Southern Border Farmers and Ranchers Protection Act

Bill: 119-hr-389
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. De La Cruz, Monica [R-TX-15]
Introduced: 2025-01-14
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-14
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-14
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Southern Border Farmers and Ranchers Protection Act</strong></p><p>This bill directs the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to provide payments to agricultural producers to implement certain conservation practices in counties at or near the Texas southern border. In general, this Department of Agriculture program provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.</p><p>Specifically, EQIP must provide payments to agricultural producers to implement conservation practices to address and repair damage to agricultural land and farming infrastructure that is in a county at or near the Texas southern border and&nbsp;contributes to natural resource concerns or problems.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 389 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 14, 2025 Ms. De La Cruz (for herself and Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize payments under the environmental quality incentives program to assist producers in implementing certain conservation practices along the southern border of Texas, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Southern Border Farmers and Ranchers Protection Act . 2. Southern Border Initiative Section 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (k) Southern Border Initiative (1) In general The Secretary shall provide payments to producers under the program to implement conservation practices to address and repair damage, to agricultural land and farming infrastructure on covered land of such producers, that contributes to natural resource concerns or problems. (2) Contract term A contract to provide payments under paragraph (1) shall have a term of 1 year. (3) Covered land defined In this subsection, the term covered land means land in a county at or near the southern border of Texas, including the following counties: (A) Brewster. (B) Brooks. (C) Cameron. (D) Crockett. (E) Culberson. (F) Dimmit. (G) Duval. (H) Edwards. (I) El Paso. (J) Frio. (K) Hidalgo. (L) Hudspeth. (M) Jeff Davis. (N) Jim Hogg. (O) Jim Wells. (P) Karnes. (Q) Kenedy. (R) Kinney. (S) Kleberg. (T) La Salle. (U) Live Oak. (V) Maverick. (W) McMullen. (X) Pecos. (Y) Presidio. (Z) Reeves. (AA) Starr. (BB) Sutton. (CC) Terrell. (DD) Uvalde. (EE) Val Verde. (FF) Webb. (GG) Willacy. (HH) Zapata. (II) Zavala. .