impacts of forest management 

20 and wood products. 

21 (b) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

22 Secretary shall source data, information, and data anal23 ysis from Department programs and interagency pro24 grams, including— 


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1 (1) the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, 

2 including the Timber Products Output survey; 

3 (2) Forest Service and Natural Resources Con4 servation Service soil carbon estimations; 

5 (3) the Forest Products Laboratory; 

6 (4) the Federal Life Cycle Assessment Com7 mons; 

8 (5) Department entity level guidelines; and 

9 (6) other relevant programmatic data and infor10 mation sources, as published and made available. 

11 (c) PRIORITIES.—The platform established by sub12 section (a) shall provide tools that calculate— 

13 (1) the above- and below-ground forest carbon 

14 stocks and stock changes associated with species 

15 composition, forest management regime, and land16 owner types (including small area estimations for re17 gional and localized geographies across the United 

18 States) made available through Forest Inventory and 

19 Analysis updates and annual reports; 

20 (2) the embodied carbon involved in the manu21 facture of products, using data from published envi22 ronmental product declarations and life cycle assess23 ments, updated as new and more refined data be24 comes 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) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec7 tion may be construed to provide authority with respect 

8 to the generation, consumption, or trading of carbon or 

9 environmental credits from National Forest System lands 

10 in any voluntary or compliance environmental markets. 

11 SEC. 8434. BIOCHAR APPLICATION DEMONSTRATION 

12 PROJECT. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) BIOCHAR.—The term ‘‘biochar’’ means car15 bonized biomass produced by converting feedstock 

16 through reductive thermal processing with limited 

17 oxygen for non-fuel uses. 

18 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti19 ty’’ means— 

20 (A) an individual; 

21 (B) a public or private entity; or 

22 (C) a State, local, or Tribal government. 

23 (3) FEEDSTOCK.—The term ‘‘feedstock’’ means 

24 excess woody and agricultural biomass in the form 


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1 of plant matter or materials that serves as the raw 

2 material for the production of biochar. 

3 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the For5 est Service. 

6 (b) BIOCHAR APPLICATION DEMONSTRATION

7 PROJECTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

9 the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec10 retary shall conduct performance-driven research 

11 and development, education, technical assistance, 

12 outreach, and demonstration projects for the pur13 pose of facilitating the use of biochar, developing ad14 ditional biochar applications, and commercializing 

15 biochar in accordance with this subsection. 

16 (2) LOCATION OF DEMONSTRATION

17 PROJECTS.—The Secretary shall, to the maximum 

18 extent practicable, establish a biochar application 

19 demonstration project in each Forest Service region. 

20 (3) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out paragraph 

21 (1), the Secretary shall— 

22 (A) conduct research and development, 

23 education, technical assistance, outreach, and 

24 demonstration projects— 


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1 (i) in close coordination with the For2 est Products Lab after receipt of input 

3 from the forest products industry, con4 servation organizations, and institutions of 

5 higher education; and 

6 (ii) that meets measurable perform7 ance goals for the achievement of the pri8 orities described in paragraph (4); and 

9 (B) enter into partnerships and provide fi10 nancial and technical assistance to carry out 

11 demonstration projects with eligible entities 

12 that –— 

13 (i) acquire and test various feedstocks 

14 and their efficacy; 

15 (ii) develop and optimize commercially 

16 and technologically viable biochar produc17 tion units, including mobile and permanent 

18 units; 

19 (iii) demonstrate the production of 

20 biochar from forest residues and the use of 

21 biochar to restore forest health and resil22 iency; 

23 (iv) build, expand, or establish biochar 

24 facilities; 


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1 (v) conduct research on new and inno2 vative uses of biochar or demonstrate cost3 effective market opportunities for biochar 

4 and biochar-based products; 

5 (vi) carry out any activities the Sec6 retary determines appropriate that meet 

7 the measurable performance goals for the 

8 achievement of priorities described in para9 graph (4). 

10 (4) PRIORITIES.—The research and develop11 ment, education, technical assistance, outreach, and 

12 demonstration projects conducted under paragraph 

13 (1) shall give priority to— 

14 (A) projects to improve the commercializa15 tion of biochar and create the greatest potential 

16 for long-term market growth; 

17 (B) projects that create new jobs and con18 tribute to local economies, particularly in rural 

19 areas; 

20 (C) projects demonstrating— 

21 (i) new and innovative applications of 

22 biochar; 

23 (ii) viable markets for cost-effective 

24 biochar-based products; 


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1 (iii) economic viability of production 

2 and markets; 

3 (iv) the ecosystem services of biochar; 

4 (v) the benefits of biochar to restore 

5 forest heath and resiliency, including for 

6 forest soils and watersheds; 

7 (vi) have the most carbon sequestra8 tion potential; or 

9 (vii) any combination of purposes 

10 specified in clauses (i) through (vi); or 

11 (D) projects located in local markets that 

12 have the greatest need for the biochar produc13 tion units— 

14 (i) near forestlands identified as hav15 ing high or very high or extreme risk of 

16 wildfire, forestlands experiencing signifi17 cant die off due to insects and diseases, 

18 forestlands impacted by extreme weather 

19 events, or forestlands needing soil or water 

20 quality remediation; 

21 (ii) near sufficient quantities of feed22 stocks; or 

23 (iii) where a high level of demand for 

24 biochar or other commercial byproducts of 

25 biochar exists. 


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1 (c) FEEDSTOCK REQUIREMENTS.—To the maximum 

2 extent practicable, a biochar application demonstration 

3 project under this subsection shall derive such feedstock 

4 from forest thinning and management activities conducted 

5 for science-based restoration on National Forest System 

6 lands, and other Federal, State, Tribal, and private 

7 forestlands, including mill residuals. 

8 (d) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent prac9 ticable, the measurable performance goals for the research 

10 and development, education, technical assistance, and 

11 demonstration projects conducted under subsection (a) 

12 shall be achievable within a 5-year timeframe. 

13 (e) FUNDING.— 

14 (1) LIMITATION.—In the case of an eligible en15 tity that enters into a partnership to carry out a 

16 demonstration project under this section and seeks 

17 to establish a biochar facility under such demonstra18 tion project, the Secretary may not provide funding 

19 to such eligible entity in an amount greater than 35 

20 percent of the capital cost of establishing such 

21 biochar facility. 

22 (2) FUNDING SOURCE.—Funds made available 

23 to carry out the wood innovation grant program 

24 under section 8643 of the Agriculture Improvement 


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1 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d) may also be used to 

2 carry out this section. 

3 Subtitle E—Save Our Sequoias 

4 SEC. 8501. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Save Our Sequoias 

6 Act’’. 

7 SEC. 8502. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this subtitle: 

9 (1) ASSESSMENT.—The term ‘‘Assessment’’ 

10 means the Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency As11 sessment required by section 8505. 

12 (2) COALITION.—The term ‘‘Coalition’’ means 

13 the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition codified under 

14 section 8504(a). 

15 (3) COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.—The term ‘‘col16 laborative process’’ means a process relating to the 

17 management of covered National Forest system 

18 lands or covered public lands by which a project or 

19 forest management activity is developed and imple20 mented by the Secretary concerned through collabo21 ration with multiple interested persons representing 

22 diverse interests. 

23 (4) COVERED NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM

24 LANDS.—The term ‘‘covered National Forest System 

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1 tem lands reserved or withdrawn from the public do2 main of the United States covering the Sequoia Na3 tional Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monu4 ment, Sierra National Forest, and Tahoe National 

5 Forest. 

6 (5) COVERED PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘cov7 ered public lands’’ means— 

8 (A) the Case Mountain Extensive Recre9 ation Management Area in California managed 

10 by the Bureau of Land Management; and 

11 (B) Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia 

12 National Park, and Yosemite National Park in 

13 California managed by the National Park Serv14 ice. 

15 (6) GIANT SEQUOIA.—The term ‘‘giant se16 quoia’’ means a tree of the species Sequoiadendron 

17 giganteum. 

18 (7) GROVE-SPECIFIC HAZARDOUS FUELS RE19 DUCTION PLAN.—The term ‘‘grove-specific haz20 ardous fuels reduction plan’’ means a plan developed 

21 by the applicable land management agency prior to 

22 conducting an analysis under the National Environ23 mental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) to ad24 dress hazardous fuels in 1 or more giant sequoia 

25 groves. 


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1 (8) PROTECTION PROJECT.—The term ‘‘Protec2 tion Project’’ means a Giant Sequoia Protection 

3 Project carried out under section 8506. 

4 (9) REFORESTATION.—The term ‘‘reforest5 ation’’ means the act of renewing tree cover, taking 

6 into consideration species composition and resilience, 

7 by establishing young trees through natural regen8 eration, artificial or natural regeneration with site 

9 preparation, planting or direct seeding, or vegetation 

10 competition control following artificial or natural re11 generation. 

12 (10) REHABILITATION.—The term ‘‘rehabilita13 tion’’ means any action taken during the 5-year pe14 riod beginning on the last day of a wildland fire to 

15 repair or improve fire-impacted lands which are un16 likely to recover to management-approved conditions. 

17 (11) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT18 TEES.—The term ‘‘relevant Congressional Commit19 tees’’ means— 

20 (A) the Committees on Natural Resources, 

21 Agriculture, and Appropriations of the House of 

22 Representatives; and 

23 (B) the Committees on Energy and Nat24 ural Resources, Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

25 Forestry, and Appropriations of the Senate. 


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1 (12) RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL.—The term ‘‘re2 sponsible official’’ means an employee of the Depart3 ment of the Interior or Forest Service who has the 

4 authority to make and implement a decision on a 

5 proposed action. 

6 (13) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

7 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

8 (14) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term 

9 ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 

10 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re11 spect to covered National Forest System lands, 

12 or their designee; and 

13 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re14 spect to covered public lands, or their designee. 

15 (15) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘Strategy’’ means 

16 the Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation 

17 Strategy established under section 8507. 

18 (16) STRIKE TEAM.—The term ‘‘Strike Team’’ 

19 means a Giant Sequoia Strike Team established 

20 under section 8508. 

21 (17) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 

22 Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reserva23 tion, California. 


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1 SEC. 8503. SHARED STEWARDSHIP AGREEMENT FOR GIANT 

2 SEQUOIAS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after re4 ceiving a request from the Governor of the State of Cali5 fornia or the Tribe, the Secretary shall enter into or ex6 pand an existing shared stewardship agreement or enter 

7 into a similar agreement with the Secretary, the Governor 

8 of the State of California, and the Tribe to jointly carry 

9 out the short-term and long-term management and con10 servation of giant sequoias. 

11 (b) PARTICIPATION.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary has not re13 ceived a request from the Governor of the State of 

14 California or the Tribe under subsection (a) before 

15 the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment 

16 of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into the agree17 ment under subsection (a) and jointly implement 

18 such agreement with the Secretary. 

19 (2) FUTURE PARTICIPATION.—If the Secretary 

20 receives a request from the Governor of the State of 

21 California or the Tribe any time after entering into 

22 the agreement with the Secretary under paragraph 

23 (1), the Secretary shall accept the Governor of the 

24 State of California or the Tribe as a party to such 

25 agreement. 


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1 SEC. 8504. GIANT SEQUOIA LANDS COALITION. 

2 (a) CODIFICATION.—The Coalition is the entity es3 tablished under the charter titled ‘‘Giant Sequoia Lands 

4 Coalition Charter’’ (or successor charter) signed during 

5 the period beginning June 2, 2022 and ending August 2, 

6 2022 by each of the following: 

7 (1) The National Park Service, representing Se8 quoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. 

9 (2) The National Park Service, representing 

10 Yosemite National Park. 

11 (3) The Forest Service, representing Sequoia 

12 National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monu13 ment. 

14 (4) The Forest Service, representing Sierra Na15 tional Forest. 

16 (5) The Forest Service, representing Tahoe Na17 tional Forest. 

18 (6) The Bureau of Land Management, rep19 resenting Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Man20 agement Area. 

21 (7) The Tribe, representing the Tule River In22 dian Reservation. 

23 (8) The State of California, representing 

24 Calaveras Big Trees State Park. 

25 (9) The State of California, representing Moun26 tain Home Demonstration State Forest. 


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1 (10) The University of California, Berkeley, 

2 representing Whitaker’s Research Forest. 

3 (11) The County of Tulare, California, rep4 resenting Balch Park. 

5 (b) DUTIES.—In addition to the duties specified in 

6 the charter referenced in subsection (a), the Coalition 

7 shall— 

8 (1) produce the Assessment under section 8505; 

9 (2) observe implementation, and provide policy 

10 recommendations to the Secretary concerned, with 

11 respect to— 

12 (A) Protection Projects carried out under 

13 section 8506; and 

14 (B) the Strategy established under section 

15 8507; 

16 (3) facilitate collaboration and coordination on 

17 Protection Projects, particularly projects that cross 

18 jurisdictional boundaries; 

19 (4) facilitate information sharing, including best 

20 available science as described in section 8505(c) and 

21 mapping resources; and 

22 (5) support the development and dissemination 

23 of educational materials and programs that inform 

24 the public about the threats to the health and resil25 iency of giant sequoia groves and actions being 


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1 taken to reduce the risk to such groves from high2 severity wildfire, insects, and drought. 

3 (c) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL SERV4 ICES, AND STAFF SUPPORT.—The Secretary shall make 

5 personnel of the Department of the Interior available to 

6 the Coalition for administrative support, technical serv7 ices, development and dissemination of educational mate8 rials, and staff support that the Secretary determines nec9 essary to carry out this section. 

10 SEC. 8505. GIANT SEQUOIA HEALTH AND RESILIENCY AS11 SESSMENT. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Coalition shall sub14 mit to the relevant Congressional Committees a Giant Se15 quoia Health and Resiliency Assessment that, based on 

16 the best available science— 

17 (1) identifies— 

18 (A) each giant sequoia grove that has ex19 perienced a— 

20 (i) stand-replacing disturbance; or 

21 (ii) disturbance but continues to have 

22 living giant sequoias within the grove, in23 cluding identifying the tree mortality and 

24 regeneration of giant sequoias within such 

25 grove; 


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1 (B) each giant sequoia grove that is at 

2 high risk of experiencing a stand-replacing dis3 turbance; 

4 (C) lands located near giant sequoia groves 

5 that are at risk of experiencing high-severity 

6 wildfires that could adversely impact such giant 

7 sequoia groves; and 

8 (D) each giant sequoia grove that has ex9 perienced a disturbance and is unlikely to natu10 rally regenerate and is in need of reforestation; 

11 (2) analyzes the resiliency of each giant sequoia 

12 grove to threats, such as— 

13 (A) high-severity wildfire; 

14 (B) insects, including beetle kill; and 

15 (C) drought; 

16 (3) with respect to Protection Projects, pro17 poses a list of highest priority Protection Projects to 

18 be carried out under section 8506, giving priority to 

19 projects located on lands identified under subpara20 graphs (B) and (C) of subsection (a)(1); 

21 (4) examines how historical, Tribal, or current 

22 approaches to wildland fire suppression and forest 

23 management activities across various jurisdictions 

24 have impacted the health and resiliency of giant se25 quoia groves with respect to— 


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1 (A) high-severity wildfires; 

2 (B) insects, including beetle kill; and 

3 (C) drought; and 

4 (5) includes program and policy recommenda5 tions that address— 

6 (A) Federal and State policies that impede 

7 activities to improve the health and resiliency of 

8 giant sequoias and proposed policy changes to 

9 address such impediments; 

10 (B) new Federal and State policies nec11 essary to increase the pace and scale of treat12 ments that improve the health and resiliency of 

13 giant sequoias; 

14 (C) options to enhance communication, co15 ordination, and collaboration, particularly for 

16 cross-boundary projects, to improve the health 

17 and resiliency of giant sequoias; and 

18 (D) research gaps that should be ad19 dressed to improve the best available science on 

20 the giant sequoias. 

21 (b) ANNUAL UPDATES.—Not later than 1 year after 

22 the submission of the Assessment under subsection (a), 

23 and annually thereafter, the Coalition shall submit an up24 dated Assessment to the relevant Congressional Commit25 tees that— 


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1 (1) includes any new data, information, or best 

2 available science that has changed or become avail3 able since the previous Assessment was submitted; 

4 (2) with respect to Protection Projects— 

5 (A) includes information on the number of 

6 Protection Projects initiated the previous year 

7 and the estimated timeline for completing those 

8 projects; 

9 (B) includes information on the number of 

10 Protection Projects planned in the upcoming 

11 year and the estimated timeline for completing 

12 those projects; 

13 (C) provides status updates and long-term 

14 monitoring reports on giant sequoia groves 

15 after the completion of Protection Projects; 

16 (D) if the Secretary concerned failed to re17 duce hazardous fuels in at least 3 giant sequoia 

18 groves in the previous year, a written expla19 nation that includes— 

20 (i) a detailed explanation of what im21 pediments resulted in failing to reduce haz22 ardous fuels in at least 3 giant sequoia 

23 groves; 

24 (ii) a detailed explanation of what ac25 tions the Secretary concerned is taking to 


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1 ensure that hazardous fuels are reduced in 

2 at least 3 giant sequoia groves the fol3 lowing year; and 

4 (iii) recommendations to Congress on 

5 any policies that need to be changed to as6 sist the Secretary concerned in reducing 

7 hazardous fuels in giant sequoia groves; 

8 and 

9 (3) with respect to reforestation and rehabilita10 tion of giant sequoias— 

11 (A) contains updates on the implementa12 tion of the Strategy under section 8507, includ13 ing grove-level data on reforestation and reha14 bilitation activities; and 

15 (B) provides status updates and moni16 toring reports on giant sequoia groves that have 

17 experienced natural or artificial regeneration as 

18 part of the Strategy under section 8507. 

19 (c) DASHBOARD.— 

20 (1) REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN.—The Coali21 tion shall create and maintain a website that— 

22 (A) publishes the Assessment, annual up23 dates to the Assessment, and other educational 

24 materials developed by the Coalition; 


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1 (B) contains searchable information about 

2 individual giant sequoia groves, including the— 

3 (i) resiliency of such groves to threats 

4 described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 

5 subsection (a); 

6 (ii) Protection Projects that have been 

7 proposed, initiated, or completed in such 

8 groves; and 

9 (iii) reforestation and rehabilitation 

10 activities that have been proposed, initi11 ated, or completed in such groves; and 

12 (C) maintains a searchable database to 

13 track— 

14 (i) the status of Federal environ15 mental reviews and authorizations for spe16 cific Protection Projects and reforestation 

17 and rehabilitation activities; and 

18 (ii) the projected cost of Protection 

19 Projects and reforestation and rehabilita20 tion activities. 

21 (2) SEARCHABLE DATABASE.—The Coalition 

22 shall include information on the status of Protection 

23 Projects in the searchable database created under 

24 paragraph (1)(C), including— 

25 (A) a comprehensive permitting timetable; 


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1 (B) the status of the compliance of each 

2 lead agency, cooperating agency, and partici3 pating agency with the permitting timetable; 

4 (C) any modifications of the permitting 

5 timetable required under subparagraph (A), in6 cluding an explanation as to why the permitting 

7 timetable was modified; and 

8 (D) information about project-related pub9 lic meetings, public hearings, and public com10 ment periods, which shall be presented in 

11 English and the predominant language of the 

12 community or communities most affected by the 

13 project, as that information becomes available. 

14 (d) BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE.—In utilizing the best 

15 available science for the Assessment, the Coalition shall 

16 include— 

17 (1) data and peer-reviewed research from aca18 demic institutions with a demonstrated history of 

19 studying giant sequoias and with experience ana20 lyzing distinct management strategies to improve 

21 giant sequoia resiliency; 

22 (2) traditional ecological knowledge from the 

23 Tribe related to improving the health and resiliency 

24 of giant sequoia groves; and 


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1 (3) data from Federal, State, Tribal, and local 

2 governments or agencies. 

3 (e) TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS.—In carrying out 

4 this section, the Secretary may enter into memorandums 

5 of understanding or agreements with other Federal agen6 cies or departments, State or local governments, Tribal 

7 governments, private entities, or academic institutions to 

8 improve, with respect to the Assessment, the use and inte9 gration of— 

10 (1) advanced remote sensing and geospatial 

11 technologies; 

12 (2) statistical modeling and analysis; or 

13 (3) any other technology the Secretary deter14 mines will benefit the quality of information used in 

15 the Assessment. 

16 (f) PLANNING.—The Coalition shall make informa17 tion from this Assessment available to the Secretary con18 cerned and State of California to integrate into the— 

19 (1) State of California’s Wildfire and Forest 

20 Resilience Action Plan; 

21 (2) Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis 

22 Strategy (or successor plan); and 

23 (3) Department of the Interior’s Wildfire Risk 

24 Five-Year Monitoring, Maintenance, and Treatment 

25 Plan (or successor plan). 


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1 (g) RELATION TO THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL

2 POLICY ACT OF 1969.—The development and submission 

3 of the Assessment under subsection (a) shall not be sub4 ject to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

5 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

6 SEC. 8506. GIANT SEQUOIA EMERGENCY RESPONSE. 

7 (a) EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO PROTECT GIANT SE8 QUOIAS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

10 (A) EMERGENCY DETERMINATION.—Con11 gress determines that— 

12 (i) an emergency exists on covered 

13 public lands and covered National Forest 

14 System lands that makes it necessary to 

15 carry out Protection Projects that take 

16 needed actions to respond to the threat of 

17 wildfires, insects, and drought to giant se18 quoias; and 

19 (ii) Protection Projects are necessary 

20 to control the immediate impacts of the 

21 emergency described in clause (i) and are 

22 needed to mitigate harm to life, property, 

23 or important natural or cultural resources 

24 on covered public lands and covered Na25 tional Forest System lands. 


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1 (B) APPLICATION.—The emergency deter2 mination established under subparagraph (A) 

3 shall apply to all covered public lands and cov4 ered National Forest System lands. 

5 (C) EXPIRATION.—The emergency deter6 mination established under subparagraph (A) 

7 shall expire on the date that is 7 years after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act. 

9 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—While the emergency 

10 determination established under subsection (a) is in 

11 effect, the following shall apply: 

12 (A) The following shall have the force and 

13 effect of law: 

14 (i) Section 220.4(b) of title 36, Code 

15 of Federal Regulations (as in effect July 

16 21, 2022), with respect to covered Na17 tional Forest System lands. 

18 (ii) Section 46.150 of title 43, Code of 

19 Federal Regulations (as in effect October 

20 12, 2022), with respect to covered public 

21 lands. 

22 (iii) Section 402.05 of title 50, Code 

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1 tional Forest System lands and covered 

2 public lands. 

3 (iv) Section 800.12 of title 36, Code 

4 of Federal Regulations (as in effect July 

5 21, 2022), with respect to covered Na6 tional Forest System lands and covered 

7 public lands. 

8 (B) A responsible official may carry out a 

9 Protection Project described by paragraph (4) 

10 before initiating— 

11 (i) an analysis under section 102 of 

12 the National Environmental Policy Act of 

13 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332); 

14 (ii) consultation under section 7 of the 

15 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

16 U.S.C. 1536); and 

17 (iii) consultation under section 106 of 

18 the National Historic Preservation Act (16 

19 U.S.C. 470(f)). 

20 (C) The rules established under sub21 sections (d) and (e) of section 40807 of the In22 frastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 

23 U.S.C. 6592c(d) and (e)) shall apply with re24 spect to Protection Projects by substituting 

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1 gency action under this section’’ each place it 

2 appears in such subsections. 

3 (D) Protection Projects shall be subject to 

4 the requirements of section 106 of title I of the 

5 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 

6 U.S.C. 6511 et seq.). 

7 (3) PROTECTION PROJECTS.—The responsible 

8 official shall carry out the following forest manage9 ment activities, consistent with applicable grove-spe10 cific hazardous fuels reduction plans or activities 

11 recommend by the Assessment under section 8505, 

12 as Protection Projects under the emergency deter13 mination under this section: 

14 (A) Conducting hazardous fuels manage15 ment, including mechanical thinning, mastica16 tion, and prescribed burning. 

17 (B) Removing hazard trees, dead trees, 

18 dying trees, or trees at risk of dying, as deter19 mined by the responsible official. 

20 (C) Removing trees to address over21 stocking or crowding in a forest stand, con22 sistent with the appropriate basal area of the 

23 forest stand as determined by the responsible 

24 official. 


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1 (D) Activities included in the applicable 

2 grove-specific hazardous fuels reduction plan. 

3 (E) Using chemical treatments to address 

4 insects and disease and control vegetation com5 petition. 

6 (F) Any combination of activities described 

7 in this paragraph. 

8 (4) REQUIREMENTS.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—Protection Projects 

10 carried out under paragraph (3) and reforest11 ation and rehabilitation activities carried out 

12 under this Act that are described by subpara13 graph (D) are a category of actions hereby des14 ignated as being categorically excluded from the 

15 preparation of an environmental assessment or 

16 an environmental impact statement under sec17 tion 102 of the National Environmental Policy 

18 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332). 

19 (B) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary con20 cerned shall use the categorical exclusion estab21 lished under subparagraph (A) in accordance 

22 with this section. 

23 (C) INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.—Con24 gress finds that Protection Projects carried out 

25 under this section are consistent with improving 


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1 the health and resiliency of critical habitat for 

2 threatened and endangered species, including 

3 the Pacific fisher and California spotted owl. 

4 (D) REQUIREMENTS.—A Protection 

5 Project or reforestation or rehabilitation activity 

6 is described by this subparagraph if such Pro7 tection Project or reforestation or rehabilitation 

8 activity— 

9 (i) covers an area of no more than— 

10 (I) 2,000 acres within giant se11 quoia groves where a grove-specific 

12 hazardous fuels reduction plan has 

13 been developed by the relevant land 

14 management agency or on lands iden15 tified under section 8505(a)(1)(B); 

16 and 

17 (II) 3,000 acres on lands identi18 fied under section 8505(a)(1)(C); and 

19 (ii) was— 

20 (I) proposed by the Assessment 

21 under section 8505(a)(3); 

22 (II) developed through a collabo23 rative process; or 

24 (III) proposed by a resource advi25 sory committee (as defined in section 


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1 201 of the Secure Rural Schools and 

2 Community Self-Determination Act of 

3 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7121)); and 

4 (iii) occurs on Federal land or non5 Federal land with the consent of the non6 Federal landowner. 

7 (E) USE OF OTHER AUTHORITIES.—To the 

8 maximum extent practicable, the Secretary con9 cerned shall use the authorities provided under 

10 this section in combination with other authori11 ties to carry out Protection Projects, includ12 ing— 

13 (i) good neighbor agreements entered 

14 into under section 8206 of the Agricultural 

15 Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); and 

16 (ii) stewardship contracting projects 

17 entered into under section 604 of the 

18 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 

19 (16 U.S.C. 6591c). 

20 (F) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—With respect to 

21 joint Protection Projects and reforestation and 

22 rehabilitation activities involving the Tribe, 

23 nothing in this section shall be construed to add 

24 any additional regulatory requirements onto the 

25 Tribe. 


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1 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—To the maximum extent 

2 practicable, the Secretary concerned shall reduce haz3 ardous fuels in no fewer than 3 giant sequoia groves each 

4 year. 

5 SEC. 8507. GIANT SEQUOIA REFORESTATION AND REHA6 BILITATION STRATEGY. 

7 (a) REFORESTATION AND REHABILITATION STRAT8 EGY.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in con11 sultation with the Coalition, shall develop and implement 

12 a strategy, to be known as the Giant Sequoia Reforest13 ation and Rehabilitation Strategy, to enhance the reforest14 ation and rehabilitation of giant sequoia groves that— 

15 (A) identifies giant sequoia groves in need of natural 

16 or artificial regeneration, giving highest priority to groves 

17 identified under section 8505(a)(1)(A)(i); 

18 (B) creates a priority list of reforestation and reha19 bilitation activities; 

20 (C) identifies and addresses— 

21 (i) barriers to reforestation or rehabilitation includ22 ing— 

23 (I) regulatory and funding barriers; 

24 (II) seedling shortages or related nursery infrastruc25 ture capacity constraints; 


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1 (III) labor and workforce shortages; 

2 (IV) technology and science gaps; and 

3 (V) site preparation challenges; 

4 (ii) potential public-private partnership opportunities 

5 to complete high-priority reforestation or rehabilitation 

6 projects; 

7 (iii) a timeline for addressing the backlog of reforest8 ation for giant sequoias in the 10-year period after the 

9 agreement is entered into under section 8503; and 

10 (iv) strategies to ensure genetic diversity across giant 

11 sequoia groves; and 

12 (D) includes program and policy recommendations 

13 needed to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of the 

14 Strategy. 

15 (2) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary may incorporate 

16 the Strategy into the Assessment under section 8505. 

17 (b) PRIORITY REFORESTATION PROJECTS AMEND18 MENT.—Section 3(e)(4)(C)(ii)(I) of the Forest and 

19 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 

20 (16 U.S.C. 1601(e)(4)(C)(ii)(I)) is amended— 

21 (1) in item (bb), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

22 (2) in item (cc), by striking the period and inserting 

23 ‘‘; and’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(dd) shall include reforest2 ation and rehabilitation activities 

3 conducted under section 8507 of 

4 the Save Our Sequoias Act.’’. 

5 (c) IMPLEMENTATION.—Section 4(d)(1) of the Wil6 derness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)) is amended by inserting 

7 ‘‘Nothing in this Act precludes reforestation (as defined 

8 in section 8502 of the Save our Sequoias Act) activities 

9 to reestablish giant sequoias following a wildfire.’’ after 

10 the period at the end. 

11 SEC. 8508. GIANT SEQUOIA STRIKE TEAMS. 

12 (a) GIANT SEQUOIA STRIKE TEAMS.— 

13 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary con14 cerned shall each establish a Giant Sequoia Strike 

15 Team to assist the Secretary concerned with the im16 plementation of— 

17 (A) primarily, section 8506; and 

18 (B) secondarily, section 8507. 

19 (2) DUTIES.—Each Strike Team shall— 

20 (A) assist the Secretary concerned with 

21 any reviews, including analysis under the Na22 tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

23 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), consultations under the 

24 National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 

25 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) and consultations under the 


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1 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

2 1531 et seq.); 

3 (B) implement any necessary site prepara4 tion work in advance of or as part of a Protec5 tion Project or reforestation or rehabilitation 

6 activity; 

7 (C) implement Protection Projects under 

8 section 8506; and 

9 (D) implement reforestation or rehabilita10 tion activities under section 8507. 

11 (3) MEMBERS.—The Secretary concerned may 

12 appoint no more than 10 individuals each to serve 

13 on a Strike Team comprised of— 

14 (A) employees of the Department of the 

15 Interior; 

16 (B) employees of the Forest Service; 

17 (C) private contractors from any nonprofit 

18 organization, State government, Tribal Govern19 ment, local government, academic institution, or 

20 private organization; and 

21 (D) volunteers from any nonprofit organi22 zation, State government, Tribal Government, 

23 local government, academic institution, or pri24 vate organization. 


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1 SEC. 8509. GIANT SEQUOIA COLLABORATIVE RESTORATION 

2 GRANTS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

4 with the parties to the agreement under section 8503, 

5 shall establish a program to award grants to eligible enti6 ties to advance, facilitate, or improve giant sequoia health 

7 and resiliency. 

8 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The Secretary may award 

9 grants under this section to any nonprofit organization, 

10 Tribal Government, local government, academic institu11 tion, or private organization to help advance, facilitate, or 

12 improve giant sequoia health and resiliency. 

13 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec14 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities 

15 that— 

16 (1) primarily, are likely to have the greatest im17 pact on giant sequoia health and resiliency; and 

18 (2) secondarily— 

19 (A) are small businesses or tribal entities, 

20 particularly in rural areas; and 

21 (B) create or support jobs, particularly in 

22 rural areas. 

23 (d) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Funds from grants 

24 awarded under this section shall be used to— 


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1 (1) create, expand, or develop markets for haz2 ardous fuels removed under section 8506, including 

3 markets for biomass and biochar; 

4 (2) facilitate hazardous fuel removal under sec5 tion 8506, including by reducing the cost of trans6 porting hazardous fuels removed as part of a Protec7 tion Project; 

8 (3) expand, enhance, develop, or create facilities 

9 or land that can store or process hazardous fuels re10 moved under section 8506; 

11 (4) establish, develop, expand, enhance, or im12 prove nursery capacity or infrastructure necessary to 

13 facilitate the Strategy established under section 

14 8507; or 

15 (5) support tribal management and conserva16 tion of giant sequoias, including funding for tribal 

17 historic preservation officers. 

18 SEC. 8510. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY FOR GIANT SE19 QUOIAS. 

20 Section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 

21 U.S.C. 2113a), as amended by section 8412, is further 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (3)(A)— 


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1 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

2 the end; 

3 (ii) by redesignating clause (ii) as 

4 clause (iii); 

5 (iii) by inserting after clause (i) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(ii) Kings Canyon National Park, 

8 Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite Na9 tional Park; or’’; 

10 (B) in paragraph (4)(A)— 

11 (i) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

12 the end; 

13 (ii) by redesignating clause (iii) as 

14 clause (iv); 

15 (iii) by inserting after clause (ii) the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(iii) activities conducted under sec18 tion 8506 of the Save Our Sequoias Act;’’; 

19 (iv) in clause (iv), as so redesignated, 

20 by striking the period at the end and in21 serting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(v) any combination of activities 

24 specified in clauses (i) through (iv).’’. 


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1 (C) in paragraph (10)(B) by striking 

2 ‘‘land.’’ and inserting ‘‘land, Kings Canyon Na3 tional Park, Sequoia National Park, and Yo4 semite National Park.’’; and 

5 (2) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (2)(C)— 

7 (i) by striking clause (ii); and 

8 (ii) by inserting after clause (i) the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(ii) SPECIAL RULE FOR CERTAIN NA11 TIONAL PARKS.—Funds received from the 

12 sale of timber by a Governor, an Indian 

13 tribe, or a county under a good neighbor 

14 agreement carried out within the bound15 aries of Kings Canyon National Park, Se16 quoia National Park, or Yosemite National 

17 Park shall be retained and used by the 

18 Governor, Indian tribe, or county, as appli19 cable— 

20 ‘‘(I) to carry out authorized res21 toration services under such good 

22 neighbor agreement; 

23 ‘‘(II) if there are funds remain24 ing after carrying out the services 

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1 ized restoration services under other 

2 good neighbor agreements within the 

3 boundaries of the park unit in which 

4 the initial good neighbor agreement 

5 occurred; and 

6 ‘‘(III) if there are no further 

7 good neighbor agreements to carry 

8 out under clause (ii), to transfer to 

9 the park unit in which the initial good 

10 neighbor agreement occurred to be 

11 used for giant sequoia conservation 

12 and management. 

13 ‘‘(iii) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVE14 NESS.—The authority provided by this 

15 subparagraph terminates effective October 

16 1, 2029.’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZED RESTORATION SERVICES IN

19 CERTAIN NATIONAL PARKS.—Authorized restoration 

20 services occurring in Kings Canyon National Park, 

21 Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite National Park 

22 shall be carried out in accordance with section 

23 100753 of title 54, United States Code.’’. 


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1 SEC. 8511. STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTING FOR GIANT SE2 QUOIAS. 

3 (a) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.—Section 604(a)(2) of 

4 the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 

5 6591c(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

7 the Director of the Bureau of Land Management 

8 with respect to Bureau of Land Management lands 

9 and the Director of the National Park Service with 

10 respect to lands within Kings Canyon National 

11 Park, Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite Na12 tional Park.’’. 

13 (b) GIANT SEQUOIA STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTS.— 

14 Section 604(c) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

15 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c(c)) is further amended by adding 

16 at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(8) Promoting the health and resiliency of 

18 giant sequoias.’’. 

19 SEC. 8512. GIANT SEQUOIA EMERGENCY PROTECTION PRO20 GRAM AND FUND. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1011 of title 54, United 

22 States Code, is amended by inserting at the end the fol23 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘§ 101123. Giant Sequoia Emergency Protection Pro2 gram and Fund 

3 ‘‘(a) GIANT SEQUOIA EMERGENCY PROTECTION

4 PROGRAM.—The National Park Foundation, in coordina5 tion with the National Forest Foundation, shall design 

6 and implement a comprehensive program to assist and 

7 promote philanthropic programs of support that benefit— 

8 ‘‘(1) primarily, the management and conserva9 tion of giant sequoias on National Park Service and 

10 covered National Forest System lands to promote re11 siliency to wildfires, insects, and drought; and 

12 ‘‘(2) secondarily, the reforestation of giant se13 quoias on National Park Service and covered Na14 tional Forest System lands impacted by wildfire. 

15 ‘‘(b) GIANT SEQUOIA EMERGENCY PROTECTION

16 FUND.—The National Park Foundation, in coordination 

17 with the National Forest Foundation, shall establish a 

18 joint special account to be known as the Giant Sequoia 

19 Emergency Protection Fund (referred to as ‘the Fund’ in 

20 this section), to be administered in support of the program 

21 established under subsection (a). 

22 ‘‘(1) FUNDS FOR GIANT SEQUOIA EMERGENCY

23 PROTECTION.—The Fund shall consist of any gifts, 

24 devises, or bequests that are provided to the Na25 tional Park Foundation or National Forest Founda26 tion for such purpose. 


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1 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds shall be available 

2 to the National Park Foundation and National For3 est Foundation without further appropriation, sub4 ject to the provisions in paragraph (3), for projects 

5 and activities approved by the Chief of the Forest 

6 Service or the Director of the National Park Service 

7 as appropriate, or their designees, to— 

8 ‘‘(A) primarily, support the management 

9 and conservation of giant sequoias on National 

10 Park Service and covered National Forest Sys11 tem lands to promote resiliency to wildfires, in12 sects, and drought; and 

13 ‘‘(B) secondarily, support the reforestation 

14 of giant sequoias on National Park Service and 

15 covered National Forest System lands impacted 

16 by wildfire. 

17 ‘‘(3) TRIBAL SUPPORT.—Of the funds provided 

18 to the National Park Foundation and National For19 est Foundation under paragraph (2), not less than 

20 15 percent of such funds shall be used to support 

21 tribal management and conservation of giant se22 quoias including funding for tribal historic preserva23 tion officers. 

24 ‘‘(c) SUMMARY.—Beginning 1 year after the date of 

25 the enactment of this Act, the National Park Foundation 


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1 and National Forest Foundation shall include with their 

2 annual reports a summary of the status of the program 

3 and Fund created under this section that includes— 

4 ‘‘(1) a statement of the amounts deposited in 

5 the Fund during the fiscal year; 

6 ‘‘(2) the amount of the balance remaining in 

7 the Fund at the end of the fiscal year; and 

8 ‘‘(3) a description of the program and projects 

9 funded during the fiscal year. 

10 ‘‘(d) COVERED NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS

11 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘covered National 

12 Forest System lands’ has the meaning given such term 

13 in section 8502 of the Save Our Sequoias Act. 

14 ‘‘(e) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS.—The au15 thority provided by this section shall terminate 7 years 

16 after the date of enactment of the Save Our Sequoias 

17 Act.’’. 

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec19 tions for chapter 1011 of title 54, United States Code, 

20 is amended by inserting at the end the following: 

‘‘101123. Giant Sequoia Emergency Protection Program and Fund.’’. 

21 SEC. 8513. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

22 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

23 this subtitle and the amendments made by this subtitle 

24 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 


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1 Subtitle F—Other Matters 

2 SEC. 8701. RURAL REVITALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES. 

3 Section 2371(d)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Con4 servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6601(d)(2)) 

5 is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

6 SEC. 8702. RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMITTEES. 

7 Section 205 of the Secure Rural Schools and Commu8 nity Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7125) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(6) APPOINTMENTS BY APPLICABLE REGIONAL

13 FORESTERS.—In making appointments under this 

14 subsection, the Secretary concerned may act through 

15 the applicable regional forester so long as before the 

16 applicable regional forester makes an appointment, 

17 the applicable regional forester conducts the review 

18 and analysis that would otherwise be conducted for 

19 an appointment to a resource advisory committee, 

20 including any review and analysis with respect to 

21 civil rights, budgetary requirements, vetting, and re22 porting, as the Secretary concerned determines ap23 propriate.’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (d)(6), by striking ‘‘October 1, 

25 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘October 1, 2029’’; and 


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1 (3) by striking subsection (g). 

2 SEC. 8703. ACCURATE HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION RE3 PORTS. 

4 (a) INCLUSION OF HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION

5 REPORT IN MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE

6 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the first fis8 cal year that begins after the date of the enactment 

9 of this Act, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec10 retary concerned shall include in the materials sub11 mitted in support of the President’s budget pursuant 

12 to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, a re13 port on the number of acres of Federal land on 

14 which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous 

15 fuels reduction activities during the preceding fiscal 

16 year. 

17 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—For purposes of the re18 port required under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

19 concerned shall— 

20 (A) in determining the number of acres of 

21 Federal land on which the Secretary concerned 

22 carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities 

23 during the period covered by the report— 


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1 (i) record acres of Federal land on 

2 which hazardous fuels reduction activities 

3 were completed during such period; and 

4 (ii) record each acre described in 

5 clause (i) once in the report, regardless of 

6 whether multiple hazardous fuels reduction 

7 activities were carried out on such acre 

8 during such period; and 

9 (B) with respect to the acres of Federal 

10 land recorded in the report, include information 

11 on— 

12 (i) which such acres are located in the 

13 wildland-urban interface; 

14 (ii) the level of wildfire risk (high, 

15 moderate, or low) on the first and last day 

16 of the period covered by the report; 

17 (iii) the types of hazardous fuels ac18 tivities completed for such acres, delin19 eating between whether such activities 

20 were conducted— 

21 (I) in a wildfire managed for re22 source benefits; or 

23 (II) through a planned project; 


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1 (iv) the cost per acre of hazardous 

2 fuels activities carried out during the pe3 riod covered by the report; 

4 (v) the region or system unit in which 

5 the acres are located; and 

6 (vi) the effectiveness of the hazardous 

7 fuels reduction activities on reducing the 

8 risk of wildfire. 

9 (3) TRANSPARENCY.—The Secretary concerned 

10 shall make each report submitted under paragraph 

11 (1) publicly available on the website of the Depart12 ment and the Department of the Interior, as appli13 cable. 

14 (b) ACCURATE DATA COLLECTION.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

17 concerned shall implement standardized procedures 

18 for tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduc19 tion activities carried out by the Secretary con20 cerned. 

21 (2) ELEMENTS.—The standardized procedures 

22 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

23 (A) regular, standardized data reviews of 

24 the accuracy and timely input of data used to 

25 track hazardous fuels reduction activities; 


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1 (B) verification methods that validate 

2 whether such data accurately correlates to the 

3 hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out 

4 by the Secretary concerned; 

5 (C) an analysis of the short- and long-term 

6 effectiveness of the hazardous fuels reduction 

7 activities on reducing the risk of wildfire; and 

8 (D) for hazardous fuels reduction activities 

9 that occur partially within the wildland-urban 

10 interface, methods to distinguish which acres 

11 are located within the wildland-urban interface 

12 and which acres are located outside the 

13 wildland-urban interface. 

14 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 weeks after im15 plementing the standardized procedures required 

16 under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall 

17 submit to Congress a report that describes— 

18 (A) such standardized procedures; and 

19 (B) program and policy recommendations 

20 to Congress to address any limitations in track21 ing data related to hazardous fuels reduction 

22 activities under this subsection. 

23 (c) GAO STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the 

24 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

25 of the United States shall— 


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1 (1) conduct a study on the implementation of 

2 this section, including any limitations with respect 

3 to— 

4 (A) reporting hazardous fuels reduction ac5 tivities under subsection (a); or 

6 (B) tracking data related to hazardous 

7 fuels reduction activities under subsection (b); 

8 and 

9 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes 

10 the results of the study under paragraph (1). 

11 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION ACTIV13 ITY.—The term ‘‘hazardous fuels reduction activ14 ity’’— 

15 (A) means any vegetation management ac16 tivity to reduce the risk of wildfire, including 

17 mechanical treatments and prescribed burning; 

18 and 

19 (B) does not include the awarding of con20 tracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction ac21 tivities. 

22 (2) FEDERAL LANDS.—The term ‘‘Federal 

23 lands’’ means lands under the jurisdiction of the 

24 Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary. 


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1 (3) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec2 retary concerned’’ means— 

3 (A) the Secretary, with respect to National 

4 Forest System lands; and 

5 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re6 spect to public lands and units of the National 

7 Park System. 

8 (4) WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.—The term 

9 ‘‘wildland-urban interface’’ has the meaning given 

10 the term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Res11 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511). 

12 (e) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.—No addi13 tional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements 

14 of this section, and the activities authorized by this section 

15 are subject to the availability of appropriations made in 

16 advance for such purposes. 

17 SEC. 8704. SPECIAL USE AUTHORIZATION RENTAL FEE 

18 WAIVER. 

19 All or part of the programmatic administrative fee, 

20 and any fees related to the special use authorization, as 

21 appropriate, may be waived by the Secretary, acting 

22 through the Chief of the Forest Service, when equitable 

23 and in the public interest as determined by the Chief of 

24 the Forest Service, for the use and occupancy of National 

25 Forest System land in the following circumstances: 


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1 (1) The holder of the special use authorization 

2 is a State or local government or any agency or in3 strumentality thereof, excluding municipal utilities 

4 and cooperatives whose principal source of revenue is 

5 customer charges. 

6 (2) The holder is— 

7 (A) an organization described in section 

8 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

9 and is exempt from taxation under section 

10 501(a) of such Code; 

11 (B) not controlled or owned by profit-mak12 ing corporation or business enterprise; and 

13 (C) is engaged in public or semi-public ac14 tivity to further public health, safety, or wel15 fare. 

16 (3) The holder is an amateur station, amateur 

17 operator, or provides amateur radio services, as 

18 those terms are defined in section 97.3 of title 47, 

19 Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regula20 tions). 

21 (4) Other circumstances the Secretary, acting 

22 through the Chief of the Forest Service, determines 

23 appropriate. 


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1 SEC. 8705. CHARGES AND FEES FOR HARVEST OF FOREST 

2 BOTANICAL PRODUCTS. 

3 (a) RECOVERY OF FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR PROD4 UCTS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

6 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall estab7 lish and carry out a program to charge and collect 

8 fees under subsection (b) for forest botanical prod9 ucts harvested on National Forest System lands. 

10 (2) APPRAISAL METHODS; BIDDING PROCE11 DURES.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of 

12 the Forest Service, shall establish a fee system based 

13 on fair market value for forest botanical products 

14 harvested on National Forest System lands. 

15 (b) FEES.— 

16 (1) IMPOSITION AND COLLECTION.—The Sec17 retary shall charge and collect fees from persons who 

18 harvest forest botanical products on National Forest 

19 System lands. 

20 (2) AMOUNT OF FEE.—The fees collected under 

21 paragraph (1) shall be based on the fair market 

22 value of the harvested forest botanical products and 

23 the costs incurred by the Secretary associated with 

24 the granting, modifying, or monitoring the author25 ization for harvest of the forest botanical products, 


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1 including the costs of any environmental or other 

2 analysis. 

3 (3) SECURITY.—The Secretary, acting through 

4 the Chief of the Forest Service, may require a per5 son assessed a fee under this subsection to provide 

6 security to ensure that the Secretary receives the 

7 fees imposed under this subsection from the person. 

8 (c) SUSTAINABLE HARVEST LEVELS FOR FOREST

9 BOTANICAL PRODUCTS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

11 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall— 

12 (A) conduct appropriate analyses to deter13 mine whether and how the harvest of forest bo14 tanical products on National Forest System 

15 lands can be conducted on a sustainable basis; 

16 and 

17 (B) establish procedures and timeframes to 

18 monitor and revise the harvest levels established 

19 for forest botanical products. 

20 (2) PROHIBITION ON HARVEST IN EXCESS OF

21 SUSTAINABLE LEVELS.—The Secretary, acting 

22 through the Chief of the Forest Service, may not 

23 permit under the program under this section the 

24 harvest of forest botanical products on National 

25 Forest System lands at levels in excess of sustainVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00709 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 able harvest levels, as defined under section 4 of the 

2 Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 

3 U.S.C. 531). 

4 (d) WAIVER AUTHORITY.— 

5 (1) PERSONAL USE.—The Secretary, acting 

6 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall estab7 lish a personal use harvest level for each forest bo8 tanical product, and the harvest of a forest botanical 

9 product below that level by a person for personal use 

10 shall not be subject to charges and fees under sub11 sections (a) and (b). 

12 (2) OTHER EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary, act13 ing through the Chief of the Forest Service, may 

14 also waive the application of subsection (a) or (b) 

15 pursuant to such regulations as the Secretary may 

16 prescribe. 

17 (e) DEPOSIT AND USE OF FUNDS.— 

18 (1) DEPOSIT.—Funds collected under the pro19 gram in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) 

20 shall be deposited into a special account in the 

21 United States Treasury. 

22 (2) FUNDS AVAILABLE.—Funds deposited into 

23 the special account in accordance with paragraph (1) 

24 shall remain available until expended without further 

25 appropriation. 


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1 (3) AUTHORIZED USES.—The funds made avail2 able under paragraph (2) shall be expended at units 

3 of the National Forest System in proportion to the 

4 charges and fees collected at that unit under the 

5 program under this section to pay for— 

6 (A) the costs of conducting inventories of 

7 forest botanical products, determining sustain8 able levels of harvest, monitoring and assessing 

9 the impacts of harvest levels and methods, and 

10 for restoration activities, including any nec11 essary revegetation; and 

12 (B) the costs described in subsection 

13 (b)(2). 

14 (4) TREATMENT OF FEES.—Funds collected 

15 under the program in accordance with subsections 

16 (a) and (b) shall not be taken into account for the 

17 purposes of the following laws: 

18 (A) The sixth paragraph under the head19 ing ‘‘forest service’’ in the Act of May 23, 1908 

20 (16 U.S.C. 500), and section 13 of the Act of 

21 March 1, 1911 (commonly known as the Weeks 

22 Act; 16 U.S.C. 500). 

23 (B) The fourteenth paragraph under the 

24 heading ‘‘forest service’’ in the Act of March 4, 

25 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501). 


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1 (C) Section 33 of the Bankhead-Jones 

2 Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1012). 

3 (D) The Act of August 28, 1937 (43 

4 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) and the Act of May 24, 

5 1939 (43 U.S.C. 2621 et seq.). 

6 (E) Section 6 of the Act of June 14, 1926 

7 (commonly known as the Recreation and Public 

8 Purposes Act; 43 U.S.C. 869–4). 

9 (F) Chapter 69 of title 31, United States 

10 Code. 

11 (G) Section 401 of the Act of June 15, 

12 1935 (16 U.S.C. 715s). 

13 (H) Section 100904 of title 54, United 

14 States Code. 

15 (I) Any other provision of law relating to 

16 revenue allocation. 

17 (f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—As soon as prac18 ticable after the end of each fiscal year in which the Sec19 retary collects charges and fees under the program in ac20 cordance with subsections (a) and (b) or expends funds 

21 from the special account under subsection (e), the Sec22 retary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, 

23 shall submit to the Congress a report summarizing the ac24 tivities of the Secretary under the program under this sec25 tion, including the funds collected under the program in 


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1 accordance with subsections (a) and (b), the expenses in2 curred to carry out the program under this section, and 

3 the expenditures made from the special account during 

4 that fiscal year. 

5 (g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

6 (1) FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCT.—The term 

7 ‘‘forest botanical product’’— 

8 (A) means any naturally occurring mush9 room, fungus, flower, seed, root, bark, leaf, 

10 berry, bough, bryophyte, bulb, burl, cone, 

11 epiphyte, fern, forb, grass, moss, nut, pine 

12 straw, sedge, shrub, transplant, tree sap, or 

13 other vegetation (or portion thereof) that grows 

14 on National Forest System lands; and 

15 (B) does not include trees, or portions of 

16 trees, except as provided in regulations issued 

17 under section 339 of the Department of the In18 terior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 

19 of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 528 note) by the Secretary 

20 before the date of enactment of this Act. 

21 (2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 

22 ‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 

23 that term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range24 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 

25 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 


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1 SEC. 8706. FOREST SERVICE LEGACY ROAD AND TRAIL RE2 MEDIATION PROGRAM TRANSPARENCY. 

3 Section 8 of Public Law 88–657 (16 U.S.C. 538a) 

4 is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (c)(2)— 

6 (A) by striking subparagraph (B) and in7 serting the following: 

8 ‘‘(B) solicit and consider public input re9 gionally in selecting projects for funding under 

10 the Program by— 

11 ‘‘(i) publishing annually, for each re12 gion, a list of projects considered for fund13 ing under the Program; 

14 ‘‘(ii) accepting public comment on the 

15 projects described in clause (i); and 

16 ‘‘(iii) considering public comments in 

17 selecting projects for funding under the 

18 Program;’’; and 

19 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

20 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

21 by inserting ‘‘annually, for each region,’’ 

22 before ‘‘publish’’; and 

23 (ii) by striking clause (ii) and insert24 ing the following: 

25 ‘‘(ii) a list that includes a description 

26 of— 


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1 ‘‘(I) each project considered for 

2 funding under the Program; 

3 ‘‘(II) public comments received 

4 on each project described in subclause 

5 (I); 

6 ‘‘(III) the ranking within the ap7 plicable region of each project de8 scribed in subclause (I); and 

9 ‘‘(IV) the proposed outcome of 

10 each project funded under the Pro11 gram for the applicable fiscal year.’’; 

12 and 

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

14 ‘‘(f) DEFINITION OF REGION.—In this section, the 

15 term ‘region’ means one of the 9 regions of the Forest 

16 Service.’’. 

17 SEC. 8707. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY. 

18 For fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, 

19 the Secretary may appoint, without regard to the provi20 sions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United 

21 States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that 

22 title, a Job Corps graduate (as defined in section 142(5) 

23 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

24 U.S.C. 3192(5))) to a position in the competitive service 


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1 in the Forest Service for which the graduate meets the 

2 qualification standards. 

3 SEC. 8708. IMPROVING THE EMERGENCY FOREST RESTORA4 TION PROGRAM. 

5 Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 

6 (16 U.S.C. 2206) is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub8 section (f); and 

9 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(e) ADVANCE PAYMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall give an 

13 owner of nonindustrial private forest land the option 

14 of receiving, before the owner carries out emergency 

15 measures under this section, not more than 75 per16 cent of the cost of the emergency measures, as de17 termined by the Secretary based on the fair market 

18 value of the cost of the emergency measures using 

19 the estimated cost of the applicable practice pub20 lished in the Field Office Technical Guide of each 

21 State by the Natural Resources Conservation Serv22 ice. 

23 ‘‘(2) RETURN OF FUNDS.—If the funds pro24 vided under paragraph (1) are not expended by the 

25 end of the 180-day period beginning on the date on 


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1 which the owner of nonindustrial private forest land 

2 receives those funds, the funds shall be returned 

3 within a reasonable timeframe, as determined by the 

4 Secretary.’’. 

5 TITLE IX—ENERGY 

6 SEC. 9001. DEFINITION OF ADVANCED BIOFUEL. 

7 Section 9001(3)(B)(iv) of the Farm Security and 

8 Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101(3)(B)(iv)) 

9 is amended by inserting ‘‘and sustainable aviation fuel’’ 

10 after ‘‘diesel-equivalent fuel’’. 

11 SEC. 9002. BIOBASED MARKETS PROGRAM. 

12 Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest13 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(G) PROCUREMENT RESOURCES.—The 

18 Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in coordi19 nation with the Secretary, shall provide edu20 cational materials to procuring agencies to con21 sider the longevity of a product, economic sav22 ings, and the efficacy and performance of a 

23 product when making procurement decisions 

24 under this subsection.’’; and 

25 (B) in paragraph (4)— 


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

2 clause (ii) and redesignating clauses (iii) 

3 and (iv) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respec4 tively; 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

6 (I) in the matter preceding sub7 clause (I)— 

8 (aa) by inserting ‘‘and the 

9 Secretary’’ after ‘‘Policy’’; and 

10 (bb) by striking ‘‘informa11 tion concerning—’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘a report that describes, for the 

13 year covered by the report—’’; 

14 (II) in subclause (I), by inserting 

15 ‘‘, including the actions taken by the 

16 procuring agency to establish and im17 plement the biobased procurement 

18 program of the procuring agency 

19 under that paragraph’’ before the 

20 semicolon; 

21 (III) in subclause (IV), by strik22 ing ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

23 (IV) in subclause (V), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 


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1 (V) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(VI)(aa) the specific categories 

4 of biobased products that are unavail5 able to meet procurement needs of the 

6 procuring agencies; and 

7 ‘‘(bb) the desired performance 

8 characteristics and other relevant 

9 specifications for those products; and 

10 ‘‘(VII) if applicable, an expla11 nation of the procurement require12 ment or updated procurement require13 ment established under paragraph 

14 (2)(A)(i) that procuring agencies 

15 failed to meet and reasons for the fail16 ure; and’’; and 

17 (iii) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(D) ACCOUNTABILITY.—The Office of 

20 Federal Procurement Policy, in consultation 

21 with the Secretary, shall annually— 

22 ‘‘(i) collect the information required to 

23 be reported under subparagraph (B) and 

24 make the information publicly available; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) using the information collected 

2 under subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, 

3 document relevant procuring agencies 

4 under paragraph (2)(A)(i) that, as applica5 ble, have established a procurement pro6 gram in accordance with paragraph 

7 (2)(A)(i)(I); and 

8 ‘‘(iii) make the information publicly 

9 available, subject to the exemptions from 

10 disclosure under section 552(b) of title 5, 

11 United States Code.’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (f)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

14 (i) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

15 NAPCS’’ before ‘‘CODES’’; 

16 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and North American 

17 Products Classification System codes’’ be18 fore ‘‘for—’’; and 

19 (iii) by striking subparagraphs (A) 

20 and (B) and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) renewable chemicals manufacturers 

22 and biobased products manufacturers; and 

23 ‘‘(B) renewable chemicals and biobased 

24 products.’’; and 


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

2 paragraph (3) and inserting after paragraph 

3 (1) the following: 

4 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—To inform the development of 

5 codes under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, 

6 within 90 days after the date of the enactment of 

7 this paragraph, submit to the Committee on Agri8 culture of the House of Representatives and the 

9 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

10 of the Senate, a report that provides— 

11 ‘‘(A) the Federal statistical collections of 

12 information related to the North American In13 dustry Classification System codes and the 

14 North American Product Classification System 

15 codes that utilize bioeconomy-specific data; 

16 ‘‘(B) recommendations to implement any 

17 bioeconomy related changes as part of the 2027 

18 revisions of the North American Industry Clas19 sification System codes and the North Amer20 ican Product Classification System codes; and 

21 ‘‘(C) an assessment of the impacts that 

22 bioeconomy-specific North American Industry 

23 Classification System codes and North Amer24 ican Products Classification System codes 

25 would have on the measurement by the agency 


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1 of the economic contributions of the bio2 economy.’’; and 

3 (3) in subsection (k)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2024’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

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

7 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 9003. BIOREFINERY ASSISTANCE. 

9 Section 9003 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest10 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8103) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 

12 (A) by inserting ‘‘or innovative’’ before 

13 ‘‘commercial-scale’’; and 

14 (B) by inserting ‘‘, renewable chemicals, or 

15 biobased products’’ after ‘‘end-user products’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

18 (i) by striking all that precedes ‘‘a 

19 loan guarantee’’ and inserting the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(B) FEASIBILITY.— 

22 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In approving’’; 

23 and 

24 (ii) by adding after and below the end 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(ii) WAIVER.—The Secretary may 

2 waive the requirement that the applicant 

3 must demonstrate commercial viability for 

4 projects adopting commercially available 

5 technology.’’; 

6 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) 

7 and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respec8 tively; and 

9 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) TECHNICAL REVIEW AGREEMENT.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

13 shall enter into an agreement with each 

14 project applicant that clearly outlines the 

15 specific objectives, outcomes, and condi16 tions by which the Secretary determines 

17 successful technical feasibility of the 

18 project under this section. 

19 ‘‘(ii) CONDITIONS OF AGREEMENT.— 

20 The agreement provided under clause (i) 

21 shall include clear guidelines and expecta22 tions for the methodologies, protocols, and 

23 procedures, and what the eligible tech24 nology must demonstrate, for the Depart25 ment to determine technical feasibility 


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1 from an integrated demonstration unit, in2 cluding— 

3 ‘‘(I) a set timeline for the inte4 grated demonstration unit campaign 

5 and final technical report to show reli6 able evidence of continuous, steady7 state production; 

8 ‘‘(II) criteria and methods for 

9 evaluating the project’s success, in10 cluding any third-party assessments 

11 or evaluations that may be conducted 

12 during the demonstration period and 

13 at the conclusion of the set timeline; 

14 ‘‘(III) criteria and methods to 

15 prove the ability of the integrated 

16 demonstration unit to use project-spe17 cific feedstock for the production of 

18 advanced biofuels, renewable chemi19 cals, or biobased products at a yield 

20 and quality consistent with the design 

21 basis of the project; 

22 ‘‘(IV) required information and 

23 conditions that demonstrate operation 

24 duration, quality, and quantity speci25 fications; and 


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1 ‘‘(V) any other information that, 

2 if supplied to the Secretary, would as3 sist the eligible entity in sufficiently 

4 demonstrating a project’s technical 

5 feasibility. 

6 ‘‘(iii) FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH

7 AGREEMENT.— 

8 ‘‘(I) NONCOMPLIANCE NOTIFICA9 TION.—If a project applicant fails to 

10 comply with the technical feasibility 

11 requirements as provided under clause 

12 (ii), the Secretary shall issue a written 

13 notice to the project applicant detail14 ing the specific deficiencies and pro15 viding a reasonable timeframe for the 

16 project applicant to rectify the issues. 

17 ‘‘(II) CORRECTIVE ACTION PE18 RIOD.—The project applicant shall 

19 have a period of not more than 90 

20 days from the date of issuance of the 

21 noncompliance notice to address the 

22 identified deficiencies and submit a 

23 revised technical feasibility assessment 

24 for reconsideration. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY AP2 PROVAL.—Upon fulfillment of the condi3 tions of agreement established under 

4 clause (ii) or approval of the revised tech5 nical feasibility assessment under clause 

6 (iii)(II), the Secretary shall determine the 

7 project to be technically feasible.’’; 

8 (3) in subsection (g)— 

9 (A) by striking all that precedes ‘‘is au10 thorized’’ and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(g) FUNDING.—There’’; and. 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘2029’’; 

14 (4) in subsection (h)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2031’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2031’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

19 (5) in subsection (i)(1), by striking ‘‘2031’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

21 (6) in subsection (j)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2031’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (5)— 


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

2 ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

4 ‘‘2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 9004. BIOPRODUCT LABELING REPORT. 

6 Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

7 Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101–8115) is amended by insert8 ing after section 9003 the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 9004. BIOPRODUCT LABELING REPORT. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 1 year after the date of 

11 the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit 

12 to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep13 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

14 and Forestry of the Senate, a report containing an anal15 ysis of the potential effects of a program to implement 

16 national uniform labeling standards for bioproducts de17 scribed under subsection (b), including the effects on— 

18 ‘‘(1) consumer trust, certainty, and adoption; 

19 ‘‘(2) the scope and accuracy of bioproduct in20 dustry data; and 

21 ‘‘(3) market growth. 

22 ‘‘(b) BIOPRODUCT TERMINOLOGY.—In preparing the 

23 report required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) consider national uniform labeling stand25 ards for— 


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1 ‘‘(A) bio-attributed products; 

2 ‘‘(B) biobased products; 

3 ‘‘(C) biobased plastics; 

4 ‘‘(D) bio-attributed plastics; 

5 ‘‘(E) plant-based products; 

6 ‘‘(F) renewable chemicals; and 

7 ‘‘(G) renewable biomass; and 

8 ‘‘(2) define the bioproducts identified in para9 graph (1), unless otherwise defined in statute. 

10 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—In defining the terminology 

11 described in subsection (b) and preparing the report re12 quired by subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult 

13 with— 

14 ‘‘(1) biomanufacturers; 

15 ‘‘(2) entities engaged in research and develop16 ment of bioproducts; 

17 ‘‘(3) feedstock growers; and 

18 ‘‘(4) other industry stakeholders.’’. 

19 SEC. 9005. BIOENERGY PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED 

20 BIOFUELS. 

21 Section 9005(g) of the Farm Security and Rural In22 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8105(g)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1)(F), by striking ‘‘2024’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 9006. BIODIESEL FUEL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 

4 Section 9006 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest5 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106) is repealed. 

6 SEC. 9007. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 

7 Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest8 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b)(3)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘, 

11 cost savings,’’ after ‘‘savings’’; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

13 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

14 (C) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 

15 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(G) the potential of the proposed program 

18 to meaningfully improve the financial conditions 

19 of the agricultural producers or rural small 

20 businesses.’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (c)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

2 (G) as subparagraph (H); and 

3 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

4 (F) the following: 

5 ‘‘(G) the potential improvements to the fi6 nancial conditions of the agricultural producer 

7 or rural small business; and’’; and 

8 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

9 (i) by amending subparagraph (A) to 

10 read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(A) GRANTS.—With respect to grants 

12 made under paragraph (1)(A)(i), the amount of 

13 a grant shall not exceed— 

14 ‘‘(i) 50 percent of the cost of the ac15 tivity carried out using funds from the 

16 grant for— 

17 ‘‘(I) a beginning farmer or ranch18 er, a socially disadvantaged farmer or 

19 rancher, or a veteran farmer or ranch20 er (as those terms are defined in sec21 tion 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, 

22 Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 

23 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))); and 

24 ‘‘(II) a recipient with a proposed 

25 project located in an area where 20 


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1 percent or more of the population is 

2 living in poverty over the last 30 

3 years, as defined by the United States 

4 Census Bureau, or an area that has 

5 experienced long-term population de6 cline or loss of employment, as deter7 mined by the Secretary; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) 35 percent of the cost of the ac9 tivity carried out using funds from the 

10 grant in all other cases.’’; and 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

12 ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘$50,000,000’’; 

14 (3) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(g) PROJECT DIVERSITY.—In approving grant or 

18 loan guarantee applications under this section, the Sec19 retary shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, there 

20 is diversity in the types of projects approved for grants 

21 or loan guarantees to ensure that as wide a range as pos22 sible of technologies, products, and approaches are as23 sisted.’’. 


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1 SEC. 9008. FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY. 

2 Section 9010(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In3 vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110(b)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

6 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

8 SEC. 9009. BIOMASS CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

9 Section 9011(f)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural 

10 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8111(f)(1)) is amended 

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

12 SEC. 9010. CARBON UTILIZATION AND BIOGAS EDUCATION 

13 PROGRAM. 

14 Section 9014 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest15 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8115) is repealed. 

16 SEC. 9011. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF SOLAR PANEL INSTALLA17 TIONS ON COVERED FARMLAND. 

18 Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

19 Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101–8115) is amended by adding 

20 at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 9015. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF SOLAR PANEL INSTAL22 LATIONS ON COVERED FARMLAND. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

24 with the Secretary of Energy, shall conduct a study on 

25 the effects of solar panel installations on the conversion 


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1 of covered farmland out of agricultural production in ac2 cordance with this section. 

3 ‘‘(b) CONTENT.—In conducting the study under this 

4 section, the Secretary shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) analyze the economic effects of solar panel 

6 installations on covered farmland, including the ef7 fects on— 

8 ‘‘(A) crop yields; 

9 ‘‘(B) land values, including adjacent prop10 erties; 

11 ‘‘(C) land access and tenure; 

12 ‘‘(D) local economies; and 

13 ‘‘(E) food security; 

14 ‘‘(2) investigate impacts of solar panel installa15 tion, operation, and decommissioning on covered 

16 farmland, and suggest best practices to protect— 

17 ‘‘(A) soil health; 

18 ‘‘(B) water resources; 

19 ‘‘(C) wildlife; 

20 ‘‘(D) vegetation; 

21 ‘‘(E) water drainage; and 

22 ‘‘(F) air quality; 

23 ‘‘(3) assess the impacts of shared solar energy 

24 and agricultural production on covered farmland, in25 cluding best practices to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) maintain or increase agricultural pro2 duction; 

3 ‘‘(B) increase agricultural resilience; 

4 ‘‘(C) retain covered farmland; 

5 ‘‘(D) increase economic opportunities in 

6 farming and rural communities, including new 

7 revenue streams and job creation; 

8 ‘‘(E) reduce nonfarmer ownership of cov9 ered farmland; and 

10 ‘‘(F) enhance biodiversity; 

11 ‘‘(4) assess the types of agricultural land best 

12 suited and worst suited for shared solar energy and 

13 agricultural production; 

14 ‘‘(5) study the compatibility of different species 

15 of livestock with different solar panel system de16 signs, including— 

17 ‘‘(A) the optimal height of and distance be18 tween solar panels for livestock grazing and 

19 shade for livestock; 

20 ‘‘(B) manure management considerations; 

21 ‘‘(C) fencing requirements; and 

22 ‘‘(D) other animal handling considerations; 

23 ‘‘(6) study the compatibility of different crop 

24 types with different solar panel system designs, in25 cluding— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the optimal height of and distance be2 tween solar panels for plant shading and farm 

3 equipment use; and 

4 ‘‘(B) the impact on crop yield; 

5 ‘‘(7) evaluate the degree to which existing Fed6 eral, State, or local tax incentives result in the devel7 opment of covered farmland under study; 

8 ‘‘(8) recommend effective incentives that could 

9 shift solar panel installations towards the built envi10 ronment, brownfield sites, and other contaminated 

11 sites; 

12 ‘‘(9) evaluate the effectiveness of programs ad13 ministered by the federal government related to solar 

14 energy development that— 

15 ‘‘(A) results in the development of con16 taminated lands, the built environment, and 

17 other preferred sites; and 

18 ‘‘(B) discourages solar panel installations 

19 that would convert covered farmland out of ag20 ricultural production; and 

21 ‘‘(10) estimate the loss of agricultural produc22 tion on covered farmland due to solar panel installa23 tions. 

24 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATION WITH RELEVANT STAKE25 HOLDERS.—In addition to consultation with the Secretary 


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1 of Energy, while conducting the study under this section, 

2 the Secretary shall consult with— 

3 ‘‘(1) farmers; 

4 ‘‘(2) ranchers; 

5 ‘‘(3) landowners; 

6 ‘‘(4) agricultural organizations; 

7 ‘‘(5) State departments of agriculture and en8 ergy; 

9 ‘‘(6) units of local government; 

10 ‘‘(7) conservation organizations; 

11 ‘‘(8) land-grant colleges and universities (as de12 fined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural 

13 Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 

14 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); and 

15 ‘‘(9) solar developers. 

16 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Within 2 years after the date of en17 actment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall sub18 mit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep19 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

20 and Forestry of the Senate, a written report on the find21 ings of the study and recommendations under this section. 

22 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 ‘‘(1) COVERED FARMLAND.—The term ‘covered 

24 farmland’ includes— 


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1 ‘‘(A) farmland, as defined in section 

2 1540(c)(1) of the Farmland Protection Policy 

3 Act (7 U.S.C. 4201(c)(1)); and 

4 ‘‘(B) nonindustrial private forest land, as 

5 defined in section 201(a)(18) of the Food Secu6 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(18)). 

7 ‘‘(2) BROWNFIELD SITE.—The term ‘brownfield 

8 site’ has the meaning given that term in section 

9 101(39) of the Comprehensive Environmental Re10 sponse, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 

11 U.S.C. 9601(39)). 

12 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

13 the Secretary of Agriculture.’’. 

14 SEC. 9012. LIMITATION ON USDA FUNDING FOR GROUND 

15 MOUNTED SOLAR SYSTEMS. 

16 Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

17 Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101–8115) is further amended 

18 by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 9016. LIMITATION ON USDA FUNDING FOR GROUND 

20 MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS. 

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

22 ‘‘(1) COVERED FARMLAND.—The term ‘covered 

23 farmland’ includes— 


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1 ‘‘(A) farmland, as defined in section 

2 1540(c)(1) of the Farmland Protection Policy 

3 Act (7 U.S.C. 4201(c)(1)); and 

4 ‘‘(B) nonindustrial private forest land, as 

5 defined in section 201(a)(18) of the Food Secu6 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(18)). 

7 ‘‘(2) CONVERSION.—The term ‘conversion’ 

8 means, with respect to covered farmland, any activ9 ity that results in the covered farmland failing to 

10 meet the requirements of a State (as defined in sec11 tion 343 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Devel12 opment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991)) for agricultural pro13 duction, activity, or use or timber harvest. 

14 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

15 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

16 ‘‘(b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may not provide 

17 financial assistance for a project that would result in the 

18 conversion of covered farmland for solar energy produc19 tion. 

20 ‘‘(c) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (b) shall not apply to 

21 a project if the project— 

22 ‘‘(1) results in the conversion of less than 5 

23 acres; 


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1 ‘‘(2) results in the conversion of less than 50 

2 acres of covered farmland and the majority of the 

3 energy produced is for on-farm use; or 

4 ‘‘(3) has received a resolution of approval or 

5 support, or other similar instrument from each coun6 ty and municipality in which the project is sited. 

7 ‘‘(d) COVERED FARMLAND PROTECTION.— 

8 ‘‘(1) FARMLAND CONSERVATION PLAN RE9 QUIRED.—A person who has applied to the Secretary 

10 for financial assistance for a project subject to sub11 section (c)(3) shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) develop a farmland conservation plan 

13 for the project to— 

14 ‘‘(i) implement best practices to pro15 tect future soil health and productivity, 

16 and mitigate soil erosion, compaction, and 

17 other effects of solar energy production 

18 during construction, operation, and decom19 missioning; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) remediate and restore the soil 

21 health of the farmland to that of the farm22 land before the solar energy production 

23 project construction; and 

24 ‘‘(B) ensure that sufficient funds, as deter25 mined by the Secretary, are provided for the deVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00739 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 commissioning of the solar energy production 

2 system and the remediation and restoration of 

3 covered farmland to carry out the farmland 

4 conservation plan described in subparagraph 

5 (A). 

6 ‘‘(2) OBLIGATION AND DISBURSMENT OF

7 FUNDS.—The Secretary may obligate financial as8 sistance for a project described in paragraph (1), 

9 but shall not disburse the financial assistance until 

10 the Secretary has determined that the applicant for 

11 the financial assistance has complied with paragraph 

12 (1). 

13 ‘‘(3) FARMLAND CONSERVATION PLAN IMPLE14 MENTATION.—A person referred to in paragraph (1) 

15 shall carry out— 

16 ‘‘(A) the provisions of the plan that are de17 scribed in paragraph (1)(A)(i), on the receipt 

18 by the project of financial assistance from the 

19 Secretary and for the duration of solar energy 

20 production under the project; and 

21 ‘‘(B) the provisions of the plan that are de22 scribed in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), on the cessation 

23 of solar energy production under the project. 

24 ‘‘(4) COMPLIANCE.—A person who fails to com25 ply with paragraph (3) with respect to a project 


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1 shall repay to the Secretary the full amount of the 

2 financial assistance provided by the Secretary to the 

3 person for the project.’’. 

4 TITLE X—HORTICULTURE, MAR5 KETING, AND REGULATORY 

6 REFORM 

7 Subtitle A—Horticulture 

8 SEC. 10001. PLANT PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND 

9 DISASTER PREVENTION. 

10 Section 420(f) of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 

11 7721) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

13 end; 

14 (2) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para15 graph (7); 

16 (3) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(6) $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 

19 through 2024; and’’; and 

20 (4) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), by 

21 striking ‘‘$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2018’’ and in22 serting ‘‘$90,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’. 


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1 SEC. 10002. SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANTS. 

2 Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness 

3 Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108–465) 

4 is amended— 

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

6 paragraph (1)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘2029’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘specialty crops, includ10 ing—’’ and inserting ‘‘specialty crops through 

11 priorities established by State program adminis12 trators in consultation with specialty crop pro13 ducers and producer groups, including—’’; 

14 (2) by striking subsection (e), and inserting the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(e) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The State plan shall 

17 identify the lead agency charged with the responsibility of 

18 carrying out the plan and indicate— 

19 ‘‘(1) how the grant funds will be utilized to en20 hance the competitiveness of specialty crops; and 

21 ‘‘(2) how outreach to, and consultation with, 

22 specialty crop producers and producer groups will be 

23 achieved.’’; and 

24 (3) in subsection (l)(1)— 

25 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

26 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 

2 subparagraph (F); 

3 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(E) $85,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

6 2018 through 2024; and’’; and 

7 (D) in subparagraph (F) (as so redesig8 nated), by striking ‘‘$85,000,000 for fiscal year 

9 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000,000 for fiscal 

10 year 2025’’. 

11 SEC. 10003. SPECIALTY CROPS MARKET NEWS ALLOCATION. 

12 Section 10107(b) of the Food, Conservation, and En13 ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1622b(b)) is amended by strik14 ing ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

15 SEC. 10004. OFFICE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE AND INNOVA16 TIVE PRODUCTION. 

17 Section 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reor18 ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)(3)— 

20 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

21 (A), by inserting ‘‘production’’ after ‘‘emerging 

22 agricultural’’; 

23 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 


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1 (i) by inserting ‘‘controlled-environ2 ment agriculture, including’’ before ‘‘hy3 droponic’’; and 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

5 (C) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 

6 subparagraph (H); and 

7 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(E) using the resources of the Depart10 ment and of State, Tribal, and local agencies to 

11 provide technical assistance for business incor12 poration, navigating local zoning, and managing 

13 farm tract numbers for smaller, noncontiguous 

14 parcels to growers implementing activities de15 scribed in paragraph (3); 

16 ‘‘(F) using the resources of the Depart17 ment and of State, Tribal, and local agencies to 

18 promote conservation techniques unique to 

19 urban agriculture and innovative production, in20 cluding techniques that address stormwater 

21 runoff and the impacted nature of urban land 

22 and the subsurface of the land; 

23 ‘‘(G) assisting urban and innovative pro24 ducers in navigating Federal, State, Tribal, and 


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1 local policies and regulations that impact busi2 ness or operations; and’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking 

5 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’; and 

6 (B) in paragraph (7)(A), by striking ‘‘the 

7 date that is 5 years after the date on which the 

8 members are appointed under paragraph 

9 (2)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2029’’; 

10 (3) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘(c) GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

15 award competitive grants to support the devel16 opment of urban and innovative agricultural 

17 production and technical or financial assistance 

18 to producers. 

19 ‘‘(B) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible entity may 

20 use funds from a grant under subparagraph (A) 

21 to provide subgrants to urban and innovative 

22 producers to support the growth of the farm or 

23 farm business of the urban and innovative pro24 ducers. 


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1 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligi2 ble to receive a grant under subparagraph (A) 

3 is— 

4 ‘‘(i) a nonprofit organization; 

5 ‘‘(ii) a unit of local government; 

6 ‘‘(iii) a Tribal organization; 

7 ‘‘(iv) an agricultural cooperative or 

8 other agricultural business entity or a pro9 ducer network or association; or 

10 ‘‘(v) a school that serves any of 

11 grades kindergarten through grade 12. 

12 ‘‘(2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may 

14 enter into cooperative agreements with eligible 

15 entities to support the development of urban 

16 and innovative agricultural production. 

17 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligi18 ble to enter into cooperative agreements under 

19 subparagraph (A) is— 

20 ‘‘(i) a nonprofit organization; 

21 ‘‘(ii) a unit of local government; 

22 ‘‘(iii) a Tribal organization; or 

23 ‘‘(iv) an agricultural cooperative or 

24 other agricultural business entity or a pro25 ducer network or association.’’; 


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1 (4) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

3 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘pilot’’ each place it ap5 pears in paragraphs (1) and (2); 

6 (C) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘Not 

7 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

8 this section, the Secretary shall establish a pilot 

9 program for not fewer than 5 years that’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘The Secretary shall continue to im11 plement a program that’’; 

12 (D) in paragraph (1)(C), in the matter 

13 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and in14 serting ‘‘2029’’; and 

15 (E) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

17 ‘‘and construct at-scale composting, food18 to-feed, or anaerobic digestion food waste19 to-energy projects’’ before the period at the 

20 end; and 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

22 (I) in the subparagraph heading, 

23 strike ‘‘PILOT’’; 

24 (II) in the matter preceding 

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1 ernments,’’ after ‘‘local govern2 ments,’’; 

3 (III) by redesignating clauses (vi) 

4 through (viii) as clauses (vii) through 

5 (ix), respectively; and 

6 (IV) by inserting after clause (v) 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(vi) develop food waste-to-energy op9 erations;’’; and 

10 (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

12 SEC. 10005. NATIONAL PLANT DIAGNOSTICS NETWORK. 

13 Section 12203(c)(5) of the Agriculture Improvement 

14 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8914(c)(5)) is amended by striking 

15 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

16 SEC. 10006. HEMP PRODUCTION. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 297A of the Agricultural 

18 Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639o) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

20 (6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively; and 

21 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(2) INDUSTRIAL HEMP.—The term ‘industrial 

24 hemp’ means hemp— 


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1 ‘‘(A) grown for the use of the stalk of the 

2 plant, fiber produced from such a stalk, or any 

3 other non-cannabinoid derivative, mixture, prep4 aration, or manufacture of such a stalk; 

5 ‘‘(B) grown for the use of the whole grain, 

6 oil, cake, nut, hull, or any other non7 cannabinoid compound, derivative, mixture, 

8 preparation, or manufacture of the seeds of 

9 such plant; 

10 ‘‘(C) that is an immature hemp plant in11 tended for human consumption; 

12 ‘‘(D) that is a plant that does not enter 

13 the stream of commerce and is intended to sup14 port hemp research at an institution of higher 

15 education (as defined in section 101 of the 

16 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

17 1001)) or an independent research institute; or 

18 ‘‘(E) grown for the use of a viable seed of 

19 the plant produced solely for the production or 

20 manufacture of any material described in sub21 paragraphs (A) through (D).’’. 

22 (b) STATE AND TRIBAL PLANS.—Section 297B of 

23 the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639p) 

24 is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

3 (I) by redesignating clauses (ii) 

4 through (vii) as clauses (iii) through 

5 (viii), respectively; 

6 (II) by inserting after clause (i) 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(ii) a procedure under which a hemp 

9 producer shall be required to designate the 

10 type of production of the hemp producer 

11 as— 

12 ‘‘(I) only industrial hemp; or 

13 ‘‘(II) hemp grown for any pur14 pose other than industrial hemp;’’; 

15 and 

16 (III) in clause (iii), as redesig17 nated by clause (i) of this subpara18 graph, by inserting ‘‘except as pro19 vided in subparagraph (B)(i),’’ before 

20 ‘‘a procedure’’; and 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

22 ‘‘include any other practice’’ and inserting 

23 the following: ‘‘include— 

24 ‘‘(i) notwithstanding subparagraph 

25 (A)(iii), a procedure for the use of visual 


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1 inspections, performance-based sampling 

2 methodologies, certified seed, or a similar 

3 procedure when developing sampling plans 

4 for any producer who elects to be des5 ignated as a producer of only industrial 

6 hemp under subparagraph (A)(ii)(I); 

7 ‘‘(ii) notwithstanding subsection 

8 (e)(3)(B)(i), a procedure for eliminating 

9 the 10-year period of ineligibility following 

10 the date of conviction for a felony related 

11 to a controlled substance for producers 

12 who elect to be designated as producers of 

13 only industrial hemp under subparagraph 

14 (A)(ii); and 

15 ‘‘(iii) any other practice’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(4) INSPECTION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRO18 DUCERS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a State or Tribal 

20 plan referred to in paragraph (1) includes pro21 cedures for reducing or eliminating sampling or 

22 testing requirements under paragraph (2)(B)(i) 

23 for a producer of industrial hemp, the State or 

24 Indian tribe shall require the producer to pro25 vide documentation that demonstrates a clear 


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1 intent to produce, and use in-field practices 

2 consistent with production of, only industrial 

3 hemp, such as a seed tag, sales contract, Farm 

4 Service Agency report, harvest technique, or 

5 harvest inspection. 

6 ‘‘(B) TESTING.—If a producer fails to pro7 vide the documentation required under subpara8 graph (A), the State or Indian tribe involved 

9 shall require the producer to conduct the test10 ing described in paragraph (2)(A)(iii).’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (e)(3)— 

12 (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 

13 as follows: 

14 ‘‘(A) REPORTING.— 

15 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a 

16 State department of agriculture or a Tribal 

17 government with respect to which a State 

18 or Tribal plan is approved under sub19 section (b), such State department of agri20 culture or Tribal government (as applica21 ble) shall immediately report a hemp pro22 ducer to the Attorney General, and, as ap23 plicable, the chief law enforcement officer 

24 of the State or Indian tribe, if the State 

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1 ernment (as applicable) determines that 

2 the hemp producer has— 

3 ‘‘(I) violated the State or Tribal 

4 plan with a culpable mental state 

5 greater than negligence; or 

6 ‘‘(II) violated the State or Tribal 

7 plan by producing a crop that is in8 consistent with the designation of only 

9 industrial hemp under subsection 

10 (a)(2)(A)(ii). 

11 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) 

12 shall not apply with respect to— 

13 ‘‘(I) a violation described in sub14 clause (I) of clause (i); or 

15 ‘‘(II) the production of a crop in16 consistent with its designation, as de17 scribed in subclause (II) of such 

18 clause.’’; 

19 (B) in subparagraph (B), by amending 

20 clause (ii) to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall 

22 not apply to any person growing hemp that 

23 designates the type of production as only 

24 industrial hemp under subsection 

25 (a)(2)(A)(ii) if— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the State or Tribal plan ap2 proved under subsection (b) includes a 

3 procedure described in subsection 

4 (a)(2)(B)(ii); or 

5 ‘‘(II) the plan established by the 

6 Secretary under section 297C includes 

7 a procedure described in subsection 

8 (a)(2)(B)(ii) of such section.’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(D) PRODUCTION INCONSISTENT WITH

11 INDUSTRIAL HEMP DESIGNATION.—Any person 

12 who knowingly produces a crop that is incon13 sistent with the designation of only industrial 

14 hemp under subsection (a)(2)(A)(ii) shall be in15 eligible to participate in the program estab16 lished under this section for a period of 5 years 

17 beginning on the date of the violation.’’. 

18 (c) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.—Section 297C 

19 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 

20 1639q) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1) shall’’ 

24 and all that follows through ‘‘practice to 


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1 maintain’’ and inserting the following: 

2 ‘‘paragraph (1)— 

3 ‘‘(A) shall include— 

4 ‘‘(i) a practice to maintain’’; 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by redesig6 nating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) 

7 and (II), respectively, and moving the mar8 gins of such subclauses (as so redesig9 nated) two ems to the right; 

10 (iii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

11 (B) through (E) as clauses (iii) through 

12 (vi), respectively, and moving the margins 

13 of such clauses (as so redesignated) two 

14 ems to the right; 

15 (iv) by inserting after clause (i) (as 

16 designated by clause (i) of this subpara17 graph) the following: 

18 ‘‘(ii) a procedure under which the Sec19 retary shall require a hemp producer to 

20 designate the type of production of the 

21 hemp producer as— 

22 ‘‘(I) only industrial hemp; or 

23 ‘‘(II) hemp grown for any pur24 pose other than industrial hemp;’’; 


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1 (v) in clause (iii) (as redesignated by 

2 clause (iii) of this subparagraph), by in3 serting ‘‘except as provided in subpara4 graph (B)(i),’’ before ‘‘a procedure’’; 

5 (vi) by striking subparagraph (F); and 

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

8 ‘‘(B) may include— 

9 ‘‘(i) notwithstanding subparagraph 

10 (A)(iii), a procedure for the use of visual 

11 inspections, performance-based sampling 

12 methodologies, certified seed, or a similar 

13 procedure when developing sampling plans 

14 for any producer who elects to be des15 ignated as a producer of only industrial 

16 hemp under subparagraph (A)(ii); 

17 ‘‘(ii) notwithstanding section 

18 297B(e)(3)(B)(i), a procedure for elimi19 nating the 10-year period of ineligibility 

20 following the date of conviction for a felony 

21 related to a controlled substance for pro22 ducers who elect to be designated as pro23 ducers of only industrial hemp under sub24 paragraph (A)(ii); and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) such other practices or proce2 dures as the Secretary considers to be ap3 propriate, to the extent that the practice or 

4 procedure is consistent with this subtitle.’’; 

5 and 

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

7 ‘‘(3) INSPECTIONS OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRO8 DUCERS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a plan referred to 

10 in paragraph (1) includes procedures for reduc11 ing or eliminating sampling or testing require12 ments under paragraph (2)(B)(i) for a producer 

13 of only industrial hemp, the Secretary shall re14 quire the producer to provide documentation 

15 that demonstrates a clear intent to produce, 

16 and use in-field practices consistent with pro17 duction of, industrial hemp, such as a seed tag, 

18 sales contract, Farm Service Agency report, 

19 harvest technique, or harvest inspection. 

20 ‘‘(B) TESTING.—If a producer fails to pro21 vide the appropriate documentation required 

22 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall re23 quire the producer to conduct the testing de24 scribed in paragraph (2)(A)(iii).’’; and 

25 (2) in subsection (d)(2)— 


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

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (C)— 

4 (i) by redesignating clauses (i) and 

5 (ii) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively; 

6 (ii) by inserting before clause (ii) (as 

7 so redesignated), the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) the designation of the type of pro9 duction of the hemp producers under sec10 tion 297B(a)(2)(A)(ii) or under subsection 

11 (a)(2)(A)(ii) of this section;’’; and 

12 (iii) in clause (iii), (as so redesig13 nated), by striking the period at the end 

14 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(D) the laboratory certificate of analysis 

17 for hemp disposed of under section 

18 297B(a)(2)(A)(iv) or subsection (a)(2)(A)(iv) of 

19 this section.’’. 

20 (d) REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES; EFFECT ON

21 OTHER LAW.—Section 297D of the Agricultural Mar22 keting Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639r) is amended— 

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1 MINISTRATION, REGULATIONS, AND GUIDE2 LINES’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (a)— 

4 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

5 ‘‘PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS AND

6 GUIDELINES’’ and inserting ‘‘ADMINISTRATION, 

7 REGULATIONS, AND GUIDELINES’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(3) LABORATORY ACCREDITATION.—The Sec10 retary, in consultation with the Administrator of the 

11 Drug Enforcement Administration, shall establish a 

12 process by which the Department of Agriculture can 

13 issue certificates of accreditation to laboratories for 

14 the purposes of testing hemp in accordance with this 

15 subtitle.’’. 

16 SEC. 10007. PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE INTRA-ORGANIZA17 TIONAL MOVEMENT OF GENETICALLY ENGI18 NEERED MICROORGANISMS BY CERTAIN AU19 THORIZED PARTIES. 

20 Subtitle A of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 

21 7711 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 420A. PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE INTRA-ORGANIZA2 TIONAL MOVEMENT OF GENETICALLY ENGI3 NEERED MICROORGANISMS BY CERTAIN AU4 THORIZED PARTIES. 

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

6 ‘‘(1) COVERED MICROORGANISM.—The term 

7 ‘covered microorganism’— 

8 ‘‘(A) means a genetically engineered micro9 organism that is a plant pest or may pose a 

10 plant pest risk; and 

11 ‘‘(B) does not include listed agents or tox12 ins (as defined in section 212(l) of the Agricul13 tural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 (7 

14 U.S.C. 8401(l))). 

15 ‘‘(2) COVERED UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE.—The 

16 term ‘covered unauthorized release’ means an unau17 thorized release of a covered microorganism, includ18 ing such a release that a responsible party suspects 

19 took place. 

20 ‘‘(3) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘pilot pro21 gram’ means the pilot program established under 

22 subsection (b). 

23 ‘‘(4) PLANT PEST RISK.—The term ‘plant pest 

24 risk’ has the meaning given such term in section 

25 340.3 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or 

26 successor regulations). 


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1 ‘‘(5) RESPONSIBLE PARTY.—The term ‘respon2 sible party’ means a partnership, corporation, asso3 ciation, joint venture, or other legal entity that— 

4 ‘‘(A) has a physical address in the United 

5 States; 

6 ‘‘(B) is not owned by or otherwise affili7 ated with the government of a country of con8 cern (as defined in section 10638 of the CHIPS 

9 Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. 19237)); 

10 ‘‘(C) has more than 1 responsible party 

11 biocontainment facility; 

12 ‘‘(D) employs quality control personnel 

13 that are capable of overseeing the movement 

14 and control of covered microorganisms; 

15 ‘‘(E) has, in each of the 3 years preceding 

16 enrollment in the pilot program, moved plant 

17 pests pursuant to permits granted by the Sec18 retary under this Act; 

19 ‘‘(F) has the ability and resources to en20 sure compliance with the requirements under 

21 subsection (e) for the duration of the pilot pro22 gram; 

23 ‘‘(G) has implemented the precautions 

24 specified in subsection (e) to prevent the unau25 thorized release of covered microorganisms; and 


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1 ‘‘(H) has not, during the 5-year period 

2 preceding the date on which the relevant appli3 cation is submitted under subsection (c)— 

4 ‘‘(i) caused an unauthorized release of 

5 a plant pest; 

6 ‘‘(ii) materially failed to comply with 

7 a permit granted by the Secretary for the 

8 interstate movement of plant pests; or 

9 ‘‘(iii) violated any provision of this 

10 section (including regulations promulgated 

11 thereunder). 

12 ‘‘(6) RESPONSIBLE PARTY BIOCONTAINMENT

13 FACILITY.—The term ‘responsible party biocontain14 ment facility’— 

15 ‘‘(A) means a physical structure or portion 

16 thereof, constructed and maintained in order to 

17 contain plant pests, that is under the control of, 

18 or operated by, a responsible party within the 

19 contiguous United States; and 

20 ‘‘(B) includes sites under the control of, or 

21 operated by, any parent organization, sub22 sidiary, or affiliate of the responsible party. 

23 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 100 days 

24 after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 


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1 shall establish a pilot program under which the Secretary 

2 shall authorize not more than 75 responsible parties— 

3 ‘‘(1) to move covered microorganisms in inter4 state commerce between responsible party bio5 containment facilities without a permit; and 

6 ‘‘(2) to maintain control over and dispose of 

7 such covered microorganisms. 

8 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 

10 applications from responsible parties for enrollment 

11 in the pilot program during a 45-day application pe12 riod, beginning on the date on which the pilot pro13 gram is established under subsection (b), using a 

14 web-based application process established by the 

15 Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted by 

17 a responsible party for enrollment in the pilot pro18 gram shall include the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) The name and contact information of 

20 the responsible party and any agent of the re21 sponsible party that will be involved in the 

22 movement of a covered microorganism. 

23 ‘‘(B) The methods by which a covered 

24 microorganism will be moved and the measures 


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1 taken to ensure that there is no unauthorized 

2 release of the covered microorganism. 

3 ‘‘(C) The manner in which a shipping con4 tainer, packaging material, or any other mate5 rial accompanying the covered microorganism 

6 will be disposed of to prevent the unauthorized 

7 release of a covered microorganism. 

8 ‘‘(D) A list of responsible party biocontain9 ment facilities to which the responsible party 

10 intends to move covered microorganisms. 

11 ‘‘(E) A list of the predominant covered 

12 microorganism chassis strains that, at the time 

13 of the application, the responsible party intends 

14 to move. 

15 ‘‘(F) A sworn certification that the respon16 sible party meets each criterion specified in sub17 section (a)(5). 

18 ‘‘(3) SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A responsible party 

20 may submit a supplemental application to the 

21 Secretary to update a list under subparagraph 

22 (D) or (E) of paragraph (2) at any time during 

23 such enrollment. The Secretary shall make a 

24 determination with respect to such supple25 mental application not later than 30 days after 


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1 the date on which such supplemental applica2 tion is submitted to the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(B) DENIALS.—The Secretary may only 

4 deny a supplemental application if the Sec5 retary has made the determination set forth in 

6 subsection (d)(2)(B). A denial of a supple7 mental application shall be subject to appeal in 

8 accordance with the terms specified in sub9 section (d)(3). 

10 ‘‘(d) SELECTION PROCESS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) TIMING.—The Secretary shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) evaluate applications received under 

13 subsection (c)(1) in the order in which the ap14 plications are received; and 

15 ‘‘(B) approve or deny all applications re16 ceived during the period described in that sub17 section not later than 45 days after the end of 

18 that period. 

19 ‘‘(2) DENIAL.—The Secretary shall deny an ap20 plication received under subsection (c)(1) if— 

21 ‘‘(A) the Secretary has already selected 75 

22 responsible parties for enrollment in the pilot 

23 program; or 

24 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that the re25 sponsible party submitting the application does 


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1 not meet each criterion specified in subsection 

2 (a)(5). 

3 ‘‘(3) APPEAL.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A responsible party 

5 seeking to enroll in the pilot program whose ap6 plication has been denied under paragraph (2) 

7 may submit to the Secretary a written appeal 

8 within— 

9 ‘‘(i) the 10-day period beginning on 

10 the date on which the responsible party re11 ceives written notification of the denial; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) a longer period, if the responsible 

13 party makes a request for additional time 

14 to submit such appeal and the Secretary 

15 grants such request. 

16 ‘‘(B) DECISION.—The Secretary shall, 

17 within a reasonably prompt period, grant or 

18 deny an appeal under subparagraph (A) in writ19 ing, which shall include the reasons for the de20 cision. 

21 ‘‘(e) REQUIREMENTS.—A responsible party shall, as 

22 a condition of enrollment in the pilot program, agree to— 

23 ‘‘(1) maintain, move, and dispose of covered 

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1 thorized release, spread, dispersal, or persistence of 

2 those covered microorganisms in the environment; 

3 ‘‘(2) unless otherwise authorized under a permit 

4 under this Act, only move a covered microorganism 

5 between sites that are responsible party biocontain6 ment facilities; 

7 ‘‘(3) maintain, move, and dispose of each cov8 ered microorganism separately from other orga9 nisms; 

10 ‘‘(4) ensure that each covered microorganism is 

11 maintained, moved, and disposed of in a manner 

12 commensurate with the plant pest risk posed by that 

13 covered microorganism; 

14 ‘‘(5) use, at a minimum, a package for move15 ment— 

16 ‘‘(A) that consists of a securely sealed 

17 inner and outer container, each of which is an 

18 effective barrier to the escape or unauthorized 

19 dissemination of the covered microorganism; 

20 ‘‘(B) the inner container of which— 

21 ‘‘(i) contains all of the applicable cov22 ered microorganism; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) is cushioned and sealed in such 

24 a manner as to remain sealed during any 

25 shock, impact, or change in pressure; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) the outer container of which is rigid 

2 and strong enough to withstand typical ship3 ping conditions (such as dropping, stacking, 

4 and impact from other freight) without opening; 

5 ‘‘(6) on request, grant the Secretary access— 

6 ‘‘(A) to sample materials associated with 

7 the interstate movement of covered microorga8 nisms under the pilot program; 

9 ‘‘(B) to observe and inspect the interstate 

10 movement of those covered microorganisms; and 

11 ‘‘(C) to audit records of the activities of 

12 the responsible party under the pilot program; 

13 ‘‘(7) maintain detailed and accurate records of 

14 all activities carried out under the pilot program to 

15 demonstrate compliance with the applicable require16 ments; 

17 ‘‘(8) on request, grant the Secretary access to 

18 each responsible party biocontainment facility for in19 spection in relation to a responsible party’s enroll20 ment in the pilot program; and 

21 ‘‘(9) comply with any additional requirement 

22 for the containment of covered microorganisms in 

23 interstate commerce that the Secretary may require 

24 if— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the Secretary determines that such 

2 an additional requirement is reasonable; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the sole purpose of such additional 

4 requirement is to avoid a covered unauthorized 

5 release. 

6 ‘‘(f) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN PREFERENCES.—In 

7 carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall take 

8 no action or promulgate any regulation that— 

9 ‘‘(1) treats genetically engineered covered 

10 microorganisms less favorably than nongenetically 

11 engineered covered microorganisms; or 

12 ‘‘(2) limits the quantity or type of covered 

13 microorganisms that may be moved under the pilot 

14 program between responsible party biocontainment 

15 facilities. 

16 ‘‘(g) REPORTING BY RESPONSIBLE PARTIES.—A re17 sponsible party shall submit to the Secretary a quarterly 

18 report that describes the activities of the responsible party 

19 under the pilot program during the period covered by the 

20 report, including— 

21 ‘‘(1) a description of each covered microorga22 nism moved in interstate commerce, including— 

23 ‘‘(A) the 1 or more countries or localities 

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1 lected, developed, manufactured, reared, cul2 tivated, or cultured, as applicable; 

3 ‘‘(B) the genus, species, and any relevant 

4 subspecies and common name information of 

5 the covered microorganism; and 

6 ‘‘(C) when applicable, a brief description of 

7 the genetic modifications made in the micro8 organism, including— 

9 ‘‘(i) the intended phenotype that the 1 

10 or more modifications are expected to con11 fer; 

12 ‘‘(ii) any targeted deletions, inser13 tions, or base pair substitutions; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) the genetic elements used in im15 parting the modification, including the 

16 name, donor organism, and a brief descrip17 tion of the function; 

18 ‘‘(2) each method by which the covered micro19 organism was moved in interstate commerce; 

20 ‘‘(3) the quantity of the covered microorganism 

21 moved in interstate commerce; and 

22 ‘‘(4) the specific responsible party biocontain23 ment facilities between which the covered microorga24 nism was moved in interstate commerce. 


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1 ‘‘(h) UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE.—In the case of a 

2 covered unauthorized release, a responsible party shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) contact the applicable office within the 

4 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service within 

5 48 hours of discovery of the covered unauthorized 

6 release; and 

7 ‘‘(2) submit to the Secretary a statement of 

8 facts pertaining to such release, in writing, not later 

9 than 5 business days after the date of that dis10 covery. 

11 ‘‘(i) DISENROLLMENT FROM PILOT PROGRAM.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall termi13 nate the enrollment of a responsible party in the 

14 pilot program if the Secretary has a sound factual 

15 basis to determine that— 

16 ‘‘(A) the responsible party no longer meets 

17 the eligibility criteria of a responsible party de18 scribed in subsection (a)(5); 

19 ‘‘(B) the responsible party has materially 

20 failed to comply with the requirements under 

21 subsection (e); or 

22 ‘‘(C) as a result of a failure by a respon23 sible party under subparagraph (B), the respon24 sible party caused a covered unauthorized re25 lease during the pilot program. 


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1 ‘‘(2) DISENROLLMENT DECISION.—If the Sec2 retary terminates the enrollment of a responsible 

3 party under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall sub4 mit that decision in writing to the responsible party. 

5 ‘‘(3) APPEAL.—The appeal process described in 

6 subsection (d)(3) shall apply in the case of a respon7 sible party that seeks to appeal a termination of en8 rollment under paragraph (1). 

9 ‘‘(j) TERMINATION.—The pilot program shall termi10 nate on the date that is 3 years after the date on which 

11 the Secretary completes the application selection process 

12 under subsection (d)(1)(B). 

13 ‘‘(k) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the 

14 date of termination of the pilot program described in sub15 section (j), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 

16 that describes— 

17 ‘‘(1) the activities carried out under the pilot 

18 program, including— 

19 ‘‘(A) the quantities and identities of cov20 ered microorganisms that were moved; and 

21 ‘‘(B) a description of any unauthorized re22 lease of covered microorganisms that were 

23 moved, including a description of the cause and 

24 consequence of any unauthorized release; and 

25 ‘‘(2) recommendations on— 


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1 ‘‘(A) whether the pilot program should be2 come a permanent program; and 

3 ‘‘(B) whether, as a permanent program, 

4 changes should be made to the criteria for a re5 sponsible party under subsection (a)(5) or to 

6 the requirements under subsection (e).’’. 

7 Subtitle B—Marketing 

8 SEC. 10101. MARKETING ORDERS. 

9 Section 8e(a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 

10 U.S.C. 608e–1(a)), reenacted with amendments by the Ag11 ricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) by inserting ‘‘almonds,’’ after ‘‘onions,’’; 

14 and 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘, other than dates for proc16 essing,’’ each place it appears. 

17 SEC. 10102. LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM. 

18 Section 210A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

19 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (5) 

22 through (13) as paragraphs (6) through (14), 

23 respectively; and 

24 (B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) FOOD HUB.—The term ‘food hub’ means 

2 a business or organization that actively manages the 

3 aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source4 identified food products to multiple buyers from 

5 multiple producers, who are primarily local and re6 gional producers, to strengthen the ability of such 

7 producers to satisfy local and regional wholesale, re8 tail, and institutional demands.’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (b)(4), by inserting ‘‘, regional 

10 food chain coordination,’’ after ‘‘collaboration’’; 

11 (3) in subsection (c)(4), by striking ‘‘stake12 holders’’ and inserting ‘‘stakeholders before and 

13 after providing grants under the program’’; 

14 (4) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (I), by striking 

19 ‘‘or’’ ; 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (J)(ii), by strik21 ing the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

22 or’’; and 

23 (iii) by inserting at the end the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(K) to support the purchase of special 

2 purpose equipment.’’; and 

3 (C) in paragraph (6)— 

4 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

5 (I) by redesignating clauses (vii) 

6 and (viii) as clauses (viii) and (ix), re7 spectively; and 

8 (II) by inserting after clause (vi) 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(vii) a food hub;’’; 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (C)— 

12 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

13 (i), by striking ‘‘applications that’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘applications, outreach, 

15 and technical assistance that would’’ ; 

16 (II) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

17 at the end; 

18 (III) by redesignating clause (ii) 

19 as clause (iii); 

20 (IV) by inserting after clause (i) 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(ii) provide greater geographic bal23 ance relative to the benefits of the Pro24 gram; or’’; and 


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1 (V) in clause (iii) (as so redesig2 nated), by striking ‘‘are used’’ and in3 serting ‘‘be used’’; 

4 (iii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

5 (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (E) and 

6 (F); and 

7 (iv) by inserting after subparagraph 

8 (C) the following: 

9 ‘‘(D) SIMPLIFIED APPLICATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

11 shall establish a simplified application form 

12 for eligible entities described in subpara13 graph (B) that— 

14 ‘‘(I) request less than $100,000; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(II) choose from the project cat17 egories described in clause (ii), which 

18 shall include a specific, limited set of 

19 key activities with predefined require20 ments established by the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(ii) PROJECT CATEGORIES.—The 

22 Secretary shall establish a simplified appli23 cation form for the following project cat24 egories but may include additional project 

25 categories as necessary: 


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1 ‘‘(I) DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER

2 PROJECTS.—In the case of a direct-to3 consumer project, an application form 

4 described in clause (i) may be avail5 able for the following categories of 

6 projects: 

7 ‘‘(aa) An outreach and pro8 motion project. 

9 ‘‘(bb) A project to provide 

10 funding for farmers market man11 ager staff time. 

12 ‘‘(cc) A project to provide 

13 vendor training. 

14 ‘‘(dd) A planning and design 

15 project. 

16 ‘‘(ee) A data collection and 

17 evaluation project. 

18 ‘‘(II) LOCAL AND REGIONAL

19 FOOD MARKETS AND ENTERPRISE

20 PROJECTS.—In the case of a local and 

21 regional food market and enterprise 

22 project, an application form described 

23 in clause (i) may be available for the 

24 following categories of projects: 


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1 ‘‘(aa) A food hub feasibility 

2 study project. 

3 ‘‘(bb) A project to provide 

4 funding for regional food chain 

5 coordination staff time. 

6 ‘‘(cc) A project to provide 

7 technical assistance. 

8 ‘‘(dd) A data collection and 

9 evaluation project. 

10 ‘‘(ee) A project to support 

11 the purchase of special purpose 

12 equipment.’’; 

13 (5) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘2019 

14 through 2023’’ and all that follows through the pe15 riod at the end and inserting the following: ‘‘2025 

16 through 2029 to support partnerships— 

17 ‘‘(i) to plan a local or regional food 

18 system; 

19 ‘‘(ii) to implement a local or regional 

20 food system plan; 

21 ‘‘(iii) to develop and implement a re22 gional food chain coordination project; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) to develop and implement a re24 gional outreach, technical assistance, and 

25 evaluation project.’’; 


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1 (6) in subsection (f)(1)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘sub3 section (d); or’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

4 (d)(5)’’; 

5 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 

6 subparagraph (C); and 

7 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(B) are eligible to submit an application 

10 in accordance with subsection (d)(6)(D); or’’; 

11 and 

12 (7) in subsection (i)(3)(B)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘Of the funds’’ and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds’’; 

16 and 

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

18 ‘‘(ii) SIMPLIFIED APPLICATIONS.—Of 

19 the funds made available for grants under 

20 subsection (d)(6) for a fiscal year, not less 

21 than 10 percent, and not more than 50 

22 percent, shall be used to provide grants to 

23 eligible entities that submit an application 

24 in accordance with subsection (d)(6)(D).’’. 


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1 SEC. 10103. ACER ACCESS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 

2 Section 12306 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 

3 U.S.C. 1632c) is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 

5 subsections (f) and (g), respectively; 

6 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(e) CONSULTATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the first re10 quest for applications under this section that occurs 

11 at least 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

12 Act, not later than 6 months before such a request 

13 for applications, the Secretary shall solicit input 

14 from maple syrup industry stakeholders with respect 

15 to the research and education priorities of the maple 

16 syrup industry. 

17 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATION.—The Secretary shall 

18 consider the information provided through the con19 sultation required under paragraph (1) when making 

20 grants under this section.’’; and 

21 (3) in subsection (g), as so redesignated, by 

22 striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

23 SEC. 10104. ORGANIC PRODUCTION AND MARKET DATA INI24 TIATIVE. 

25 Section 7407 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest26 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5925c) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

3 the end; 

4 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe5 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

7 ‘‘(4) collect and publish cost-of-production data 

8 for organic milk, through support from regional and 

9 national programs, including regularly reported data 

10 related to— 

11 ‘‘(A) the costs of major organic feedstuffs, 

12 including— 

13 ‘‘(i) the prices for major organic 

14 feedstuffs produced domestically; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the prices for imported major or16 ganic feedstuffs; and 

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

18 production of organic milk; 

19 ‘‘(B) establishment of an Organic All Milk 

20 Prices Survey, which shall be analogous to the 

21 existing All Milk Prices Survey conducted by 

22 the National Agricultural Statistics Service, to 

23 gather and report monthly data about the 

24 amounts organic dairy farmers are being paid 


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1 for organic milk and prices received for organic 

2 dairy cows, including— 

3 ‘‘(i) national data; and 

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

5 the 6 regions with the greatest quantity of 

6 organic dairy production; and 

7 ‘‘(C) periodic organic milk reporting under 

8 which the Secretary, using data collected by the 

9 National Agricultural Statistics Service, the 

10 Economic Research Service, or the Agricultural 

11 Marketing Service, publishes new periodic re12 ports that include, or add to existing periodic 

13 reports relating to, data for organic milk, which 

14 shall be equivalent to data reported for conven15 tionally produced milk.’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (d)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

19 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

21 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

22 and’’; and 

23 (iii) by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(D) $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal 

2 years 2025 through 2029.’’; and 

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

4 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 10105. ORGANIC CERTIFICATION. 

6 (a) REPORTS.—Section 2122(d)(1) of the Organic 

7 Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6521(d)(1)) is 

8 amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

9 (b) ORGANIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Or10 ganic Foods Production Act of 1990 is amended by insert11 ing after section 2122A (7 U.S.C. 6521a) the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 2122B. ORGANIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this title, the 

14 Secretary may provide technical assistance, outreach, and 

15 education to support organic production through existing 

16 programs implemented by a covered agency. 

17 ‘‘(b) COVERED AGENCY.—For the purposes of this 

18 section, the term ‘covered agency’ means— 

19 ‘‘(1) the Agricultural Marketing Service; 

20 ‘‘(2) the Agricultural Research Service; 

21 ‘‘(3) the National Institute of Food and Agri22 culture; 

23 ‘‘(4) the Farm Service Agency; 

24 ‘‘(5) the Risk Management Agency; 


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1 ‘‘(6) the Natural Resources Conservation Serv2 ice; 

3 ‘‘(7) the Rural Business-Cooperative Service; 

4 ‘‘(8) the Food and Nutrition Service; and 

5 ‘‘(9) other agencies, as determined by the Sec6 retary.’’. 

7 (c) FUNDING.—Section 2123(b)(6) of the Organic 

8 Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6522(b)(6)) is 

9 amended by striking ‘‘for fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2029’’. 

11 (d) MODERNIZATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF INTER12 NATIONAL TRADE TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS AND DATA

13 COLLECTION FUNDING.—Section 2123(c)(4) of the Or14 ganic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

15 6522(c)(4)) is amended, in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by striking ‘‘and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 

17 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘, $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, 

18 and $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2025’’. 

19 SEC. 10106. NATIONAL ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST20 SHARE PROGRAM. 

21 Section 10606(d)(1)(C) of the Farm Security and 

22 Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523(d)(1)(C)) 

23 is amended by striking ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2022 

24 through 2024’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of fiscal years 

25 2022 through 2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 10107. REPORT ON PROCUREMENT. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

3 of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, 

4 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agri5 culture of the House of Representatives and the Com6 mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen7 ate a report that examines— 

8 (1) the process by which domestic commodities 

9 or products (as defined in section 220.16 of title 7, 

10 Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regu11 lation)) are procured by the Secretary, including the 

12 solicitation process used to procure such commod13 ities or products; 

14 (2) barriers to entry into such procurement 

15 process that are for nontraditional, culturally rel16 evant, or local and regional commodities or products; 

17 (3) the diet quality and accessibility of commod18 ities or products that are so procured; and 

19 (4) the Secretary’s recommendations for admin20 istrative, regulatory, and legislative changes to im21 prove such procurement process. 


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1 Subtitle C—Regulatory Reform 

2 PART I—FEDERAL INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, 

3 AND RODENTICIDE ACT 

4 SEC. 10201. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN SUBSTANCES. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Federal Insecti6 cide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136) is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by amending subsection (v) to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘(v) PLANT REGULATOR.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘plant regulator’ 

12 means any substance or mixture of substances in13 tended, through physiological action, for accelerating 

14 or retarding the rate of growth or rate of matura15 tion, or for otherwise altering the behavior of plants 

16 or the produce thereof. 

17 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSIONS.—Such term shall not in18 clude— 

19 ‘‘(A) substances to the extent that they 

20 are— 

21 ‘‘(i) intended to be produced and used 

22 within a plant; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) intended as plant nutrients, trace 

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1 oculants, soil amendments, or vitamin hor2 mone products; or 

3 ‘‘(B) plant biostimulants that— 

4 ‘‘(i) have a low-risk profile in relation 

5 to humans and other organisms, as deter6 mined by the Agency; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) are of biological origin or include 

8 chemical compounds that are synthetically 

9 derived, but structurally-similar and func10 tionally identical to, substances of biologi11 cal origin.’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (hh)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by striking ‘‘substances.’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘substances’’; and 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

19 (I) by striking ‘‘volatilization 

20 urease’’ and inserting ‘‘volatilization, 

21 or urease’’; 

22 (II) by striking the period at the 

23 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

24 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) a plant biostimulant; or 

2 ‘‘(5) a nutritional chemical.’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(pp) PLANT BIOSTIMULANT.—The term ‘plant bio5 stimulant’ means any substance or mixture of substances 

6 that, when applied to seeds, plants, the rhizosphere, or soil 

7 or other growth media, acts to support a plant’s natural 

8 nutrition processes independently of the nutrient content 

9 of that substance or mixture of substances, and that there10 by improves— 

11 ‘‘(1) nutrient availability, uptake, or use effi12 ciency; 

13 ‘‘(2) tolerance to abiotic stress; or 

14 ‘‘(3) consequent growth, development, quality, 

15 or yield. 

16 ‘‘(qq) NUTRITIONAL CHEMICAL.—The term ‘nutri17 tional chemical’ means any substance or mixture of sub18 stances that interacts with plant nutrients in a manner 

19 that improves nutrient availability or aids the plant in ac20 quiring or utilizing plant nutrients. 

21 ‘‘(rr) VITAMIN HORMONE PRODUCT.—The term ‘vi22 tamin hormone product’ means a product that— 

23 ‘‘(1) consists of a mixture of plant hormones, 

24 plant nutrients, plant inoculants, soil amendments, 

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1 lants, or vitamins that is intended for the improve2 ment, maintenance, survival, health, and propaga3 tion of plants; 

4 ‘‘(2) is nontoxic and nonpoisonous in the undi5 luted packaged concentrations of the product; and 

6 ‘‘(3) is not intended for use on food crop sites 

7 and is labeled accordingly. 

8 ‘‘(ss) PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘plant-incor10 porated protectant’ means a pesticide that is— 

11 ‘‘(A) intended for preventing, destroying, 

12 repelling, or mitigating a pest; and 

13 ‘‘(B) a substance or mixture of substances 

14 intended to be produced and used within a liv15 ing plant, or in the produce thereof, and the ge16 netic material necessary for its production. 

17 ‘‘(2) INCLUSIONS.—Such term includes any 

18 inert ingredient (as defined in section 174.3 of title 

19 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 

20 regulation)).’’. 

21 (b) EXEMPTION FROM REGULATION.—Section 25(b) 

22 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 

23 (7 U.S.C. 136w(b)) is amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(b) EXEMPTION OF PESTICIDES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) EXEMPTION BY RULE.—The Adminis2 trator may exempt from the requirements of this Act 

3 by regulation any pesticide which the Administrator 

4 determines either— 

5 ‘‘(A) to be adequately regulated by another 

6 Federal agency; or 

7 ‘‘(B) to be of a character which is unneces8 sary to be subject to this Act in order to carry 

9 out the purposes of this Act. 

10 ‘‘(2) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN PLANT-INCOR11 PORATED PROTECTANTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) EXEMPTION.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Upon the issuance 

14 of guidance as described in subparagraph 

15 (B), plant-incorporated protectants result16 ing from endogenous genetic material 

17 found within or that could arise from the 

18 plant’s gene pool are exempt from the re19 quirements of this Act. 

20 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—A specific plant21 incorporated protectant arising from en22 dogenous genetic material found within or 

23 that could arise from the plant’s gene pool 

24 shall not be exempt from the requirements 

25 of this Act if the Administrator determines 


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1 that such plant-incorporated protectant is 

2 of a character which is necessary to be 

3 subject to this Act in order to carry out 

4 the purposes of this Act. 

5 ‘‘(B) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 1 year 

6 after the date of the enactment of the Farm, 

7 Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the 

8 Administrator shall issue guidance for the im9 plementation of subparagraph (A). The Admin10 istrator may update such guidance, as the Ad11 ministrator determines to be appropriate. 

12 ‘‘(C) ORDER.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Adminis14 trator makes a determination described in 

15 subparagraph (A)(ii) with respect to a 

16 plant-incorporated protectant, the Admin17 istrator shall issue an order explaining the 

18 basis for such determination, which may be 

19 issued directly to any person who owns, 

20 controls, or has custody of such plant-in21 corporated protectant or published in the 

22 Federal Register. 

23 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT OF ORDER.—After re24 ceipt or publication of an order described 

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1 tectant described in the order will no 

2 longer be exempt from the requirements of 

3 this Act.’’. 

4 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 17(c) of 

5 the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 

6 (7 U.S.C. 136o(c)) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

9 (A), by striking ‘‘(as defined in section 174.3 of 

10 title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 

11 successor regulation))’’; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

13 at the end; 

14 (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

15 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(D) that plant-incorporated protectant is 

18 exempt under section 25(b)(2) or part 174 of 

19 title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 

20 successor regulation).’’; and 

21 (2) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘(as de22 fined in section 174.3 of title 40, Code of Federal 

23 Regulations (or any successor regulation))’’. 


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1 SEC. 10202. COORDINATION. 

2 Section 3 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

3 Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a) is amended by adding 

4 at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(i) COORDINATION.— 

6 ‘‘(1) RISK MITIGATION MEASURES.—If any risk 

7 mitigation measures are required for any pesticide 

8 registered under this Act, the Administrator shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) develop such measures in coordina10 tion with the Secretary of Agriculture; and 

11 ‘‘(B) conduct, and publish in the docket, 

12 with the corresponding action, an economic 

13 analysis determining the cost of implementation 

14 of such measures. 

15 ‘‘(2) DATA AND INFORMATION.— 

16 ‘‘(A) COORDINATION OF DATA AND INFOR17 MATION.—With regard to the registration or 

18 registration review of a pesticide under this Act 

19 and for making a determination under section 

20 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 

21 Act (21 U.S.C. 346a) with respect to any action 

22 that impacts the sale, distribution, or use of a 

23 pesticide, the Administrator shall coordinate 

24 with the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

25 through the Director of the Office of Pest Man26 agement Policy, so that the Administrator has 


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1 for the Administrator’s use and consideration 

2 for such processes— 

3 ‘‘(i) agronomic use data from— 

4 ‘‘(I) the Department of Agri5 culture; and 

6 ‘‘(II) industry; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) any information relating to the 

8 availability and economic viability of alter9 natives to such pesticide. 

10 ‘‘(B) DATA AND INFORMATION.—When 

11 issuing any decision resulting from the proc12 esses referred to in subparagraph (A), the Ad13 ministrator shall publish— 

14 ‘‘(i) a description of the use by the 

15 Administrator of any data or information 

16 provided by the Secretary of Agriculture 

17 under subparagraph (A); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the determination of the Admin19 istrator on whether to use such data or in20 formation, including, as applicable, the 

21 reasons that the data or information was 

22 not used. 

23 ‘‘(3) REASONABLE AND PRUDENT ACTIONS AND

24 MEASURES.—For implementation of reasonable and 

25 prudent actions and measures with respect to the 


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1 use of a pesticide registered under this Act, the Ad2 ministrator shall coordinate with the Secretary of 

3 Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the 

4 Secretary of Commerce— 

5 ‘‘(A) to review the development of any such 

6 actions and measures that are a result of con7 sultations relating to actions under this Act; 

8 ‘‘(B) to fully consider the risks and bene9 fits of any such actions and measures in a man10 ner consistent with practices established to 

11 evaluate the risks and benefits of a pesticide 

12 registered under this Act; and 

13 ‘‘(C) to provide feedback to the Secretary 

14 of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce 

15 on decisions relating to any such actions and 

16 measures that may affect end users of a pes17 ticide registered under this Act. 

18 ‘‘(4) WAIVER.—The coordination requirements 

19 imposed by this subsection may be waived or modi20 fied for a specific action to the extent agreed upon 

21 by the Administrator, the Secretary of Agriculture, 

22 and the registrant so long as such agreement is pub23 lished by the Administrator in the docket for the 

24 corresponding action.’’. 


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1 SEC. 10203. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 

2 Section 3(c)(11) of the Federal Insecticide, Fun3 gicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(11)) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in subparagraph (B)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘The Administrator shall’’ 

7 and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

9 shall’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(ii) PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary 

12 of Agriculture shall include the Director of 

13 the Office of Pest Management Policy in 

14 all meetings of the interagency working 

15 group.’’; 

16 (2) in subparagraph (D)— 

17 (A) in clause (iv)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘every 180 days there19 after’’ and inserting ‘‘each year there20 after’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘during the 5-year pe22 riod beginning on that date’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(v) AVAILABILITY.—All reports re25 quired under this subparagraph shall be 


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1 published on the website of the Environ2 mental Protection Agency.’’; and 

3 (3) by amending subparagraph (E) to read as 

4 follows: 

5 ‘‘(E) CONSULTATION.— 

6 ‘‘(i) WORKING GROUP WITH PRIVATE

7 SECTOR.—In carrying out the duties under 

8 this paragraph, the working group shall, as 

9 appropriate— 

10 ‘‘(I) consult, including through 

11 public meetings, with representatives 

12 of interested industry stakeholders 

13 and nongovernmental organizations 

14 not less than once every year; and 

15 ‘‘(II) take into consideration fac16 tors, such as actual and potential dif17 ferences in interest between, and the 

18 views of, those stakeholders and orga19 nizations. 

20 ‘‘(ii) ADMINISTRATOR WITH WORKING

21 GROUP.—Before the Administrator imple22 ments any policy, strategy, workplan, or 

23 pilot program regarding the application of 

24 the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

25 U.S.C.1531 et seq.) to the processes for 


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1 the registration or registration review of a 

2 pesticide under this Act, the Administrator 

3 shall— 

4 ‘‘(I) consult with the covered 

5 agencies on the policy, strategy, 

6 workplan, or pilot program and take 

7 into consideration input received; and 

8 ‘‘(II) publish the input received 

9 from the covered agencies in the dock10 et with the corresponding policy, 

11 strategy, workplan, or pilot pro12 gram.’’. 

13 SEC. 10204. UNIFORMITY OF PESTICIDE LABELING RE14 QUIREMENTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 24(b) of the Federal In16 secticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 

17 136v(b)) shall be applied to require uniformity in national 

18 pesticide labeling, and prohibit any State, instrumentality 

19 or political subdivision thereof, or a court from directly 

20 or indirectly imposing or continuing in effect any require21 ments for, or penalize or hold liable any entity for failing 

22 to comply with requirements with respect to, labeling or 

23 packaging that is in addition to or different from the label24 ing or packaging approved by the Administrator of the 

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1 tion as the ‘‘Administrator’’) under such Act (7 U.S.C. 

2 136 et seq.), including any requirements relating to warn3 ings on such labeling or packaging. 

4 (b) PROHIBITION.—The Administrator may not issue 

5 or adopt any guidance or any policy, take any regulatory 

6 action, or approve any labeling (or change to such label7 ing) that is inconsistent with or in any respect different 

8 from the conclusion of— 

9 (1) a human health assessment performed pur10 suant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

11 Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.); or 

12 (2) a carcinogenicity classification for a pes13 ticide performed pursuant to such Act (7 U.S.C. 136 

14 et seq.). 

15 SEC. 10205. AUTHORITY OF STATES. 

16 Section 24 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

17 Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136v) is amended— 

18 (1) in the section heading by inserting ‘‘AND

19 LOCALITIES’’ after ‘‘STATES’’; and 

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

21 ‘‘(d) LOCAL REGULATION.—A political subdivision of 

22 a State shall not impose, or continue in effect, any require23 ment relating to the sale, distribution, labeling, applica24 tion, or use of any pesticide or device that is subject to 

25 regulation— 


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1 ‘‘(1) by a State pursuant to this section; or 

2 ‘‘(2) by the Administrator under this Act.’’. 

3 PART II—OTHER REGULATORY REFORM 

4 PROVISIONS 

5 SEC. 10211. MULTIPLE CROP AND PESTICIDE USE SURVEY. 

6 Section 10109 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

7 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4906) is amend8 ed— 

9 (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) SUBMISSION.—The Secretary shall submit 

13 to the Administrator of the Environmental Protec14 tion Agency, and make publicly available, the survey 

15 described in subsection (a). 

16 ‘‘(2) COMMERCIAL DATA.—The Secretary, act17 ing through the Director of the Office of Pest Man18 agement Policy, shall obtain commercial data on pes19 ticide use to inform the conduct of, and enhance the 

20 results of, the survey described in subsection (a).’’; 

21 and 

22 (2) in subsection (c), by amending paragraph 

23 (1) to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

2 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

3 shall use to carry out this section— 

4 ‘‘(A) $500,000 for fiscal year 2019, to re5 main available until expended; 

6 ‘‘(B) $100,000 for fiscal year 2024, to re7 main available until expended; and 

8 ‘‘(C) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, to 

9 remain available until expended.’’. 

10 SEC. 10212. CRITICAL MINERALS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

12 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of the In13 terior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, 

14 shall evaluate potash, phosphates, and other minerals nec15 essary for the production of fertilizer and other agricul16 tural products used to promote crop development for des17 ignation as critical minerals under section 7002(c)(4) of 

18 the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(4)). 

19 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 90 days 

20 after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 

21 of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agri22 culture, shall evaluate current policies related to permit23 ting and leasing of projects for the exploration, develop24 ment, and production of the minerals described in subVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00801 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 section (a) and issue recommendations to support domes2 tic production of such minerals to— 

3 (1) the Committee on Natural Resources and 

4 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep5 resentatives; and 

6 (2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Re7 sources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri8 tion, and Forestry of the Senate. 

9 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

10 of enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Interior, 

11 in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall 

12 prepare a report that describes how each mineral de13 scribed in subsection (a) meets each aspect of the method14 ology under section 7002(c)(3) of the Energy Act of 2020 

15 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(3), as of the date of enactment of this 

16 section, to determine eligibility for the list as described 

17 under section 7002(c)(4) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 

18 U.S.C. 1606(c)(4) and issue such report to— 

19 (1) the Committee on Natural Resources and 

20 the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep21 resentatives; and 

22 (2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Re23 sources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri24 tion, and Forestry of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 10213. SAFE HARBOR FOR CERTAIN DISCHARGES OF 

2 WILDLAND FIRE CHEMICALS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), no 

4 court may enjoin under the Federal Water Pollution Con5 trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) a covered entity from 

6 conducting an aerial application of a covered fire retardant 

7 and water enhancer for wildfire suppression, control, or 

8 prevention activities that results in a discharge, if such 

9 aerial application is conducted in accordance with the re10 quirements of the Federal Facility Compliance Agreement 

11 between the Environmental Protection Agency and the 

12 U.S. Forest Service, as agreed to on February 16, 2023. 

13 (b) PERIOD OF APPLICATION.—Subsection (a) shall 

14 apply to any aerial application described in such sub15 section that is conducted before the effective date of a per16 mit issued by the Administrator of the Environmental 

17 Protection Agency or a State, as applicable, under section 

18 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 

19 U.S.C. 1342) that authorizes the discharge, from such 

20 aerial application, of a covered fire retardant and water 

21 enhancer for wildfire suppression, control, or prevention 

22 activities. 

23 (c) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section affects the au24 thority of any court under the Federal Water Pollution 

25 Control Act with respect to any discharge resulting from 


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1 an aerial application not conducted in accordance with the 

2 requirements described in subsection (a). 

3 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en5 tity’’ means— 

6 (A) any Federal agency, agency of a State 

7 or political subdivision thereof, or Tribal agen8 cy, authorized by law to conduct an aerial appli9 cation of fire retardants and water enhancers 

10 for wildfire suppression, control, or prevention 

11 activities; and 

12 (B) any contractor, subcontractor, or other 

13 agent of an agency described in subparagraph 

14 (A). 

15 (2) COVERED FIRE RETARDANT AND WATER

16 ENHANCER.—The term ‘‘covered fire retardant and 

17 water enhancer’’ means a fire retardant and water 

18 enhancer that— 

19 (A) has been evaluated, qualified, and ap20 proved by the Secretary; and 

21 (B) appears on the most current Forest 

22 Service Qualified Products List. 

23 (3) DISCHARGE; STATE.—The terms ‘‘dis24 charge’’ and ‘‘State’’ have the meanings given those 


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1 terms in section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution 

2 Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362). 

3 (e) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to be effective 

4 on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment 

5 of this section. 

6 SEC. 10214. SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD OF THE ENVIRON7 MENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. 

8 Section 8 of the Environmental Research, Develop9 ment, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 (42 

10 U.S.C. 4365) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the Com12 mittee on Environment and Public Works of the 

13 United States Senate, or the Committee on Science, 

14 Space, and Technology, on Energy and Commerce, 

15 or on Public Works and Transportation of the 

16 House of Representatives’’ and inserting ‘‘the Com17 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 

18 the Committee on Environment and Public Works, 

19 or the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

20 Forestry of the Senate or the Committee on Science, 

21 Space, and Technology, the Committee on Energy 

22 and Commerce, the Committee on Transportation 

23 and Infrastructure, or the Committee on Agriculture 

24 of the House of Representatives’’; and 

25 (2) in subsection (i)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘the Committees on Envi2 ronment and Public Works and Agriculture of 

3 the Senate and the Committees on Transpor4 tation and Infrastructure, Energy and Com5 merce, and Agriculture of the House of Rep6 resentatives’’ and inserting ‘‘the Committee on 

7 Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the 

8 Committee on Environment and Public Works, 

9 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

10 and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee 

11 on Science, Space, and Technology, the Com12 mittee on Energy and Commerce, the Com13 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

14 and the Committee on Agriculture of the House 

15 of Representatives’’; and 

16 (B) by inserting ‘‘and any additional agri17 culture-related committees and investigative 

18 panels established pursuant to subsection 

19 (e)(2)(A)(ii)’’ before the period. 

20 SEC. 10215. OFFICE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY. 

21 Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorga22 nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended 

23 by inserting after section 220 (7 U.S.C. 6920) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 220A. OFFICE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish in 

3 the Department an Office of Biotechnology Policy to pro4 vide for the effective coordination of policies and activities 

5 within the Department of Agriculture related to bio6 technology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and re7 lated emerging technologies, while taking into account the 

8 effects of regulatory actions of other government agencies. 

9 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—The Office of Biotechnology Policy 

10 shall be under the direction of a Director appointed by 

11 the Secretary, who shall report directly to the Secretary 

12 or a designee of the Secretary. 

13 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The Director of the Office of Bio14 technology Policy shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) develop and coordinate Department policy 

16 on biotechnology and related topics; 

17 ‘‘(2) coordinate activities and services of the 

18 Department on biotechnology and related topics, in19 cluding— 

20 ‘‘(A) research and development; 

21 ‘‘(B) extension and education; 

22 ‘‘(C) communication; 

23 ‘‘(D) regulation and labeling; and 

24 ‘‘(E) commercialization, use, and trade; 


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1 ‘‘(3) assist other offices and agencies of the De2 partment in fulfilling their responsibilities related to 

3 biotechnology under applicable Federal law; and 

4 ‘‘(4) perform such other functions as may be 

5 required under Federal law or prescribed by the Sec6 retary. 

7 ‘‘(d) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—In carrying out 

8 the duties under subsection (b), the Director of the Office 

9 of Biotechnology Policy shall provide leadership to ensure 

10 coordination of interagency activities with the Environ11 mental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Adminis12 tration, and other Federal and State agencies. 

13 ‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—The Director of the Office of Bio14 technology Policy shall consult with biotechnology devel15 opers, academics, agricultural producers, and other enti16 ties that may be affected by biotechnology-related activi17 ties or actions of the Department or other Federal and 

18 State agencies as necessary in carrying out the Office’s 

19 responsibilities under this section. 

20 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

22 $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 


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1 TITLE XI—CROP INSURANCE 

2 SEC. 11001. SPECIALTY CROP ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 505 of the Federal Crop 

4 Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1505) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

8 (E), (F), and (G) as subparagraphs (F), 

9 (G), and (H), respectively; 

10 (ii) by inserting after subparagraph 

11 (D) the following: 

12 ‘‘(E) The Chairperson of the Specialty 

13 Crop Advisory Committee established by sub14 section (f).’’; and 

15 (iii) in subparagraph (H), as so redes16 ignated, by striking ‘‘specialty crop’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘livestock’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘sub19 paragraphs (E), (F), and (G) of paragraph (2)’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs (F), (G), and 

21 (H) of paragraph (2) and the members of the 

22 Specialty Crop Advisory Committee described in 

23 subsection (f)(2)’’; and 

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

25 ‘‘(f) SPECIALTY CROP ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 

3 the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) establish a Specialty Crop Advisory 

5 Committee (in this subsection, referred to as 

6 ‘the Committee’); and 

7 ‘‘(B) appoint to the Committee in accord8 ance with paragraph (2) the initial members 

9 that will assist the Corporation in the research, 

10 creation, and improvement of policies or plans 

11 of insurance for specialty crops. 

12 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 

13 ‘‘(A) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson of 

14 the Committee shall be an individual with expe15 rience in crop insurance and familiarity with 

16 the unique nature of the specialty crop indus17 try. 

18 ‘‘(B) MEMBERS.—The Committee shall 

19 consist of— 

20 ‘‘(i) individuals with an understanding 

21 of the production methods, markets, and 

22 risks (including losses due to weather, 

23 trade damages, and supply chain disrup24 tions) unique to specialty crop production; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) not less than 5 producers and 

2 not more than 10 total members; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) not less than one producer from 

4 each of the West, Midwest, South, and 

5 Northeast regions of the United States (as 

6 identified by the Bureau of the Census). 

7 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The Committee established by 

8 this subsection shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) advise the manager of the Corpora10 tion on issues relating to specialty crop insur11 ance policies; 

12 ‘‘(B) provide input, through the Chair13 person of the Committee, to the Board on deci14 sions relating to specialty crop insurance poli15 cies; 

16 ‘‘(C) review available educational programs 

17 and make recommendations to the manager of 

18 the Corporation on how to enhance the effec19 tiveness of such programs for specialty crop 

20 producers; 

21 ‘‘(D) provide recommendations to the man22 ager of the Corporation regarding the presen23 tation of policies to the Board required by sec24 tion 508(a)(6); 


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1 ‘‘(E) advise the manager of the Corpora2 tion on entering into partnerships to carry out 

3 subsections (d) and (e)(2)(B) of section 522; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(F) meet not less than two times each 

6 year to carry out these duties.’’. 

7 (b) SPECIALTY CROPS COORDINATOR.—Section 

8 507(g)(2) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

9 1507(g)(2)) is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Specialty Crops 

12 Coordinator shall have primary responsibility 

13 for addressing the needs of specialty crop pro14 ducers, and for providing information and ad15 vice, in connection with the activities of the 

16 Corporation to improve and expand the insur17 ance program for specialty crops. 

18 ‘‘(B) OTHER DUTIES.—In carrying out 

19 this paragraph, the Specialty Crops Coordinator 

20 shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) act as the liaison of the Corpora22 tion with representatives of specialty crop 

23 producers and the Specialty Crop Advisory 

24 Committee; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) assist the Corporation with the 

2 knowledge, expertise, and familiarity of the 

3 producers with risk management and pro4 duction issues pertaining to specialty 

5 crops.’’. 

6 (c) ANNUAL REVIEW OF NEW AND SPECIALTY

7 CROPS.—Section 508(a)(6)(A) of the Federal Crop Insur8 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(6)(A)) is amended by insert9 ing ‘‘(in consultation with the Specialty Crop Advisory 

10 Committee)’’ after ‘‘Corporation’’. 

11 SEC. 11002. IDENTIFICATION OF HOLDERS OF SUBSTAN12 TIAL INTERESTS. 

13 Section 506(m) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

14 (7 U.S.C. 1506(m)) is amended— 

15 (1) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol16 lows: 

17 ‘‘(3) IDENTIFICATION OF HOLDERS OF SUB18 STANTIAL INTERESTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Manager of the 

20 Corporation may require each policyholder to 

21 provide to the Manager, at such times and in 

22 such manner as prescribed by the Manager, the 

23 name of each individual or other entity that ac24 quires or holds a substantial beneficial interest 

25 in such policyholder. 


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1 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION AVAILABLE.— 

2 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a 

3 policyholder that does not provide the in4 formation required pursuant to subpara5 graph (A) to the Manager at the time pre6 scribed by the Manager, the Manager shall 

7 allow such policyholder to provide to the 

8 Manager such information at any time 

9 during the applicable crop year. 

10 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall 

11 not apply to a policyholder that an ap12 proved insurance provider determines— 

13 ‘‘(I) would receive dispropor14 tionate benefits under a crop insur15 ance program as a result of failing to 

16 provide the information required pur17 suant to subparagraph (A) to the 

18 Manager at the time prescribed by the 

19 Manager; or 

20 ‘‘(II) failed to provide such infor21 mation to avoid an obligation or re22 quirement under any State or Federal 

23 law.’’; and 

24 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘5 percent’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘10 percent’’. 


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1 SEC. 11003. ACTUARIAL SOUNDNESS OF CERTAIN NEW 

2 PRODUCTS. 

3 Section 506(n) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

4 U.S.C. 1506(n)) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(4) ACTUARIAL SOUNDNESS OF CERTAIN NEW

7 PRODUCTS.—The Corporation shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) review each policy or product devel9 oped under section 508(h) periodically for actu10 arial soundness; and 

11 ‘‘(B) take such actions, in consultation 

12 with persons described in paragraph (1)(A) of 

13 such section, as are necessary to improve the 

14 actuarial soundness of such policies and prod15 ucts.’’. 

16 SEC. 11004. COVERAGE OF REVENUE LOSSES. 

17 Section 508(a)(1) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

18 (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)) is amended, in the second sentence, 

19 by inserting ‘‘or a decline in the market price of the in20 sured commodity, so long as such decline was not directly 

21 caused by the producer (as determined by the Secretary)’’ 

22 before the period at the end. 


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1 SEC. 11005. SUPPLEMENTAL AND AGGREGATE COVERAGE 

2 ENHANCEMENTS. 

3 (a) COVERAGE LEVEL.—Section 508(c)(4) of the 

4 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(c)(4)) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) by amending subparagraph (A)(ii) to read 

7 as follows: 

8 ‘‘(ii) may be purchased at any level 

9 not to exceed— 

10 ‘‘(I) in the case of the individual 

11 yield or revenue coverage, 85 percent; 

12 ‘‘(II) in the case of individual 

13 yield or revenue coverage aggregated 

14 across multiple commodities, 90 per15 cent; and 

16 ‘‘(III) in the case of area yield or 

17 revenue coverage (as determined by 

18 the Corporation), 95 percent.’’; and 

19 (2) in subparagraph (C)— 

20 (A) clause (ii), by striking ‘‘14’’ and in21 serting ‘‘10’’; and 

22 (B) in clause (iii)(I), by striking ‘‘86’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘90’’. 

24 (b) PREMIUM SUBSIDY.—Section 508(e)(2)(H)(i) of 

25 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 


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1 1508(e)(2)(H)(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘65’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘80’’. 

3 SEC. 11006. LIMITATION ON FARM PROGRAM PARTICIPA4 TION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Crop Insurance Act 

6 (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq) is amended— 

7 (1) in section 508(c)(4)(C)(iv)— 

8 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘CROPS

9 AND’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘Crops’’ and all that fol11 lows through ‘‘acres’’ and inserting ‘‘Acres’’; 

12 and 

13 (2) in section 508B(f) is amended by striking 

14 ‘‘Effective beginning with the 2019 crop year’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘Effective for the 2019 through 2024 crop 

16 years’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1115 of the 

18 Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9015), as amended 

19 by section 1103, is further amended by adding at the end 

20 the following subsection: 

21 ‘‘(i) LIMITATION.—Beginning with the 2025 crop 

22 year— 

23 ‘‘(1) in the case of a farm for which a producer 

24 obtains coverage under the Stacked Income Protec25 tion Plan for upland cotton under section 508B of 


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1 the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508b) 

2 for a crop year, such farm shall not be eligible to re3 ceive payments for seed cotton for such crop year 

4 under— 

5 ‘‘(A) price loss coverage under section 

6 1116; and 

7 ‘‘(B) agriculture risk coverage under sec8 tion 1117; and 

9 ‘‘(2) in the case of a crop on a farm for which 

10 a producer obtains supplemental coverage under sec11 tion 508(c)(4)(C) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

12 (7 U.S.C. 1508(c)(4)(C)) for a crop year, such crop 

13 on such farm shall not be eligible to receive pay14 ments under agriculture risk coverage under section 

15 1117 for such crop year.’’. 

16 SEC. 11007. LIMITATION ON INTEREST ACCRUAL. 

17 Section 508(d) of Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

18 U.S.C. 1508(d)) is amended by inserting at the end the 

19 following new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(5) LIMITATION ON INTEREST ACCRUED.—Ef21 fective beginning with the 2025 reinsurance year, in 

22 the case of a producer that is delinquent in paying 

23 a premium or administrative fee, an approved insur24 ance provider may charge such producer with re25 spect to such delinquency an amount less than or 


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1 equal to 1 percent of the simple interest of the 

2 amount for which such producer is delinquent, for 

3 each month (not to exceed 60-consecutive months) 

4 the producer is so delinquent.’’. 

5 SEC. 11008. CROP INSURANCE SUPPORT FOR BEGINNING 

6 AND VETERAN FARMERS AND RANCHERS. 

7 (a) DEFINITION OF BEGINNING AND VETERAN

8 FARMER OR RANCHER.—Section 502(b) of the Federal 

9 Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1502(b)) is amended 

10 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘5 crop years’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘10 crop years’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (14)(B)— 

13 (A) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘5 years’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘10 years’’; and 

15 (B) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘5-year’’ and 

16 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) by striking ‘‘is 10 percentage points greater 

24 than’’ and inserting ‘‘is the amount of percentage 


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1 points specified in subparagraph (B) greater than’’; 

2 and 

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

4 ‘‘(B) PERCENTAGE POINTS ADJUST5 MENTS.—For purposes of subparagraph (A), 

6 the percentage points specified in this subpara7 graph are as follows: 

8 ‘‘(i) For each of the first and second 

9 reinsurance years that a beginning farmer 

10 or rancher participates as a beginning 

11 farmer or rancher in the applicable policy 

12 or plan of insurance, 15 percentage points. 

13 ‘‘(ii) For the third reinsurance year 

14 that a beginning farmer or rancher partici15 pates as a beginning farmer or rancher in 

16 the applicable policy or plan of insurance, 

17 13 percentage points. 

18 ‘‘(iii) For the fourth reinsurance year 

19 that a beginning farmer or rancher partici20 pates as a beginning farmer or rancher in 

21 the applicable policy or plan of insurance, 

22 11 percentage points. 

23 ‘‘(iv) For each of the fifth through 

24 tenth reinsurance years that a beginning 

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1 ning farmer or rancher in the applicable 

2 policy or plan of insurance, 10 percentage 

3 points.’’. 

4 SEC. 11009. MARKETABILITY. 

5 Section 508(h)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

6 (7 U.S.C. 1508(h)(4)) is amended— 

7 (1) in subparagraph (A), by amending clause 

8 (iii) to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(iii) APPLICATION.— 

10 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as 

11 provided in subclause (II), this sub12 paragraph shall apply with respect to 

13 a proposal only during the period pre14 ceding any approval of the proposal 

15 by the Board. 

16 ‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—An approved 

17 insurance provider that submits a let18 ter of support for a concept proposal, 

19 a policy, or plan of insurance shall— 

20 ‘‘(aa) not be considered the 

21 public for purposes of clause (ii); 

22 ‘‘(bb) have access to data 

23 and other product development 

24 information submitted to the 


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1 Board during its review under 

2 this subsection, and; 

3 ‘‘(cc) be subject to the con4 fidentiality requirements as appli5 cable to the Board pursuant to 

6 clauses (i) and (ii).’’; 

7 (2) in subparagraph (D), by adding at the end 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(iv) MARKETABILITY DEADLINE.— 

10 Any new policy, plan of insurance, or other 

11 material approved by the Board under this 

12 subsection during a reinsurance year and 

13 after the Standard Reinsurance Agreement 

14 closing date of July 1, shall not be imple15 mented for such reinsurance year unless at 

16 least 90 days prior to the sales closing date 

17 for such policy, plan of insurance, or other 

18 material, the Board makes available to the 

19 approved insurance providers all necessary, 

20 as determined by the Board, handbooks, 

21 training materials, and other resources as22 sociated with such policy, plan of insur23 ance, or other material.’’; and 

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

25 ‘‘(F) MARKETABILITY DETERMINATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) SUBMISSION TO THE BOARD.— 

2 Prior to the approval of a product, any ap3 proved insurance provider that submitted a 

4 letter of support for the product shall pro5 vide information and analysis to the Board 

6 on the marketability of such product. 

7 ‘‘(ii) DEEMED MARKETABLE.—In re8 viewing a policy, plan of insurance, or 

9 other material submitted to the Board 

10 under this subsection such product shall be 

11 deemed marketable in accordance with 

12 paragraph (3)(A)(ii)(I) if at least one ap13 proved insurance provider, in its submis14 sion pursuant to clause (i), expresses sup15 port for such policy, plan, or material. 

16 ‘‘(iii) EVALUATION BY THE BOARD.— 

17 In evaluating whether a product is market18 able in accordance with paragraph 

19 (3)(A)(ii)(I), the Board shall take into con20 sideration any information and analysis 

21 submitted pursuant to clause (ii). 

22 ‘‘(iv) AIP PARTICIPATION.—The 

23 Board shall not require the submission of 

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1 prove any policy, plan of insurance, or 

2 other materials submitted pursuant to this 

3 subsection.’’. 

4 SEC. 11010. REINSURANCE. 

5 (a) SUPPLEMENTING LOSS ADJUSTMENT EX6 PENSES.—Section 508(k) of the Federal Crop Insurance 

7 Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)) is further amended by adding at 

8 the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(10) ADDITIONAL EXPENSES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the 

11 terms and conditions of the Standard Reinsur12 ance Agreement, to cover additional expenses 

13 for loss adjustment procedures, the Corporation 

14 shall pay an additional administrative and oper15 ating expense subsidy to approved insurance 

16 providers for eligible contracts. 

17 ‘‘(B) PAYMENT AMOUNT.—In the case of 

18 an eligible contract, the payment to an ap19 proved insurance provider required under sub20 paragraph (A) shall be the amount equal to 6 

21 percent of the net book premium. 

22 ‘‘(C) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘eli24 gible State’ means a State— 


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1 ‘‘(I) identified in State Group 2 

2 or State Group 3 (as defined in the 

3 Standard Reinsurance Agreement for 

4 reinsurance year 2025); and 

5 ‘‘(II) in which, with respect to an 

6 insurance year, the loss ratio for eligi7 ble contracts is greater than 120 per8 cent of the total net book premium 

9 written by all approved insurance pro10 viders. 

11 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBLE CONTRACTS.—The 

12 term ‘eligible contract’— 

13 ‘‘(I) means a crop insurance con14 tract entered into by an approved in15 surance provider in an eligible State; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(II) does not include a contract 

18 for— 

19 ‘‘(aa) catastrophic risk pro20 tection under subsection (b); 

21 ‘‘(bb) an area-based plan of 

22 insurance or similar plan of in23 surance, as determined by the 

24 Corporation; or 


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1 ‘‘(cc) a policy under which 

2 an approved insurance provider 

3 does not incur loss adjustment 

4 expenses, as determined by the 

5 Corporation.’’. 

6 (b) REIMBURSEMENT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND OP7 ERATING EXPENSES WITH RESPECT TO SPECIALTY

8 CROPS CONTRACTS.—Section 508(k) of the Federal Crop 

9 Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)) is further amended by 

10 adding at the end of the following: 

11 ‘‘(11) SPECIALTY CROPS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) MINIMUM REIMBURSEMENT.—Begin13 ning with the 2025 reinsurance year and for 

14 each reinsurance year thereafter, the rate of re15 imbursement to approved insurance providers 

16 for administrative and operating expenses with 

17 respect to crop insurance contracts covering ag18 ricultural commodities described in section 101 

19 of title I of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness 

20 Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note) shall be 

21 equal to or greater than the percent that is the 

22 greater of the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) 17 percent of the premium used 

24 to define loss ratio. 


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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 the 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 such subparagraph for administrative and 

13 operating expenses with respect to contracts 

14 covering agricultural commodities that are not 

15 subject to such subparagraph. 

16 ‘‘(C) SHORT-TERM EQUITABLE RELIEF.— 

17 With respect to the 2022 through 2024 reinsur18 ance years, in addition to the amount of reim19 bursement for administrative and operating ex20 penses available for crop insurance contracts 

21 described in subparagraph (A), the Corporation 

22 shall use $50,000,000, to remain available until 

23 expended, to pay, with respect to such con24 tracts, an amount that is equal to the difference 

25 between— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the amount to be paid pursuant 

2 to the Standard Reinsurance Agreement 

3 for the applicable reinsurance year; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the amount that would be paid if 

5 such contracts were— 

6 ‘‘(I) not subject to a reduction 

7 described in subsection (a)(2)(G) of 

8 section III of the Standard Reinsur9 ance Agreement; and 

10 ‘‘(II) subject to a reimbursement 

11 rate equal to 17 percent of the net 

12 book premium. 

13 ‘‘(D) ADMINISTRATION.—The require14 ments of this paragraph and the adjustments 

15 made pursuant to this paragraph shall not be 

16 considered a renegotiation under paragraph 

17 (8)(A). 

18 ‘‘(12) ADJUSTMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the 

20 2025 reinsurance year and for each reinsurance 

21 year thereafter, the Corporation shall increase 

22 the total administrative and operating expense 

23 reimbursements otherwise required under the 

24 Standard Reinsurance Agreement in effect for 

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1 flation in a manner that is consistent with the 

2 increases provided with respect to the 2011 

3 through 2015 reinsurance years under the en4 closure, included in the Risk Management 

5 Agency’s Bulletin, MGR–10–007, dated June 

6 30, 2010. 

7 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATION.—The increase de8 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) apply with respect to all contracts 

10 covering agricultural commodities that 

11 were subject to an increase during the pe12 riod of the 2011 through 2015 reinsurance 

13 years under the enclosure described in 

14 such subparagraph; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) not be considered a renegotiation 

16 under paragraph (8)(A). 

17 ‘‘(C) SPECIAL RULE FOR THE 2025 REIN18 SURANCE YEAR.—The increase described in 

19 subparagraph (A) for the 2025 reinsurance 

20 year shall not exceed the percentage change 

21 from the preceding year included in the Con22 sumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers 

23 published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of 

24 the Department of Labor.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11011. REVENUE INSURANCE. 

2 The Federal Crop Insurance Act is amended by in3 serting after section 508D (7 U.S.C. 1508d) the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 508E. SUGARBEET REVENUE INSURANCE. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Effective beginning with the 

6 2026 crop year, the Risk Management Agency and the 

7 Corporation shall make available to producers of sugar 

8 beets a revenue crop insurance policy for sugar beets. 

9 ‘‘(b) COVERAGE.—The policy required under sub10 section (a) shall provide for a combination of— 

11 ‘‘(1) individual-based yield coverage; and 

12 ‘‘(2) coverage against a decrease in a gross beet 

13 sugar payment to a producer from a cooperative 

14 processor due to a shortfall in sugar production at 

15 the cooperative level as the result of one or more of 

16 the following conditions: 

17 ‘‘(A) cooperative-level sugar beet produc18 tion that is below average; 

19 ‘‘(B) cooperative-level raw sugar content of 

20 the beets that is below average, irrespective of 

21 the quantity of sugar beets produced; or 

22 ‘‘(C) a decrease in price in the refined 

23 sugar market relative to the expected price at 

24 the beginning of the crop year.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11012. PILOT PROGRAM TO REVIEW EFFECTIVENESS 

2 OF COVERAGE PENALTY. 

3 The Federal Crop Insurance Act, as amended by sec4 tion 11011, is further amended by inserting after section 

5 508E the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 508F. PILOT PROGRAM TO REVIEW EFFECTIVENESS 

7 OF COVERAGE PENALTY. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Effective beginning with the 

9 2025 crop year, the Risk Management Agency and the 

10 Corporation shall establish a pilot program to evaluate the 

11 effectiveness of the reduction in benefits applied to corn 

12 and other crops, as determined by the Corporation, plant13 ed during the late planting period (as defined in section 

14 457.8 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor 

15 regulation)). 

16 ‘‘(b) LOCATION AND DURATION OF PILOT.—The 

17 pilot program established under subsection (a) shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) be conducted in not less than 10 counties 

19 located within or adjacent to the North Plains 

20 Ground Conservation District or the Panhandle 

21 Ground Conservation District in the State of Texas; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(2) operate for a period of not less than four 

24 crop years. 


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1 ‘‘(c) EVALUATION.—In carrying out the pilot pro2 gram established under subsection (a), the Risk Manage3 ment Agency and the Corporation shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) suspend any reduction to the insurance 

5 guarantee applied to an insurance policy for a crop 

6 that is planted during the late planting period; 

7 ‘‘(2) gather and analyze data to determine if 

8 the number of days beyond the final plant date in 

9 which a crop was planted during the late planting 

10 period correlates with a decrease in crop yields; and 

11 ‘‘(3) determine if planting a crop after the final 

12 plant date results in reduced usage of irrigation 

13 from the Ogallala Aquifer. 

14 ‘‘(d) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days 

15 after the last day of crop year 2029, the Risk Management 

16 Agency and the Corporation shall submit to the Com17 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and 

18 the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Nutrition of 

19 the Senate a report that includes— 

20 ‘‘(1) a summary of the results of the pilot pro21 gram established under subsection (a); 

22 ‘‘(2) an analysis of the correlation between 

23 planting date and final yields; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) any changes to existing policies that the 

2 Corporation intends to make as a result of the infor3 mation obtained during the pilot program. 

4 ‘‘(e) PARTNERSHIPS.—Of the amounts made avail5 able in section 522(e)(2)(A)(ii), the Corporation may use 

6 not more than $200,000 to enter into a partnership or 

7 cooperative agreement with a nonprofit organization, 

8 State agency, or public university that is familiar with ag9 ricultural production in the region described in subsection 

10 (b)(1) to conduct the research and evaluation required 

11 under paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c).’’. 

12 SEC. 11013. PROGRAM COMPLIANCE AND INTEGRITY. 

13 Section 515 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 

14 U.S.C. 1515) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘, RE17 SPONSE, AND FINAL DETERMINATION’’ after 

18 ‘‘NOTIFICATION’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘shall 

20 notify in writing’’ and inserting ‘‘shall, through 

21 an initial finding in writing, notify (unless such 

22 notification is pursuant to the responsibilities to 

23 conduct reviews and make corrections)’’; 

24 (C) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘TIME

2 FOR NOTIFICATION’’ and inserting ‘‘RE3 QUIRED TIMING’’; 

4 (ii) by striking ‘‘Notice’’ and inserting 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) INITIAL FINDING.—Notice’’; and 

7 (iii) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(B) RESPONSE.—During the 90-day pe10 riod beginning on the date the Corporation no11 tifies an approved insurance provider through 

12 an initial finding under paragraph (1), such ap13 proved insurance provide may appeal such ini14 tial finding in writing. 

15 ‘‘(C) FINAL FINDING.—Not later than 90 

16 days after the date on which an approved insur17 ance provider appeals pursuant to subpara18 graph (B), the Corporation shall issue a final 

19 finding in writing to such approved insurance 

20 provider. 

21 ‘‘(D) REQUEST FOR FINAL ADMINISTRA22 TIVE DETERMINATION.—An approved insurance 

23 provider shall have not more than 90 days after 

24 the receipt of the Corporation’s final finding 

25 under subparagraph (C) to request, in writing, 


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1 a final agency determination, if such approved 

2 insurance provider has reason to believe that 

3 the Corporation’s final finding under subpara4 graph (C) is not in accordance with— 

5 ‘‘(i) the applicable laws, regulations, 

6 custom, or practice of the crop insurance 

7 industry; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) the approved policy and proce9 dure of the Corporation. 

10 ‘‘(E) FINAL DETERMINATION.—The Cor11 poration shall have not more than 90 days after 

12 the receipt of a request for a final administra13 tive determination under subparagraph (D) to 

14 provide such final administrative determination, 

15 unless substantial new information, as deter16 mined by the Corporation, is provided by the 

17 approved insurance provider. 

18 ‘‘(F) APPEAL TO CIVILIAN BOARD OF CON19 TRACT APPEALS.—An approved insurance pro20 vider shall have not more than 90 days after re21 ceipt of final administrative determination pro22 vided pursuant to subparagraph (E) to appeal 

23 such determination to the Civilian Board of 

24 Contract Appeals.’’; and 


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1 (D) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 

2 follows: 

3 ‘‘(3) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO TIMELY NO4 TIFY.— 

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

6 subparagraph (B), failure of the Corporation to 

7 comply with the requirements under paragraph 

8 (2) shall relieve the approved insurance provider 

9 from the debt owed to the Corporation. 

10 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) 

11 shall not apply to any matters referred to the 

12 Office of the Inspector General or the Depart13 ment of Justice.’’. 

14 (2) in subsection (l)(2), by striking ‘‘than’’ and 

15 all that follows through the period at the end and 

16 inserting the following: ‘‘than— 

17 ‘‘(A) $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2009 through 2024; and 

19 ‘‘(B) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

20 each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

21 SEC. 11014. REVIEWS, COMPLIANCE, AND INTEGRITY. 

22 Section 516(b)(2)(C)(i) of the Federal Crop Insur23 ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1516(b)(2)(C)(i)) is amended by strik24 ing ‘‘each fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of fiscal 


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1 years 2014 through 2024 and $10,000,000 for fiscal year 

2 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter’’. 

3 SEC. 11015. WHOLE FARM IMPROVEMENTS. 

4 Section 522(c)(7)(E) of the Federal Crop Insurance 

5 Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)(7)(E)) is amended by adding at 

6 the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(iii) ADDITIONAL REVIEW.—Not 

8 later than 12 months after the date of en9 actment of this clause and annually there10 after, the Corporation shall— 

11 ‘‘(I) review any limitations on in12 surable revenue (including the overall 

13 limitation and limitations specific to 

14 animals, animal products, greenhouse 

15 and nursery, and aquaculture) to en16 sure such limitations are adequate to 

17 cover the financial risks associated 

18 with the production of high-value agri19 cultural products; and 

20 ‘‘(II) submit to the Committee on 

21 Agriculture of the House of Rep22 resentatives and the Committee on 

23 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

24 of the Senate a report that includes a 

25 summary of the most recent review 


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1 conducted and any expected changes 

2 to the policy for the following reinsur3 ance year.’’. 

4 SEC. 11016. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES. 

5 (a) EXPANSION OF REVENUE POLICIES.—Section 

6 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

7 522(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(20) EXPANSION OF REVENUE POLICIES.— 

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, to expand the availability of policies 

14 that provide coverage against losses of revenue 

15 for— 

16 ‘‘(i) oilseeds, including camelina, 

17 carinata, and pennycress; 

18 ‘‘(ii) alfalfa; 

19 ‘‘(iii) pulse crops (including dry edible 

20 beans); 

21 ‘‘(iv) sugarcane; and 

22 ‘‘(v) other crops for which only indi23 vidual yield-based insurance policies are 

24 available. 


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1 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwith2 standing the last sentence of section 508(a)(1), 

3 and section 508(a)(2), the Corporation shall 

4 make a policy described in subparagraph (A) 

5 available if the requirements of section 508(h) 

6 are met. 

7 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATION OF PROJECTED

8 PRICE.—In developing a policy described in sub9 paragraph (A) the Corporation may utilize al10 ternative methods of determining a projected 

11 price for a crop, including the correlation of ac12 tual prices received for such crop to the futures 

13 markets prices of other commodities. 

14 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 

15 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

16 the Corporation shall submit to the Committee 

17 on 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 crops for which research and 

22 development has been carried out under 

23 subparagraph (A); 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the results of the research and 

2 development carried out under subpara3 graph (A); 

4 ‘‘(iii) any recommendations with re5 spect to those results; and 

6 ‘‘(iv) additional crops for which re7 search and development under this para8 graph is planned to be carried out.’’. 

9 (b) WINE GRAPE LOSSES DUE TO SMOKE EXPO10 SURE.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

11 (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the 

12 end the following: 

13 ‘‘(21) WINE GRAPE LOSSES DUE TO SMOKE EX14 POSURE.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after the date of the enactment of this para17 graph, the Corporation shall carry out research 

18 and development, or offer to enter into 1 or 

19 more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons 

20 to carry out research and development, regard21 ing a policy to insure wine grapes (including 

22 wine grapes produced in the States of Cali23 fornia, Oregon, and Washington) against losses 

24 due to wildfire smoke exposure. 


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1 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwith2 standing the last sentence of section 508(a)(1), 

3 and section 508(a)(2), not later than 18 

4 months after the date of the enactment of this 

5 paragraph, the Corporation shall make available 

6 a policy described in subparagraph (A) if the 

7 requirements of section 508(h) are met. 

8 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 

9 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

10 the Corporation shall submit to the Committees 

11 on Appropriations and Agriculture of the House 

12 of Representatives and the Committees on Ap13 propriations and Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

14 Forestry of the Senate a report that includes— 

15 ‘‘(i) the results of the research con16 ducted under subparagraph (A); 

17 ‘‘(ii) a description of the policies made 

18 available under this paragraph; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) the feasibility of a product that 

20 allows producers of wine grapes to claim 

21 an indemnity through post-harvest, post22 vinification testing, if such testing dem23 onstrates smoke damage that was not de24 tectable prior to harvest.’’. 


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1 (c) MUSHROOMS.—Section 522(c) of the Federal 

2 Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amend3 ed by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(22) MUSHROOMS.— 

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 to insure— 

10 ‘‘(i) the production of mushroom 

11 growing media; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) the production of mushrooms. 

13 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwith14 standing the second sentence of section 

15 508(a)(1), and section 508(a)(2), the Corpora16 tion shall make a policy described in subpara17 graph (A) available if the requirements of sec18 tion 508(h) are met. 

19 ‘‘(C) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DE20 SCRIBED.—Research and development described 

21 in subparagraph (A) shall evaluate the effective22 ness of policies described in that subparagraph, 

23 including policies that— 

24 ‘‘(i) are based on the risk of— 


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1 ‘‘(I) pests, including mushroom 

2 phorid flies and sciarid flies; 

3 ‘‘(II) fungal pathogens; and 

4 ‘‘(III) viral pathogens; 

5 ‘‘(ii) consider other causes of loss ap6 plicable to mushroom compost and mush7 room production, such as— 

8 ‘‘(I) a loss of electricity due to 

9 weather; and 

10 ‘‘(II) loss of growing media due 

11 to excessive 5-year, 10-year, or 20- 

12 year rainfall events; 

13 ‘‘(iii) consider appropriate best prac14 tices to minimize the risk of loss; 

15 ‘‘(iv) consider whether to provide cov16 erage for mushrooms under 1 policy or to 

17 provide coverage for various phases of pro18 duction; 

19 ‘‘(v) have streamlined reporting and 

20 paperwork requirements that take into ac21 count short propagation schedules, variable 

22 crop years, and the variety of mushrooms 

23 that may be produced in a single facility; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(vi) provide protection for revenue 

2 losses. 

3 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 

4 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

5 the Corporation shall 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 (d) STUDY ON HURRICANE INSURANCE.—Section 

16 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

17 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(23) STANDALONE POLICY FOR HURRICANES

20 AND TROPICAL STORMS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

22 carry out research and development, or offer to 

23 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

24 qualified persons to conduct a study to deter25 mine the feasibility of offering insurance 


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1 against tropical storms and hurricanes made 

2 available regardless of underlying crop insur3 ance policy (or lack thereof). 

4 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

5 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

6 the Corporation shall submit to the Committee 

7 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

8 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

9 and Forestry of the Senate a report that de10 scribes the results of the study conducted under 

11 subparagraph (A).’’. 

12 (e) FROST OR COLD WEATHER INSURANCE.—Section 

13 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

14 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(24) FROST OR COLD WEATHER INSUR17 ANCE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

19 carry out research and development, or offer to 

20 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

21 qualified persons to carry out research and de22 velopment, regarding an index-based policy to 

23 insure crops (including tomatoes, peppers, sug24 arcane, strawberries, melons, citrus, peaches, 

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1 ally-available basis against losses due to a frost 

2 or cold weather event. 

3 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

4 Research and development under subparagraph 

5 (A) shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) evaluate the effectiveness of risk 

7 management tools, such as the use of an 

8 index, with respect to low frequency and 

9 catastrophic loss weather events; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) result in a policy that provides 

11 protection for at least 1 of the following: 

12 ‘‘(I) Production loss. 

13 ‘‘(II) Revenue loss. 

14 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

15 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

16 the Corporation shall submit to the Committee 

17 on 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 results of the research and 

22 development carried out under this para23 graph; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re25 spect to those results.’’. 


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1 (f) STUDY OF INCLUSION OF CERTAIN OILSEED

2 CROPS UNDER DOUBLE AND ROTATIONAL CROPPING

3 POLICIES.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance 

4 Act (7 4 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding 

5 at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(25) DOUBLE CROPPING AND ROTATIONAL

7 CROPPING OF CERTAIN OILSEED CROPS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF COVERED OILSEED

9 CROPS.—In this paragraph, the term ‘covered 

10 oilseed crops’ means rapeseed, canola, camelina, 

11 and other oilseed crops, as determined by the 

12 Corporation. 

13 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

14 The Corporation shall carry out research and 

15 development, or offer to enter into 1 or more 

16 contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to 

17 carry out research and development, with re18 spect to insurance policies for covered oilseed 

19 crops under double cropping and rotational 

20 cropping practices. 

21 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS.—The research and 

22 development carried out pursuant to subpara23 graph (B) shall be conducted in consultation 

24 with stakeholders to evaluate— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the factors impacting availability 

2 and cost of crop insurance when incor3 porating covered oilseed crops into double 

4 cropping and rotational cropping policies; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the potential risk management 

7 benefits associated with incorporating cov8 ered oilseed crops into double cropping and 

9 rotational cropping policies, specifically 

10 with respect to winter planted covered oil11 seed crops, including risk management 

12 benefits to soil health, biodiversity, and the 

13 profitability of farming operations. 

14 ‘‘(D) EMPHASIS.—In awarding contracts 

15 under subparagraph (B), the Corporation may 

16 give priority to awarding contracts to qualified 

17 persons that— 

18 ‘‘(i) have previous research experience 

19 with covered oilseed crops; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) have access to a facility with the 

21 capacity to carry out the applicable re22 search. 

23 ‘‘(E) REPORT.—Not later than 13 months 

24 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

25 the Corporation shall submit to the Committee 


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1 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

2 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

3 and Forestry of the Senate a report that de4 scribes— 

5 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

6 development carried out under subpara7 graph (B); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re9 spect to those results.’’. 

10 (g) HARVEST INCENTIVES.—Section 522(c) of the 

11 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 4 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is fur12 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(26) HARVEST INCENTIVES.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

15 after the date of the enactment of this para16 graph, the Corporation shall carry out research 

17 and development, or offer to enter into 1 or 

18 more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons 

19 to carry out research and development, regard20 ing harvest incentives for policies that provide 

21 coverage against losses of revenue. 

22 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwith23 standing the last sentence of section 508(a)(1), 

24 and section 508(a)(2), not later than 24 

25 months after the date of the enactment of this 


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1 paragraph, the Corporation shall make available 

2 a policy described in subparagraph (A) if the 

3 requirements of section 508(h) are met. 

4 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

5 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

6 the Corporation shall submit to the Committees 

7 on Appropriations and Agriculture of the House 

8 of Representatives and the Committees on Ap9 propriations and Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

10 Forestry of the Senate a report that includes— 

11 ‘‘(i) the results of the research con12 ducted under subparagraph (A); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) a description of the policies made 

14 available under this paragraph.’’. 

15 (h) REVENUE OR MORTALITY INSURANCE FOR POUL16 TRY.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

17 (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the 

18 end the following: 

19 ‘‘(27) REVENUE OR MORTALITY INSURANCE

20 FOR POULTRY.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

22 carry out research and development, or offer to 

23 enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 

24 qualified persons to carry out research and de25 velopment, regarding an index or revenue policy 


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1 to insure poultry (including broilers, layers, pul2 lets, turkeys, ducks, pheasants, and quail) on a 

3 nationally-available basis against losses from 

4 mortality caused by naturally occurring weather 

5 or infectious disease events. 

6 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

7 Research and development under subparagraph 

8 (A) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) evaluate the effectiveness of risk 

10 management tools, such as the use of an 

11 index, with respect to low frequency and 

12 catastrophic loss weather or zoonotic dis13 ease events; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) result in a policy that provides 

15 protection for at least 1 of the following: 

16 ‘‘(I) Mortality on an area level. 

17 ‘‘(II) Revenue on an area level. 

18 ‘‘(III) Cost of inputs on an area 

19 level. 

20 ‘‘(IV) Future revenue from loss 

21 of flock placement on an individual 

22 level. 

23 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

24 after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

25 the Corporation shall submit to the Committee 


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1 on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 

2 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

3 and Forestry of the Senate a report that de4 scribes— 

5 ‘‘(i) the results of the research and 

6 development carried out under this para7 graph; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re9 spect to those results.’’. 

10 TITLE XII—MISCELLANEOUS 

11 PROVISIONS 

12 Subtitle A—Livestock and Other 

13 Animals 

14 PART I—ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION 

15 SEC. 12001. ANIMAL DISEASE PREVENTION AND MANAGE16 MENT. 

17 (a) NADPRP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—Section 

18 10409A(b)(2) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 

19 U.S.C. 8308A(b)(2)) is amended— 

20 (1) in subparagraph (F)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘including training addi22 tional emergency response personnel.’’ and in23 serting the following: ‘‘including— 

24 ‘‘(i) training additional emergency re25 sponse personnel; and’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(ii) improving animal disease 

3 traceability.’’; and 

4 (2) in subparagraph (I), by inserting before the 

5 period at the end the following: ‘‘, including activi6 ties approved by the Secretary as of the date of the 

7 enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security 

8 Act of 2024’’. 

9 (b) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Section 10409A(d)(1) 

10 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 

11 8308a(d)(1)) is amended— 

12 (1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 

13 follows: 

14 ‘‘(A) FISCAL YEARS 2025 THROUGH 2029.— 

15 Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corpora16 tion, the Secretary shall make available to carry 

17 out this section $233,000,000 for each of fiscal 

18 years 2025 through 2029, of which— 

19 ‘‘(i) not less than $10,000,000 shall 

20 be made available for each such fiscal year 

21 to carry out subsection (a); 

22 ‘‘(ii) not less than $70,000,000 shall 

23 be made available for each such fiscal year 

24 to carry out subsection (b); and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) not less than $153,000,000 shall 

2 be made available for each such fiscal year 

3 to carry out subsection (c).’’; and 

4 (2) in subparagraph (B)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘$30,000,000 for fiscal 

6 year 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$75,000,000 for fis7 cal year 2025’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘$18,000,000’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘$45,000,000’’. 

10 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

11 (1) NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH LABORA12 TORY.—Section 10409A(d)(2)(A) of the Animal 

13 Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)(2)(A)) is 

14 amended— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘$30,000,000’’ and insert16 ing ‘‘$45,000,000’’; and 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

19 (2) NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE PREPAREDNESS

20 AND RESPONSE PROGRAM; NATIONAL ANIMAL VAC21 CINE AND VETERINARY COUNTERMEASURES

22 BANK.—Section 10409A(d)(2)(B) of the Animal 

23 Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)(2)(B)) is 

24 amended by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and in25 serting ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 


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1 (3) AVAILABILITY AND PURPOSE OF FUND2 ING.—Section 10409A(e)(1) of the Animal Health 

3 Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(e)(1)) is amended 

4 by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘2025 through 2029’’. 

6 SEC. 12002. CATTLE FEVER TICK ERADICATION PROGRAM 

7 REVIEW AND REPORT. 

8 (a) PROGRAM REVIEW.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

10 the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec11 retary shall offer to enter into a contract with a cov12 ered institution under which the covered institution 

13 shall conduct a review of the Program. 

14 (2) REVIEW ELEMENTS.—The review conducted 

15 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include an evalua16 tion of— 

17 (A) the effectiveness of the Program with 

18 respect to preventing and reducing the spread 

19 of tick-borne illnesses in cattle, including a re20 view of places from which the cattle fever tick 

21 has been eradicated and the resulting economic 

22 impact; 

23 (B) with respect to cattle producers— 

24 (i) the benefits of the Program; and 


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1 (ii) the burden of compliance with the 

2 Program; 

3 (C) the treatment protocols developed and 

4 implemented under the Program; and 

5 (D) the Federal and State funds allocated 

6 to support the Program for the most recent fis7 cal year, including the funds allocated to each 

8 research project associated with the Program. 

9 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

10 on which the Secretary and a covered institution enter into 

11 a contract pursuant to subsection (a)(1), the Secretary 

12 shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 

13 of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nu14 trition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that in15 cludes— 

16 (1) the results of the review conducted pursuant 

17 to subsection (a); and 

18 (2) recommendations for improvements to the 

19 Program, including recommendations for reducing 

20 the burden of compliance with the Program with re21 spect to cattle producers. 

22 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) COVERED INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘cov24 ered institution’’ means— 


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1 (A) a land-grant college or university (as 

2 defined in section 1404(13) of the National Ag3 ricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 

4 Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(13))); or 

5 (B) a non-land-grant college of agriculture 

6 (as defined in section 1404(14) of the National 

7 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 

8 Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(14))). 

9 (2) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

10 the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program carried 

11 out by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

12 Service of the Department in coordination with the 

13 Texas Animal Health Commission. 

14 SEC. 12003. DOG DETECTION TRAINING CENTER. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a National 

16 Detector Dog Training Center (referred to in this Act as 

17 the ‘‘Center’’). 

18 (b) DUTIES.—The Center shall have the following du19 ties: 

20 (1) Training dogs for the purpose of safe21 guarding domestic agricultural and natural resources 

22 from foreign and invasive pests and diseases. 

23 (2) Training human handlers to successfully se24 lect and train dogs for the purpose described in 

25 paragraph (1). 


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1 (3) Collaborating with relevant Federal agen2 cies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 

3 to safeguard domestic agricultural and natural re4 sources. 

5 (4) Collaborating with external stakeholders, in6 cluding State departments of agriculture, local and 

7 county agricultural officials, private sector entities, 

8 and other relevant non-Federal partners. 

9 (5) Ensuring the health and welfare of all dogs 

10 under the care of the Center, including by ensuring 

11 access to necessary veterinary care, adequate shelter, 

12 and proper nutrition. 

13 (6) Providing opportunities for private adoption 

14 of retirement-age trained dogs and dogs that do not 

15 complete training. 

16 (7) Any other duties necessary to safeguard do17 mestic agricultural and natural resources from for18 eign and invasive pests and diseases, as determined 

19 by the Secretary, acting through the Administrator 

20 of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 

21 (c) ADDITIONAL TRAINING FACILITIES.—In addition 

22 to the Center established under subsection (a), the Sec23 retary may— 


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1 (1) establish other dog training facilities, which 

2 shall have the same duties as are specified in sub3 section (b) for the Center; and 

4 (2) enter into a cooperative agreement with the 

5 department of agriculture of a State (or political 

6 subdivision thereof) to establish an off-site training 

7 program for the purpose of providing training and 

8 technical assistance in the training of dogs, as de9 scribed in subsection (b). 

10 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

11 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through 

12 the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspec13 tion Service, shall submit to Congress a report that con14 tains— 

15 (1) a description of current and emerging 

16 threats to domestic agricultural and natural re17 sources from foreign pests and diseases within the 

18 purview of the operations of the Center; 

19 (2) an examination of the role that the Center 

20 plays in the protection against foreign pests and dis21 eases; 

22 (3) a description of improvements needed in 

23 Federal programs to minimize threats from foreign 

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1 nation among the Animal and Plant Health Inspec2 tion Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 

3 and other relevant Federal agencies; 

4 (4) recommendations to strengthen the capabili5 ties of the Center in protecting against foreign pests 

6 and diseases; 

7 (5) an evaluation of the need for, and feasibility 

8 of, additional dog detector training facilities or off9 site training options to address regional demands, 

10 taking into consideration— 

11 (A) the location of international ports of 

12 entry; 

13 (B) the volume of international passengers 

14 and cargo; and 

15 (C) regional agricultural production trends 

16 and associated pest and disease threats; and 

17 (6) recommendations to improve— 

18 (A) the dog procurement procedures of the 

19 Center; and 

20 (B) private adoption opportunities for re21 tirement-age trained dogs and dogs that do not 

22 complete the training described in subsection 

23 (b). 

24 (e) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority pro25 vided by this section shall expire on September 30, 2029. 


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1 SEC. 12004. REGIONALIZATION, ZONING, AND 

2 COMPARTMENTALIZATION AGREEMENTS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 10405 of the Animal 

4 Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8304) is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub6 section (e); and 

7 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(d) ENGAGEMENT WITH KEY EXPORT MARKETS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To reduce the impact of 

11 animal disease outbreaks on United States exports, 

12 the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 

13 the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the 

14 Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and For15 eign Agricultural Affairs, and the Administrator of 

16 the Food Safety and Inspection Service, in consulta17 tion with the United States Trade Representative, is 

18 authorized to negotiate in advance, to the extent 

19 practicable, regionalization, zoning, 

20 compartmentalization, and other agreements regard21 ing outbreaks of known animal disease threats of 

22 trade significance with the governments of countries 

23 with export markets for livestock animals or animal 

24 products from the United States. 


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1 ‘‘(2) RESEARCH.—A negotiation carried out 

2 under paragraph (1) should seek to take into ac3 count accepted global research advances.’’. 

4 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec5 tion may be construed— 

6 (1) to limit the ability of the United States 

7 Trade Representative to negotiate trade agreements; 

8 or 

9 (2) to require the United States Trade Rep10 resentative to condition other trade agreements on 

11 the inclusion of language relating to reducing the 

12 impact of animal disease outbreaks on United States 

13 exports, as described in subsection (d)(1) of section 

14 10405 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 

15 U.S.C. 8304) (as inserted by subsection (a)(2)). 

16 (c) NOTIFICATION SYSTEM.—The Secretary shall 

17 promulgate a regulation to require that, in the case of any 

18 language removed from the Import and Export Library 

19 of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Adminis20 trator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service shall di21 rectly notify each State department of agriculture, each 

22 lead State agency for animal disease, and any State and 

23 national producer organizations representing impacted 

24 livestock producers not later than 3 days after such re25 moval. 


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1 SEC. 12005. IMPORTATION OF LIVE DOGS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Animal Health Protection 

3 Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 

4 section 10404 (7 U.S.C. 8303) the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 10404A. IMPORTATION OF LIVE DOGS. 

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

7 ‘‘(1) COMPENSATION.—The term ‘compensa8 tion’ means any act, consideration, or thing of value 

9 received by a person directly, including cash or 

10 noncash benefits, cost-avoidance, obtaining positive 

11 or avoiding negative publicity, an exchange of serv12 ices, or maintaining a license issued under any local, 

13 State, or Federal government authority. 

14 ‘‘(2) IMPORTER.—The term ‘importer’ means 

15 any person who transports or causes the transpor16 tation of a dog into the United States from a foreign 

17 country. 

18 ‘‘(3) IMPORT TRANSPORTER.—The term ‘import 

19 transporter’ means any person or entity that— 

20 ‘‘(A) receives an imported dog from any 

21 importer, dealer, research facility, exhibitor, op22 erator of an auction sale, or department, agen23 cy, or instrumentality of the United States or 

24 of any State or local government; and 

25 ‘‘(B) receives compensation for moving 

26 such dog in commerce. 


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1 ‘‘(4) TRANSFER.—The term ‘transfer’ means a 

2 change of ownership or control of an imported dog 

3 to another person, including by sale, adoption, ex4 change, or donation. 

5 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para7 graph (2), no person shall import a dog into the 

8 United States unless prior to transport to the 

9 United States, the Secretary receives electronic doc10 umentation necessary, as determined by the Sec11 retary, to demonstrate that the dog— 

12 ‘‘(A) is in good health; 

13 ‘‘(B) has received all necessary vaccina14 tions and internal and external parasite treat15 ment, and demonstrated negative test results, 

16 as required by the Secretary and evidenced by 

17 a certificate that— 

18 ‘‘(i) is issued by a licensed veteri19 narian accredited by a competent veteri20 nary authority recognized by the Secretary; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(ii) is endorsed by that authority in 

23 a manner representing that the veteri24 narian issuing the certificate was author25 ized to do so; 


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1 ‘‘(C) is officially identified by a permanent 

2 method approved by the Secretary; and 

3 ‘‘(D) in the case that the dog is intended 

4 for transfer— 

5 ‘‘(i) is at least 6 months old; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) is accompanied by an import per7 mit issued by the Secretary under this Act. 

8 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary, by regula9 tion, shall provide an exception to any requirement 

10 under this Act in any case in which a dog is im11 ported for purposes of transfer— 

12 ‘‘(A) as a personal pet of United States or13 igin returning to the United States; 

14 ‘‘(B) as a United States military working 

15 dog or contracted working dog supporting a 

16 military mission or tasking; 

17 ‘‘(C) for research purposes; 

18 ‘‘(D) for veterinary treatment which is 

19 paid for by the importer, subject to the condi20 tion that the dog— 

21 ‘‘(i) is taken directly to a veterinary 

22 facility for treatment with appropriate 

23 quarantine until the dog meets the criteria 

24 described in paragraph (1); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) is then exported to its country of 

2 origin; or 

3 ‘‘(E) in the case of a dog that is less than 

4 6 months old, for lawful importation into the 

5 State of Hawaii from the British Isles, Aus6 tralia, Guam, or New Zealand in compliance 

7 with the regulations of the State of Hawaii and 

8 the other requirements of this section, if the 

9 dog is not transported out of the State of Ha10 waii for transfer at less than 6 months of age. 

11 ‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION AND REGULATIONS.—Not 

12 later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the 

13 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the Sec14 retary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 

15 Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Sec16 retary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Trans17 portation, shall promulgate such regulations as the Sec18 retary determines necessary to implement and enforce this 

19 section, including regulations— 

20 ‘‘(1) to facilitate electronic submission and 

21 interagency sharing of all documentation required 

22 prior to the importation of a dog into the United 

23 States under subsection (b)(1); 

24 ‘‘(2) to establish any necessary post-arrival 

25 verification processes for imported dogs; 


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1 ‘‘(3) to ensure the denial of entry into the 

2 United States of any dog attempted to be imported 

3 into the United States in violation of subsection 

4 (b)(1); 

5 ‘‘(4) to provide that each importer, import 

6 transporter, intermediate handler, or carrier receiv7 ing a certificate of veterinary inspection required 

8 under this section shall submit a copy of the certifi9 cate to the Secretary, who shall record the informa10 tion in a centralized, publicly available database and, 

11 upon request by a State veterinarian, share the in12 formation with such State veterinarian; and 

13 ‘‘(5) to determine and establish such fees for 

14 the verification of documentation and issuance of 

15 permits required under subsection (b)(1) as may be 

16 necessary to fund the implementation and enforce17 ment of this section. 

18 ‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in sub19 section (c)(5) shall be construed as limiting the availability 

20 of funding made available under section 10417 to carry 

21 out this section. 

22 ‘‘(e) ENFORCEMENT.— 

23 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall have 

24 the authority granted under section 10414 to en25 force this section. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PENALTIES.—An importer or import 

2 transporter that fails to comply with this section 

3 shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) be subject to penalties under section 

5 10414; and 

6 ‘‘(B) provide, as the Secretary may deter7 mine, at the expense of the importer or import 

8 transporter, for— 

9 ‘‘(i) the care (including appropriate 

10 veterinary care), forfeiture, quarantine, 

11 and removal from the United States of 

12 each applicable dog; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the return of each applicable dog 

14 to its place of export, with due care for the 

15 welfare of each applicable dog.’’. 

16 (b) TRANSITION PERIOD.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—During the transition pe18 riod, regulations promulgated under section 18 of 

19 the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2148) (as in ef20 fect on the day before the date of enactment of this 

21 Act) shall continue to apply to the extent that such 

22 regulations do not conflict with section 10404A of 

23 the Animal Health Protection Act (as inserted by 

24 subsection (a)). 


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1 (2) TRANSITION PERIOD DEFINED.—In this 

2 subsection, the term ‘‘transition period’’ means the 

3 period beginning on the date of enactment of this 

4 Act and ending on the date on which final regula5 tions are promulgated under such section 10404A. 

6 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 18 of the 

7 Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2148) is repealed. 

8 SEC. 12006. SHEEP PRODUCTION AND MARKETING GRANT 

9 PROGRAM. 

10 Section 209(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

11 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627a(c)) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘$2,000,000 for fiscal year 

13 2019, and’’; and 

14 (2) by inserting ‘‘, and $3,000,000 for fiscal 

15 year 2025’’ after ‘‘fiscal year 2024’’. 

16 SEC. 12007. ENSURING THE FREE MOVEMENT OF LIVE17 STOCK-DERIVED PRODUCTS IN INTERSTATE 

18 COMMERCE. 

19 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to— 

20 (1) protect the free movement in interstate 

21 commerce of products derived from covered live22 stock; 

23 (2) encourage a national market of such prod24 ucts; 


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1 (3) ensure that producers of covered livestock 

2 are not subject to a patchwork of State laws restrict3 ing access to a national market; and 

4 (4) ensure that the United States continues to 

5 uphold its international trade obligations. 

6 (b) IN GENERAL.—Producers of covered livestock 

7 have a Federal right to raise and market their covered 

8 livestock in interstate commerce and therefore no State 

9 or subdivision thereof may enact or enforce, directly or 

10 indirectly, a condition or standard on the production of 

11 covered livestock other than for covered livestock phys12 ically raised in such State or subdivision. 

13 (c) PROTECTING INTERSTATE COMMERCE.—Pro14 ducers of covered livestock have a Federal right to raise 

15 and market their covered livestock in interstate commerce 

16 and therefore no State or subdivision thereof may enact 

17 or enforce, directly or indirectly, as a condition for sale 

18 or consumption, any condition or standard of production 

19 on products derived from covered livestock not physically 

20 raised in such State or subdivision that is in addition to, 

21 or different from, the conditions or standards of produc22 tion in the State in which the production occurs. 

23 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) COVERED LIVESTOCK.—The term ‘‘covered 

25 livestock’’— 


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1 (A) means any domestic animal raised for 

2 the purpose of— 

3 (i) slaughter for human consumption; 

4 or 

5 (ii) producing products manufactured 

6 for human consumption which are derived 

7 from the processing of milk, including fluid 

8 milk products; and 

9 (B) does not include domestic animals 

10 raised for the primary purpose of egg produc11 tion. 

12 (2) PRODUCTION.—The term ‘‘production’’— 

13 (A) means the raising (including breeding) 

14 of covered livestock; and 

15 (B) does not include the movement, har16 vesting, or further processing of covered live17 stock. 

18 SEC. 12008. REPORT ON SUPPORT FOR LIVESTOCK AND 

19 POULTRY PRODUCERS DURING A FOREIGN 

20 ANIMAL DISEASE OUTBREAK. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub23 mit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep24 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

25 and Forestry of the Senate a report on the Department’s 


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1 preparedness to support livestock producers and poultry 

2 growers facing economic losses in the event of an outbreak 

3 of a foreign animal disease. 

4 (b) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub5 section (a) shall include, with respect to the Department’s 

6 ability to protect producers and growers from significant 

7 economic losses as a result of a foreign animal disease— 

8 (1) an assessment of— 

9 (A) existing Federal programs, including 

10 catastrophic risk management tools, indemnity, 

11 direct payments, and herd buyouts; and 

12 (B) the Department’s capacity to utilize 

13 such programs to provide benefits to producers 

14 and growers experiencing economic losses as a 

15 result of having to sell livestock and poultry at 

16 a reduced price, having to quarantine, treat, de17 stroy, or dispose of animals, or as a result of 

18 catastrophic market conditions; 

19 (2) a determination of gaps that exist in the 

20 Department’s ability to provide economic support for 

21 producers and growers suffering such losses; and 

22 (3) recommendations of the Secretary for modi23 fications to Federal law (including regulations) relat24 ing to protecting producers and growers from sigVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00872 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 nificant economic losses related to a foreign animal 

2 disease outbreak. 

3 (c) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, for purposes of 

6 facilitating the preparation of the report submitted 

7 under subsection (a), the relevant Department offi8 cials described in paragraph (2) shall inform the 

9 Secretary of the information described in subsection 

10 (b). 

11 (2) RELEVANT DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS DE12 SCRIBED.—The relevant Department officials de13 scribed in this paragraph are the following: 

14 (A) The Under Secretary for Farm Pro15 duction and Conservation. 

16 (B) The Under Secretary for Food, Nutri17 tion and Consumer Services. 

18 (C) The Under Secretary for Rural Devel19 opment. 

20 (D) The Under Secretary for Food Safety. 

21 (E) The Under Secretary for Trade and 

22 Foreign Agricultural Affairs. 

23 (F) Other officials, as specified by the Sec24 retary. 


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1 PART II—MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING AND 

2 INSPECTION 

3 SEC. 12111. AMPLIFYING PROCESSING OF LIVESTOCK IN 

4 THE UNITED STATES (A–PLUS). 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise 

7 section 201.67 of title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, as 

8 in effect on January 1, 2024, to specify that— 

9 (1) market agencies may have an ownership in10 terest in, finance, or participate in the management 

11 or operation of, a packer, so long as such packer— 

12 (A) with respect to cattle and sheep, has a 

13 cumulative slaughter capacity of less than— 

14 (i) 2,000 animals per day; or 

15 (ii) 700,000 animals per year; and 

16 (B) with respect to hogs, has a cumulative 

17 slaughter capacity of less than— 

18 (i) 10,000 animals per day; or 

19 (ii) 3,000,000 animals per year; and 

20 (2) market agencies that have an ownership in21 terest in, finance, or participate in the management 

22 or operation of, a packer shall disclose to sellers of 

23 livestock the existence of such ownership interest, fi24 nancial relationship, or participation. 

25 (b) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section shall 

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1 retary to adopt or enforce rules or regulations under the 

2 Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) 

3 related to the protection of producers, competition, market 

4 integrity, or the prevention of conflicts of interest. 

5 SEC. 12112. HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL 

6 POINT GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES FOR 

7 SMALL AND VERY SMALL POULTRY AND 

8 MEAT ESTABLISHMENTS. 

9 (a) MEAT ESTABLISHMENTS.—The Federal Meat In10 spection Act is amended by inserting after section 25 (21 

11 U.S.C. 625) the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 26. SMALL AND VERY SMALL ESTABLISHMENT GUID13 ANCE AND RESOURCES. 

14 ‘‘(a) STUDIES; MODEL PLANS.—Not later than 18 

15 months after the date of the enactment of this section, 

16 the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

17 make publicly available— 

18 ‘‘(1) a list of scientific studies (which the Sec19 retary shall update as necessary) for use by small 

20 establishments and very small establishments in de21 veloping a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control 

22 Points plan; 

23 ‘‘(2) guidelines relating to best practices and 

24 techniques by small establishments and very small 


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1 establishments in the production of raw or further 

2 processed meat and meat food products; and 

3 ‘‘(3) scale-appropriate model Hazard Analysis 

4 and Critical Control Points plans for small establish5 ments and very small establishments, including 

6 model plans for— 

7 ‘‘(A) slaughter-only establishments; 

8 ‘‘(B) processing-only establishments; and 

9 ‘‘(C) slaughter and processing establish10 ments. 

11 ‘‘(b) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 2 years after the 

12 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall pub13 lish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity 

14 for public comment, providing information on the require15 ments that need to be met for small establishments and 

16 very small establishments to develop, pursuant to this Act, 

17 a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan. 

18 ‘‘(c) DATA CONFIDENTIALITY.—In carrying out this 

19 section, the Secretary shall not publish confidential busi20 ness information of any meat processing establishment, in21 cluding a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points 

22 plan of a meat processing establishment. 

23 ‘‘(d) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT AND VERY SMALL ES24 TABLISHMENT DEFINED.—In this section, the terms 

25 ‘small establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’ have 


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1 the meanings given the terms ‘smaller establishment’ and 

2 ‘very small establishment’, respectively, in the final rule 

3 entitled ‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Crit4 ical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ (61 Fed. Reg. 

5 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regulations).’’. 

6 (b) POULTRY ESTABLISHMENTS.—The Poultry Prod7 ucts Inspection Act is amended by inserting after section 

8 14 (21 U.S.C. 463) the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 14A. SMALL AND VERY SMALL ESTABLISHMENT GUID10 ANCE AND RESOURCES. 

11 ‘‘(a) STUDIES; MODEL PLANS.—Not later than 18 

12 months after the date of enactment of this section, the 

13 Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, make 

14 publicly available— 

15 ‘‘(1) a list of scientific studies (which the Sec16 retary shall update as necessary) for use by small 

17 establishments and very small establishments in de18 veloping a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control 

19 Points plan; 

20 ‘‘(2) guidelines relating to best practices and 

21 techniques used by small establishments and very 

22 small establishments in the production of raw or fur23 ther processed poultry products; and 

24 ‘‘(3) scale-appropriate model Hazard Analysis 

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1 ments and very small establishments, including 

2 model plans for— 

3 ‘‘(A) slaughter-only establishments; 

4 ‘‘(B) processing-only establishments; and 

5 ‘‘(C) slaughter and processing establish6 ments. 

7 ‘‘(b) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 2 years after the 

8 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall pub9 lish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity 

10 for public comment, providing information on the require11 ments that need to be met for small establishments and 

12 very small establishments to develop a Hazard Analysis 

13 and Critical Control Points plan pursuant to this Act. 

14 ‘‘(c) DATA CONFIDENTIALITY.—In carrying out this 

15 section, the Secretary shall not publish confidential busi16 ness information of any poultry processing establishment, 

17 including a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points 

18 plan of a poultry processing establishment. 

19 ‘‘(d) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT AND VERY SMALL ES20 TABLISHMENT DEFINED.—In this section, the terms 

21 ‘small establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’ have 

22 the meanings given the terms ‘smaller establishment’ and 

23 ‘very small establishment’, respectively, in the final rule 

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1 ical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ (61 Fed. Reg. 

2 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regulations).’’. 

3 SEC. 12113. OUTREACH ON COOPERATIVE INTERSTATE 

4 SHIPMENT. 

5 (a) MEAT.—Section 501 of the Federal Meat Inspec6 tion Act (21 U.S.C. 683) is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following: 

8 ‘‘(k) FEDERAL OUTREACH.—In each of fiscal years 

9 2025 through 2029, the Secretary shall conduct outreach 

10 to States that— 

11 ‘‘(1) have a State meat inspection program in 

12 effect pursuant to section 301; and 

13 ‘‘(2) do not have a selected establishment.’’. 

14 (b) POULTRY.—Section 31 of the Poultry Products 

15 Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 472) is amended by adding at 

16 the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(j) FEDERAL OUTREACH.—In each of fiscal years 

18 2024 through 2029, the Secretary shall conduct outreach 

19 to States that— 

20 ‘‘(1) have a State poultry product inspection 

21 program in effect pursuant to section 5; and 

22 ‘‘(2) do not have a selected establishment.’’. 

23 (c) REPORT.—At the conclusion of each of fiscal 

24 years 2024 through 2029, the Secretary shall submit a 

25 report detailing the activities and results of the outreach 


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1 conducted during that fiscal year under subsection (k) of 

2 section 501 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 

3 683) and subsection (j) of section 31 of the Poultry Prod4 ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 472), as added by sub5 sections (a) and (b), to— 

6 (1) the Committee on Agriculture of the House 

7 of Representatives; 

8 (2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

9 and Forestry of the Senate; 

10 (3) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

11 House of Representatives; and 

12 (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

13 Senate. 

14 SEC. 12114. PILOT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT CUSTOM 

15 SLAUGHTER ESTABLISHMENTS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

17 (1) STATE OPERATED PILOT PROGRAM.—Upon 

18 the receipt of an application from a custom exempt 

19 facility and subject to the requirements specified in 

20 subsection (c), a State department of agriculture 

21 may operate a pilot program to allow such custom 

22 facility to sell slaughtered meat and meat food prod23 ucts (referred to in this section as ‘‘meat products’’) 

24 directly to consumers within the State in which the 


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1 facility is located in accordance with the pilot pro2 gram. 

3 (2) LACK OF A STATE PILOT PROGRAM.—If a 

4 State department of agriculture does not elect to op5 erate a pilot program, the Secretary shall, upon re6 quest from a custom exempt facility in such a State, 

7 operate a pilot program administered by the Sec8 retary for that State in accordance with this section. 

9 (b) ALLOWABLE NUMBER OF FACILITIES.— 

10 (1) INITIAL APPROVAL.—Except as provided in 

11 paragraph (2)— 

12 (A) a State department of agriculture may 

13 approve not more than 5 facilities in such State 

14 for participation in a pilot program established 

15 under subsection (a)(1); and 

16 (B) the Secretary may approve not more 

17 than 10 facilities to participate in all pilot pro18 grams established under subsection (a)(2). 

19 (2) SUBSEQUENT APPROVAL OF FACILITIES.— 

20 Not less than 2 years after the establishment of a 

21 pilot program, a State department of agriculture or 

22 the Secretary may, if no product produced at a facil23 ity that was initially approved under paragraph (1) 

24 for participation in such pilot program has been sub25 ject to an emergency action under subsection (f) 


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1 during the 2-year period following such establish2 ment, approve— 

3 (A) in the case of a State department of 

4 agriculture, not more than 5 additional facilities 

5 in the respective State; and 

6 (B) in the case of the Secretary, not more 

7 than 10 additional facilities in all States. 

8 (c) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—A pilot pro9 gram established under this section shall, at a minimum, 

10 require— 

11 (1) that meat products sold under the pilot pro12 gram are— 

13 (A) sold directly to consumers within the 

14 State from— 

15 (i) the owner of the animals from 

16 which such meat products are derived; or 

17 (ii) the custom exempt facility at 

18 which the meat products were processed; 

19 (B) not eligible for re-sale; and 

20 (C) clearly labeled to indicate— 

21 (i) the name and address of the facil22 ity at which the meat products were proc23 essed; 


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1 (ii) the name and address of the 

2 owner of the animals from which such 

3 meat products are derived; 

4 (iii) the location where animals from 

5 which such meat products are derived were 

6 raised; 

7 (iv) the date of slaughter of such ani8 mals and the period of time over which the 

9 owner raised such animals; 

10 (v) that such meat products were not 

11 subject to Federal inspection; and 

12 (vi) that such meat products shall not 

13 be resold; 

14 (2) that custom exempt facilities participating 

15 in the pilot program comply with— 

16 (A) Public Law 85–765 (7 U.S.C. 1901 et 

17 seq.; commonly known as the ‘‘Humane Meth18 ods of Slaughter Act of 1958’’); 

19 (B) applicable State and local laws; 

20 (C) section 23(d) of the Federal Meat In21 spection Act (21 U.S.C. 623(d)); and 

22 (D) Federal regulations pertaining to— 

23 (i) sanitation standards and record 

24 keeping requirements for custom exempt 

25 facilities; and 


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1 (ii) the handling and disposition of 

2 specified risk materials; 

3 (3) that custom exempt facilities participating 

4 in the pilot program be subject to onsite inspection 

5 by the Secretary to ensure compliance with the re6 quirements specified in paragraphs (1) and (2); and 

7 (4) that custom exempt facilities participating 

8 in the pilot program be subject to onsite inspection 

9 at least annually by the local authority responsible 

10 for restaurant inspections or the State department 

11 of agriculture. 

12 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 90 days after 

13 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

14 issue, and make publicly available, guidance for participa15 tion in a pilot program established pursuant to this sec16 tion. 

17 (e) INELIGIBILITY.—An establishment subject to in18 spection by the Secretary under the Federal Meat Inspec19 tion Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or operating pursuant 

20 to a State meat inspection program authorized under sec21 tion 301 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 

22 661) shall not be eligible to participate in a pilot program 

23 established pursuant to this section. 

24 (f) AUTHORITY FOR EMERGENCY ACTION.—If the 

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1 duced at a custom exempt facility participating in a pilot 

2 program established pursuant to this section is adulter3 ated, the Secretary— 

4 (1) shall, pursuant to the Federal Meat Inspec5 tion Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), take such actions 

6 as may be necessary to address the risk to public 

7 health posed by such products; and 

8 (2) may terminate the participation of a custom 

9 exempt facility in a pilot program established pursu10 ant to this section. 

11 (g) REPORT REQUIRED.— 

12 (1) REPORTS BY STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AG13 RICULTURE TO SECRETARY.—Beginning September 

14 30, 2025, and each fiscal year thereafter until Sep15 tember 30, 2029, each State department of agri16 culture operating a pilot program pursuant to this 

17 section shall submit to the Secretary a report detail18 ing, with respect to each such pilot program within 

19 the relevant State for the preceding fiscal year— 

20 (A) the number and location of persons or 

21 custom exempt facilities selling meat products 

22 under each such pilot program; 

23 (B) the outcomes of each such pilot pro24 gram; and 


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1 (C) any instances in which a meat product 

2 was subject to an emergency action under sub3 section (f). 

4 (2) REPORT BY SECRETARY TO CONGRESS.— 

5 Not later than 2 years after initiating a pilot pro6 gram under this section, the Secretary shall submit 

7 to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 

8 Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 

9 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report de10 tailing— 

11 (A) the information received from partici12 pating State departments of agriculture under 

13 paragraph (1); and 

14 (B) for any custom exempt facilities par15 ticipating in a pilot program established by the 

16 Secretary pursuant to subsection (a)(2)— 

17 (i) the number and location of persons 

18 or custom exempt facilities selling products 

19 pursuant to such pilot program; 

20 (ii) the outcomes of such pilot pro21 gram; and 

22 (iii) any instances in which a meat 

23 product was subject to an emergency ac24 tion under subsection (f). 


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1 (h) CUSTOM EXEMPT FACILITY DEFINED.—In this 

2 section, the term ‘‘custom exempt facility’’ means an es3 tablishment engaged in the slaughter of animals and the 

4 preparation of the carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and 

5 meat food products for commerce that is not subject to 

6 the Federal inspection requirements under title I of the 

7 Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). 

8 (i) SUNSET.—A State and the Secretary may not op9 erate a pilot program under this section on or after Sep10 tember 30, 2029, and no facility that is exempt from in11 spection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 

12 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) pursuant to this section shall be ex13 empt from that inspection on or after September 30, 

14 2029. 

15 Subtitle B—Department of Agri16 culture Reorganization Act of 

17 1994 

18 SEC. 12201. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 

19 Section 221 of the Department of Agriculture Reor20 ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6922) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (d)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

23 the end; 

24 (B) by redesignating paragraph (8) as 

25 paragraph (9); and 


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1 (C) by inserting after paragraph (7) the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(8) conducting annual cross-sector crisis sim4 ulation exercises related to a food-related emergency 

5 or disruption; and’’; and 

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

7 ‘‘(f) DETAILEES.—The Secretary may detail employ8 ees of the Department of Agriculture to, and accept em9 ployees detailed from, the intelligence community (as de10 fined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947) 

11 to assist in carrying out the duties of the Office of Home12 land Security. 

13 ‘‘(g) RISK ASSESSMENTS AND REPORTS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) RISK ASSESSMENTS.—Not later than 1 

15 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, 

16 and National Security Act of 2024, and not less 

17 than every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall 

18 conduct an assessment of risks and security 

19 vulnerabilities to the food and agriculture critical in20 frastructure sector, including— 

21 ‘‘(A) naturally occurring, unintentional, or 

22 intentional threats, including chemical, biologi23 cal, cybersecurity, or bioterrorism attacks; 

24 ‘‘(B) influence of state-owned enterprise; 


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1 ‘‘(C) control of and access to agricultural 

2 data; 

3 ‘‘(D) foreign acquisition of intellectual 

4 property, agricultural assets, and land; 

5 ‘‘(E) agricultural input shortages and de6 pendence on foreign-sourced inputs; 

7 ‘‘(F) supply chain and trade disruptions; 

8 ‘‘(G) science and technology cooperation; 

9 ‘‘(H) unequal investments in research, de10 velopment, and commercialization; 

11 ‘‘(I) incongruent regulatory policies; and 

12 ‘‘(J) any other vulnerabilities identified by 

13 the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(2) BRIEFING AND REPORT.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

16 days after the completion of a risk assessment 

17 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall pro18 vide a briefing on the results of the risk assess19 ment and submit to the Committee on Agri20 culture and the Committee on Homeland Secu21 rity of the House of Representatives and the 

22 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For23 estry and the Committee on Homeland Security 

24 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a re25 port that includes— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an assessment of any gaps or lim2 itations in national security efforts related 

3 to the food and agriculture critical infra4 structure sector; 

5 ‘‘(ii) any actions taken by the Sec6 retary to address any gaps or limitations 

7 identified under clause (i), including 

8 through interagency coordination, threat 

9 information sharing, and stakeholder out10 reach; 

11 ‘‘(iii) any recommendations for admin12 istrative, regulatory, or legislative actions 

13 that can be taken to reduce any gaps or 

14 limitations identified under clause (i), in15 cluding— 

16 ‘‘(I) recommendations to reduce 

17 the dependence on foreign-source in18 puts necessary for the food and agri19 culture critical infrastructure sector; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(II) recommendations to ad22 dress the cybersecurity threats to, and 

23 security vulnerabilities in, the food 

24 and agriculture critical infrastructure 

25 sector; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) resources the Secretary requires 

2 to address current and future national se3 curity vulnerabilities related to the food 

4 and agriculture critical infrastructure sec5 tor. 

6 ‘‘(B) EXEMPTION FROM ACCESS TO CON7 GRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORTS ACT.—A 

8 report required under subparagraph (A) shall 

9 be exempt from the requirements of the Access 

10 to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (sub11 title D of title VII of Public Law 117–263; 136 

12 Stat. 3677).’’. 

13 SEC. 12202. FARM SERVICE AGENCY. 

14 (a) FUNCTIONS.—Section 226(b) of the Department 

15 of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

16 6932(b)) is amended— 

17 (1) by striking paragraph (4); and 

18 (2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para19 graph (4). 

20 (b) SPECIAL CONCURRENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR

21 CERTAIN FUNCTIONS.—Section 226(c) of the Department 

22 of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

23 6932(c)) is amended in the matter preceding paragraph 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘the programs specified in subsection 

25 (b)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘any conservation programs that are 


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1 under the jurisdiction of the Farm Service Agency pursu2 ant to subsection (b)’’. 

3 SEC. 12203. OFFICE OF PARTNERSHIPS AND PUBLIC EN4 GAGEMENT. 

5 Section 226B(f)(3)(B) of the Department of Agri6 culture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

7 6934(f)(3)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘2023’’ and insert8 ing ‘‘2029’’. 

9 SEC. 12204. NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERV10 ICE. 

11 Section 228 of the Department of Agriculture Reor12 ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6936) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, except 

15 subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D of such 

16 title’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘, except 

18 functions under subchapter B of chapter 1 of 

19 subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act 

20 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.)’’; and 

21 (2) in subsection (g)(3), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 12205. BURDEN OF PROOF FOR NATIONAL APPEALS 

2 DIVISION HEARINGS. 

3 Section 277(c)(4) of the Department of Agriculture 

4 Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6997(c)(4)) is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(4) BURDEN OF PROOF.—The agency shall 

7 bear the burden of proving by substantial evidence 

8 that the adverse decision of the agency was valid.’’. 

9 SEC. 12206. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

10 Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture Re11 organization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended 

12 by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry 

14 out the amendments made to this title by the Farm, 

15 Food, and National Security Act of 2024.’’. 

16 SEC. 12207. FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE OF TRIBAL RELA17 TIONS. 

18 Section 309 of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform 

19 and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 

20 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6921) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘shall advise’’ and all that 

23 follows through the period at the end and in24 serting ‘‘shall—’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(1) advise the Secretary on policies related to 

2 Indian tribes; 

3 ‘‘(2) oversee— 

4 ‘‘(A) each self-determination contract (as 

5 defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter6 mination and Education Assistance Act (25 

7 U.S.C. 5304)) entered into between the Sec8 retary and a tribal organization; and 

9 ‘‘(B) each self-governance compact (as de10 fined in section 401 of such Act (25 U.S.C. 

11 5361)) entered into between the Secretary and 

12 an Indian tribe; and 

13 ‘‘(3) carry out such other functions as the Sec14 retary considers appropriate.’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘this sub16 section’’ and inserting ‘‘this section’’. 

17 SEC. 12208. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN. 

18 Title III of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and 

19 Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 

20 U.S.C. 2231b et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 310. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after 

24 the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

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1 man (in this section referred to as the ‘Office’). The Office 

2 shall be independent of Department agencies and offices. 

3 ‘‘(b) OMBUDSMAN.—The Office shall be headed by an 

4 Ombudsman that shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) be considered a senior official; and 

6 ‘‘(2) have a background in civil rights enforce7 ment. 

8 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Office shall 

9 be to— 

10 ‘‘(1) assist producers and other customers of 

11 Department programs in navigating the civil rights 

12 review process; 

13 ‘‘(2) ensure that participants (as defined in sec14 tion 271) are aware of the appeals process under 

15 subtitle H of title II, including informal hearings 

16 under section 275; 

17 ‘‘(3) promote awareness of the Office and its 

18 responsibilities among producers and other cus19 tomers of Department programs; and 

20 ‘‘(4) raise issues and concerns with respect to, 

21 and make recommendations to the Secretary about, 

22 equitable access or implementation of Department 

23 programs. 

24 ‘‘(d) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall 

25 establish procedures to provide the Ombudsman access to 


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1 all departmental records necessary to execute the func2 tions of the Office under subsection (d) not later than 60 

3 days after a request from the Ombudsman for such infor4 mation. 

5 ‘‘(e) EFFECT ON PROCEDURES FOR GRIEVANCES, 

6 APPEALS, OR ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.—The estab7 lishment of the Office shall not affect any procedures for 

8 grievances, appeals, or administrative matters in any other 

9 provision of this Act, any other provision of law, or any 

10 other Federal regulation. 

11 ‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning not later than 1 

12 year after the date of enactment of this section, and annu13 ally thereafter, the Ombudsman shall prepare and submit 

14 to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep15 resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

16 and Forestry of the Senate a report on— 

17 ‘‘(1) the activities carried out by the Office; and 

18 ‘‘(2) the findings and recommendation of the 

19 Office with respect to equitable access or implemen20 tation of Department programs. 

21 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to carry out 

23 this section for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 


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1 Subtitle C—National Security 

2 SEC. 12301. AGRICULTURAL FOREIGN INVESTMENT DIS3 CLOSURE IMPROVEMENTS. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) AFIDA.—The term ‘‘AFIDA’’ means the 

6 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 

7 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

8 (2) FPAC–BC.—The term ‘‘FPAC–BC’’ means 

9 the Farm Production and Conservation Business 

10 Center of the Department of Agriculture. 

11 (b) MOU WITH CFIUS.—Not later than 1 year after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter 

13 into 1 or more memoranda of understanding with the 

14 Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States 

15 under which the Secretary shall provide the Committee 

16 with all relevant information relating to reports on foreign 

17 ownership of United States agricultural land submitted to 

18 the Secretary under section 2 of AFIDA (7 U.S.C. 3501), 

19 including information on— 

20 (1) each report submitted to the Secretary; and 

21 (2) with respect to each such report, the iden22 tity of the person submitting the report and the date 

23 of submission. 

24 (c) AFIDA HANDBOOK UPDATES.— 


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1 (1) FIRST UPDATE.—Not later than 1 year 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary shall— 

4 (A) update the most recent version of the 

5 Farm Service Agency handbook titled ‘‘Foreign 

6 Investment Disclosure’’ as determined nec7 essary by the Secretary for the effective imple8 mentation of AFIDA; and 

9 (B) incorporate in such update the rec10 ommendations made by the report of the Gov11 ernment Accountability Office titled ‘‘Foreign 

12 Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: En13 hancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share 

14 Key Information Could Better Identify National 

15 Security Risks’’ and dated January 18, 2024. 

16 (2) SUBSEQUENT UPDATES.—After updating 

17 the handbook described in subparagraph (A) of 

18 paragraph (1) under that paragraph, the Secretary 

19 shall carry out an update of that handbook every 10 

20 years thereafter, including by incorporating any rec21 ommendations of the Government Accountability Of22 fice. 

23 (d) CIVIL PENALTIES.—Section 3 of the Agricultural 

24 Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 

25 3502) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub2 section (c); 

3 (2) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

4 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(a) If the’’ and all that 

5 follows through ‘‘Any such civil penalty shall be re6 coverable’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A person shall be subject to a 

8 civil penalty imposed by the Secretary if the Secretary de9 termines that the person— 

10 ‘‘(1) has failed to submit a report in accordance 

11 with the provisions of section 2; or 

12 ‘‘(2) has knowingly submitted a report under 

13 section 2 that— 

14 ‘‘(A) does not contain all the information 

15 required to be in such report; or 

16 ‘‘(B) contains information that is mis17 leading or false. 

18 ‘‘(b) CIVIL ACTION.—Any civil penalty imposed by 

19 the Secretary under subsection (a) shall be recoverable’’; 

20 and 

21 (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— 

22 (A) by striking the subsection designation 

23 and all that follows through ‘‘The amount’’ and 

24 inserting the following: 

25 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF PENALTY.—The amount’’; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘of this section’’; and 

2 (C) by striking ‘‘shall not exceed 25 per3 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘for violations under (a)(1) 

4 shall not exceed 25 percent, and for violations 

5 under (a)(2) shall be not less than 5 percent, 

6 but not more than 25 percent,’’. 

7 (e) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF ENFORCEMENT AC8 TIONS.—Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment 

9 Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) (as amended by 

10 subsection (b)) is amended by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF ENFORCEMENT AC13 TIONS.—The Secretary shall publicly disclose the name of 

14 each person who paid to the Secretary a civil penalty im15 posed under subsection (a), including, if applicable, after 

16 the completion of an appeal of a civil penalty.’’. 

17 (f) PUBLICATION OF REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclo19 sure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) (as amended by sub20 section (c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—Using existing resources and ef22 forts to the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 

23 shall carry out a nationwide outreach program directed 

24 primarily toward landlords, operators, owners, persons, 

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1 tion 718.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 

2 effect on the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and 

3 National Security Act of 2024)) of agricultural land and 

4 county property appraiser offices, land appraisal compa5 nies, and real estate auction companies to increase public 

6 awareness and provide education regarding the reporting 

7 requirements under this Act.’’. 

8 SEC. 12302. REPORT ON AGRICULTURAL LAND PUR9 CHASING ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES 

10 BY COUNTRIES DESIGNATED AS STATE SPON11 SORS OF TERRORISM AND CERTAIN OTHER 

12 COUNTRIES. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) AGRICULTURAL LAND.—The term ‘‘agricul15 tural land’’ has the meaning given the term in sec16 tion 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Dis17 closure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508). 

18 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON19 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con20 gress’’ means— 

21 (A) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri22 tion, and Forestry of the Senate; 

23 (B) the Committee on Homeland Security 

24 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 


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1 (C) the Committee on Intelligence of the 

2 Senate; 

3 (D) the Committee on Homeland Security 

4 of the House of Representatives; 

5 (E) the Committee on Agriculture of the 

6 House of Representatives; and 

7 (F) the Permanent Select Committee on 

8 Intelligence of the House of Representatives. 

9 (3) COVERED FOREIGN COUNTRY.—The term 

10 ‘‘covered foreign country’’ means a foreign country 

11 of concern (as defined in section 10638 of the 

12 CHIPS Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. 19237)). 

13 (4) COVERED FOREIGN PERSON.—The term 

14 ‘‘covered foreign person’’ means a foreign person (as 

15 defined in section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign In16 vestment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508)) 

17 that is a citizen of, or headquartered in, as applica18 ble, a covered foreign country. 

19 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean20 ing given the term in section 9 of the Agricultural 

21 Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

22 U.S.C. 3508). 

23 (6) STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM.—The term 

24 ‘‘state sponsor of terrorism’’ means a country the 

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1 termined has repeatedly provided support for acts of 

2 international terrorism, for purposes of— 

3 (A) section 1754(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Export 

4 Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 

5 4813(c)(1)(A)(i)); 

6 (B) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance 

7 Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371); 

8 (C) section 40(d) of the Arms Export Con9 trol Act (22 U.S.C. 2780(d)); or 

10 (D) any other provision of law. 

11 (b) REPORT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

14 thereafter, the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordina15 tion with the Secretary of Homeland Security and 

16 the head of any other appropriate Federal agency, 

17 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con18 gress a report describing the national security risks 

19 of the purchase and management of agricultural 

20 land by covered foreign persons. 

21 (2) CONTENTS.—A report submitted under 

22 paragraph (1) shall include the following with re23 spect to the year covered by the report: 

24 (A) A description of— 


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1 (i) the number of acres of agricultural 

2 land owned, leased, or managed by covered 

3 foreign persons, organized by State; and 

4 (ii) for each State, the percentage of 

5 land owned or managed by covered foreign 

6 persons compared to the total acreage of 

7 the State. 

8 (B) An analysis of the possible threat to 

9 food security, food safety, biosecurity, or envi10 ronmental protection due to the ownership of 

11 agricultural land by each covered foreign coun12 try through covered foreign persons. 

13 (C) An analysis of the annual and total 

14 cost of support for agricultural land owned by 

15 covered foreign persons through farm programs 

16 administered by the Farm Service Agency. 

17 (D) An analysis of the use of agricultural 

18 land for industrial espionage or intellectual 

19 property transfer by covered foreign persons. 

20 (E) An analysis of the potential use by 

21 covered foreign persons of agricultural land in 

22 close proximity to manufacturing facilities, 

23 water sources, and other critical infrastructure 

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1 ical to the national and economic security of the 

2 United States. 

3 (F) An analysis of other threats to the ag4 ricultural industry or national security of the 

5 United States due to the ownership of agricul6 tural land by covered foreign persons. 

7 (3) UNCLASSIFIED FORM.—A report submitted 

8 under this subsection shall— 

9 (A) be submitted in unclassified form, but 

10 may include a classified annex; and 

11 (B) be consistent with the protection of in12 telligence sources and methods. 

13 SEC. 12303. INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS. 

14 (a) INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS.—Section 4 of the Agri15 cultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

16 U.S.C. 3503) is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 4. INVESTIGATIVE ACTIONS. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall appoint an 

19 employee in the Senior Executive Service (as described in 

20 section 3131 of title 5, United States Code) of the Depart21 ment of Agriculture to serve as Chief of Operations of In22 vestigative Actions (referred to in this section as the ‘Chief 

23 of Operations’), who shall hire, appoint, and maintain ad24 ditional employees to monitor compliance with the provi25 sions of this Act. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CHIEF OF OPERATIONS.—The Chief of Oper2 ations may serve in such position simultaneously with a 

3 concurrent position within the Department of Agriculture. 

4 ‘‘(c) SECURITY.—The Secretary shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) provide classified storage, meeting, and 

6 other spaces, as necessary, for personnel of the Chief 

7 of Operations; and 

8 ‘‘(2) assist such personnel in obtaining security 

9 clearances. 

10 ‘‘(d) DUTIES.—The Chief of Operations shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) monitor compliance with this Act; 

12 ‘‘(2) refer noncompliance with this Act to the 

13 Secretary, the Farm Service Agency, and any other 

14 appropriate authority; 

15 ‘‘(3) conduct investigations, in coordination 

16 with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau 

17 of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Secu18 rity, the Department of the Treasury, the National 

19 Security Council, and State and local law enforce20 ment agencies, on malign efforts— 

21 ‘‘(A) to steal agricultural knowledge and 

22 technology; or 

23 ‘‘(B) to disrupt the United States agricul24 tural base; 


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1 ‘‘(4) conduct an annual audit of the database 

2 developed under section 12304(c) of the Farm, 

3 Food, and National Security Act of 2024; 

4 ‘‘(5) seek to enter into memoranda of agree5 ment and memoranda of understanding with the 

6 Federal agencies described in paragraph (3)— 

7 ‘‘(A) to ensure compliance with this Act; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(B) to prevent the malign efforts de10 scribed in that paragraph; 

11 ‘‘(6) refer to the Committee on Foreign Invest12 ment in the United States transactions that— 

13 ‘‘(A) raise potential national security con14 cerns; and 

15 ‘‘(B) result in agricultural land acquisition 

16 by a foreign person that is a citizen of, or 

17 headquartered in, as applicable, a foreign entity 

18 of concern; and 

19 ‘‘(7) publish annual reports that summarize the 

20 information contained in every report received by the 

21 Secretary under section 2 during the period covered 

22 by the report. 

23 ‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATION.—The Chief of Operations 

24 shall report to— 

25 ‘‘(1) the Secretary; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) if delegated by the Secretary, to— 

2 ‘‘(A) the Administrator of the Farm Serv3 ice Agency; or 

4 ‘‘(B) the Director of the Department of 

5 Agriculture Office of Homeland Security.’’. 

6 (b) DEFINITION OF FOREIGN ENTITY OF CON7 CERN.—Section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment 

8 Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508) is amended— 

9 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

10 striking ‘‘For purposes of this Act—’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘In this Act:’’; 

12 (2) in each of paragraphs (1) through (6)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘the term’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘The term’’; and 

15 (B) by inserting a paragraph heading, the 

16 text of which comprises the term defined in that 

17 paragraph; 

18 (3) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

19 (6) as paragraphs (3), (4), (6), (7), and (8), respec20 tively; 

21 (4) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(2) FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN.—The 

24 term ‘foreign entity of concern’ has the meaning 

25 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 (5) 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. 12304. DIGITIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF FOR11 EIGN LAND OWNERSHIP DATA COLLECTION 

12 AND PUBLICATION. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) AGRICULTURAL LAND.—The term ‘‘agricul15 tural land’’ has the meaning given the term in sec16 tion 781.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations 

17 (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act). 

18 (2) DATABASE.—The term ‘‘database’’ means 

19 the database developed under subsection (c). 

20 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per21 son’’ has the meaning given the term in section 9 of 

22 the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act 

23 of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508). 

24 (b) ELECTRONIC FILING.—Not later than 3 years 

25 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 


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1 establish a streamlined process for electronic submission 

2 and retention of disclosures made pursuant to the Agricul3 tural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 

4 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

5 (c) DATABASE.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a 

7 database of agricultural land owned by foreign persons, 

8 using data that are collected— 

9 (1) pursuant to the Agricultural Foreign In10 vestment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501 et 

11 seq.); and 

12 (2) from— 

13 (A) FSA–153 forms submitted to the 

14 Farm Service Agency; or 

15 (B) the electronic system established pur16 suant to subsection (b). 

17 (d) CONTENTS.—Each entry in the database for each 

18 registration or updated registration of agricultural land 

19 owned or leased by a foreign person shall include pertinent 

20 information, as determined by the Secretary, in the appli21 cable filing, except it shall not include the name of the 

22 filer and the purchase or lease price of such transaction. 

23 (e) AUDIT.—Not later than 180 days after the data24 base is made publicly available, and annually thereafter, 

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1 pointed under section 4 of the Agricultural Foreign Invest2 ment Disclosure Act of 1978 (as amended by section 

3 12303(a)) shall— 

4 (1) conduct an audit of the database; and 

5 (2) submit to the appropriate committees of 

6 Congress a report— 

7 (A) evaluating the accuracy of the data8 base; and 

9 (B) describing recommendations for im10 proving compliance with the reporting required 

11 under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Dis12 closure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

13 (f) FUNDING.—Out of the funds of the Commodity 

14 Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use $10,000,000, 

15 to remain available until expended, to carry out the re16 quirements of this section. 

17 (g) REPEAL.—Section 773 of division A of the Con18 solidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117–328) 

19 is repealed. 

20 Subtitle D—Other Miscellaneous 

21 Provisions 

22 SEC. 12401. THRIFTY FOOD PLAN. 

23 Section 3(u) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

24 (7 U.S.C. 2012(u)) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(u)(1) ‘Thrifty food plan’ means the diet required 

2 to feed a family of 4 persons consisting of a man and a 

3 woman 20 through 50, a child 6 through 8, and a child 

4 9 through 11 years of age, based on relevant market bas5 kets that shall only be changed pursuant to paragraph (3). 

6 The cost of such diet shall be the basis for uniform allot7 ments for all households regardless of their actual com8 position. The Secretary shall only adjust the cost of the 

9 diet as specified in paragraphs (2) and (4). 

10 ‘‘(2) HOUSEHOLD ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary 

11 shall make household-size adjustments based on the fol12 lowing ratios of household size as a percentage of the max13 imum 4-person allotment: 

14 ‘‘(A) For a 1-person household, 30 percent. 

15 ‘‘(B) For a 2-person household, 55 percent. 

16 ‘‘(C) For a 3-person household, 79 percent. 

17 ‘‘(D) For a 4-person household, 100 percent. 

18 ‘‘(E) For a 5-person household. 119 percent. 

19 ‘‘(F) For a 6-person household, 143 percent. 

20 ‘‘(G) For a 7-person household, 158 percent. 

21 ‘‘(H) For an 8-person household, 180 percent. 

22 ‘‘(I) For a 9-person household, 203 percent. 

23 ‘‘(J) For a 10-person household, 224 percent. 

24 ‘‘(K) For households with more than 10 per25 sons, such adjustment for each additional person 


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1 shall be 224 percent plus the product of 21 percent 

2 and the difference in the number of persons in the 

3 household and 10. 

4 ‘‘(3) REEVALUATION OF MARKET BASKETS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) EVALUATION.—Not earlier than Oc6 tober 1, 2027, and at not more frequently than 

7 5-year intervals thereafter, the Secretary may 

8 reevaluate the market baskets of the thrifty 

9 food plan taking into consideration current food 

10 prices, food composition data, consumption pat11 terns, and dietary guidance. 

12 ‘‘(B) NOTICE.—Prior to any update of the 

13 market baskets of the thrifty food plan based 

14 on a reevaluation pursuant to subparagraph 

15 (A), the methodology and results of any such 

16 revelation shall be published in the Federal 

17 Register with an opportunity for comment of 

18 not less than 60 days. 

19 ‘‘(C) COST NEUTRALITY.—The Secretary 

20 shall not increase the cost of the thrifty food 

21 plan based on a reevaluation or update under 

22 this paragraph. 

23 ‘‘(4) ALLOWABLE COST ADJUSTMENTS.—On 

24 October 1 immediately following enactment of the 


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1 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 and 

2 on each October 1 thereafter, the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) adjust the cost of the thrifty food 

4 plan to reflect changes in the Consumer Price 

5 Index for All Urban Consumers, published by 

6 the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Depart7 ment of Labor, for the most recent 12-month 

8 period ending in June; 

9 ‘‘(B) make cost adjustments in the thrifty 

10 food plan for urban and rural parts of Hawaii 

11 and urban and rural parts of Alaska to reflect 

12 the cost of food in urban and rural Hawaii and 

13 urban and rural Alaska provided such cost ad14 justment shall not exceed the rate of increase 

15 described in the Consumer Price Index for All 

16 Urban Consumers, published by the Bureau of 

17 Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, 

18 for the most recent 12-month period ending in 

19 June; and 

20 ‘‘(C) make cost adjustments in the sepa21 rate thrifty food plans for Guam and the Virgin 

22 Islands of the United States to reflect the cost 

23 of food in those States, but not to exceed the 

24 cost of food in the 50 States and the District 

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1 ment shall not exceed the rate of increase de2 scribed in the Consumer Price Index for All 

3 Urban Consumers, published by the Bureau of 

4 Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, 

5 for the most recent 12-month period ending in 

6 June.’’. 

7 SEC. 12402. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIETARY GUIDELINES. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF DIETARY GUIDELINES.— 

9 Section 301(a) of the National Nutrition Monitoring and 

10 Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341(a)) is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘At least every five years 

14 the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; and 

15 (B) by inserting ‘‘jointly’’ after ‘‘Secre16 taries shall’’; 

17 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘be based on 

18 the preponderance of the scientific and medical 

19 knowledge which is current at the time the report is 

20 prepared.’’ and inserting ‘‘be— 

21 ‘‘(A) based on significant scientific agree22 ment that is determined by evidence-based re23 view; 

24 ‘‘(B) current at the time the report is pre25 pared; 


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1 ‘‘(C) derived from questions— 

2 ‘‘(i) generated from the Independent 

3 Advisory Board described in paragraph 

4 (4); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) based on high priority areas of 

6 concern to advance scientific outcomes; 

7 ‘‘(D) designed to achieve nutritional ade8 quacy and promote health, as specified by the 

9 Food and Nutrition Board of the National 

10 Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medi11 cine, from the consumption of food, including 

12 nutrients and bioactive food components occur13 ring naturally and in fortified foods; 

14 ‘‘(E) include nutritional and dietary infor15 mation relevant to individuals with nutrition-re16 lated common chronic diseases, as defined by 

17 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(F) include recommendations that are af20 fordable, available, and accessible for the gen21 eral population.’’; 

22 (3) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para23 graph (7); 

24 (4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(3) FREQUENCY.—The Secretaries shall pub2 lish the report required under paragraph (1)— 

3 ‘‘(A) as necessary to promote health based 

4 on updated Dietary Reference Intake values 

5 specified by— 

6 ‘‘(i) the Food and Nutrition Board of 

7 the National Academies of Sciences, Engi8 neering, and Medicine; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) other relevant scientific advance10 ments based on continuous review of the 

11 totality of publicly available scientific evi12 dence; and 

13 ‘‘(B) not less than once every 10 years. 

14 ‘‘(4) INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BOARD.— 

15 ‘‘(A) When the Secretaries jointly deter16 mine it is appropriate to begin the process of 

17 updating the Dietary Guidelines, the Secretaries 

18 shall notify, in writing, the Committees on— 

19 ‘‘(i) Agriculture of the House of Rep20 resentatives; 

21 ‘‘(ii) Energy and Commerce of the 

22 House of Representatives; 

23 ‘‘(iii) Agriculture, Nutrition, and For24 estry of the Senate; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) Health, Education, Labor, and 

2 Pensions of the Senate. 

3 ‘‘(B) The notification under subparagraph 

4 (A) shall include a justification for why the Sec5 retaries have determined it is appropriate to 

6 begin the process of updating the Dietary 

7 Guidelines. 

8 ‘‘(C) Not later than 3 months after send9 ing such notification, the Secretaries shall es10 tablish an Independent Advisory Board (herein11 after referred to as the ‘Board’) and jointly ap12 point 4 members to the Board, no more than 2 

13 of whom may be Federal employees. 

14 ‘‘(D) Not later than 3 months after receiv15 ing such notification, the highest-ranking Mem16 ber on each Committee described in subpara17 graph (A) of the opposite political party of the 

18 President of the United States shall appoint 1 

19 member to the Board. 

20 ‘‘(E) The Board shall consist of no more 

21 than 8 members, and a working quorum shall 

22 be 4 members present. No meeting of the 

23 Board may take place until after 3 months 

24 from the date on which the Secretaries send the 

25 notification under subparagraph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(F) The members appointed to the Board 

2 shall have expertise in nutrition science or food 

3 science, including academic and applied experi4 ence. 

5 ‘‘(G) Not later than 12 months after the 

6 date on which the Secretaries send the notifica7 tion under subparagraph (A), the Board shall 

8 generate and send to the Secretaries and the 

9 Committees described in subparagraph (A) the 

10 questions described in paragraph (2)(C)(i). 

11 ‘‘(H) The authority of the Board shall ter12 minate, and the Board shall disband, imme13 diately after satisfying subparagraph (G). 

14 ‘‘(5) DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKE UPDATES.— 

15 The Secretaries shall coordinate with the Joint 

16 United States-Canada Dietary Reference Intake 

17 Working Group to ensure that the Food and Nutri18 tion Board of the National Academies of Sciences, 

19 Engineering, and Medicine update the Dietary Ref20 erence Intake values to represent the most up-to21 date understanding of nutritional science. The Joint 

22 United States-Canada Dietary Reference Intake 

23 Working Group should initiate at least one Dietary 

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1 dates which are of highest priority which necessitate 

2 review. 

3 ‘‘(6) EXCLUSION.—The information and guide4 lines contained in each report required under para5 graph (1) shall not be based on or include topics 

6 which are not relevant to dietary guidance, including 

7 taxation, social welfare policies, purchases under 

8 Federal feeding programs, food and agricultural pro9 duction practices, food labeling, socioeconomic sta10 tus, race, ethnicity, culture, or regulations relating 

11 to nutrition.’’; and 

12 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(8) EVIDENCE BASED REVIEW.— 

14 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this 

15 section, the term ‘evidence-based review’ means 

16 a process under which— 

17 ‘‘(i) the totality of the scientific evi18 dence relevant to a question of interest is 

19 collected, analyzed, and evaluated; 

20 ‘‘(ii) scientific studies, conclusions, 

21 and recommendations are rated, adhering 

22 strictly to standardized, generally accepted 

23 evidence-based review methods; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) external peer review is con25 ducted by non-government experts with 


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1 recognized expertise in quality of evidence 

2 evaluation. 

3 ‘‘(B) STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE.—Each 

4 guideline contained in a report published pursu5 ant to this subsection shall be assigned a rating 

6 by the Secretaries for the strength of evidence 

7 used, including to the extent by which the 

8 guideline will improve the Healthy Eating 

9 Index. 

10 ‘‘(C) TRANSPARENCY.— 

11 ‘‘(i) DISCLOSURE.—Any individual ap12 pointed to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory 

13 Committee to review the science for the 

14 guidelines, or appointed to the Independent 

15 Advisory Board under paragraph (4), must 

16 provide full disclosure of all financial and 

17 nonfinancial conflicts of interest relevant 

18 to such review, using the Office of Govern19 ment Ethics Form 450 (or successor 

20 form). 

21 ‘‘(ii) PUBLICATION.—Notwithstanding 

22 any other provision of law, not later than 

23 30 days after the date on which a Dietary 

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1 lished, the Secretaries shall make publicly 

2 available— 

3 ‘‘(I) the disclosures required 

4 under clause (i), categorized by the 

5 name of the individual; and 

6 ‘‘(II) a detailed plan for man7 aging any disclosed conflicts of inter8 est, including financial or ethical con9 flicts of interest, along with pref10 erences, values, and beliefs. 

11 ‘‘(9) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Com12 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary of Agri13 culture shall make available to carry out this sub14 section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

15 through 2029, to remain available until expended.’’. 

16 (b) CONTROLLING REPORT.—The 2020 Dietary 

17 Guidelines for Americans published by the Secretaries 

18 under subsection (a)(1) of section 301 of the National Nu19 trition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 

20 U.S.C. 5341(a)(1)) shall be controlling and considered to 

21 be the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans until 

22 the publication of the first report under such subsection 

23 in accordance with the amendments made to such section 

24 by this Act. 


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1 SEC. 12403. ORGANIC OR NON-ORGANIC WHOLE MILK PER2 MISSIBLE. 

3 Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National 

4 School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2)) is amended— 

5 (1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 

6 follows: 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Lunches served by 

8 schools participating in the school lunch pro9 gram under this Act— 

10 ‘‘(i) shall offer students a variety of 

11 fluid milk; 

12 ‘‘(ii) may offer students flavored and 

13 unflavored organic or non-organic whole, 

14 reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free fluid milk 

15 and lactose-free fluid milk; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) shall provide a substitute for 

17 fluid milk for students whose disability re18 stricts their diet, on receipt of a written 

19 statement from a licensed physician that 

20 identifies the disability that restricts the 

21 student’s diet and that specifies the sub22 stitute for fluid milk.’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(D) SATURATED FAT.—Milk fat included 

25 in any fluid milk provided under subparagraph 

26 (A) shall not be considered saturated fat for 


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1 purposes of measuring compliance with the al2 lowable average saturated fat content of a meal 

3 under section 210.10 of title 7, Code of Federal 

4 Regulations (or successor regulations). 

5 ‘‘(E) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN PUR6 CHASES.—The Secretary shall prohibit schools 

7 participating in the school lunch program under 

8 this Act from purchasing or offering milk pro9 duced by China state-owned enterprises. 

10 ‘‘(F) LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY.—The 

11 Secretary may not prohibit any school partici12 pating in the school lunch program under this 

13 Act from offering students the milk described in 

14 subparagraph (A)(ii).’’. 

15 SEC. 12404. COMMISSION ON FARM TRANSITIONS—NEEDS 

16 FOR 2050. 

17 Section 12609 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

18 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 5009) is amend19 ed— 

20 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘There is es21 tablished’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than 60 days 

22 after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, 

23 and National Security Act of 2024, the Secretary 

24 shall establish’’; 

25 (2) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

2 ‘‘AND RECOMMENDATIONS’’ after ‘‘STUDY’’; 

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

4 by inserting ‘‘, and make recommendations re5 lating to,’’ after ‘‘study on’’; 

6 (C) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

8 ‘‘and timely’’ after ‘‘affordable’’; and 

9 (ii) by striking subparagraph (D) and 

10 inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(D) apprenticeships, mentoring programs, 

12 business training, and technical assistance pro13 grams;’’; 

14 (D) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by striking ‘‘existing and new 

17 Federal tax policies’’ and inserting ‘‘exist18 ing and new State and Federal policies, in19 cluding tax policies’’; and 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

21 ‘‘or impede’’ after ‘‘facilitate’’; 

22 (E) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

23 the end; 

24 (F) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe25 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 


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1 (G) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(6) heirs’ property and succession of agricul3 tural land; 

4 ‘‘(7) any unique barriers faced by historically 

5 underserved and women farmers and ranchers in the 

6 ability to transfer, inherit, or purchase agricultural 

7 assets, including land; and 

8 ‘‘(8) leasing and ownership trends, including 

9 leasing and ownership trends by foreign persons or 

10 entities.’’; 

11 (3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘1 year after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘2 

13 years after the date of enactment of the Farm, 

14 Food, and National Security Act of 2024’’; and 

15 (4) in subsection (m), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

17 SEC. 12405. REPORT ON PERSONNEL. 

18 Section 12506 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

19 of 2018 (Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking 

20 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

21 SEC. 12406. IMPROVEMENTS TO UNITED STATES DROUGHT 

22 MONITOR. 

23 Section 12512(d)(2) of the Agriculture Improvement 

24 Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 5856(d)(2)) is amended by striking 

25 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 


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1 SEC. 12407. AGRICULTURAL FIBER PRODUCTS TRUST 

2 FUND. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUST FUND.—There is es4 tablished in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund 

5 to be known as the ‘‘Agricultural Fiber Products Trust 

6 Fund’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Trust Fund’’), 

7 consisting of such amounts as may be transferred to the 

8 Trust Fund pursuant to subsection (c)(1), and to be used 

9 for the following purposes: 

10 (1) Reducing the injury to domestic manufac11 turers resulting from tariffs on wool fabric that are 

12 higher than tariffs on certain apparel articles made 

13 of wool fabric. 

14 (2) Reducing the injury to domestic manufac15 turers resulting from tariffs on cotton fabric that 

16 are higher than tariffs on certain apparel articles 

17 made of cotton fabric. 

18 (3) Providing grants described in section 506(d) 

19 of the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (7 

20 U.S.C. 7101 note). 

21 (b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

22 (1) WOOL APPAREL MANUFACTURERS.—From 

23 the amount made available in subsection (c), the 

24 Secretary shall make payments annually beginning 

25 in calendar year 2025 for the purposes described in 

26 subsection (a)(1). 


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1 (A) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—The Sec2 retary shall make payments under paragraph 

3 (1) as follows: 

4 (i) To each eligible manufacturer 

5 under paragraph (3) of section 4002(c) of 

6 the Wool Suit and Textile Trade Extension 

7 Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–429; 118 

8 Stat. 2600), as amended by section 

9 1633(c) of the Miscellaneous Trade and 

10 Technical Corrections Act of 2006 (Public 

11 Law 109–280; 120 Stat. 1166) and section 

12 325(b) of the Tax Extenders and Alter13 native Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008 

14 (division C of Public Law 110–343; 122 

15 Stat. 3875), and any successor-in-interest 

16 to such a manufacturer as provided for 

17 under paragraph (4) of such section 

18 4002(c), that submits an affidavit in ac19 cordance with paragraph (2) for the year 

20 of the payment, payments in amounts au21 thorized under that paragraph. 

22 (ii) To each eligible manufacturer 

23 under paragraph (6) of such section 

24 4002(c), payments in amounts authorized 

25 under that paragraph. 


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1 (B) SUBMISSION OF AFFIDAVITS.—An affi2 davit required by subparagraph (A)(i) shall be 

3 submitted to the Secretary, or as directed by 

4 the Secretary, and not later than March 15. 

5 (C) PAYMENT OF AMOUNTS.—The Sec6 retary shall make payments to eligible manufac7 turers and successors-in-interest described in 

8 clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) not 

9 later than April 15 of the year of the payment. 

10 (D) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.— 

11 The Secretary shall, as soon as practicable after 

12 the date of the enactment of this Act, negotiate 

13 memoranda of understanding with the Commis14 sioner responsible for U.S. Customs and Border 

15 Protection and the Secretary of Commerce to 

16 establish procedures pursuant to which the 

17 Commissioner and the Secretary of Commerce 

18 will assist in carrying out the provisions of this 

19 section. 

20 (E) INCREASE IN PAYMENTS IN THE

21 EVENT OF EXPIRATION OF DUTY SUSPEN22 SIONS.— 

23 (i) IN GENERAL.—In any calendar 

24 year in which the suspension of duty on 

25 wool fabrics provided for under headings 


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1 9902.51.11, 9902.51.13, 9902.51.14, 

2 9902.51.15, and 9902.51.16 of the Har3 monized Tariff Schedule of the United 

4 States are not in effect, the amount of any 

5 payment described in paragraph (1) to a 

6 manufacturer or successor-in-interest shall 

7 be increased by an amount the Secretary, 

8 after consultation with the Secretary of 

9 Commerce, determines is equal to the 

10 amount the manufacturer or successor-in11 interest would have saved during the cal12 endar year of the payment if the suspen13 sion of duty on wool fabrics were in effect. 

14 (ii) NO APPEAL OF DETERMINA15 TIONS.—A determination of the Secretary 

16 under this subsection shall be final and not 

17 subject to appeal or protest. 

18 (2) PIMA AGRICULTURE COTTON.—From the 

19 amount made available in subsection (c) the Sec20 retary shall make payments annually beginning in 

21 calendar year 2025 for the purpose described in sub22 section (a)(2). 

23 (A) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—The Sec24 retary shall make payments under paragraph 

25 (2) as follows: 


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1 (i) Twenty-five percent of the 

2 amounts made available in subsection 

3 (c)(2)(A) shall be paid to one or more na4 tionally recognized associations established 

5 for the promotion of pima cotton for use in 

6 textile and apparel goods. 

7 (ii)(I) Except as provided in subclause 

8 (II), 25 percent of the amounts made 

9 available in subsection (c)(2)(A) shall be 

10 paid to yarn spinners of pima cotton that 

11 produce ring spun cotton yarns in the 

12 United States, to be allocated to each spin13 ner in an amount that bears the same 

14 ratio as— 

15 (aa) the spinner’s produc16 tion of ring spun cotton yarns, 

17 measuring less than 83.33 

18 decitex (exceeding 120 metric 

19 number) from pima cotton in sin20 gle and plied form during the 

21 prior calendar year (as evidenced 

22 by an affidavit provided by the 

23 spinner that meets the require24 ments of subparagraph (B)), 

25 bears to— 


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1 (bb) the production of the 

2 yarns described in item (aa) dur3 ing the prior calendar year for all 

4 spinners who qualify under this 

5 paragraph. 

6 (II)(aa) A yarn spinner shall not 

7 receive an amount under clause (ii) 

8 that exceeds the cost of pima cotton 

9 that— 

10 (bb) was purchased during 

11 the prior calendar year; and 

12 (cc) was used in spinning 

13 any cotton yarns. 

14 (III) The Secretary shall reallo15 cate any amounts reduced by reason 

16 of the limitation under item (aa) to 

17 spinners using the ratio described in 

18 subclause (I), disregarding production 

19 of any spinner subject to that limita20 tion. 

21 (iii) Fifty percent of the amounts 

22 made available in subsection (c)(2)(A) 

23 shall be paid to manufacturers who cut 

24 and sew cotton shirts in the United States 

25 who certify that they used imported cotton 


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1 fabric during the prior calendar year, to be 

2 allocated to each such manufacturer in an 

3 amount that bears the same ratio as— 

4 (I) the dollar value (excluding 

5 duty, shipping, and related costs) of 

6 imported woven cotton shirting fabric 

7 of 80s or higher count and 2-ply in 

8 warp purchased by the manufacturer 

9 during the prior calendar year (as evi10 denced by an affidavit provided by the 

11 manufacturer that meets the require12 ments of subparagraph (C)) used in 

13 the manufacturing of men’s and boys’ 

14 cotton shirts; bears to 

15 (II) the dollar value (excluding 

16 duty, shipping, and related costs) of 

17 the fabric described in subclause (I) 

18 purchased during the prior calendar 

19 year by all manufacturers who qualify 

20 under this clause. 

21 (B) AFFIDAVIT OF YARN SPINNERS.—The 

22 affidavit required by subparagraph 

23 (A)(ii)(I)(aa) is a notarized affidavit provided 

24 annually by an officer of a producer of ring 

25 spun yarns that affirms— 


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1 (i) that the producer used pima cotton 

2 during the year in which the affidavit is 

3 filed and during the prior calendar year to 

4 produce ring spun cotton yarns in the 

5 United States, measuring less than 83.33 

6 decitex (exceeding 120 metric number), in 

7 single and plied form; 

8 (ii) the quantity, measured in pounds, 

9 of ring spun cotton yarns, measuring less 

10 than 83.33 decitex (exceeding 120 metric 

11 number), in single and plied form during 

12 the prior calendar year; 

13 (iii) that the producer maintains sup14 porting documentation showing the quan15 tity of such yarns produced, and evidenc16 ing the yarns as ring spun cotton yarns, 

17 measuring less than 83.33 decitex (exceed18 ing 120 metric number), in single and 

19 plied form during the prior calendar year; 

20 and 

21 (iv) the dollar amount of pima cotton 

22 purchased during the prior calendar year— 

23 (I) that was used in spinning any 

24 cotton yarns; and 


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1 (II) for which the producer main2 tains supporting documentation. 

3 (C) AFFIDAVIT OF SHIRTING MANUFAC4 TURERS.— 

5 (i) IN GENERAL.—The affidavit re6 quired by subparagraph (A)(iii)(I) is a no7 tarized affidavit provided annually by an 

8 officer of a manufacturer of men’s and 

9 boys’ shirts that affirms— 

10 (I) that the manufacturer used 

11 imported cotton fabric during the year 

12 in which the affidavit is filed and dur13 ing the prior calendar year, to cut and 

14 sew men’s and boys’ woven cotton 

15 shirts in the United States; 

16 (II) the dollar value of imported 

17 woven cotton shirting fabric of 80s or 

18 higher count and 2-ply in warp pur19 chased by the manufacturer during 

20 the prior calendar year; 

21 (III) that the manufacturer 

22 maintains invoices along with other 

23 supporting documentation (such as 

24 price lists and other technical descrip25 tions of the fabric qualities) showing 


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1 the dollar value of such fabric pur2 chased, the date of purchase, and evi3 dencing the fabric as woven cotton 

4 fabric of 80s or higher count and 2- 

5 ply in warp; and 

6 (IV) that the fabric was suitable 

7 for use in the manufacturing of men’s 

8 and boys’ cotton shirts. 

9 (ii) DATE OF PURCHASE.—For pur10 poses of the affidavit under clause (i), the 

11 date of purchase shall be the invoice date, 

12 and the dollar value shall be determined 

13 excluding duty, shipping, and related costs. 

14 (D) FILING DEADLINE FOR AFFIDAVITS.— 

15 Any person required to provide an affidavit 

16 under this paragraph shall file the affidavit 

17 with the Secretary or as directed by the Sec18 retary not later than March 15 of the applicable 

19 calendar year. 

20 (E) TIMING OF DISTRIBUTIONS.—The Sec21 retary shall make a payment under clause (ii) 

22 or (iii) of subparagraph (A) not later than the 

23 date that is 30 days after the filing of the affi24 davit required with respect to that payment. 


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1 (3) WOOL RESEARCH AND PROMOTION.—From 

2 the amount made available in subsection (c) the Sec3 retary shall make payments annually beginning in 

4 calendar year 2025 for the purpose described in sub5 section (a)(3). 

6 (c) FUNDING.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of the Com8 modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 

9 transfer to the Trust Fund $50,000,000 for each of 

10 the calendar years 2025 through 2029. 

11 (2) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—The funds 

12 made available under paragraph (1), shall be distrib13 uted to the purposes of this section in the following 

14 manner: 

15 (A) Not less than $30,000,000 for each of 

16 the calendar years 2025 through 2029 for the 

17 purposes described in (a)(1). 

18 (B) Not less than $17,750,000 for each of 

19 the calendar years 2025 through 2029 for the 

20 purposes described in (a)(2). 

21 (C) Not less than $2,250,000 for each of 

22 the calendar years 2025 through 2029 for the 

23 purposes described in (a)(3). 


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1 (3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts trans2 ferred to the Trust Fund under paragraph (1) shall 

3 remain available until expended. 

4 (d) SUNSET OF PREVIOUS FUNDS.—The Agricultural 

5 Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–79) is amended— 

6 (1) in section 12314 (7 U.S.C. 2101 note), by 

7 adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) SUNSET.—Effective January 1, 2025, the Trust 

9 Fund shall be abolished and all unobligated amounts in 

10 the Trust Fund on such date shall be transferred to the 

11 general fund of the Treasury of the United States.’’; 

12 (2) in section 12315 (7 U.S.C. 2101 note), by 

13 adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(g) SUNSET.—Effective January 1, 2025, the Trust 

15 Fund shall be abolished and all unobligated amounts in 

16 the Trust Fund on such date shall be transferred to the 

17 general fund of the Treasury of the United States.’’; and 

18 (3) in section 12316 (7 U.S.C. 2101 note)— 

19 (A) in subsection (a), by adding at the end 

20 the following: ‘‘Effective January 1, 2025, the 

21 Secretary may not make grants under the pre22 ceding sentence and, any unobligated amounts 

23 of the amounts made available under such pre24 ceding sentence, are rescinded.’’; and 


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1 (B) in subsection (b), by adding at the end 

2 the following: ‘‘Effective January 1, 2025, the 

3 authority to use unexpended unobligated bal4 ances remaining in the Wool Research, Develop5 ment, and Promotion Trust Fund for the pur6 poses described in the preceding sentence shall 

7 cease to be effective.’’. 

8 SEC. 12408. REPORTS ON LAND ACCESS AND FARMLAND 

9 OWNERSHIP DATA COLLECTION. 

10 Section 12607 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

11 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204i) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)— 

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

14 by inserting ‘‘and not less frequently than once 

15 every 2 years thereafter,’’ before ‘‘the Secretary 

16 of Agriculture’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

18 the end; 

19 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe20 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(4) a catalog of existing Federal, State, or pri23 vate programs that facilitate access to land, capital, 

24 and markets, including programs providing assist25 ance relating to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) acquiring of real property (including 

2 air rights, water rights, and other interests 

3 therein), including closing costs; 

4 ‘‘(B) subsidizing interest rates and mort5 gage principal amounts for intended bene6 ficiaries; 

7 ‘‘(C) providing down payment assistance to 

8 decrease farm mortgages; 

9 ‘‘(D) securing clear title on heirs’ property 

10 farmland; 

11 ‘‘(E) conducting surveys and assessments 

12 of agricultural land; 

13 ‘‘(F) improving or remediating land, water, 

14 and soil; 

15 ‘‘(G) constructing or repairing infrastruc16 ture; 

17 ‘‘(H) supporting land use planning; 

18 ‘‘(I) acquiring legal or financial planning 

19 assistance; 

20 ‘‘(J) carrying out Tribal consultation; 

21 ‘‘(K) supporting acquisition of a Depart22 ment of Agriculture farm number; and 

23 ‘‘(L) any other activities as determined by 

24 the Secretary.’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 12409. INCREASING TRANSPARENCY REGARDING DE4 TENTION OF IMPORTED PLANTS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordi7 nation with the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

8 Service and the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Bor9 der Protection, shall issue guidance to clarify the process 

10 by which an importer of plants that have been denied 

11 entry into the United States and detained under the Lacey 

12 Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.) may 

13 obtain additional information on such denial and deten14 tion. 

15 (b) INFORMATION PROVIDED.—The process referred 

16 to in subsection (a) shall ensure that the Secretary shall 

17 provide to an importer described in such subsection, upon 

18 the detention of any plants of such importer, the following 

19 information: 

20 (1) The specific reasons for which the detention 

21 of the plants was initiated, including the date on 

22 which the plants were presented to the Secretary for 

23 examination. 

24 (2) The anticipated length of the detention of 

25 such plants. 


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1 (3) The nature of the tests or inquiries to be 

2 conducted on the plants, which the importer shall be 

3 able to replicate. 

4 (4) The nature of any information that, if sup5 plied to the Secretary, would accelerate the disposi6 tion of the detention. 

7 SEC. 12410. ENHANCEMENT OF PET PROTECTIONS. 

8 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

9 of the enactment of this Act (or later, if the Secretary 

10 determines appropriate after taking into consideration any 

11 ongoing programmatic review of the Animal Care program 

12 of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), the 

13 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture 

14 and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

15 Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri16 tion, and Forestry and the Committee on Appropriations 

17 of the Senate a report with respect to companion animals 

18 that— 

19 (1) evaluates the enforcement of standards 

20 under, and requirements of, the Animal Welfare Act 

21 (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) by the Secretary for both ef22 fectiveness and efficiency; 

23 (2) evaluates the efforts by the Secretary to 

24 educate and advise dealers of all standards under, 

25 and requirements of, such Act; 


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1 (3) evaluates the capacity of the Secretary to 

2 enforce the standards established by such Act; 

3 (4) makes recommendations for the improve4 ment of— 

5 (A) all standards (including animal welfare 

6 standards) under, and requirements of, such 

7 Act; and 

8 (B) education efforts of the Secretary with 

9 respect to such standards and requirements; 

10 and 

11 (5) considers the impact and associated costs of 

12 any recommended improvements or amendments to 

13 the standards under, and requirements of, such Act. 

14 (b) VETERINARY CARE.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 13(a)(2)(A) of the 

16 Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143(a)(2)(A)) is 

17 amended by inserting ‘‘(which shall include visual 

18 dental examinations)’’ after ‘‘adequate veterinary 

19 care’’. 

20 (2) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 13 of 

21 the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143) is amended 

22 by redesignating the second subsection (f) (prohib23 iting delivery of certain animals without certificate 

24 of inspection), subsection (g), and subsection (h) as 

25 subsections (g) through (i), respectively. 


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1 (c) CONFISCATION FOR UNRELIEVED SUFFERING.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 13 of the Animal 

3 Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143) is amended by adding 

4 at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(i) The Secretary shall promulgate such rules and 

6 regulations as may be necessary to, during the inspection 

7 process under section 16— 

8 ‘‘(1) provide for the notification of State law 

9 enforcement officials or the State animal health offi10 cial (or designee of such official); or 

11 ‘‘(2) consider immediate confiscation or de12 struction of a dog, in the event that such dog is de13 termined to be in a state of unrelieved suffering.’’. 

14 (2) DEFINITION.—Section 2 of the Animal Wel15 fare Act (7 U.S.C. 2132) is amended by adding at 

16 the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(p) The term ‘unrelieved suffering’ means, with re18 spect to a dog, a state in which the dog is forced to endure 

19 conditions, arising out of a dealer’s failure to comply with 

20 the provisions of this Act, which cause severe pain or dis21 tress or severe discomfort, or which could directly and neg22 atively impact the health and well-being of the dog if im23 mediate actions are not taken to remedy the situation.’’. 


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1 SEC. 12411. PROTECTING ANIMALS WITH SHELTER. 

2 Section 12502(b)(8) of the Agriculture Improvement 

3 Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking 

4 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

5 SEC. 12412. REPORT ON AVAILABLE ASSISTANCE TO AGRI6 CULTURAL PRODUCERS IN THE STATE OF 

7 TEXAS THAT HAVE SUFFERED ECONOMIC 

8 LOSSES DUE TO THE FAILURE OF MEXICO TO 

9 DELIVER WATER. 

10 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact11 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Com12 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and 

13 the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 

14 the Senate a report that lists all existing authorities of 

15 the Secretary and programs within the Department that 

16 are or could be made available to provide assistance to 

17 agricultural producers in the State of Texas that have suf18 fered economic losses due to the failure of Mexico to de19 liver water to the United States in accordance with the 

20 Treaty Relating to the Utilization of Waters of the Colo21 rado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande signed 

22 at Washington on February 3, 1944 and the Supple23 mentary Protocol signed at Washington November 14, 

24 1944. 


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1 SEC. 12413. EXPERIENCED SERVICES PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use the tal3 ents of individuals who are age 55 or older, but who are 

4 not employees of the Department or a State agriculture 

5 department, to provide technical, professional, and admin6 istrative services in support of programs and authorities 

7 in each mission area of the Department, other than pro8 grams and authorities of the Natural Resources Conserva9 tion Service or the Forest Service. 

10 (b) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary shall enter into 

11 agreements under section 1252(b) of the Food Security 

12 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3851(b)) for purposes of carrying 

13 out subsection (a). 

14 (c) FUNDING.—The Secretary may carry out sub15 section (a) using funds made available to carry out any 

16 program in the applicable mission area of the Department. 

17 (d) LIABILITY.—Section 1252(d) of the Food Secu18 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3851(d)) shall apply to indi19 viduals providing technical, professional, or administrative 

20 services pursuant to this section. 

21 (e) REFERENCES TO EXPERIENCED SERVICES PRO22 GRAM.—For purposes of this section, references in sub23 sections (b) and (d) of section 1252 of the Food Security 

24 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3851) to the program shall be 

25 deemed to be references to this section. 


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1 SEC. 12414. AGRICULTURAL LABOR SURVEY. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Agricultural 

3 Labor Survey, the Secretary shall make such changes as 

4 are necessary to— 

5 (1) collect and publish data regarding the aver6 age hourly base rate of pay for hired agricultural 

7 workers; and 

8 (2) ensure survey recipients include all agricul9 tural employers, agricultural associations employing 

10 farm labor, and farm labor contractors (as such 

11 term is defined in section 500.20 of title 29, Code 

12 of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). 

13 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture 

17 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

18 on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen19 ate a report examining the quality of the farm labor 

20 survey and the impacts of labor costs on agricultural 

21 employers. 

22 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para23 graph (1) shall examine— 

24 (A) with regard to the Agricultural Labor 

25 Survey— 

26 (i) for each of the previous 5 years— 


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1 (I) the number of surveys that 

2 were distributed; 

3 (II) the number of responses to 

4 such surveys; and 

5 (III) relevant metrics regarding 

6 the statistical soundness of such sur7 veys, including the survey response 

8 rate; and 

9 (ii) what actions can be taken by the 

10 Secretary to increase the response rate and 

11 improve the statistical soundness of such 

12 survey; and 

13 (B) with regard to agricultural labor 

14 costs— 

15 (i) the share of such costs as a per16 centage of total variable costs, broken out 

17 by size of operation and by primary com18 modity produced; 

19 (ii) an analysis of the impact of such 

20 costs on beginning farmers and ranchers 

21 (as defined in section 210A(a) of the Agri22 cultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 

23 1627c(a))); 

24 (iii) a comparison of the trends of 

25 wages surveyed under the agricultural 


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1 labor survey and the non-farm wage rates 

2 over the previous 10 years; 

3 (iv) an analysis of the extent to which 

4 the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (as defined 

5 in section 500.10 of title 29, Code of Fed6 eral Regulations (or successor regulations)) 

7 utilized by the H–2A temporary agricul8 tural labor certification program impacts 

9 costs for all agricultural workers; and 

10 (v) a determination of any adverse ef11 fect the wage rate described in clause (iv) 

12 has on domestic agricultural workers. 

13 SEC. 12415. EXTENSION OF SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS AND 

14 COMMUNITY SELF-DETERMINATION ACT OF 

15 2000. 

16 (a) SECURE PAYMENTS FOR STATES AND COUNTIES

17 CONTAINING FEDERAL LAND.— 

18 (1) SECURE PAYMENTS.—Section 101 of the 

19 Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Deter20 mination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7111) is amended, 

21 in subsections (a) and (b), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

22 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 

23 (2) DISTRIBUTION OF PAYMENTS TO ELIGIBLE

24 COUNTIES.—Section 103(d)(2) of the Secure Rural 

25 Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 


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1 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7113(d)(2)) is amended by striking 

2 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 

3 (b) EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT SPE4 CIAL PROJECTS ON FEDERAL LAND.— 

5 (1) EXISTING ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—Section 

6 205(a)(4) of the Secure Rural Schools and Commu7 nity Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 

8 7125(a)(4)) is amended by striking ‘‘December 20, 

9 2023’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Decem10 ber 20, 2026’’. 

11 (2) EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 208 

12 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self13 Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7128) is 

14 amended— 

15 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2025’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘2028’’; and 

17 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2026’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

19 (c) EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO EXPEND COUNTY

20 FUNDS.—Section 305 of the Secure Rural Schools and 

21 Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 

22 7144) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2025’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘2028’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2026’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2029’’. 

3 SEC. 12416. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 

4 WHISTLEBLOWER PROGRAM. 

5 Section 1(b) of Public Law 117–25 (135 Stat. 297; 

6 136 Stat. 2133) is amended in each of paragraphs (3) and 

7 (4), by striking ‘‘2024’’ and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 

8 SEC. 12417. QUALIFIED RENEWABLE BIOMASS. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) AGENCY ACTION.—The term ‘‘agency ac11 tion’’ has the meaning given the term in section 551 

12 of title 5, United States Code. 

13 (2) QUALIFIED RENEWABLE BIOMASS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘qualified re15 newable biomass’’ means— 

16 (i) forest products manufacturing bio17 energy feedstocks, including from— 

18 (I) forest products manufac19 turing residuals, including spent 

20 pulping liquors, pulping by-products, 

21 bark, woody manufacturing residuals, 

22 paper recycling residuals, wastewater 

23 and process water treatment plant re24 siduals, and anaerobic digester biogas; 


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1 (II) harvest residues, including 

2 portions of harvested trees that are 

3 too small or of too poor quality to be 

4 utilized for wood products or paper 

5 products; 

6 (III) downed wood from extreme 

7 weather events and natural disasters, 

8 nonhazardous landscape or right-of9 way trimmings and municipal trim10 mings, and plant material removed for 

11 purposes of invasive or noxious plant 

12 species control; 

13 (IV) biowaste, including landfill 

14 gas; and 

15 (V) non-chemically treated used 

16 wood products, such as crates or pal17 lets; and 

18 (ii) forest biomass derived from resi19 dues created as a by-product of timber 

20 harvesting, including treetops, tree limbs, 

21 and bark, but excluding stumps, roots, and 

22 round wood suitable for industrial pur23 poses. 


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1 (B) EXCLUSION.—Such term does not in2 clude paper of a type that is commonly recy3 cled. 

4 (b) IN GENERAL.— 

5 (1) CONSIDERATION AS RENEWABLE ENERGY

6 SOURCE.—With respect to any agency action of the 

7 Department of Agriculture related to qualified re8 newable biomass, the Secretary shall consider quali9 fied renewable biomass to be a renewable energy 

10 source and assign it (and a facility, to the extent it 

11 uses qualified renewable biomass as fuel) a green12 house gas emission rate, and a carbon intensity, of 

13 not greater than zero, if the use of such qualified re14 newable biomass as fuel does not cause the conver15 sion of forests to non-forest use. 

16 (2) PETITIONS.—Not later than 1 year after re17 ceiving a petition requesting a change to a rule, pol18 icy, or program of the Department of Agriculture in 

19 order to comply with the requirements of paragraph 

20 (1), the Secretary shall take such action as may be 

21 necessary to comply with such requirements with re22 spect to such rule, policy, or program. 

23 (c) GUIDANCE.— 

24 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 

25 after the date of enactment of this Act, the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 May 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00953 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8467.IH H8467

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1 retary shall establish guidance for purposes of car2 rying out subsection (b). 

3 (2) MODIFICATION.—The Secretary may peri4 odically update the guidance established under para5 graph (1) as the Secretary may determine necessary. 

6 (3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this sub7 section, the Secretary shall consult with— 

8 (A) the Administrator of the Environ9 mental Protection Agency; 

10 (B) the Secretary of Energy; and 

11 (C) any other relevant entities, as deter12 mined by the Secretary. 

Æ 


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