Conservation Reserve Program Improvement Act of 2023

Subjects: Agriculture and Food

Summary:  <p><strong>Conservation Reserve Program Improvement Act of 202</strong><b>3</b></p> <p>This bill revises the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) of the Farm Service Agency. CRP is a land conservation program that provides an annual rental payment to farmers in exchange for farmers removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental health and quality.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill permanently establishes a continuous enrollment procedure for land that will be enrolled under the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative.</p> <p>Additionally, the bill provides federal cost sharing payments for the establishment of grazing infrastructure on all CRP contracts and practices, if grazing is included in the conservation plan and addresses a resource concern. It also provides federal cost sharing payments under CRP for management activities to implement the conservation plan that are not related to haying or grazing.</p> <p>Further, the bill increases the CRP annual rental payment limitation from $50,000 to $125,000.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 174 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 174

  To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the conservation 
                reserve program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 31, 2023

  Mr. Thune (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following 
      bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the conservation 
                reserve program, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Conservation Reserve Program 
Improvement Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Continuous Enrollment.--
Section 1231(d)(6)(A)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3831(d)(6)(A)(i)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (II), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(IV) land that will be enrolled 
                                under the State acres for wildlife 
                                enhancement practice established by the 
                                Secretary; and''.
    (b) Cost Sharing Payments for Establishment of Grazing 
Infrastructure.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1234(b)(1) of the Food Security 
        Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)(1)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``establishing water'' and 
                inserting the following: ``establishing--
                    ``(A) water'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by 
                striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; 
                and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) grazing infrastructure, including interior 
                cross fencing, perimeter fencing, and water 
                infrastructure (such as rural water connections, water 
                wells, pipelines, and water tanks), under each 
                contract, for all practices, if grazing is included in 
                the conservation plan and addresses a resource 
                concern.''.
            (2) Reenrollment of land with grazing infrastructure.--
        Section 1231(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
        3831(h)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Land with grazing infrastructure.--On the expiration 
        of a contract entered into under this subchapter that covers 
        land that includes grazing infrastructure established with cost 
        sharing assistance under section 1234(b)(1)(B)--
                    ``(A) the Secretary shall consider that land to be 
                planted for purposes of subsection (b)(1)(B); and
                    ``(B) that land shall be eligible for reenrollment 
                in the conservation reserve, subject to the 
                requirements of this subchapter.''.
    (c) Mid-Contract Management for Activities Not Relating to Haying 
or Grazing.--
            (1) Definition of management.--Section 1232(a)(5) of the 
        Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3832(a)(5)) is amended by 
        inserting ``(as defined in section 1231A(a))'' after 
        ``management''.
            (2) Management payments.--Section 1234(b)(2) of the Food 
        Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)(2)) is amended by 
        striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
                    ``(B) Management payments.--The Secretary shall 
                make cost sharing payments to an owner or operator 
                under this subchapter for any management activity 
                described in section 1232(a)(5), except for those 
                management activities relating to haying or grazing.''.
    (d) Payment Limitation for Rental Payments.--Section 1234(g)(1) of 
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(g)(1)) is amended by 
striking ``$50,000'' and inserting ``$125,000''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
</pre></body></html>