I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8754 
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage practices that benefit 
both soil and wildlife habitat by increasing payments to producers for 
such practices under the environmental quality incentives program and 
the conservation stewardship program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2024 
Ms. BROWNLEY (for herself and Mr. CARBAJAL) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage 
practices that benefit both soil and wildlife habitat by 
increasing payments to producers for such practices 
under the environmental quality incentives program and 
the conservation stewardship program, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saving Our Inter-
connected Lives Act’’ or the ‘‘SOIL Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM. 
(a) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR CERTAIN PRACTICES 
RELATING TO SOIL AND WILDLIFE HABITAT.— 
Section 1240B(d) of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) INCREASED
PAYMENTS
FOR
PRACTICES 
THAT
BENEFIT
BOTH
SOIL
AND
WILDLIFE
HABI-
TAT.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the Secretary 
shall provide payment to producers at 90 percent of 
the cost associated with planning, design, materials, 
equipment, installation, labor, management, mainte-
nance, or training for performing a practice that si-
multaneously benefits both soil and wildlife habitat 
for projects identified by the Secretary as addressing 
both soil and wildlife habitat resource concerns, in-
cluding practices that— 
‘‘(A) achieve alley cropping; 
‘‘(B) apply conservation cover; 
‘‘(C) apply contour buffer strips; 
‘‘(D) enhance or restore wetlands; 
‘‘(E) establish filter strips; 
‘‘(F) establish permanent vegetation to 
stabilize critical areas; 
‘‘(G) establish riparian herbaceous cover; 
‘‘(H) establish trees and shrubs; 
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‘‘(I) establish wildlife habitat plantings; 
‘‘(J) establish windbreaks; 
‘‘(K) implement field borders; 
‘‘(L) implement hedgerow planting; 
‘‘(M) implement riparian forest buffers; 
‘‘(N) improve forest stands; 
‘‘(O) manage forage harvest; 
‘‘(P) manage harvest of vegetation with 
grazing; 
‘‘(Q) manage or establish stands of trees 
or shrubs in coordination with the management 
of understory plants or nontimber forest prod-
ucts; 
‘‘(R) manage pest and environmental im-
pacts; 
‘‘(S) manage residue and tillage manage-
ment through no-till or reduced till; 
‘‘(T) manage seasonal water for wildlife; 
‘‘(U) manage upland and wetland habitat; 
‘‘(V) plant cover crops; 
‘‘(W) plant grassed waterways; 
‘‘(X) plant stripcrops; 
‘‘(Y) restore rare or declining natural com-
munities; and 
‘‘(Z) rotate crops.’’. 
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(b) EVALUATION AND PRIORITIZATION OF APPLICA-
TIONS.—Section 1240C(b) of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–3(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) that are developed for the purpose of ad-
dressing both a soil and wildlife habitat resource 
concern.’’. 
SEC. 3. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM. 
(a) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF STEWARDSHIP 
CONTRACT
OFFERS.—Section 1240K(b)(1)(A) of the 
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa– 
23(b)(1)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); 
and 
(3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following: 
‘‘(iii) the degree to which the project 
addresses both soil and wildlife habitat re-
source concerns; and’’. 
(b) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS
FOR RESOURCE- 
CONSERVING CROP ROTATIONS, ADVANCED GRAZING 
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MANAGEMENT, AND CO-BENEFIT ACTIVITIES FOR SOIL 
AND WILDLIFE.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security 
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘AND 
ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT’’ and inserting 
‘‘, ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT, AND CO- 
BENEFIT ACTIVITIES FOR SOIL AND WILDLIFE’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(D) CO-BENEFIT
ACTIVITY.—The term 
‘co-benefit activity’ means a conservation activ-
ity that— 
‘‘(i) addresses both soil and wildlife 
habitat resource concerns; and 
‘‘(ii) if implemented— 
‘‘(I) improves habitat for wildlife; 
and 
‘‘(II) increases carbon sequestra-
tion in the soil and reduces green-
house gas emissions.’’; 
(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
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(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) co-benefit activities.’’; and 
(4) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or advanced 
grazing management’’ and inserting ‘‘, advanced 
grazing management, or co-benefit activities’’. 
Æ 
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