Restoring America’s Floodplains Act

Bill: 119-s-2215
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2025-07-09
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2025-07-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-07-09
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Restoring America’s Floodplains Act</strong></p><p>This bill allows&nbsp;the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide for certain floodplain easement restoration and management activities&nbsp;under the Emergency Watershed Protection&nbsp;Program.&nbsp;This program offers technical and financial assistance, including the purchase of floodplain easements, to safeguard people and property from floods, drought, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.</p><p>Under the bill, USDA may provide financial and technical assistance to restore the adapted vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of wetlands on these purchased floodplain easements. USDA also has the sole discretion to enter into compatible-use agreements with landowners, and agreements with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, to address the maintenance and management of the vegetative cover and wetlands restoration measures for these floodplain easements.</p>

tv_txt: II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2215 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 9, 2025 Ms. Ernst (for herself and Mr. Bennet ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for floodplain easement restoration and management, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Restoring America’s Floodplains Act . 2. Emergency watershed program floodplain easement restoration and management Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 ( 16 U.S.C. 2203 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through The Secretary and inserting the following: (a) Authorizations (1) In general The Secretary ; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (2) Easement restoration The Secretary may provide financial and technical assistance for restoring adapted vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of wetlands on floodplain easements acquired under paragraph (1). (3) Easement management The Secretary shall have sole discretion for entering into compatible-use agreements with landowners and agreements with government agencies or nongovernmental organizations to address maintenance and management of the vegetative cover and wetlands restoration measures on floodplain easements acquired under paragraph (1). ; and (2) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through the The Secretary in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) and inserting the following: (b) Modification and termination of floodplain easements (1) In general The Secretary .