IB 

Union Calendar No. 259 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2606 

[Report No. 117–345] 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 with respect to the acceptance 

and use of contributions for public-private partnerships, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 15, 2021 

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. FEENSTRA, Mr. JOHNSON

of South Dakota, Mr. BAIRD, and Mr. CRAWFORD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

JUNE 3, 2022 

Additional sponsors: Ms. STEFANIK and Mr. BACON

JUNE 3, 2022 

Reported from the Committee on Agriculture; committed to the Committee of 

the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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A BILL 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 with respect to 

the acceptance and use of contributions for public-private 

partnerships, and for other purposes. 


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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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sponsoring USDA 

5 Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Nat6 ural Solutions Act of 2021’’, or the ‘‘SUSTAINS Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR 

8 PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 

9 Section 1241(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

10 U.S.C. 3841(f)) is amended— 

11 (1) in the subsection heading, by inserting 

12 ‘‘FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS’’ after 

13 ‘‘CONTRIBUTIONS’’; 

14 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol15 lows: 

16 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH PUBLIC-PRI17 VATE PARTNERSHIP CONTRIBUTIONS ACCOUNTS.— 

18 The Secretary, acting through the Natural Re19 sources Conservation Service, may establish a sub20 account for each covered program to accept con21 tributions of non-Federal funds for the purposes of 

22 addressing the changing climate, sequestering car23 bon, improving wildlife habitat, protecting sources of 

24 drinking water, and addressing other natural re25 source priorities identified by the Secretary.’’; 


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1 (3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘a conserva2 tion program administered by the Secretary under 

3 subtitle D’’ and inserting ‘‘a covered program’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(3) MATCH OF CONTRIBUTED FUNDS.—The 

6 Secretary may provide matching funds for contribu7 tions received under this subsection, subject to the 

8 availability of funding under subsection (a) for the 

9 applicable covered program. 

10 ‘‘(4) ROLE OF CONTRIBUTING ENTITY.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An entity contributing 

12 funds under this subsection may— 

13 ‘‘(i) designate the covered program for 

14 which the contributed funds are intended 

15 to be used; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) specify the geographic area in 

17 which the contributed funds are intended 

18 to be used. 

19 ‘‘(B) SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS.—The 

20 Secretary shall establish a procedure under 

21 which an entity making a significant contribu22 tion may— 

23 ‘‘(i) identify a natural resource con24 cern the contributed funds are to be used 

25 to address; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) have the name or brand of the 

2 individual or entity associated with the use 

3 of the contributed funds. 

4 ‘‘(5) PRODUCER PARTICIPATION.— 

5 ‘‘(A) PRIORITY.—In selecting producers to 

6 carry out, through a covered program, an activ7 ity funded pursuant to this subsection, the Sec8 retary shall give priority to— 

9 ‘‘(i) socially disadvantaged farmers or 

10 ranchers, as defined in section 355(e) of 

11 the Agricultural Act of 1961 (7 U.S.C. 

12 2003); 

13 ‘‘(ii) limited resource farmers or 

14 ranchers, as determined by the Secretary; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(iii) beginning farmers or ranchers. 

17 ‘‘(B) SALE OF ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS.—If 

18 an activity funded pursuant to this section may 

19 result in environmental services benefits to be 

20 sold through an environmental services market, 

21 the producer carrying out the activity and the 

22 entity that contributed the applicable funds 

23 shall negotiate a mutually beneficial sale of 

24 such benefits. 


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1 ‘‘(6) RULES FOR EASEMENTS.—An easement 

2 funded pursuant to this subsection shall be subject 

3 to the requirements of the covered program for 

4 which the contributed funds were used, except that 

5 the Secretary may modify such requirements, as 

6 they apply to the easement, for the purpose of ad7 dressing climate change, as the Secretary determines 

8 appropriate. 

9 ‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

10 ‘‘(A) COVERED PROGRAM.—The term ‘cov11 ered program’ means a program carried out by 

12 the Secretary under— 

13 ‘‘(i) subtitle D, subtitle H, or subtitle 

14 I; 

15 ‘‘(ii) section 403 of the Agricultural 

16 Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203); 

17 ‘‘(iii) title V of the Healthy Forests 

18 Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 

19 et seq.); or 

20 ‘‘(iv) the Watershed Protection and 

21 Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001 et 

22 seq.), except for any program established 

23 by the Secretary to carry out section 14 of 

24 such Act (16 U.S.C. 1012). 


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1 ‘‘(B) SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION.—The 

2 term ‘significant contribution’ means a con3 tribution under this subsection of at least a 

4 minimum dollar amount established by the Sec5 retary.’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 259 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2606 

[Report No. 117–345] 

A BILL 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 with repurposes. for public-private partnerships, and for other spect to the acceptance and use of contributions 

JUNE 3, 2022 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS