Title: SOS for Seedlings Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Solving Our Shortages for Seedlings Act or the SOS for Seedlings Act
This bill requires various activities to alleviate a shortage of tree seedlings.
Specifically, the Forest Service must implement a national strategy to address the shortage by expanding the capacity of governmental and private nurseries.
In addition, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must carry out a loan program for state, tribal, or local governments; or private, nonprofit, or cooperative organizations to establish or expand facilities that grow, store, extract, or monitor tree seedlings.
The bill also reauthorizes through FY2030 a program that permits USDA to establish and operate nurseries, purchase tree seeds or seedlings, plant trees, and otherwise support reforestation.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2562 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2562

  To address the nationwide shortage of tree seedlings, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2021

  Mr. Bentz (for himself, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Newhouse, and Mr. Gosar) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To address the nationwide shortage of tree seedlings, 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 ``Solving Our Shortages for Seedlings 
Act'' or the ``SOS for Seedlings Act''.

SEC. 2. SEEDLING STRATEGY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
the Chief of the Forest Service, shall develop and implement a national 
strategy to increase the capacity of Federal, State, Tribal, and 
private nurseries to address the nationwide shortage of tree seedlings.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) be based on the best available science and data; and
            (2) identify and address--
                    (A) regional seedling shortages of bareroot and 
                container tree seedlings;
                    (B) regional reforestation opportunities and the 
                seedling supply necessary to fulfill such 
                opportunities;
                    (C) opportunities to enhance seedling diversity and 
                close gaps in seed inventories; and
                    (D) barriers to expanding, enhancing, or creating 
                new infrastructure to increase nursery capacity.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL NURSERIES.

    Section 2 of the Act of June 9, 1930 (16 U.S.C. 576a; commonly 
known as the ``Knutson-Vandenberg Act''), is amended by striking ``each 
fiscal year after year ending June 30, 1934, not to exceed $400,000,'' 
and inserting ``each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030, $25,000,000,''.

SEC. 4. LOAN PROGRAM FOR STATE, TRIBAL, AND PRIVATE NURSERIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out a 
loan program to make or guarantee qualified nursery loans to eligible 
entities under this section.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a qualified nursery 
loan or loan guarantee under this section, an eligible entity shall 
submit to the Secretary of Agriculture an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require, including a plan to maintain the genetic and physical quality 
of seedlings of the eligible entity.
    (c) Priority.--In making qualified nursery loans or loan guarantees 
under this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall give priority to 
eligible entities that--
            (1) are small businesses, in particular small businesses 
        located in rural areas;
            (2) create or support jobs, particularly in rural areas; 
        and
            (3) serve regions with high demand for reforestation.
    (d) Qualified Nursery Project.--A loan or loan guarantee under this 
section may only be used to carry out a qualified nursery project to--
            (1) develop, expand, enhance, or improve nursery capacity 
        or infrastructure;
            (2) establish nurseries; or
            (3) develop or implement quality control measures at 
        nurseries.
    (e) Loan and Loan Guarantee Terms.--
            (1) Amount guaranteed.--The portion of a loan that the 
        Secretary of Agriculture may guarantee under this section may 
        not be greater than 80 percent of the principal amount of such 
        loan.
            (2) Repayment.--The period of repayment for a loan made 
        under this section shall not exceed 20 years.
    (f) Administrative Provisions.--
            (1) Limitation on authority.--The total amount of qualified 
        nursery loans made or guaranteed under this section by the 
        Secretary may not exceed $1,000,000,000.
            (2) Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure, to the 
        maximum extent practicable, that loans made or guaranteed under 
        this section are distributed across diverse geographic regions.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a State, Tribal, or local government; or
                    (B) a domestic private, non-profit, or cooperative 
                organization.
            (2) Nursery.--The term ```nursery'' means a State, Tribal, 
        or local government or private owned facility that grows, 
        stores, extracts, or monitors bareroot or container tree 
        seedlings.
            (3) Qualified nursery loan.--The term ``qualified nursery 
        loan'' means a low-interest loan, the proceeds of which are 
        used to cover the costs to the borrower of carrying out a 
        qualified nursery project described in subsection (d).
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