I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1472 

To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide 

for a consistent definition for plant biostimulants. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2023 

Mr. PANETTA (for himself and Mr. BAIRD) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

Rodenticide Act to provide for a consistent definition 

for plant biostimulants. 

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 ‘‘Plant Biostimulant 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EXCLUSION FROM REGULATION UNDER FIFRA. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Insecticide, Fun8 gicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.) is 

9 amended by inserting after section 3 (7 U.S.C. 136a) the 

10 following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 3A. EXCLUSION OF PLANT BIOSTIMULANTS. 

2 ‘‘A plant biostimulant shall not be subject to regula3 tion under this Act.’’. 

4 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Federal Insecti5 cide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136) is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (v)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘vitamin-hormone horti9 cultural product’’ and inserting ‘‘vitamin hor10 mone products’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘Such term shall not include a plant biostimu13 lant.’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(pp) PLANT BIOSTIMULANT.—The term ‘plant bio16 stimulant’ means a substance, microorganism, or mixture 

17 thereof, that, when applied to seeds, plants, the 

18 rhizosphere, soil, or other growth media, act to support 

19 a plant’s natural processes independently of the biostimu20 lant’s nutrient content, thereby improving nutrient avail21 ability, uptake or use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, 

22 and consequent growth, development, quality, or yield. 

23 ‘‘(qq) NUTRITIONAL CHEMICAL.—The term ‘nutri24 tional chemical’— 

25 ‘‘(1) means a compound or mixture that inter26 acts with plant nutrients in a manner which imVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:44 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1472.IH H1472

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1 proves nutrient availability or aids the plant in ac2 quiring or utilizing plant nutrients; and 

3 ‘‘(2) includes some plant biostimulants. 

4 ‘‘(rr) VITAMIN HORMONE PRODUCT.—The term ‘vi5 tamin hormone product’ means a product consisting of a 

6 mixture of plant hormones, plant nutrients, inoculants, or 

7 soil amendments.’’. 

8 (c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 120 days after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

10 of Environmental Protection Agency shall revise the regu11 lations under subchapter E of chapter I of title 40, Code 

12 of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of the 

13 enactment of this Act) to carry out the amendments made 

14 by subsections (a) and (b). 

15 SEC. 3. SOIL HEALTH STUDY. 

16 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall con17 duct a study to assess the types of, and practices using, 

18 plant biostimulants (as defined in section 2 of the Federal 

19 Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 

20 136)) that best achieve the following: 

21 (1) Increasing organic matter content. 

22 (2) Reducing atmospheric volatilization. 

23 (3) Promotion of nutrient management prac24 tices. 


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1 (4) Limiting or eliminating runoff or leaching 

2 of soil or nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen 

3 into groundwater or other water sources. 

4 (5) Restoring beneficial bioactivity or healthy 

5 nutrients to the soil. 

6 (6) Aiding in carbon sequestration, nutrient use 

7 efficiency, and other climate-related benefits. 

8 (7) Supporting innovative approaches to im9 proving agricultural sustainability, including the 

10 adoption of performance-based outcome standards 

11 and criteria. 

12 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

13 on which funds are first made available for the study 

14 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make publicly 

15 available and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of 

16 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri17 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 

18 that describes the results of the study. 

Æ 


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