I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4017 
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the conservation reserve 
program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2023 
Mr. COSTA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Agriculture 
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 Representa-
tives 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 IMPROVE-
MENTS. 
(a) STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT 
CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT.—Section 1231(d)(6)(A)(i) of 
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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 en-
hancement 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 des-
ignated), by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) grazing infrastructure, including inte-
rior cross fencing, perimeter fencing, and water 
infrastructure (such as rural water connections, 
water wells, pipelines, and water tanks), under 
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each contract, for all practices, if grazing is in-
cluded 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 amend-
ed 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 graz-
ing infrastructure established with cost sharing as-
sistance 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 reenroll-
ment 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 de-
fined in section 1231A(a))’’ after ‘‘management’’. 
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(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 subpara-
graph (B) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(B) MANAGEMENT PAYMENTS.—The Sec-
retary 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 ac-
tivities relating to haying or grazing.’’. 
(d) PAYMENT
LIMITATION
FOR
RENTAL
PAY-
MENTS.—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’’. 
Æ 
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