Union Calendar No. 537
119th CONGRESS 2d Session |
[Report No. 119–620]
To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2031, and for other purposes.
February 13, 2026
Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
April 21, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 13, 2026]
To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2031, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
(b) Table of contents.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 1001. Suspension of permanent price support authority.
Sec. 1002. Tree assistance program.
Sec. 1003. Specialty crop emergency assistance framework.
Sec. 1004. Assistance in the form of block grants.
Sec. 1005. Dairy-related extensions.
Sec. 1006. Mandatory reporting of dairy product processing costs.
Sec. 1007. Dairy reports.
Sec. 1008. Processing of certain loans.
Sec. 1009. Storage facility loans.
Sec. 1010. Strengthening domestic food production supply chains.
Sec. 1011. Regulations.
Sec. 1012. Restoration of tobacco as agricultural commodity in Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act.
Sec. 2001. Definitions.
Sec. 2002. Mitigation banking.
Sec. 2101. Conservation reserve.
Sec. 2102. Farmable wetland program.
Sec. 2201. Definitions.
Sec. 2202. Establishment and administration.
Sec. 2203. Limitation on payments.
Sec. 2204. Conservation innovation grants and payments.
Sec. 2301. Conservation stewardship program.
Sec. 2302. Duties of the Secretary.
Sec. 2303. State assistance for soil health.
Sec. 2401. Conservation of private grazing land.
Sec. 2402. Feral swine eradication and control program.
Sec. 2403. Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act.
Sec. 2404. Emergency conservation program.
Sec. 2405. Emergency watershed program.
Sec. 2406. National agriculture flood vulnerability study.
Sec. 2407. Study on environmental benefits of winter wheat as a cover crop.
Sec. 2501. Commodity Credit Corporation.
Sec. 2502. Delivery of technical assistance.
Sec. 2503. Administrative requirements for conservation programs.
Sec. 2601. Definitions.
Sec. 2602. Agricultural land easements.
Sec. 2603. Wetland reserve easements.
Sec. 2604. Administration.
Sec. 2701. Forest conservation easement program.
Sec. 2702. Healthy Forests Reserve Program.
Sec. 2801. Establishment and purposes.
Sec. 2802. Definitions.
Sec. 2803. Regional conservation partnerships.
Sec. 2804. Assistance to producers.
Sec. 2805. Funding.
Sec. 2806. Administration.
Sec. 2807. Critical conservation areas.
Sec. 3101. Transfer of authorities to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Sec. 3102. Food aid quality assurance.
Sec. 3103. Repeal of minimum levels of assistance.
Sec. 3104. Food aid consultative group.
Sec. 3105. Issuance of regulations; oversight, monitoring, and evaluation.
Sec. 3106. International food relief partnership.
Sec. 3107. Use of commodity credit corporation.
Sec. 3108. Pre-positioning of agricultural commodities and annual report regarding food aid programs and activities.
Sec. 3109. Deadline for agreements to finance sales or to provide other assistance.
Sec. 3110. Minimum level of nonemergency food assistance.
Sec. 3111. Termination date for micronutrient fortification programs.
Sec. 3112. John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter farmer-to-farmer program.
Sec. 3113. Food for Peace Act administration.
Sec. 3201. Agricultural trade promotion and facilitation.
Sec. 3202. Preserving foreign markets for goods using common names.
Sec. 3203. Interagency seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetable working group.
Sec. 3301. Growing American food exports.
Sec. 3302. Food for Progress Act of 1985.
Sec. 3303. Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act.
Sec. 3304. Promotion of agricultural exports to emerging markets.
Sec. 3305. International agricultural education fellowship program.
Sec. 3306. International agriculture cultural immersion and exchange program.
Sec. 3307. International food security technical assistance.
Sec. 3308. McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
Sec. 3309. Global crop diversity trust.
Sec. 3310. Local and regional food aid procurement projects.
Sec. 3311. Agricultural trade enforcement task force.
Sec. 3312. Report on international shrimp trade.
Sec. 3401. Report on modifications to USMCA.
Sec. 3402. Sense of Congress and report on Argentine beef imports.
Sec. 4101. Declaration of policy.
Sec. 4102. Prohibited fees.
Sec. 4103. SNAP staffing flexibility.
Sec. 4104. Updates to administrative processes for SNAP retailers.
Sec. 4105. Report on all identified payment errors.
Sec. 4106. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 4107. Retail food store and recipient trafficking.
Sec. 4108. EBT card security regulations.
Sec. 4109. Report on SNAP administrative expenses.
Sec. 4110. Animal protein an eligible incentive food.
Sec. 4111. Permanent authority for supplemental nutrition assistance program online purchasing.
Sec. 4112. Emergency food assistance programs.
Sec. 4113. Food distribution program on Indian reservations.
Sec. 4201. Commodity distribution program.
Sec. 4202. Commodity supplemental food program.
Sec. 4203. Distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects.
Sec. 4204. Commodity supplemental food program demonstration project for Tribal organizations.
Sec. 4301. Purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to schools and service institutions.
Sec. 4302. Buy American requirements for certain school meals.
Sec. 4303. Reauthorization of the Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program.
Sec. 4304. Food loss and waste reduction liaison annual report.
Sec. 4305. Dairy nutrition incentives projects.
Sec. 4306. Local farmers feeding our communities program.
Sec. 4307. Healthy food financing initiative.
Sec. 4308. Dietary guidelines.
Sec. 5101. Persons eligible for real estate loans.
Sec. 5102. Experience requirements.
Sec. 5103. Refinancing of indebtedness into direct loans.
Sec. 5104. Conservation loan and loan guarantee program.
Sec. 5105. Limitations on amount of farm ownership loans.
Sec. 5106. Inflation percentage.
Sec. 5107. Authority of Farm Credit System institutions to provide financial support for essential rural community facilities projects.
Sec. 5108. Down payment loan program.
Sec. 5109. Heirs property.
Sec. 5110. Prompt approval of loans and loan guarantees.
Sec. 5111. Expedited approval pilot program.
Sec. 5201. Persons eligible for operating loans.
Sec. 5202. Limitations on amount of operating loans.
Sec. 5203. Limitation on microloan amounts.
Sec. 5204. Cooperative lending pilot projects.
Sec. 5301. Persons eligible for emergency loans.
Sec. 5401. Beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot program.
Sec. 5402. Loan authorization levels.
Sec. 5403. Loan fund set-asides.
Sec. 5404. Use of additional funds for direct operating microloans under certain conditions.
Sec. 5501. Extension of credit to businesses providing services to producers or harvesters of aquatic products.
Sec. 5502. Export finance authority.
Sec. 5503. Support for rural water and waste systems.
Sec. 5504. Farm credit system regulation.
Sec. 5505. Loan guarantees.
Sec. 5506. Standards for qualified loans.
Sec. 5507. State agricultural mediation programs.
Sec. 5508. Technical corrections.
Sec. 5509. Report on improving creditworthiness of direct and guaranteed loan borrowers.
Sec. 5510. Farm Credit Administration option to examine low-risk Farm Credit System institutions on a 24-month cycle.
Sec. 6101. Prioritizations for distance learning and telemedicine and community facilities program.
Sec. 6102. Distance learning and telemedicine loans and grants.
Sec. 6201. Rural broadband program loans and grants.
Sec. 6202. Expansion of middle mile infrastructure into rural areas.
Sec. 6203. Innovative broadband advancement program.
Sec. 6204. Community connect grants.
Sec. 6205. Rate regulation.
Sec. 6206. Public notice, assessments, technical assistance, and reporting requirements.
Sec. 6207. Limitation on overbuilding.
Sec. 6301. Rural energy savings program.
Sec. 6302. Promoting precision agriculture.
Sec. 6303. Food supply chain guaranteed loans.
Sec. 6304. New, mobile, and expanded meat processing and rendering grants.
Sec. 6305. Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative.
Sec. 6306. Technical assistance for geographically underserved and distressed areas.
Sec. 6307. Establishment of the Rural Development Innovation Center.
Sec. 6308. Rural Health Liaison report.
Sec. 6401. Water, waste disposal, and wastewater facility grants.
Sec. 6402. Rural water and wastewater circuit rider program.
Sec. 6403. Zero and low interest loans for distressed water systems.
Sec. 6404. Tribal college and university essential community facilities.
Sec. 6405. Emergency and imminent community water assistance grant program.
Sec. 6406. Water systems for rural and native villages in Alaska.
Sec. 6407. Rural decentralized water systems.
Sec. 6408. Assistance to rural entities.
Sec. 6409. Solid waste management grants.
Sec. 6410. Rural business development grants.
Sec. 6411. Rural cooperative development grants.
Sec. 6412. Lender fees in guaranteed loan programs.
Sec. 6413. Locally or regionally produced agricultural food products.
Sec. 6414. Appropriate technology transfer for rural areas program.
Sec. 6415. Rural economic area partnership zones.
Sec. 6416. Intermediary relending program.
Sec. 6417. Rural health care facility assistance.
Sec. 6418. Prohibition on use of loan or grant for certain purposes.
Sec. 6419. Rural Business-Cooperative Service programs technical assistance and training.
Sec. 6420. National Rural Development Partnership.
Sec. 6421. Grants for NOAA weather radio transmitters.
Sec. 6422. Rural microentrepreneur assistance program.
Sec. 6423. Health care services.
Sec. 6424. Strategic economic and community development.
Sec. 6425. Rural innovation stronger economy grant program.
Sec. 6426. Limitation on rural business investment companies controlled by Farm Credit System institutions.
Sec. 6427. Rural business investment program.
Sec. 6428. Technical corrections.
Sec. 6429. Rural water and wastewater technical assistance and training programs.
Sec. 6501. Guarantees for bonds and notes issued for utility infrastructure purposes.
Sec. 6502. Extension of the rural economic development loan and grant program.
Sec. 6503. Expansion of 911 access.
Sec. 7101. National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.
Sec. 7102. Specialty crop committee.
Sec. 7103. Veterinary medicine loan repayment.
Sec. 7104. Veterinary services grant program.
Sec. 7105. Grants and fellowships for food and agriculture sciences education.
Sec. 7106. Agricultural and food policy research centers.
Sec. 7107. Education grants to Alaska Native serving institutions and Native Hawaiian serving institutions.
Sec. 7108. Nutrition education program.
Sec. 7109. Continuing animal health and disease research programs.
Sec. 7110. Extension and agricultural research at 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University.
Sec. 7111. Scholarships for students at 1890 Institutions.
Sec. 7112. Grants to upgrade agricultural and food sciences facilities at 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University.
Sec. 7113. Grants to upgrade agriculture and food sciences facilities and equipment and support tropical and subtropical agricultural research at insular area land-grant colleges and universities.
Sec. 7114. Matching funds requirement for research and extension activities at eligible institutions.
Sec. 7115. New beginning for Tribal students.
Sec. 7116. Education grants programs for Hispanic-serving institutions.
Sec. 7117. Binational agricultural research and development.
Sec. 7118. Grants and partnerships for international agricultural research, extension, and education.
Sec. 7119. Research equipment grants.
Sec. 7120. University research.
Sec. 7121. Extension service.
Sec. 7122. Supplemental and alternative crops.
Sec. 7123. Grants for community college agriculture and natural resources programs.
Sec. 7124. Capacity building grants for NLGCA institutions.
Sec. 7125. Agriculture advanced research and development authority.
Sec. 7126. Aquaculture assistance programs.
Sec. 7127. Special authorization for biosecurity planning and response.
Sec. 7128. Agriculture and food protection grant program.
Sec. 7129. Distance education grants for insular areas.
Sec. 7130. Resident instruction grants for insular areas.
Sec. 7131. Repeals.
Sec. 7201. Sustainable agriculture research and education.
Sec. 7202. National Genetics Resources Program.
Sec. 7203. Agricultural genome to phenome initiative.
Sec. 7204. High-priority research and extension initiatives.
Sec. 7205. Organic agriculture research and extension initiative.
Sec. 7206. Farm business management.
Sec. 7207. Urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production research, education, and extension initiative.
Sec. 7208. Centers of excellence.
Sec. 7209. Assistive technology program for farmers with disabilities.
Sec. 7210. Farming opportunities training and outreach.
Sec. 7211. National Rural Information Center Clearinghouse.
Sec. 7212. Repeal.
Sec. 7213. Researching the transition to organic.
Sec. 7301. National food safety training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance program.
Sec. 7302. Integrated research, education, and extension competitive grants program.
Sec. 7303. Support for research regarding diseases of wheat, triticale, and barley caused by fusarium graminearum or by tilletia indica.
Sec. 7304. Grants for youth organizations.
Sec. 7305. Specialty crop research initiative.
Sec. 7306. Agriculture grants for veteran education and training services.
Sec. 7307. Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database program.
Sec. 7308. Office of Pest Management Policy.
Sec. 7309. Forestry products advanced utilization research.
Sec. 7310. Repeals.
Sec. 7401. Grazinglands research laboratory.
Sec. 7402. Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network.
Sec. 7403. Sun grant program.
Sec. 7404. Repeals.
Sec. 7501. Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994.
Sec. 7502. Research Facilities Act.
Sec. 7503. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
Sec. 7504. Extension design and demonstration initiative.
Sec. 7505. Biomass research and development.
Sec. 7506. Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978.
Sec. 7507. National Aquaculture Act of 1980.
Sec. 7508. Reports on disbursement of funds for agricultural research and extension at 1862 and 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University.
Sec. 7509. Repeal.
Sec. 7510. Amendment to Smith-Lever Act.
Sec. 7601. Foundation for food and agriculture research.
Sec. 7602. Agriculture innovation center demonstration program.
Sec. 7603. Livestock insects laboratory.
Sec. 7604. U.S. Abit Massey National Poultry Research Center.
Sec. 7605. Hatch Act of 1887.
Sec. 7606. Commission on national agricultural statistics service modernization.
Sec. 7607. Restoration of 4–H name and emblem authority.
Sec. 7608. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics.
Sec. 7609. Agricultural Innovation Corps.
Sec. 7610. Study on technical assistance with respect to transfer of agricultural land and assets.
Sec. 8101. Support for State assessments and strategies for forest resources.
Sec. 8102. Forest legacy program technical correction.
Sec. 8103. State and private forest landscape-scale restoration program.
Sec. 8104. Rural fire prevention and control.
Sec. 8201. Promoting cross-boundary wildfire mitigation.
Sec. 8202. Authorization of appropriations for hazardous fuel reduction on Federal land.
Sec. 8203. Water source protection program.
Sec. 8204. Watershed condition framework technical corrections.
Sec. 8205. Authorization of appropriations to combat insect infestations and related diseases.
Sec. 8206. Insect and disease infestation.
Sec. 8207. Stewardship end result contracting projects.
Sec. 8301. National and regional agroforestry centers.
Sec. 8302. National Forest Foundation Act.
Sec. 8303. Conveyances and leases of forest service administrative sites.
Sec. 8304. Forest inventory and analysis.
Sec. 8305. Reforestation, nursery, and seed orchard support.
Sec. 8401. Categorical exclusion for high priority hazard trees.
Sec. 8402. Collaborative restoration projects.
Sec. 8403. Wildfire resilience project size.
Sec. 8404. Fuel breaks in forests and other wildland vegetation.
Sec. 8405. Greater sage-grouse and mule deer habitat.
Sec. 8406. Categorical exclusion for electric utility lines rights-of-way.
Sec. 8407. Forest management activities on National Forest System lands.
Sec. 8408. Suppression of wildfires.
Sec. 8411. No additional consultation required.
Sec. 8412. Good neighbor authority.
Sec. 8413. Collaborative forest landscape restoration program.
Sec. 8414. Public-private wildfire technology deployment and testbed partnership.
Sec. 8415. Forest service participation in experienced services program.
Sec. 8416. Timber sales on National Forest System land.
Sec. 8417. Permits and agreements with electrical utilities.
Sec. 8418. Utilizing grazing for wildfire risk reduction.
Sec. 8419. Joint chiefs landscape restoration partnership program.
Sec. 8420. Tribal forest management program technical correction.
Sec. 8431. Community wood facilities program.
Sec. 8432. Wood innovation grant program.
Sec. 8433. Forest and wood products data tracker.
Sec. 8434. Biochar application demonstration project.
Sec. 8501. Rural revitalization technologies.
Sec. 8502. Resource advisory committees.
Sec. 8503. Accurate hazardous fuels reduction reports.
Sec. 8504. Special use authorization rental fee waiver.
Sec. 8505. Charges and fees for harvest of forest botanical products.
Sec. 8506. Forest service legacy road and trail remediation program transparency.
Sec. 8507. Direct hire authority.
Sec. 8508. Improving the emergency forest restoration program.
Sec. 8509. Exemption for previously analyzed areas of National Forest System Lands.
Sec. 8510. Release of reversionary interest in Black River State Forest.
Sec. 8511. Doug LaMalfa Secure Rural Schools Act.
Sec. 8512. Minor range improvements under Forest Service grazing permits.
Sec. 8601. Short title.
Sec. 8602. White oak restoration initiative coalition.
Sec. 8603. Forest service pilot program.
Sec. 8604. White oak regeneration and upland oak habitat.
Sec. 8605. Tree nursery shortages.
Sec. 9001. Definition of advanced biofuel.
Sec. 9002. Biobased markets program.
Sec. 9003. Biorefinery assistance.
Sec. 9004. Bioproduct labeling terminology.
Sec. 9005. Bioenergy program for advanced biofuels.
Sec. 9006. Biodiesel Fuel Education Program.
Sec. 9007. Rural Energy for America Program.
Sec. 9008. Feedstock flexibility.
Sec. 9009. Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
Sec. 9010. Carbon utilization and biogas education program.
Sec. 9011. Study on effects of solar panel installations on covered farmland.
Sec. 9012. Limitation on USDA funding for ground-mounted solar energy systems.
Sec. 9013. Sustainable aviation fuels strategy.
Sec. 9014. Leveraging efficiency awareness for pumping systems.
Sec. 9015. Adding waste energy recovery to the Rural Energy for America Program.
Sec. 10001. Specialty crop block grants.
Sec. 10002. Specialty crops market news allocation.
Sec. 10003. Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.
Sec. 10004. National Plant Diagnostics Network.
Sec. 10005. Hemp production.
Sec. 10006. Pilot program for the intra-organizational movement of genetically engineered microorganisms by certain authorized parties.
Sec. 10101. Marketing orders.
Sec. 10102. Local agriculture market program.
Sec. 10103. Acer access and development program.
Sec. 10104. Organic production and market data initiative.
Sec. 10105. Organic certification.
Sec. 10106. Report on procurement.
Sec. 10107. Definitions of risk to organic integrity and oversight protocols.
Sec. 10108. Modernization of inspection requirements.
Sec. 10109. Study and reform of National Organic Program oversight protocols.
Sec. 10201. Exclusion of certain substances.
Sec. 10202. Coordination.
Sec. 10203. Interagency working group.
Sec. 10204. Registration review.
Sec. 10205. Uniformity of pesticide labeling requirements.
Sec. 10206. Authority of States.
Sec. 10207. Lawful use of authorized pesticides.
Sec. 10211. Multiple crop and pesticide use survey.
Sec. 10212. Safe harbor for certain discharges of wildland fire chemicals.
Sec. 10213. Office of Biotechnology Policy.
Sec. 11001. Specialty Crop Advisory Committee.
Sec. 11002. Identification of holders of substantial interests.
Sec. 11003. Actuarial soundness of certain new products.
Sec. 11004. Coverage of revenue losses.
Sec. 11005. Limitation on farm program participation.
Sec. 11006. Limitation on interest accrual.
Sec. 11007. Crop insurance support for beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers.
Sec. 11008. Marketability.
Sec. 11009. Reimbursement rates for administrative and operating costs.
Sec. 11010. Quality loss adjustment coverage.
Sec. 11011. Pilot program to review effectiveness of coverage penalty.
Sec. 11012. Whole farm improvements.
Sec. 11013. Program compliance and integrity.
Sec. 11014. Research and development priorities.
Sec. 11015. Report on Standard Reinsurance Agreement.
Sec. 11016. Hurricane insurance protection-wind index report.
Sec. 11017. Risk management study for lamb.
Sec. 11018. Study on livestock risk protection policy with respect to producers of feeder cattle affected by adverse weather events.
Sec. 12001. Animal disease prevention and management.
Sec. 12002. Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program review and report.
Sec. 12003. Additional training facilities for National Detector Dog Training Center.
Sec. 12004. Regionalization, zoning, and compartmentalization agreements.
Sec. 12005. Importation of live dogs.
Sec. 12006. Ensuring the free movement of livestock-derived products in interstate commerce.
Sec. 12007. Report on support for livestock and poultry producers during a foreign animal disease outbreak.
Sec. 12008. Protection of greyhounds.
Sec. 12009. Animal fighting.
Sec. 12111. Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A–PLUS).
Sec. 12112. Hazard analysis and critical control point guidance and resources for small and very small poultry and meat establishments.
Sec. 12113. Outreach on cooperative interstate shipment.
Sec. 12114. Pilot program to support custom slaughter establishments.
Sec. 12201. Office of Homeland Security.
Sec. 12202. Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.
Sec. 12203. Burden of proof for national appeals division hearings.
Sec. 12204. Termination of authority.
Sec. 12205. Functions of the Office of Tribal Relations.
Sec. 12301. Agricultural foreign investment disclosure improvements.
Sec. 12302. Report on agricultural land purchasing activities in the United States by countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism and certain other countries.
Sec. 12303. Investigative actions.
Sec. 12304. Digitization and consolidation of foreign land ownership data collection and publication.
Sec. 12305. CFIUS consideration of certain agricultural land transactions.
Sec. 12401. Commission on Farm Transitions—Needs for 2050.
Sec. 12402. Report on personnel.
Sec. 12403. Improvements to United States Drought Monitor.
Sec. 12404. Reports on land access and farmland ownership data collection.
Sec. 12405. Increasing transparency regarding detention of imported plants.
Sec. 12406. Enhancement of pet protections.
Sec. 12407. Protecting animals with shelter.
Sec. 12408. Report on available assistance to agricultural producers in the State of Texas that have suffered economic losses due to the failure of Mexico to deliver water.
Sec. 12409. Qualified renewable biomass.
Sec. 12410. Whole milk under the school breakfast program.
Sec. 12411. Spotted lanternfly awareness campaign.
Sec. 12412. Rio Grande Valley agricultural water interagency working group.
Sec. 12413. Cost-share grants for rollover protection structures.
In this Act:
Section 1602 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9092) is amended by striking “2023” each place it appears and inserting “2031”.
(a) Definitions.—Section 1501(e)(1) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)(1)) is amended—
(b) Economic viability.—Section 1501(e)(2)(A) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)(2)(A)) is amended—
(2) by striking “to provide assistance—” and inserting “to provide assistance under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (3) to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that planted trees for commercial purposes but lost the trees or the trees no longer produce an economically viable crop as a result of a natural disaster, as determined by the Secretary.”.
(c) Assistance.—Section 1501(e)(3) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)(3)) is amended in the matter before subparagraph (A) by striking “and (5)” and inserting “, (5), (6), and (7)”.
(d) Requirements with respect to assistance.—Section 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(6) TIMING REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower shall agree, as a condition on receipt of assistance under this subsection, to carry out any replacement and rehabilitation activities for which such assistance is provided not later than—
“(7) ALTERNATIVES USED IN REPLANTING.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower receiving assistance under this subsection with respect to tree loss may use such assistance to replant using—
“(B) COST SHARE LIMITATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ALTERNATIVES.—The assistance provided by the Secretary to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers—
“(i) for losses described in subparagraph (A)(i), shall be an amount that is not greater than the amount the eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower would receive if the eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower planted the variety lost;
(e) Deadline for notice regarding application status.—Section 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9801(e)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
(f) Initial payments under tree assistance program.—Section 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(9) INITIAL PAYMENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower may opt to receive an initial assistance payment with respect to losses described in paragraph (2) before incurring the costs described in paragraph (3) relating to such losses.
“(B) AMOUNT.—An initial assistance payment under subparagraph (A) shall be in an amount that is equal to the fair market value of the estimated costs described in paragraph (3) that the eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower is likely to incur with respect to losses described in paragraph (2), as determined by the Secretary.
“(C) SUBSEQUENT PAYMENT.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower that opts to receive an initial payment under subparagraph (A) with respect to losses described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall, as soon as practicable after providing such initial payment, provide a subsequent payment to the eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower in an amount equal to—
“(ii) OVERPAYMENT.—If an initial payment under subparagraph (B) with respect to losses described in paragraph (2) is greater than the amount an eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower would have received under paragraph (3) or pursuant to paragraph (5) for such losses, such eligible orchardist or nursery tree grower shall repay the Secretary the excess amount.
(a) In general.—The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 is amended by inserting after section 196 (7 U.S.C. 7333) the following:
“SEC. 196A. Specialty crop emergency assistance framework.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a framework to provide direct assistance to producers of specialty crops the production of which was impacted by an adverse event (including an economic crisis or market disruption), as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with this section.
“(b) Payment calculation.—In determining a payment calculation for purposes of direct assistance to a producer of specialty crops under subsection (a), the Secretary shall calculate payments based on—
“(1) the producer’s sales of specialty crops for a calendar year that precedes the year in which the adverse event described in such subsection occurred or the average of such sales over a set of consecutive calendar years that precedes the year in which such adverse event occurred, as determined by the Secretary; multiplied by
“(c) Special rules.—Subject to subsection (d), in providing direct assistance pursuant to this section, the Secretary shall consider—
“(d) Limitations.—
“(1) TOTAL AMOUNT.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the total amount of payments received, directly or indirectly, by a person or legal entity (except a qualified pass-through entity) (as such terms are defined in section 1001(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308(a))) for any crop year under this section may not exceed the amount specified in subsection (b) of section 1001 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308), as adjusted pursuant to subsection (i) of such section 1001.
“(B) EXCEPTION.—In the case of a person or legal entity with an average gross income (as calculated under section 1001D(b)(4)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3a(b)(4)(B))) for which greater than or equal to 75 percent of the average derives from farming, ranching, or silviculture activities—
“(2) NOTIFICATION OF INTERESTS; ELIGIBILITY; DENIALS.—Sections 1001A(a), 1001B, and 1001C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–1(a); 1308–2; 1308–3) shall apply to a producer of a specialty crop under this section in the same manner as such sections apply to a person or legal entity with respect to a covered commodity, except to the extent such sections relate to the application of subsections (b) through (d) of section 1001A.”.
(a) In general.—Subtitle E of title I of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 1502. Assistance in the form of block grants.
“(a) In general.—In the case additional funds made available after the date of the enactment of this section for covered losses, the Secretary may make assistance for such losses available in the form of block grants.
(a) Forward pricing.—Section 1502 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8772) is amended by striking subsection (e).
(b) Indemnity program.—Section 3 of Public Law 90–484 (7 U.S.C. 4553) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(c) Promotion and research.—Section 113(e)(2) of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 4504(e)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 273 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1637b) is amended—
(3) in subsection (d)—
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking “this section” and inserting “subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (b)(1)”; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) DAIRY PRODUCT PROCESSING COSTS.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall publish a report containing the information obtained under subparagraph (C) of subsection (b)(1), subject to the conditions described in subsection (b)(2).”;
Paragraph (4) of section 301 of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 4514) is amended by striking “Not later” and all that follows through “an annual report” and inserting “With respect to each calendar year beginning after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, a report (which shall be submitted not later than 18 months after the last day of such calendar year)”.
(a) Marketing assistance loans.—Section 1204 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9034) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(b) Loans under sugar program.—Section 156(d) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 1614(a) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8789(a)) is amended—
(a) In general.—Subtitle C of title I of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–79) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 1302. Strengthening domestic food production supply chains.
“(a) In general.—With respect to any Federal policy that would impact the administration of the programs described in this subtitle or any rule, policy, or guidance issued pursuant to such programs, the preservation and strengthening of the domestic production described in subsection (b) shall be a priority objective of the President.
(a) Administration.—Section 1601(c) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9091(c)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking “this title, sections 11003 and 11017, title I of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and the amendments made by that title, and section 10109 of that Act” and inserting “a covered provision of law”; and
(b) Loan implementation.—Section 1614(d) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9097(d)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking “subtitle B” the first place it appears and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting “a covered provision of law.”;
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
“(A) COVERED PROVISION OF LAW.—The term ‘covered provision of law’ means—
“(ii) the amendments made by subtitle B or C of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, except with respect to the assistance provided under sections 1207(c) and 1208; and
“(iii) section 156 of the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272).
“(B) REPAYMENT PROVISIONS.—The term ‘repayment provisions’ means the repayment requirements under—
“(ii) section 156 of the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272).”.
Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714c) is amended by striking “(other than tobacco)” each place such term appears.
Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “subtitles A through I:” and inserting “subtitles A through J:”;
(2) in paragraph (14), by striking “term ‘Indian tribe’ has the meaning given the term” and inserting “terms ‘Indian tribe’ and ‘Indian Tribe’ have the meaning given those terms”;
(4) by inserting after paragraph (19) the following:
“(20) PRECISION AGRICULTURE.—The term ‘precision agriculture’ means managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs, including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time, at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity and biological targeting to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality.
“(21) PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘precision agriculture technology’ means any technology (including targeted inputs and the equipment that is necessary for the deployment of such technology) that directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or livestock production, including—
Section 1222(k)(1)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3822(k)(1)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
(a) In general.—Section 1231(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(a)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(b) Eligible land.—Section 1231(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(b)) is amended—
(c) Enrollment.—
(1) MAXIMUM ACREAGE ENROLLED.—Section 1231(d)(1)(E) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)(1)(E)) is amended by striking “fiscal year 2023” and inserting “each of fiscal years 2023 through 2031”.
(2) GRASSLANDS.—Section 1231(d)(2)(A)(ii)(III) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)(2)(A)(ii)(III)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(3) STATE ENROLLMENT RATES.—Section 1231(d)(4) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)(4)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2026 through 2031” each place it appears.
(4) CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT PROCEDURE.—Section 1231(d)(6)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(d)(6)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
Section 1231B(a)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831b(a)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1240A(6)(B)(v) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–1(6)(B)(v)) is amended by inserting “(including the adoption of precision agriculture practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture technology)” after “planning”.
(a) Payments.—
(1) SPECIAL RULE INVOLVING PAYMENTS FOR FOREGONE INCOME.—Section 1240B(d)(3)(F) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(3)(F)) is amended by inserting “and wildlife habitat connectivity” before “; or”.
(2) OTHER PAYMENTS.—Section 1240B(d)(6) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(6)) is amended—
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(B) CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM PAYMENTS.—
(3) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR HIGH-PRIORITY PRACTICES.—Section 1240B(d)(7) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(7)) is amended—
(4) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE.—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 PRECISION AGRICULTURE PRACTICES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the Secretary may increase the amount that would otherwise be provided for a practice under this subsection to not more than 90 percent of the costs associated with adopting precision agriculture practices and acquiring precision agriculture technology for the purpose of implementing conservation practices.”.
(5) COST-SHARE PAYMENTS FOR GRASSLAND.—Section 1240B(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(9) COST-SHARE PAYMENTS FOR GRASSLAND ENROLLED IN THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM.—
(b) Allocation of funding.—Section 1240B(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(f)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(c) Water conservation or irrigation efficiency practice.—Section 1240B(h)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(h)(1)) is amended—
(d) Payments for conservation practice related to organic production.—Section 1240B(i)(3)(A)(ii) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(i)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023, $140,000” and inserting “2027 through 2031, $200,000”.
(e) Conservation incentive contracts.—Section 1240B(j)(2)(A)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(j)(2)(A)(i)) is amended by inserting “(which may include the adoption of precision agriculture practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture technology)” after “incentive practices”.
(f) 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 under the program to producers to implement conservation practices on covered lands of such producers that address and repair covered damage that may contribute to a natural resource concern or problem.
“(2) CONTRACT TERM.—In the case of a contract under the program entered into for the implementation of practices described in paragraph (1), such contract shall have a term of 1 year.
Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–7) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
(a) Competitive grants for innovative conservation approaches.—Section 1240H(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(a)) is amended—
(1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
“(1) GRANTS.—Out of the funds made available to carry out this subchapter, the Secretary may award competitive grants that are intended to stimulate development and evaluation of new and innovative approaches to leveraging the Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production or forest resource management, through the program, including grants for the development and evaluation of new and innovative technologies that may be incorporated into conservation practice standards.”; and
(b) On-Farm conservation innovation trials.—Section 1240H(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(c)(1)(B)(i)) is amended—
(c) Reporting and database.—Section 1240H(d)(2)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(d)(2)(A)) is amended—
(1) in clause (i)—
Section 1240J(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–22(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “and except as provided in paragraph (3),” after “paragraph (2),”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) COST-SHARE PAYMENTS FOR GRASSLAND ENROLLED IN THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide payments under the program for costs associated with planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training, for the purpose of a wildlife corridor, with respect to eligible land that is—
“(B) LIMITATION.—A producer shall not be eligible for payments under subparagraph (A) for a conservation activity if the producer receives payments or other benefits for the same conservation activity on the same land under this title.
“(C) EMERGENCY GRAZING AND HAYING ACCESS PRESERVED.—No priority resource concern, practice, or incentive pertaining to restoration and enhancement of wildlife habitat connectivity and wildlife migration corridors on the acres described above will prevent or alter emergency grazing and haying access for grassland acres enrolled in the conservation reserve program.”.
(a) Conservation stewardship payments.—Section 1240L(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)) is amended—
(b) Supplemental payments for resource-Conserving crop rotations and advanced grazing management.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amended—
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking “and advanced grazing management” and inserting “, advanced grazing management, and precision agriculture”;
(c) Payment limitations.—Section 1240L(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(f)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Subchapter B of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–21 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 1240L–2. State assistance for soil health.
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) ELIGIBLE INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘eligible Indian Tribe’ means an Indian Tribe that is—
“(b) Availability and purpose of grants.—For fiscal years 2027 through 2031, the Secretary shall make grants to eligible States and eligible Indian Tribes for the purpose of improving soil health on agricultural lands through the implementation of State and Tribal soil health programs.
“(c) Applications.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under this section, an eligible State or eligible Indian Tribe shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such a manner, and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, which shall include—
“(d) Grants.—
“(e) Audits and reviews.—An eligible State or eligible Indian Tribe receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary—
“(f) Effect of noncompliance.—If the Secretary, after reasonable notice to an eligible State or eligible Indian Tribe receiving a grant under this section, finds that the State or Indian Tribe has failed to comply with the terms of the grant, the Secretary may disqualify, for 1 or more years, the State or Indian Tribe from receipt of future grants under this section.
“(g) Funding.—Of the funds made available to carry out this subchapter, $100,000,000 shall be available in each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this section.
Section 1240M(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Feral swine eradication and control program.—Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 1240M the following:
“SEC. 1240N. Feral swine eradication and control program.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a feral swine eradication and control program (in this section referred to as the ‘program’) to respond to the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and human and animal health.
“(b) Duties of the Secretary.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall—
“(c) Assistance.—The Secretary may provide financial assistance to agricultural producers under the program to implement methods to—
“(d) Coordination.—The Secretary shall ensure that the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service coordinate for purposes of this section through State technical committees established under section 1261(a).
“(e) Cost Sharing.—
“(f) Threatened area defined.—In this section, the term ‘threatened area’ means an area of a State in which feral swine have been identified as a threat to agriculture, native ecosystems, or human and animal health, as determined by the Secretary.
“(g) Funding.—
“(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section $75,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2019 through 2023, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, and $150,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2025 through 2031.
“(2) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made available under paragraph (1)—
“(h) Coordination and cooperation with a land-grant college or university.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall direct the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to enter into a contract with 1 or more land-grant colleges or universities to assist with the program in achieving its goals.
“(2) ELIGIBLE LAND-GRANT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.—A land-grant college or university is eligible to enter into a contract under paragraph (1) if such college or university—
“(A) has developed and implemented a system of evaluating damages from feral swine and effectiveness of control efforts in response to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334);
“(3) ROLE OF THE LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—A land-grant college or university that enters into a contract under paragraph (1) shall, as a condition on entering into such a contract, assist the program by acting as a strategic, neutral entity that is able to advance the program beyond the expertise of the Department to achieve the stated goals of the program by—
“(A) identifying and carrying out research on novel methods of feral swine control and land remediation;
“(B) assisting in establishing strategic areas for feral swine control based on data collected in response to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018;
“(4) FUNDING.—Funding made available under (g)(2) shall be available to fund activities under this subsection, as determined by the Secretary.
“(5) LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘land-grant college or university’ has the meaning given the term ‘land-grant colleges and universities’ in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103).”.
(b) Repeal.—Section 2408 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8351 note) is repealed.
(a) Assistance to local organizations.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(a) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1003(a)) is amended by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7) and inserting after paragraph (5) the following:
(2) ASSISTANCE FOR REMEDIAL ACTIONS; STREAMLINING.—Section 3 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1003) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(c) Assistance for remedial actions.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection (a)(6), the Secretary may provide technical and financial assistance to local organizations for remedial actions for a completed work of improvement installed under this Act with respect to which—
“(A) deterioration of a structural component of the work of improvement is occurring at an abnormal rate, including situations in which such deterioration is due to a design deficiency or to site conditions that were unknown at the time of installation of the work of improvement;
“(d) Streamlining.—The Secretary shall, on an ongoing basis—
“(1) engage with relevant Federal agencies to reduce or eliminate regulatory, policy, or procedural barriers to timely provision of assistance under this Act;
“(2) provide for streamlined procedures relating to coordination with other Federal or State agencies for required reviews and permitting of projects pursuant to this Act, and ensure such procedures are commensurate with the size and scale of the projects;
(b) Data.—Section 13 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1010) is amended to read as follows:
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall collect and maintain, and make publicly available—
“(1) data, on a national and State-by-State basis, concerning—
“(2) data, with respect to each project for which assistance is provided under this Act, concerning—
“(A) total allocated and expended funds for planning, design, construction, remedial actions, and rehabilitation; and
(c) Rehabilitation of structural measures near, at, or past their evaluated life expectancy.—
(1) COST SHARE ASSISTANCE FOR REHABILITATION.—Section 14(b) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012(b)) is amended—
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) RELATION TO REQUIREMENTS OF AUTHORIZED PROJECTS.—A rehabilitation project for which assistance is provided under this section shall not be subject to—
(2) FUNDING.—Section 14(h)(2)(E) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012(h)(2)(E)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 401 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting “and other emergency conservation measures” after “fencing”;
(B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
“(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a payment to an agricultural producer under subsection (a) for the repair or replacement of fencing, or for other emergency measures to rehabilitate farmland or to repair or replace a farmland or conservation structure, the Secretary shall give the agricultural producer the option of receiving—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(c) Wildfires.—A wildfire that causes damage with respect to which a payment may be made under subsection (a) includes any wildfire that is not caused naturally, including a wildfire that is caused by the Federal Government, if the damage is caused by the spread of the fire due to natural causes.”.
(a) Floodplain easements.—Section 403(b) of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203(b)) is amended—
(2) by inserting before paragraph (5), as so redesignated, the following:
“(1) EASEMENT RESTORATION.—The Secretary is authorized to restore appropriate vegetative cover, hydrological functions, and other functions and values of the land subject to a floodplain easement acquired under subsection (a).
“(2) EASEMENT MAINTENANCE.—The Secretary is authorized to monitor, maintain, and enhance appropriate vegetative cover, hydrological restoration measures, and other restoration measures on land subject to a floodplain easement acquired under subsection (a).
(b) Level of restoration.—Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(c) Level of restoration.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary may undertake measures that increase the level of protection above that which would be necessary to address the immediate impairment of the watershed if the Secretary determines that such restoration is in the best interest of the long-term health of the watershed and the long-term protection of the watershed from repetitive impairments.”.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a national agriculture flood vulnerability report containing the results of a Conservation Effects Assessment Project assessment of flood risk on agricultural lands, including—
(1) an analysis of economic losses of crops and livestock resulting from flooding under different recurrence scenarios;
(2) an analysis of the downstream effects of mitigation activities carried out as part of a watershed management approach;
The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives the results of a study on the environmental benefits of using winter wheat as a cover crop, including use as a cover crop that is removed during harvest.
(a) Annual funding.—Section 1241(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(a)) is amended—
(b) Regional equity.—Section 1241(e)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(e)(1)) is amended by striking “subtitle I” and inserting “subtitle J”.
(c) Acceptance and use of contributions for public-Private partnerships.—Section 1241(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)) is amended—
(d) Report on program enrollments and assistance.—Section 1241(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(i)) is amended—
(a) Definitions.—Section 1242(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(a)) is amended—
(b) Purpose of technical assistance.—Section 1242(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(b)) is amended by inserting “timely,” after “consistent,”.
(c) Non-Federal assistance.—Section 1242(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(d)) is amended by inserting “(including private sector entities)” after “Department or non-Federal entities”.
(d) Certification of third-Party providers.—Section 1242(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(e)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking “Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008” and inserting “Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026”;
(2) by amending paragraph (3)(A) to read as follows:
“(A) ensure that persons (including commercial entities, nonprofit entities, State or local governments or agencies, and other Federal agencies) with expertise in the technical aspects of conservation planning, watershed planning, environmental engineering, conservation practice design, implementation, and evaluation, and any other technical skills determined appropriate by the Secretary, are eligible to become approved providers of the technical assistance;”; and
(3) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5) and inserting the following:
“(4) CERTIFICATION.—A third-party provider may be certified to provide technical assistance under this section only—
“(A) through a certification process administered by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
“(B) by a non-Federal entity (other than a State agency or an Indian Tribe) approved by the Secretary under paragraph (5) to certify a third-party provider;
“(5) NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING ENTITY.—
“(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF APPROVAL PROCESS.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall establish a process to approve a non-Federal entity (including a State agency and an Indian Tribe), to become a non-Federal certifying entity.
“(B) APPROVAL.—Not later than 60 days after the date on which the Secretary receives an application by a non-Federal entity to certify third-party providers under this section, the Secretary shall make a decision on whether to approve such application.
“(C) ELIGIBILITY.—In carrying out subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall take into consideration—
“(i) the ability of the applicable non-Federal entity to assess the qualifications of a third-party provider and to certify third-party providers at scale;
“(ii) the experience of the applicable non-Federal entity in working with third-party providers and eligible participants;
“(D) AGREEMENT.—Upon approving an application under this paragraph, the Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the non-Federal entity to become a non-Federal certifying entity.
“(E) DUTIES OF NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING ENTITIES.—In certifying third-party providers under this section, a non-Federal certifying entity shall—
“(i) assess the ability of a third-party provider to appropriately provide technical assistance to eligible participants for specified practices and conservation activities;
“(ii) provide training to ensure that a third-party provider is qualified to provide technical assistance upon certification by the non-Federal certifying entity; and
“(6) TIMELY DECISIONS.—
“(A) CERTIFICATION BY SECRETARY.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives an application from a third-party provider to be certified under the process described in paragraph (4)(A) for particular practices and conservation activities, the Secretary shall—
“(B) CERTIFICATION BY NON-FEDERAL CERTIFYING ENTITY.—Not later than 10 days after the date on which the Secretary receives a notification from a non-Federal certifying entity that a third-party provider was certified, pursuant to subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph (4), for particular practices and conservation activities, the Secretary shall include the name of the certified third-party provider on the registry of certified third-party providers maintained by the Secretary.
“(7) STREAMLINED CERTIFICATION.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall establish a streamlined process for the Secretary and non-Federal certifying entities to use to certify under this section a third-party provider that has a relevant professional certification for particular practices and conservation activities, as determined by the Secretary.”.
(e) Administration.—Section 1242(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(f)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking “each of the programs specified in section 1241” and inserting “conservation programs administered by the Secretary”;
(2) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “or a non-Federal certifying entity” before “under this section”;
(3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
“(3) UPDATE OF CERTIFICATION PROCESS BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and periodically thereafter, the Secretary shall—
(5) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:
“(5) PAYMENT AMOUNT.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—For payments provided by the Secretary under paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (c), the Secretary shall determine payment amounts for technical assistance provided by third-party providers, which shall be at rates equivalent to, but that do not exceed, the cost to the Secretary of providing technical assistance directly to an eligible participant.
“(6) TRANSPARENCY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and periodically thereafter, the Secretary shall make publicly available information on—
“(B) the certification process under this section, including—
(6) by adding at the end the following:
“(7) SOIL HEALTH PLANNING.—The Secretary shall emphasize the use of third-party providers in providing technical assistance for soil health planning, including planning related to the use of cover crops, precision agriculture practices, comprehensive nutrient management planning, and other innovative plans.”.
(f) Review of conservation practice standards.—Section 1242(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(h)) is amended—
(2) in paragraph (1)—
(D) by adding at the end the following:
“(E) provide a process for public input on each conservation practice standard under such review, including a process for consideration of State and local input;
(3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
“(3) PROCESS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERIM AND NEW CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARDS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall develop a streamlined process under which the Secretary shall establish interim conservation practice standards and new conservation practice standards.
“(B) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the streamlined process under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall—
“(i) ensure that the public can engage with the Department of Agriculture, including by recommending interim conservation practice standards; and
“(ii) establish—
“(I) the types of data, metrics, and other relevant information that are necessary for the establishment of interim conservation practice standards and new conservation practice standards;
“(C) CONSIDERATIONS.—In establishing an interim conservation practice standard or a new conservation practice standard under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider—
“(i) input from State technical committees on recommendations that identify innovations or advancements in conservation practices;
“(ii) technological advancements, including advancements from projects developed under section 1240H;
“(D) INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY.—In reviewing conservation practice standards under this subsection, the Secretary shall prioritize the review of interim conservation practice standards and new conservation practice standards that integrate innovative technologies, including—
“(ii) biological fertilizers, biostimulants, enhanced efficiency fertilizers, and other tools determined by the Secretary to reduce nutrient loss;
(4) in paragraph (4)—
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(5) OFFICE OF CONSERVATION INNOVATION.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish within the Office of the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service an Office of Conservation Innovation (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘Office’) which shall be under the direct supervision of the Chief.
“(C) STAFF.—The Chief shall detail to the Office not more than 6 employees of the Department of Agriculture who are technical specialists that possess an understanding of conventional, organic, and other production techniques, representing—
“(i) agronomy and agroecology (including soil health, biological nutrient sources, and compatible cover cropping systems);
(g) Direct hire authority.—Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(j) NRCS direct hire authority.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code (other than sections 3303 and 3328 of such title), qualified candidates, as described in paragraph (2), directly to positions within the Natural Resources Conservation Service that provide technical assistance under conservation programs administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
(h) Addressing barriers to wildlife habitat connectivity.—Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(k) Addressing barriers to wildlife habitat connectivity.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall—
(a) Tenant protections.—Section 1244(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(d)) is amended by striking “I.” and inserting “J.”.
(b) Acreage limitations.—Section 1244(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(f)) is amended—
(c) Review and guidance for practice costs and payment rates.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1244(j)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(j)(1)) is amended—
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, and not later than October 1 of each year thereafter, the Secretary shall” and inserting “The Secretary shall establish a process under which the Secretary shall annually”;
(B) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:
“(A) review, with respect to each State, the actual practice costs and rates of payments (or, where actual practice costs and rates of payments are not available, estimates of such practice costs and rates) made to producers pursuant to programs under this title for practices on eligible land; and”; and
(2) GUIDANCE; REVIEW.—Section 1244(j)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(j)(2)) is amended—
(3) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS.—Section 1244(j) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(j)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(3) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS.—In order to provide rates of payments that are commensurate with the costs of implementing practices pursuant to programs under this title, the Secretary shall establish processes and procedures for updating rates of payments under a contract or agreement in effect under this title to reflect the appropriate practice costs and rates of payments determined under paragraph (2)(B) for the year in which the practice is implemented.”.
(d) Source water protection through targeting of agricultural practices.—Section 1244(n) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(n)) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.—Beginning on the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall make publicly available—
(e) Encouragement of habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors.—Section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(q) Encouragement of habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors.—In carrying out any conservation program administered by the Secretary, the Secretary may, as appropriate, encourage the use of conservation practices that support the development, restoration, and maintenance of habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors.”.
Section 1265A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865a) is amended—
(a) Availability of assistance.—Section 1265B(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b) is amended—
(b) Cost-Share assistance.—
(1) SCOPE OF ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE.—Section 1265B(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(2)) is amended—
(A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:
“(A) FEDERAL SHARE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—An agreement described in paragraph (4) shall provide for a Federal share determined by the Secretary of an amount not to exceed 65 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement, as determined by the Secretary using—
“(ii) SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS EXCEPTION.—In the case of eligible land with respect to which a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher holds an ownership interest of not less than 50 percent, the Secretary may provide an amount not to exceed 90 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
“(C) LOWER COST-SHARE OPTION.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding paragraph (4)(C)(v), an eligible entity may elect to enter into an agreement under paragraph (4) in which the terms and conditions of an agricultural land easement funded under the agreement do not include a right of enforcement for the Secretary if the eligible entity agrees to a Federal share that does not exceed 25 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement, as determined by the Secretary under subparagraph (A).
“(ii) MINIMUM TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Under an agreement described in clause (i), an eligible entity shall be authorized to use its own terms and conditions for agricultural land easements so long as the Secretary determines such terms and conditions—
(2) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF APPLICATIONS.—Section 1265B(b)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(F) POOLING OF APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary may evaluate and rank applications submitted by eligible entities for the purchase of agricultural land easements from landowners who are socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers separately from applications submitted for the purchase of agricultural land easements from other landowners.”.
(3) AGREEMENTS WITH ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Section 1265B(b)(4) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (42 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(4)) is amended—
(A) in subparagraph (C)—
(v) by adding at the end the following:
“(v) include a right of enforcement for the Secretary that—
“(I) may be used only if the terms and conditions of the easement are not enforced by the eligible entity; and
(4) CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Section 1265B(b)(5) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865b(b)(5)) is amended—
(A) in subparagraph (A)—
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “under which the Secretary may” and inserting “, to minimize administrative burdens on the Secretary and recognize the ability of experienced eligible entities to administer easements with minimal oversight by the Secretary, under which the Secretary shall”; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)—
(a) Easements.—Section 1265C(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c(b)) is amended—
(b) Easement restoration.—Section 1265C(c)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c(c)(1)) is amended by striking “subsection (f)” and inserting “subsection (g)”.
(c) Easement stewardship.—Section 1265C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c) is amended—
(2) by inserting after subsection (c), the following:
“(d) Easement stewardship.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide financial assistance to owners of eligible land enrolled under this section for the repair, necessary maintenance, and enhancement activities described in the wetland reserve easement plan developed for the eligible land under subsection (g)(1).
“(2) EVALUATION OF STEWARDSHIP NEED.—The Secretary shall—
“(A) regularly assess land enrolled under this section to identify maintenance and management needs, including any needed repair or enhancement of existing structural practices, in accordance with the applicable wetland reserve easement plan;
“(3) PAYMENTS.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall make payments in an amount that is not more than 100 percent of the eligible costs, as determined by the Secretary.
“(4) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes—
“(A) an inventory of the existing stewardship needs of all wetland reserve easements, based on the assessments carried out under paragraph (2);
(d) Assistance.—Subsection (e) of section 1265C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c), as so redesignated, is amended—
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
“(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into 1 or more contracts or agreements with a Federal, State, or local agency, a nongovernmental organization, an Indian Tribe, or a private entity to carry out necessary restoration, enhancement, maintenance, repair, assessment, or monitoring of a wetland reserve easement if the Secretary determines that the contract or agreement will advance the purposes of the program.”.
(e) Wetland reserve enhancement option.—Subsection (f) of section 1265C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865c), as so redesignated, is amended—
(a) Subordination, exchange, modification, and termination.—Section 1265D(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865d(c)) is amended—
(1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
“(2) MODIFICATION AND EXCHANGE OF INTEREST IN LAND.—
“(A) MODIFICATION.—
“(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may approve a modification of any interest in land, or portion of such interest, administered by the Secretary, either directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, under the program if the Secretary determines that the modification—
“(ii) LIMITATION.—In modifying an interest in land, or portion of such interest, under this subparagraph, the Secretary may not, except in the case of a modification that includes a change to an easement to add acreage, increase any payment to an eligible entity.
“(iii) NEPA COMPLIANCE.—An action taken pursuant to this subparagraph may not be considered a major Federal action under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
“(B) EXCHANGE.—
“(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may approve an exchange of any interest in land, or portion of such interest, administered by the Secretary, either directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, under the program if the Secretary determines that—
“(I) no reasonable alternative exists and the effect on the interest in land is avoided or minimized to the extent practicable; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(6) DE MINIMIS ADJUSTMENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may make de minimis adjustments to any interest in land, or a portion of such interest, administered by the Secretary, directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, under the program if the adjustment—
“(7) MODIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—An eligible entity shall be authorized to modify a term or condition of an agricultural land easement that is the subject of an agreement entered into under section 1265B(b)(4)(A) if such modification does not conflict with any minimum term or condition required by the Secretary under such section.”.
(b) Adjusted gross income.—
(1) EXEMPTION.—Section 1265D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865D) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(2) CALCULATION.—Section 1001D(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3a(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(5) EXCEPTION FOR COMPENSATION UNDER ACEP.—For purposes of this subsection, the adjusted gross income of a person or legal entity that is a landowner of eligible land (as defined in section 1265A) shall not include any income received as compensation for the acquisition of an agricultural land easement or a wetland reserve easement on that eligible land under subtitle H of title XII.”.
Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subtitle I (16 U.S.C. 3871 et seq.) as subtitle J; and
(2) by inserting after subtitle H (16 U.S.C. 3865 et seq.) the following:
“SEC. 1267. Establishment and purposes.
“(a) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish a forest conservation easement program for the conservation and restoration of eligible land and natural resources through the acquisition of conservation easements or other interests in land.
“(b) Purposes.—The purposes of the program are—
“(1) to protect the viability and sustainability of working forest land, and related conservation values of eligible land, by limiting the negative effects of nonforest land uses of such land;
“(3) to promote the restoration, protection, and improvement of habitat of species that are threatened, endangered, or otherwise at risk; and
“(4) to carry out the purposes and functions of the healthy forests reserve program established under title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this section.
“In this subtitle:
“(1) ACREAGE OWNED BY AN INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘acreage owned by an Indian Tribe’ means—
“(B) land, the title to which is held by Indian Tribes or individual Indians subject to Federal restrictions against alienation or encumbrance;
“(E) land that is owned by a native corporation formed under—
“(i) section 17 of the Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as the ‘Indian Reorganization Act’) (25 U.S.C. 5124); or
“(ii) section 8 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1607); and
“(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ means—
“(A) an agency of State or local government or an Indian Tribe (including a land resource council established under State law); or
“(B) an organization that is—
“(i) organized for, and at all times since the formation of the organization has been operated principally for, 1 or more of the conservation purposes specified in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of section 170(h)(4)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
“(3) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ means private land or acreage owned by an Indian Tribe—
“(B) in the case of a forest land easement—
“(C) in the case of a forest reserve easement, the enrollment of which will maintain, restore, enhance, or otherwise measurably—
“(i) increase the likelihood of recovery of a species that is listed as endangered or threatened under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533); or
“(4) FOREST LAND EASEMENT.—The term ‘forest land easement’ means an easement or other interest in eligible land that—
“(5) FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘forest management plan’ means—
“(A) a forest stewardship plan described in section 5(f) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103a(f));
“(6) FOREST RESERVE EASEMENT.—The term ‘forest reserve easement’ means an easement or other interest in eligible land that—
“(7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means the forest conservation easement program established under this subtitle.
“(8) SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FOREST LANDOWNER.—The term ‘socially disadvantaged forest landowner’ means a forest landowner who is a member of a socially disadvantaged group (as defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a))).
“SEC. 1267B. Forest land easements.
“(b) Cost-Share assistance.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall protect working forests, and related conservation values of eligible land, through cost-share assistance to eligible entities for purchasing forest land easements.
“(2) SCOPE OF ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE.—
“(A) FEDERAL SHARE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in clause (ii), an agreement described in paragraph (4) shall provide for a Federal share of 50 percent of the fair market value of the forest land easement, as determined by the Secretary.
“(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement described in paragraph (4), the eligible entity shall provide a non-Federal share that is equivalent to the remainder of the fair market value of the forest land easement not provided by the Secretary under subparagraph (A).
“(ii) PERMISSIBLE FORMS.—The non-Federal share provided by an eligible entity under this paragraph may comprise—
“(II) a charitable donation or qualified conservation contribution (as defined in section 170(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) from the private forest landowner from which the forest land easement will be purchased;
“(3) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF APPLICATIONS.—
“(A) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish evaluation and ranking criteria to maximize the benefit of Federal investment under the program.
“(B) PRIORITY.—In evaluating applications under the program, the Secretary shall give priority to an application for the purchase of a forest land easement—
“(4) AGREEMENTS WITH ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into agreements with eligible entities to stipulate the terms and conditions under which the eligible entity is permitted to use cost-share assistance provided under this section.
“(B) LENGTH OF AGREEMENTS.—An agreement under subparagraph (A) shall be for a term that is not less than 3, but not more than 5, years, unless the Secretary determines that a longer term is justified.
“(C) MINIMUM TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—An eligible entity shall be authorized to use its own terms and conditions for forest land easements so long as the Secretary determines such terms and conditions—
“(iii) include a requirement to implement a forest management plan on eligible land subject to a forest land easement;
“(iv) include a limit on the impervious surfaces to be allowed that is consistent with the forestry activities to be conducted; and
“(v) include a right of enforcement for the Secretary that—
“(I) may be used only if the terms and conditions of the forest land easement are not enforced by the eligible entity; and
“(II) does not extend to a right of inspection unless—
“(D) ADDITIONAL PERMITTED TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—An eligible entity may include terms and conditions for a forest land easement that—
“(i) are intended to keep the eligible land subject to the forest land easement in active forest management, as determined by the Secretary;
“(ii) allow subsurface mineral development on the eligible land subject to the forest land easement and in accordance with applicable State law if, as determined by the Secretary—
“(I) the subsurface mineral development—
“(bb) does not harm the forest use and conservation values of the eligible land subject to the forest land easement;
“(dd) complies with a subsurface mineral development plan that—
“(AA) includes a plan for the remediation of impacts to the forest use and conservation values of the eligible land subject to the forest land easement; and
“(BB) is approved by the Secretary prior to the initiation of mineral development activity;
“(E) SUBSTITUTION OF QUALIFIED PROJECTS.—An agreement under subparagraph (A) shall allow, upon mutual agreement of the parties, substitution of qualified projects that are identified at the time of the proposed substitution.
“(5) FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—If the eligible land does not have a forest management plan at the time of application, prior to the acquisition of the forest land easement the landowner shall develop, in partnership with the eligible entity, a forest management plan for the land subject to the forest land easement.
“SEC. 1267C. Forest reserve easements.
“(a) Availability of assistance.—The Secretary shall provide assistance to owners of eligible land to restore, protect, and enhance eligible land through—
“(b) Easements.—
“(1) METHOD OF ENROLLMENT.—
“(2) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF OFFERS.—
“(A) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish evaluation and ranking criteria for offers from landowners under this section.
“(B) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to the enrollment of eligible land under this section that provides the greatest conservation benefit to—
“(i) primarily, species listed as endangered or threatened under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533); and
“(3) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EASEMENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—A forest reserve easement shall include terms and conditions that—
“(i) are consistent with the purposes of the program and the forestry activities to be conducted on the eligible land;
“(ii) are consistent with the management objectives of the owner of the eligible land and the implementation of the forest reserve easement plan developed under subsection (c)(1)(A);
“(B) REQUESTED TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—An owner of eligible land may request that a term or condition be included in a forest reserve easement, and the Secretary may include such term or condition, if it—
“(4) COMPENSATION.—
“(A) PERMANENT EASEMENTS.—In the case of eligible land enrolled in a permanent easement under this section, the Secretary shall pay the owner of the eligible land an amount equal to the difference between, as determined by the Secretary—
“(B) OTHER.—The Secretary shall pay the owner of eligible land enrolled under this section in a 30-year contract, a 30-year easement, or an easement for the maximum duration allowed under applicable State laws, not less than 50 percent, and not more than 75 percent, of the compensation that would be paid under subparagraph (A) if the land were being enrolled in a permanent easement.
“(c) Easement restoration and management.—
“(1) FOREST RESERVE EASEMENT PLAN.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Land enrolled in a forest reserve easement shall be subject to a forest reserve easement plan, to be developed jointly by the landowner and the Secretary, that describes such activities to be carried out on the land as are necessary to restore, maintain, and enhance habitat for species described in subsection (b)(2)(B).
“(2) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide financial assistance to owners of eligible land to carry out the activities, practices, and measures described in the forest reserve easement plan developed for the eligible land under paragraph (1).
“(B) PAYMENTS.—With respect to financial assistance provided under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall pay—
“(i) in the case of a forest reserve easement plan for eligible land enrolled in a permanent easement, an amount that is not more than 100 percent of the eligible costs described in subparagraph (C), as determined by the Secretary; and
“(ii) in the case of a forest reserve easement plan for eligible land enrolled in a 30-year contract, a 30-year easement, or an easement for the maximum duration allowed under applicable State laws, an amount that is not less than 50 percent, and not more than 75 percent, of the eligible costs described in subparagraph (C), as determined by the Secretary.
“(C) ELIGIBLE COSTS.—Costs eligible for payments under this paragraph are the costs of activities, practices, and measures referred to in subparagraph (A) that are associated with the restoration or enhancement of the habitat conditions specified for the applicable species in the forest reserve easement plan.
“(D) TIMING OF PAYMENTS.—Payments under this paragraph shall be made—
“(d) Technical assistance.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide to owners of eligible land technical assistance to assist the owners in—
“(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into 1 or more contracts with private entities or agreements with a State, nongovernmental organization, or Indian Tribe to provide technical assistance described in paragraph (1), if the Secretary determines that the contract or agreement will advance the purposes of the program.
“(e) Protections and measures.—
“(1) PROTECTIONS.—In the case of a landowner who enrolls eligible land in a forest reserve easement, and whose conservation activities under the forest reserve easement plan developed for such land result in a net conservation benefit for a species described in subsection (b)(2)(B), the Secretary shall make available to the landowner safe harbor or similar assurances and protection under—
“(A) section 7(b)(4) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(b)(4)); or
“(B) section 10(a)(1) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 1539(a)(1)).
“(2) MEASURES.—If protection under paragraph (1) requires the taking of measures that are in addition to the measures covered by the forest reserve easement plan developed for the eligible land, the cost of the additional measures, and the cost of any permit, shall be considered costs eligible for payments under subsection (c)(2).
“(f) Administration.—
“(1) DELEGATION OF EASEMENT ADMINISTRATION.—
“(A) FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES.—The Secretary may delegate any of the management, monitoring, and enforcement responsibilities of the Secretary under this section to other Federal or State agencies that have the appropriate authority, expertise, and resources necessary to carry out those delegated responsibilities.
“(B) CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS.—The Secretary may delegate any of the management responsibilities of the Secretary under this section to a nonprofit conservation organization if the Secretary determines the organization has the appropriate expertise and resources necessary to carry out those delegated responsibilities.
“(a) Ineligible land.—The Secretary shall not use amounts made available to carry out the program for the purposes of acquiring an easement on—
“(2) land owned in fee title by a State, including an agency or a subdivision of a State, or a unit of local government;
“(b) Subordination, exchange, modification, and termination.—
“(1) SUBORDINATION.—The Secretary may subordinate any interest in eligible land, or portion of such an interest, administered by the Secretary (including for the purposes of utilities and energy transmission services) directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation under the program if the Secretary determines that the subordination—
“(2) MODIFICATION AND EXCHANGE OF INTEREST IN LAND.—
“(A) MODIFICATION.—
“(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may approve a modification of any interest in land, or portion of such interest, administered by the Secretary, either directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, under the program if the Secretary determines that the modification—
“(B) EXCHANGE.—
“(i) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may approve an exchange of any interest in land, or portion of such interest, administered by the Secretary, either directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, under the program if the Secretary determines that—
“(I) no reasonable alternative exists and the effect on the interest in land is avoided or minimized to the extent practicable; and
“(3) TERMINATION.—The Secretary may approve a termination of any interest in eligible land, or portion of such an interest, administered by the Secretary, directly or on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation under the program if the Secretary determines that—
“(c) Land enrolled in other programs.—In accordance with the provisions of section 2702 of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, land enrolled in the healthy forests reserve program established under title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.) on the day before the date of enactment of this section shall be considered enrolled in the program.”.
(a) Repeal.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.) is repealed.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–148; 117 Stat. 1887) is amended by striking the items relating to title V.
(b) Transitional provisions.—
(1) EFFECT ON EXISTING CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS, AND EASEMENTS.—The repeal made by subsection (a) shall not affect the validity or terms of any contract, agreement, or easement entered into by the Secretary under title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.) before the date of enactment of this Act, or any payments or technical assistance required to be made in connection with the contract, agreement, or easement.
(2) FUNDING.—
(A) USE OF PRIOR YEAR FUNDS.—Notwithstanding the repeal made by subsection (a), any funds made available from the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out the healthy forests reserve program established under title V of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6571 et seq.) (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act) for any of fiscal years 2019 through 2025 shall be made available to carry out contracts, agreements, or easements referred to in paragraph (1), subject to the condition that no such contract, agreement, or easement may be modified so as to increase the amount of any payment received.
(B) OTHER.—The Secretary may use funds made available to carry out the forest conservation easement program established under subtitle I of the Food Security Act of 1985 to continue to carry out contracts, agreements, or easements referred to in paragraph (1) using the provisions of law (including regulations) applicable to those contracts, agreements, and easements as in existence on the day before the date of enactment of this Act.
Section 1271(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871(b)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
Section 1271A(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871a(1)) is amended by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the following:
(a) Partnership agreements authorized.—Section 1271B(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871b(a)) is amended to read as follows:
“(a) Partnership agreements authorized.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a partnership agreement with an eligible partner to implement a project that will assist producers with installing and maintaining an eligible activity on eligible land.
“(2) STREAMLINING REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall ensure that a partnership agreement under paragraph (1)—
“(A) is entered into not later than 180 days after the date on which an application is selected under subsection (e); and
(b) Duties of Secretary.—Section 1271B(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871b(d)) is amended—
(c) Applications.—Section 1271B(e)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871b(e)(3)) is amended—
Section 1271C(d)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871c(d)(3)) is amended—
(a) Allocation of funding.—Section 1271D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871d) is amended—
(b) Limitation on administrative expenses.—Subsection (b) of section 1271D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871d), as so redesignated, is amended to read as follows:
(c) Technical assistance.—Subsection (c) of section 1271D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871d), as so redesignated, is amended to read as follows:
“(c) Technical assistance.—
“(2) PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE.—
“(A) REIMBURSEMENT.—Under a partnership agreement that is not funded through an alternative funding arrangement or grant agreement under section 1271C(d), the Secretary may reimburse eligible partners for the costs of technical assistance provided through such partnership agreement, including—
“(i) the costs of technical assistance needed to facilitate the maximum conservation benefit of the applicable project;
“(ii) the costs of providing outreach and education to producers for potential participation in the applicable project;
“(3) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall limit costs of the Secretary for technical assistance to costs necessary to carry out the objectives of the program.
(a) Reporting.—Section 1271E(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871e(b)) is amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by inserting “make publicly available and” after “the Secretary shall”.
(b) Consistency with covered program rules.—Section 1271E of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871e) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(f) Consistency with covered program requirements.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that the terms and conditions of a program contract are consistent with the requirements of the applicable covered program to be used as part of the applicable partnership agreement.
“(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, if the Secretary determines necessary, adjust a regulatory requirement of a covered program to be used as a part of a partnership agreement, or related guidance, as it applies to an eligible activity carried out under a program contract entered into pursuant to the partnership agreement—
“(3) WAIVER.—With respect to a program contract for an eligible activity under the agricultural conservation easement program, the Secretary may, in the applicable partnership agreement, waive the application of clauses (ii) or (iii)(III) of section 1265A(4)(A) for purposes of determining the eligibility of land.
“(4) CERTIFICATION APPLICABILITY.—With respect to a partnership agreement entered into for acquisition of easements, the Secretary shall apply the authorities applicable to the eligible partner under section 1265B(b)(5)(A) if the eligible partner is an eligible entity certified under such section.
“(5) EXEMPTION.—With respect to a program contract that includes an eligible activity under the environmental quality incentives program to be installed and maintained in a State in which irrigation has not been used significantly for agricultural purposes, as determined by the Secretary, the Secretary may not consider prior irrigation history when determining the eligibility of land.
(a) Definitions.—Section 1271F(a)(2)(C) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871f(a)(2)(C)) is amended by inserting “, including restoration and enhancement of wildlife habitat connectivity and wildlife migration corridors” before the semicolon at the end.
(b) Applications.—Section 1271F(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871f(b)) is amended by striking “funds under section 1271D(d)(2)” and inserting “funds allocated under section 1271D(a)(2)”.
(a) In general.—Section 201 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1721) is amended by striking “(to be implemented by the Administrator)” and inserting “(to be implemented by the Secretary)”.
(b) Conforming amendments.—
(1) EMERGENCY AND PRIVATE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.—Sections 202, 203, 205, 207, and 208 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1722, 1723, 1725, 1726a, and 1726b) are each amended by striking “Administrator” each place it appears and inserting “Secretary”.
(2) FOOD FOR DEVELOPMENT.—Title III of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1727 et seq.) is amended by striking “Administrator” each place it appears and inserting “Secretary”.
(3) DEFINITIONS.—Section 402 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1732) is amended—
(4) GENERAL PROVISIONS.—Sections 403 and 404 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1733 and 1734) are each amended—
(5) CONSULTATION.—Section 405 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1735) is repealed.
(c) Transfer of assets and liabilities.—The Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new title:
“SEC. 701. Transfer of assets and liabilities from USAID to Secretary of Agriculture.
“On and after the date of the enactment of this title, the assets, liabilities, orders, determinations, permits, grants, loans, contracts, agreements, certificates, and licenses of the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, pursuant to any authority under this Act on or after January 1, 2026, shall be transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture.
“SEC. 702. Transfer of other authorities.
“On and after the date of the enactment of this title, any authority or responsibility provided by any other provision of law that was or could have been used by the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, prior to such date of enactment to carry out any function, duty, or responsibility under this Act may be exercised by the Secretary of Agriculture. A reference to such Administrator or to such Agency in any provision of law or regulation relating to any authority or responsibility described in the preceding sentence shall be deemed to be a reference to the Secretary of Agriculture or the Department of Agriculture, respectively.
“SEC. 703. Rules and regulations.
“Beginning on the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate or amend such rules and regulations (including by issuing or re-issuing interim final rules) as the Secretary may determine appropriate, including by amending such rules and regulations issued by the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development with respect to the authorities and responsibilities provided by this Act and as in effect on the day before such date of enactment, in order to effectuate and complete the transfer of all functions and duties previously carried out by that Administrator to the Secretary.
“The Secretary of Agriculture shall consult with the Secretary of State from time to time in carrying out the authorities under this Act.”.
Section 202 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1722), as amended by section 3101(b)(1), is further amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking “any other provision of law” and inserting “any other provision of this Act”;
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting “assistance, including in the form of” before “agricultural commodities”;
(3) in subsection (b)(2)—
(5) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(5) LIMITATION ON DIVERSION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made available in each fiscal year under this title to the Secretary, not more than 50 percent may be made available for expenses other than the procurement of United States-grown agricultural commodities and ocean transportation of such commodities.”; and
Section 204 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1724) is repealed.
Section 205 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1725), as amended by section 3101(b)(1), is further amended—
(1) in subsection (b)(3), by striking “the Agency for International Development” and inserting “the Department of Agriculture”;
Section 207 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1726a), as amended by section 3101(b)(1), is further amended—
Section 208(f) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1726b(f)) is amended to read as follows:
“(f) Availability of appropriations.—In addition to amounts otherwise made available to carry out this section, of the funds made available in each fiscal year under this title to the Secretary, not less than $15,000,000 shall be made available in each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this section, to remain available until expended.”.
Subsection (b) of section 406 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736) is amended to read as follows:
Section 407 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736a) is amended—
(3) in subsection (c)(3), by striking “Agency for International Development” and inserting “Secretary”;
(5) in subsection (c)(4), by striking “Administrator” each place it appears and inserting “Secretary”;
(6) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “or the Administrator, as appropriate,”;
Section 408 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736b) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 412 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(f) Minimum levels of funding To address child wasting.—
“(1) MINIMUM LEVEL.—For each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, in addition to amounts otherwise made available, not less than $200,000,000 of the amounts made available to carry out emergency food assistance programs under title II shall be expended for the procurement and distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic foods.
“(2) APPLICABILITY.—The minimum expenditure requirement under paragraph (1) shall only apply with respect to a fiscal year if—
Section 501 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1737) is amended—
(a) In general.—During fiscal years 2026 through 2031, the Secretary may use funds made available for the salaries and expenses of the Foreign Agricultural Service under an appropriations Act or any other provision of law, including such funds otherwise obligated as of the date of the enactment of this Act, to pay the administrative expenses of the Department of Agriculture in the implementation of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.), as amended by this subtitle.
(a) Modification to foreign market development cooperator program.—Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOREIGN MARKETS FOR UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—As part of the program established under this subsection, the Secretary shall enter into contracts or other agreements, with eligible trade organizations or with nonprofit organizations with expertise in supply chain infrastructure, to provide needs assessments, training, and other technical assistance to enhance the capabilities of infrastructure in new and developing foreign markets, including infrastructure relating to cold chain capacity, port improvements, and other developments, to ensure that United States agricultural commodities are not damaged or lost due to deficiencies of such infrastructure.
(b) Report on competitiveness of united states specialty crops.—Section 203(e)(7) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623(e)(7)) is amended to read as follows:
“(7) BIENNIAL REPORT.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, shall submit every two years to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing the competitiveness of United States specialty crops.
“(B) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subparagraph (A) shall—
“(i) identify and analyze acts, policies, or practices of foreign countries that constitute significant barriers to, or distortions of, United States exports of specialty crops, including the imposition of—
“(ii) identify and analyze acts, policies, or practices of foreign countries that enhance the competitiveness of imported specialty crops with domestic specialty crop producers, including—
“(iii) identify and analyze any differences in applicable food safety regulations of foreign countries that may result in imported specialty crops posing a risk to United States consumers;
“(iv) make an estimate of the impacts on the competitiveness of United States specialty crops of any act, policy, or practice identified under clauses (i) and (ii);
“(v) assess the extent to which each act, policy, or practice identified under clauses (i) and (ii) are subject to international agreements to which the United States is a party;
“(vi) include information with respect to any action taken by the executive or legislative branches during the two years preceding submission of the report, or expected to be taken after submission of the report, to eliminate any act, policy, or practice identified under clauses (i) and (ii), including—
“(C) COMMENT PERIOD.—In preparing the report required by subparagraph (A), the Secretary, in coordination with the United States Trade Representative, shall seek and consider comments from the public and from the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables.
“(D) FORM OF REPORT.—The report required by subparagraph (A) shall be made available to the public in machine-readable format.
(c) Modification and extension of funding.—Section 203(f) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623(f)) is amended—
(1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
(2) in paragraph (3)—
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)(i), by striking “For each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023, the Secretary” and inserting “The Secretary”;
(B) in subparagraph (A)—
(i) in clause (i), by striking “not less than” and all that follows through the end and inserting: “not less than—
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking “not less than” and all that follows through the end and inserting: “not less than—
(iii) in clause (iii), by striking “not more than” and all that follows through the end and inserting: “not more than—
(d) Repeals.—The following provisions of law are repealed:
(1) Section 718 of title VII of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (as enacted by section 101(a) of division A of Public Law 105–277; 7 U.S.C. 5623 note).
(2) Section 10602 of Public Law 119–21 (7 U.S.C. 5623a).
(a) Definitions.—Section 102 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “As used in this Act—” and inserting “In this Act:”;
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (8) as paragraphs (3), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and (4), respectively, and reordering such paragraphs in numerical sequence;
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
“(2) COMMON NAME.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘common name’ means a name that, as determined by the Secretary—
“(ii) is typically placed on the packaging and product label of the agricultural commodity or food product;
“(B) EXAMPLES.—The following names, among others, shall be considered as common names as such term is defined for purposes of carrying out subparagraph (A):
“(i) With respect to food products: american, asiago, basmati, black forest ham, blue, blue vein, bologna, bologne, bratwurst, brie, burrata, camembert, capicola and capocollo, cheddar, chevre, chorizo, colby, cottage cheese, coulommiers, cream cheese, danbo, edam, emmental, feta, fontina, gorgonzola, gouda, grana, gruyere, havarti, kielbasa, limburger and limburgo, mascarpone, monterey jack, mortadella, munster and muenster, neufchatel, parmesan, pancetta, pecorino, pepper jack, prosciutto, provolone, ricotta, romano, saint-paulin, salame, salami, samso, and swiss, tilsiter, and tomme.
“(ii) With respect to wine:
“(I) The list of grape varietal terms in section 4.91 of title 27, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation).
“(iii) With respect to beer: bitter, pale ale, india pale ale, mild, porter, stout, barleywine, dubbel, quadrupel, witbier, saison, biere de garde, oud red, altbier, weisse, gose, hefeweizen, dunkel, helles, rauchbier, pilsener, maerzen, schwarzbier, doppelbock, bock, kellerbier, munchener and munich style, oktoberfest, dortmunder, kolsch and koelsch, cream, grodziskie, lager.
“(C) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making a determination under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may take into account—
“(i) competent sources, such as dictionaries, newspapers, professional journals and literature, and information posted on websites that are determined by the Secretary to be reliable in reporting market information;
(b) Negotiations To defend use of common names.—Title III of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5652 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 303. Negotiations to defend the use of common names.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall coordinate efforts with the United States Trade Representative to secure the right of United States agricultural producers, processors, and exporters to use common names for agricultural commodities or food products in foreign markets through the negotiation of bilateral, plurilateral, or multilateral agreements, memoranda of understanding, or exchanges of letters that assure the current and future use of each common name identified by the Secretary in connection with United States agricultural commodities or food products.
“(b) Briefing.—The Secretary and the United States Trade Representative shall jointly provide to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate, a briefing, twice annually, on efforts and successes in carrying out subsection (a).”.
Subtitle B of title IV of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5671 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 418. Interagency seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables working group.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary (acting through the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs), the United States Trade Representative, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other Federal agencies or entities as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, shall jointly establish an interagency working group (referred to in this section as the ‘working group’) composed of representatives from each agency to monitor and assess, on an ongoing basis, seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables trade data and related information.
“(b) Consultation.—The working group shall consult with the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, relevant seasonal or perishable agricultural producers, and other relevant trade associations to identify threats that imports pose to domestic producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables.
Section 1543A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5679) is amended in subsection (d), by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1110 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (commonly referred to as the “Food for Progress Act of 1985”; 7 U.S.C. 1736o) is amended—
Section 302 of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f–1) is amended—
Section 1542(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5622 note; Public Law 101–624) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 3307 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 3295) is amended—
(3) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
“(g) Program continuity.—To assist eligible countries in the long-term development of enduring, school-based agricultural education and youth extension programs, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable—
Title III of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334) is amended by adding at the end the following new section (and by conforming the table of contents in section 1(b) accordingly):
“SEC. 3313. International agriculture cultural immersion and exchange program.
“(a) Definition.—In this section:
“(1) ELIGIBLE CANDIDATE.—The term ‘eligible candidate’ means an individual that—
“(2) ELIGIBLE COUNTRY.—The term ‘eligible country’ means a country that has agricultural trade relations with the United States, as recognized by the Foreign Agriculture Service.
“(b) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish an international cultural immersion and exchange program, to be known as the ‘International Agriculture Cultural Immersion and Exchange Program’, under which the Secretary shall—
“(d) Cooperative agreement.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—To administer the Program, the Secretary shall enter into a cooperative agreement with a nonprofit organization that has experience in implementing international cultural exchange programs focused on agricultural sciences, food and nutrition education, and cultural understanding through placement with host families.
Section 1543B(f) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o–1) is amended—
Section 3202 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 2220a note; Public Law 110–246) is amended—
Section 3206(e)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1726c(e)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Establishment.—Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish a joint task force, to be known as the “Agricultural Trade Enforcement Task Force” (referred to in this section as the “Task Force”).
(b) Duties.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall—
(A) identify trade barriers to United States agricultural exports that are vulnerable to dispute settlement under the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) or other trade agreements;
(B) develop and implement a strategy for enforcing violations of trade agreements related to these trade barriers;
(c) Membership.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall be comprised of the following members:
(A) One or more employees of the Foreign Agricultural Service, who shall be appointed by the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.
(d) Report.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and on a quarterly basis thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to Congress a report on its progress in identifying and addressing trade barriers to United States agricultural exports.
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report required by this subsection shall include the following:
(A) A description of the systemic and economically significant trade barriers that have been identified.
(3) ADDITIONAL MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED IN INITIAL REPORT.—The initial report required by this subsection shall, in addition to the matters described in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (2), include a plan to file a request under the WTO dispute settlement process for consultations to address India’s minimum price supports. The plan shall include—
(A) an identification of like-minded trading partners that could act as co-complainants or primary complainants with respect to the request;
(a) Report required.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that examines policy options available to the Secretary of Agriculture to boost the competitiveness of domestic shrimp in global and domestic markets.
(a) Report required.—The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the United States Trade Representative, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and concurrently make publicly available, prior to July 1, 2026, a report on how any expected or implemented modification or revocation of any part of the USMCA (as such term is defined in section 3 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 4502(9))) in any manner will affect the importation or exportation of any article that is a covered agricultural commodity, including—
(1) the anticipated effects on relevant product prices and projections as a result of such revocation or modification, including—
(b) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(2) COVERED AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY.—The term “covered agricultural commodity” has the meaning given the term “agricultural commodity” under section 102(1) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602(1)).
(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress as follows:
(1) Congress finds that United States ranchers and cattle producers produce the healthiest and highest quality beef on the planet.
(2) Any official trade agreement between the United States and Argentina—including the United States of America—Argentine Republic Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment—that allow Argentina to export ship fresh and frozen beef into the United States market under expanded quotas is detrimental to domestic ranchers, cattle producers, and cattle markets.
(3) Congress recognizes that many Americans enjoy eating beef and recognizes that many Americans want their beef raised domestically.
(4) Congress further concludes that any agreement to allow increased beef from Argentina into United States markets introduces unfair competition into an already volatile market as this imported beef could depress cattle prices at United States sale barns and have a ripple effect throughout the domestic economy affecting feed suppliers, equipment dealers, veterinarians, and other rural businesses.
(b) Report.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date on which the United States signs any formal trade agreement with Argentina that includes a change to the tariff rate quotas or other duties on fresh and frozen beef imported from Argentina the Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Trade Representative shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the effect of such imported beef on domestic beef and cattle markets, including—
Section 2 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011) is amended—
Section 7(h)(13)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(13)(B)) is amended by striking “Effective through fiscal year 2023, neither” and inserting “Neither”.
Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(y) SNAP staffing flexibility.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 11(e)(6)(B), a State agency (as defined in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008) may, by contract with the State agency at a reasonable cost in accordance with the State agency’s standard contracting rules, hire a contractor to undertake supplemental nutrition assistance program certification or carry out any other function of the State agency under such program so long as—
“(2) USE.—A State agency may use the authority provided in paragraph (1) when—
“(A) the State experiences an inability to timely process supplemental nutrition assistance program applications from causes that include but are not limited to—
“(3) REQUIREMENTS.—A State agency that hires a contractor under paragraph (1) shall ensure such action—
“(4) NOTIFICATION.—A State agency shall notify the Secretary of its intent to use the authority provided in this section and shall provide any information or data supporting State agency increases in supplemental nutrition assistance program applications or any inability to timely process such applications.
“(5) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 10 days after the date of the receipt of a notification submitted by a State agency under paragraph (4), the Secretary shall make publicly available on the website of the Department of Agriculture the notification submitted by such State agency and any accompanying information or data supporting such notification so submitted.
“(6) PROGRAM DESIGN.—Any action taken by a State agency under paragraph (1) shall not be—
“(7) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, an annual report that contains—
“(A) a description of measures taken to address increases in supplemental nutrition assistance program applications and any inability to timely process such applications;
“(8) TEMPORARY STAFFING SHORTAGES.—In cases of temporary staffing shortages, the authority provided to State agencies under paragraph (1) shall—
“(A) expire when the backlog of supplemental nutrition assistance program applications has been eliminated;
The 2d sentence of section 9(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 is amended by inserting “, on two consecutive occasions within a 3-year-period,” after “does not meet”.
Section 16(c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(c)) is amended—
(2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
“(9) REPORT ON ALL IDENTIFIED PAYMENT ERRORS.—
The 1st sentence of section 18(a)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting "“2031”.
Section 29(c)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036b) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate, in the form of a proposed rule, regulations through notice and comment rulemaking to enhance EBT Card (as defined in section 3(i) of the Food and Nutrition Act; 7 U.S.C. 2012(i)) security measures.
Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, a report that—
Section 9(j)(1)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2018(j)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting “animal protein,” after “whole grain,”.
Section 7 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(l) Online purchasing program.—
“(1) PERMANENT AUTHORITY.—Not later than 120 days after the effective date of this subsection, the Secretary shall begin transitioning the supplemental nutrition assistance program online purchasing initiative from pilot or demonstration status to permanent nationwide program operations, with the completion of the regulations marking the end of the transition.
“(2) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue such regulations and guidance as may be necessary to carry out paragraph (1), including provisions related to program integrity, consumer protections, and equitable access in rural areas. Such regulations shall be issued not later than 2 years after the effective date of this subsection.
“(3) STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall establish a formal process for consultation with State agencies, authorized retailers, electronic benefit transfer processors, consumer advocates, and other relevant stakeholders to incorporate lessons learned from online purchasing operations during the period of 2014 through 2025.
“(4) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 120 days after the effective date of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the consultation process and recommendations received.”.
(a) Emergency food program infrastructure grants.—Section 209(d) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7511a(d)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(b) Availability of commodities for the emergency food assistance program.—Section 27(a)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036(a)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(c) Option for purchasing through DoD Fresh.—Section 214(c) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7515(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(3) OPTION FOR PURCHASING THROUGH DOD FRESH.—At the request of a State agency, the Secretary may allow the State agency to use not more than 20 percent of the cost of the commodities allocated to that State agency under this section to order commodities through the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.”.
Section 4(b)(6)(E) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)(6)(E)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Expansion of the seniors farmers’ market nutrition program.—Section 4402 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007) is amended—
(b) Authorization of appropriations.—The 1st sentence of section 4(a) of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 5 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public Law 93–86) is amended—
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(n) Commodity supplemental food program delivery pilot program.—
“(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection is to award grants for the operation of projects that increase the access of low-income elderly persons to commodities through home delivery or other means and to evaluate such projects.
“(2) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award, on a competitive basis, grants directly to State agencies, or to State agencies on behalf of eligible entities, to carry out the activities described in paragraph (5).
“(3) MAXIMUM GRANT AWARD.—A grant awarded to a State agency under this subsection shall not exceed—
“(A) the greater of—
whichever is less.
“(4) APPLICATION.—A State agency seeking a grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
“(5) GRANT USES.—A State agency awarded a grant under this subsection shall distribute grant funds to eligible entities to operate projects that facilitate delivery of commodities to participants in the commodity supplemental food program, including with respect to costs associated with—
“(6) PRIORITY.—A State agency awarded a grant under this subsection must prioritize eligible entities that serve participants in the commodity supplemental food program who reside in a rural area.
“(7) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Not later than 180 days after the end of the fiscal year in which a State agency is awarded a grant under this subsection and has distributed grant funds to eligible entities, and in each succeeding fiscal year until grant funds are expended, a State agency shall submit a report to the Secretary that includes—
“(A) a summary of the activities carried out under the project, including the quantity of commodities delivered, number of participants in the commodity supplemental food program served, and total number of deliveries;
“(8) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
“(A) TERMS IN REGULATIONS.—The term ‘State agency’, ‘local agency’, and ‘subdistributing agency’ have the meanings given such terms in section 247.1 of title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulations).
“(C) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ has the meaning given such term in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).
Section 1114(a)(2)(A) of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (7 U.S.C. 1431e(2)(A)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Demonstration project for tribal organizations.—
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
(A) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.—The term “demonstration project” means the demonstration project established under paragraph (2).
(B) FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM.—The term “food distribution program” means the commodity supplemental food program identified in section 4 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note; Public Law 93–86).
(C) INDIAN RESERVATION.—The term “Indian reservation” has the meaning given the term “reservation” in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012).
(D) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term “Indian Tribe” has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(E) SELF-DETERMINATION CONTRACT.—The term “self-determination contract” has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304) with modification as determined by the Secretary.
(F) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term “Tribal organization” has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012).
(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall establish a demonstration project under which 1 or more Tribal organizations may enter into self-determination contracts to purchase agricultural commodities under the food distribution program for the Indian reservation of that Tribal organization.
(3) ELIGIBILITY.—
(A) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult with Indian Tribes to determine the process and criteria under which a Tribal organization may participate in the demonstration project.
(B) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall select for participation in the demonstration project Tribal organizations that—
(i) are successfully administering the food distribution program of the Tribal organization under section 4(b)(2)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)(2)(B));
(4) PROCUREMENT OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.—Any agricultural commodities purchased by a Tribal organization under the demonstration project shall—
(B) not result in a material increase in the amount of food in the food package of that Tribal organization compared to the amount of food that the Secretary authorized to be provided through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program Guide Rate;
(5) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which funds are appropriated under paragraph (6) and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the activities carried out under the demonstration project during the preceding year.
(b) Administration of tribal self-Determination contracts.—
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall appoint an existing office of the United States Department of Agriculture to administer Tribal self-determination contracts to include but not limited to:
Section 10603(b) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c–4(b)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) In general.—Section 12(n)(2)(A) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(n)(2)(A)) is amended to read as follows:
“(A) REQUIREMENTS.—
“(i) PURCHASE EXPENDITURES BY CATEGORY.—Subject to clause (ii) and subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall require that a school food authority purchase, with respect to each food purchase category designated by the Agricultural Marketing Service, at least 95 percent domestic products and commodities in each such category.
“(ii) DOMESTICALLY UNAVAILABLE PRODUCTS AND COMMODITIES.—Domestically unavailable products and commodities included on a list issued pursuant to clause (iii) with respect to a school year and purchased by a school food authority during such school year shall not be used to calculate whether such school food authority meets the requirements under clause (i).
“(iii) UPDATED LIST.—Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this subparagraph, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall make available to school food authorities a list of domestically unavailable products and commodities.
Section 4405 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by amending subparagraph (C) to read as follows:
“(C) FEDERAL SHARE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in clause (ii) and subparagraph (D)(iii), the Federal share of the cost of carrying out an activity under this subsection shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the activity.
“(ii) WAIVER FOR PERSISTENT POVERTY AREAS.—The Secretary may waive the application of clause (i) in the case of an activity carried out—
“(I) in a county that, during the preceding 30-year period has had a population of which greater than or equal to 20 percent of such population are living in poverty (as measured by the most recent decennial censuses and most recent Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates of the Bureau of the Census); or
Section 224(e)(2) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6924(e)(2)) is amended—
(2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “and annually thereafter,” before “the Secretary shall”;
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(E) a detailed account of how the Secretary avoided, managed, or will manage market disruption; and
“(F) a summary of coordinated activities with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, including interagency communication and coordination related to the promotion or exclusion of practices and technologies to limit food waste.”.
Section 4208 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2026a) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking “Healthy fluid milk” and inserting “Dairy Nutrition” (and by conforming the item of such section in the table of contents accordingly);
(3) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
(4) in subsection (b), by inserting “and covered dairy products” after “of fluid milk” each place it appears;
(a) In general.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a program under which the Secretary will enter into cooperative agreements (on a noncompetitive basis) with eligible entities—
(b) Use of funds.—An eligible entity selected to enter into a cooperative agreement under this section shall use funds received through such agreement—
(1) to purchase unprocessed or minimally processed local foods (including seafood, meat, milk and dairy products, eggs, produce, and poultry) from covered producers;
(2) to ensure that at least 25 percent of the total annual value of products purchased by the eligible entity comprises purchases from small-size producers, mid-size producers, beginning farmers or ranchers, or veteran farmers or ranchers;
(c) Limitation on use of funds.—
(d) Technical assistance to eligible entities.—The Secretary shall provide to eligible entities entering into a cooperative agreement under this section guidance, technical assistance, instruction, and monitoring throughout the life cycle of the cooperative agreement.
(e) Amount of allocation.—Of the amounts made available to carry out this section for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall—
(1) allocate 10 percent to Tribal Governments, to be allocated using a funding formula determined by the Secretary; and
(2) of the amounts remaining after making the allocation under paragraph (1), allocate 1 percent to each State (other than Tribal Governments); and
(3) after making the allocations under paragraphs (1) and (2), allocate the remaining amounts to each eligible entity (other than Tribal Governments) by applying the formula described in section 214 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7515).
(f) Funding.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
(g) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) BEGINNING FARMER OR RANCHER; VETERAN FARMER OR RANCHER.—The terms “beginning farmer or rancher” and “veteran farmer or rancher” have the meanings given such terms in section 2501 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279).
(2) COVERED PRODUCER.—The term “covered producer” means a fisherman, farmer, producer, rancher, processor, or cooperative processor that is—
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term “eligible entity” means a State agency, commission, or department that is responsible for agriculture, procurement, food distribution, emergency response, or other similar activities within the State.
(4) MID-SIZE PRODUCER.—The term “mid-sized producer” means an individual whose annual gross cash farm income is equal to or exceeds $350,000 and is less than $999,999.
(5) SMALL-SIZE PRODUCER.—The term “small-sized producer” means one whose annual gross cash farm income is less than $350,000.
(6) STATE.—The term “State” means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, each territory or possession of the United States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe.
(7) UNPROCESSED OR MINIMALLY PROCESSED LOCAL FOODS.—The term “unprocessed or minimally processed local foods” means food products means only those agricultural products that retain their inherent character. Such term includes—
Section 243(d) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6953(d)) is amended by striking “$125,000,000” and inserting “$135,000,000”.
(a) In general.—Section 301(a) of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking “shall be based on the preponderance of the scientific and medical knowledge which is current at the time the report is prepared.” and inserting “shall—
“(A) be based on significant scientific agreement that is determined by evidence-based review (as defined in paragraph (8)(A));
“(E) be designed to achieve nutritional adequacy and promote health, as specified by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, from the consumption of food, including nutrients and bioactive food components occurring naturally and in fortified foods;
(4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
“(3) FREQUENCY.—The Secretaries may publish the report required under paragraph (1) more frequently than required under that paragraph if the Secretaries determine that more frequent publication is necessary to promote health, based on the updated dietary reference intake values specified by—
“(4) NOTIFICATION OF UPDATE.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days before the Secretaries plan to update a report under paragraph (1), the Secretaries shall submit notification of that plan, in writing, to the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
“(5) INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BOARD.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the Secretaries submit a notification under paragraph (4)(A), the Secretaries shall establish an Independent Advisory Board (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘Board’).
“(B) MEMBERS.—The Board shall be comprised of at least 4 members and not more than 8 members, of which—
“(C) EXPERTISE.—Each member appointed to the Board shall have expertise in nutrition science or food science, including academic and applied experience.
“(D) MEETINGS.—
“(6) EXCLUSION.—The information and guidelines contained in each report required under paragraph (1) shall not be based on or include topics that are not relevant to dietary guidance, as determined by the Secretaries, in consultation with the Independent Advisory Board established under paragraph (5), including taxation, social welfare policies, purchases under Federal feeding programs, food and agricultural production practices, food labeling, socioeconomic status, race, religion, ethnicity, culture, or regulations relating to nutrition.”; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(8) EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW.—
“(A) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the term ‘evidence-based review’ means a process under which—
“(i) the totality of the scientific evidence relevant to a question of interest is collected, analyzed, and evaluated;
“(9) TRANSPARENCY.—
“(A) DISCLOSURE.—Any individual appointed to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee or an Independent Advisory Board established under paragraph (5) shall—
“(B) PUBLICATION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not later than 30 days after the date on which a Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee or an Independent Advisory Board is established, the Secretaries shall make publicly available—
(b) Controlling report.—The 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the Secretaries under subsection (a)(1) of section 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341(a)(1)) shall be controlling and considered to be the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans until the publication of the first report under such subsection in accordance with the amendments made to such section by this Act.
Section 302(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922(a)) is amended—
(1) in the 2nd sentence of paragraph (1), by striking “a majority” each place it appears and inserting “at least a 50 percent”;
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following:
“(A) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED OPERATORS.—Qualified operators, as defined by the Secretary, shall be considered to meet the operator requirement of paragraph (1).
“(B) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN OPERATING-ONLY ENTITIES.—An applicant that is or will become only the operator of farm real estate acquired, improved, or supported with funds under this subtitle shall be considered to meet the owner-operator requirements of paragraph (1) if 1 or more of the individuals who is an owner of the farm real estate owns at least 50 percent (or such other percentage as the Secretary determines is appropriate) of the applicant.
“(C) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN EMBEDDED ENTITIES.—An entity that is an owner-operator described in paragraph (1), or an operator described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that is owned, in whole or in part, by 1 or more other entities, shall be considered to meet the direct ownership requirement imposed under paragraph (1) if at least 75 percent of the total ownership interests of the embedded entity, or of the other entities, is owned, directly or indirectly, by qualified operators of the farm acquired, improved, or supported with funds under this subtitle.”.
Section 302(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “3 years” and inserting “2 years”; and
Section 303 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1923) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(d) Refinancing of guaranteed loans into direct loans.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’), shall promulgate regulations allowing certain loans guaranteed by the Farm Service Agency to be refinanced into direct loans issued by the Farm Service Agency, in accordance with this subsection.
“(1) REQUIREMENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—A guaranteed loan may be refinanced into a direct loan pursuant to this subsection only if the Secretary determines that—
“(i) the guaranteed loan is distressed due to its status as a nonperforming loan that does not have a positive cash flow at rates and terms available from the lender;
“(ii) the borrower on the guaranteed loan is in monetary default and subject to liquidation or foreclosure action;
“(2) LOAN PROGRAMS.—In making direct loans pursuant to the regulations promulgated under this subsection, the Secretary may refinance a loan guaranteed under 1 program of the Farm Service Agency into a direct loan issued under another program of the Farm Service Agency, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate and in accordance with the laws applicable to the program under which the direct loan is issued.
“(3) REFINANCED GUARANTEED LOANS.—A direct loan issued by the Farm Service Agency pursuant to the regulations promulgated under subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to any otherwise applicable limitation on the maximum amount of a direct loan issued by the Farm Service Agency, including, if applicable, the limitations described in sections 305 and 313.”.
Section 304 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1924) is amended—
(1) in subsection (d)—
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking “1985.” and inserting “1985 (16 U.S.C. 3812); and”; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) producers who use the loans to adopt precision agriculture practices or acquire precision agriculture technologies, including adoption or acquisition for the purpose of participating in the environmental quality incentives program under subchapter A of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.).”; and
Section 305(a)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925(a)(2)) is amended by striking “$600,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, $1,750,000 (increased, beginning with fiscal year 2019” and inserting “$850,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, $3,500,000 (increased, beginning with fiscal year 2026”.
Section 305(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925(c)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking “of the Prices Paid By Farmers Index (as compiled by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the Department of Agriculture) for the 12-month period ending on July 31 of the immediately preceding fiscal year” and inserting “of the per acre average United States farm real estate value, the per acre average United States cropland value, and the per acre average United States pasture value for the preceding year (as published in the applicable Agricultural Land Values report of the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the Department of Agriculture), weighted equally”; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking “of such index (as so defined) for the 12-month period that immediately precedes the 12-month period described in paragraph (1)” and inserting “of the per acre average United States farm real estate value, the per acre average United States cropland value, and the per acre average United States pasture value for the year immediately preceding the year described in paragraph (1) (as so published), weighted equally”.
(a) In general.—The Farm Credit Act of 1971 is amended by inserting after section 4.18A (12 U.S.C. 2206a) the following:
“SEC. 4.18B. Essential community facilities.
“(a) In general.—A Farm Credit Bank, direct lender association, or bank for cooperatives chartered under this Act may, for the purpose of making available capital to develop, build, maintain, improve, or provide related equipment or other support for essential community facilities in rural areas, make and participate in loans and commitments, and extend other technical and financial assistance for projects for essential community facilities eligible for financing under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.
“(b) Eligibility.—Only an entity eligible for financing under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may receive financing or any other assistance under subsection (a) of this section.
“(c) Limitations.—
“(1) FINANCING.—A Farm Credit System institution described in subsection (a) shall not provide financing or assistance under this section in an aggregate amount that exceeds 15 percent of the total of all outstanding loans of the institution.
“(2) OFFER REQUIREMENT.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—A Farm Credit System institution shall not provide financing or assistance under this section unless the institution—
“(d) Annual report to Congress.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Farm Credit Administration shall provide a report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on the activities undertaken pursuant to this section by Farm Credit System institutions during the period covered by the report, including through partnerships between such an institution and other lending institutions, which shall also be posted on the website of the Farm Credit Administration.”.
Section 310E(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1935(b)(1)) is amended—
(a) Reauthorization of the heirs property intermediary relending program.—Section 310I(g) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936c(g)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(b) Cooperative agreements for heirs property resolution through direct public interest legal services.—Section 310I of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1936c) is amended—
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
“(f) Cooperative agreements for heirs property resolution through direct public interest legal services.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to provide legal or accounting services to underserved heirs, at no cost to the underserved heirs, to assist in resolving undivided ownership interests on farmland or forest land, or land transitioning to farmland or forest land, that has multiple owners. Such a cooperative agreement must be for any of the following purposes:
“(2) ADMINISTRATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—
“(A) DURATION.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—A cooperative agreement under paragraph (1) shall be in effect for not more than 4 years, subject to clause (ii).
“(ii) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may extend a cooperative agreement or re-enter into a cooperative agreement with the same or a different eligible entity to provide continued services for heirs if—
“(B) MANAGEMENT OF PERFORMANCE.—
“(i) ANNUAL REPORTS.—An eligible entity must provide annual reports to the Secretary summarizing the progress made during each fiscal year towards achieving the goals of the cooperative agreement for the heirs for whom services are provided under the cooperative agreement.
“(ii) INFORMATION AND DATA.—The Secretary may require an eligible entity to provide the Secretary with such information or data as the Secretary deems necessary to determine that the eligible entity is making acceptable progress. The data may not include personally identifiable information.
“(iii) EFFECT OF FAILURE TO DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS.—If an eligible entity providing services under such a cooperative agreement does not demonstrate success, as determined by the Secretary, in resolving or reasonably attempting to resolve the property claims of an heir, the Secretary may terminate the agreement.
“(C) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary may utilize requests for public input or the formal rulemaking process to effectuate this subsection. At a minimum, the Secretary shall make publicly available the criteria for selecting an eligible entity to enter into an agreement to provide services, the administrative and performance requirements for cooperative agreements under this subsection, as well as codify within its internal policy its implementation process.
“(D) HEIRS PROPERTY NOT IN FARMING.—On a limited basis, and when determined by the Secretary to meet the purposes of a program administered by the Secretary and to expand access to such a program, the Secretary may allow an eligible entity to provide services at no cost to an heir who is not an underserved heir if—
“(i) the land with respect to which the services are to be provided is not farmland or in agricultural production, but could be viably productive for agricultural, conservation, or forestry purposes;
“(iii) the heir can provide proof to substantiate that the heir is in control of the real property; and
“(iv) the heir certifies to the Secretary that the heir intends to apply for, and make a good faith effort to enroll the land in, a program administered by the Secretary once property claims to the land are resolved through services provided under a cooperative agreement entered into under this subsection.
“(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
“(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ means a nonprofit organization that—
“(B) LIMITED RESOURCE HEIR.—An heir shall be considered a limited resource heir for purposes of this subsection if—
“(i) the total household income of the heir is at or below the national poverty level for a family of 4, or less than 50 percent of the county median household income for the 2 immediately preceding calendar years, as determined annually using data of the Department of Commerce; or
“(ii) the property of the heir for which legal services are provided pursuant to a cooperative agreement entered into under this subsection is in a persistent poverty community, as determined annually on the basis of data from the Department of Commerce, or a socially vulnerable area, as designated by the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention.
“(C) UNDERSERVED HEIR.—The term ‘underserved heir’ means an heir with an undivided ownership interest in farmland or forest land that has multiple owners, who is—
“(4) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare, make public, and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a written report on the activities carried out under this subsection in the year covered by the report.
(c) Annual report on operations and outcomes under the relending program To resolve ownership and succession on farmland.—Section 310I(g) of such Act, as so redesignated by subsection (b) of this section, is amended by striking “Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall” and inserting “The Secretary shall annually”.
Section 333A of the of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a) is amended—
(1) in subsection (g)—
(A) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
“(1) REAL ESTATE AND OPERATING GUARANTEED LOANS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide to lenders a short, simplified application form for real estate and operating guaranteed loans under this title, for loans of not more than $1,000,000.
“(B) NOTICE.—Within 5 business days after receipt of a complete application to guarantee a farm ownership or operating loan that meets the requirements under subparagraph (A) originated by a Preferred Certified Lender or Certified Lender, the Secretary shall notify the lender as to whether the application is approved or disapproved.
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
“(2) BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY GUARANTEED LOANS TO ASSIST RURAL ENTITIES.—
(a) In general.—Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act is amended by inserting after section 333D (7 U.S.C. 1983d) the following:
“SEC. 333E. Expedited approval pilot program.
“(a) In general.—Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall carry out a pilot program to establish an expedited qualification and approval process for borrowers seeking—
“(b) Loan assessments.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consider streamlining the process for making—
“(c) Rule of interpretation.—Except as otherwise provided in subsections (a) and (b), this section shall not be interpreted to authorize the waiver or modification of any requirement, other than an application process timing requirement, imposed by or under this Act.
“(d) Report.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report examining the actions undertaken under, and the results of, the pilot program.
(b) Conforming amendments.—Section 346(b)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(2)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (A)(i)(II), by inserting “, to the extent practicable” after “April 1 of the fiscal year”;
Section 311(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1941(a)) is amended—
(1) in the 2nd sentence of paragraph (1), by striking “a majority” each place it appears and inserting “at least a 50 percent”; and
(2) in paragraph (2)—
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking “(2) Special rule.—An entity” and inserting the following:
(B) by striking “ownership interests of each embedded entity of the entity is owned directly or indirectly by the individuals that own the family farm” and inserting “total ownership interests of the embedded entity, or of the other entities, is owned, directly or indirectly, by qualified operators of the farm improved or supported with funds under this subtitle”.
Section 313(a)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(a)(1)) is amended by striking “$400,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, $1,750,000 (increased, beginning with fiscal year 2019” and inserting “$750,000, or, in the case of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, $3,000,000 (increased, beginning with fiscal year 2026”.
Section 313(c)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(c)(2)) is amended by striking “$50,000” and inserting “$100,000”.
Section 313(c)(4)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(c)(4)(A)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 321 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1961) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(D) by adding after and below the end the following:
“(2) SPECIAL RULES.—
“(A) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED OPERATORS.—Qualified operators, as defined by the Secretary, shall be considered to meet the operator requirement of paragraph (1).
“(B) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN OPERATING-ONLY ENTITIES.— An applicant that is or will become only the operator of farm real estate acquired, improved, or supported with funds under this subtitle shall be considered to meet the owner-operator requirements of paragraph (1) if 1 or more of the individuals who is an owner of the real estate owns at least 50 percent (or such other percentage as the Secretary determines is appropriate) of the applicant.
“(C) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN EMBEDDED ENTITIES.—An entity that is an owner-operator described in paragraph (1), or an operator described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that is owned, in whole or in part, by 1 or more other entities, shall be considered to meet the direct ownership requirement imposed under paragraph (1) if at least 75 percent of the total ownership interests of the embedded entity, or of the other entities, is owned, directly or indirectly, by qualified operators of the farm acquired, improved, or supported with funds under this subtitle.”; and
Section 333B(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983b(h)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 346(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(1)) is amended in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 346(b)(2)(A)(ii)(III) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(2)(A)(ii)(III)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 346(b)(5)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(5)(C)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Eligibility for credit and financial services.—Section 1.9 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2017) is amended—
(b) Purposes for extensions of credit.—Section 1.11(c)(1) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2019(c)(1)) is amended by inserting “and to persons furnishing services directly related to the operating needs of producers or harvesters of aquatic products” after “needs”.
(c) Production credit associations.—Section 2.4(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2075(a)) is amended—
Section 3.7(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2128(b)(2)(A)(i)) is amended—
Section 3.7(f) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2128(f)) is amended—
(4) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by inserting “, or in the case of such loans, commitments, and assistance that are guaranteed, the term ‘rural area’ means an area described in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A))” before the period at the end; and
(5) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as so redesignated) the following:
“(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a bank for cooperatives may make and participate in loans and commitments and provide technical and other financial assistance to cooperatives and any other public or private entity (except for the Federal Government) for the purpose of installing, maintaining, expanding, improving, or operating facilities in a rural area for the processing or disposal of waste from any source, the provision of telecommunication services, and producing electricity from any source for use or sale by the borrower.”.
(a) In general.—The Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 4.20 the following:
“SEC. 4.21. Farm credit system regulation.
“(a) The Farm Credit Administration shall be the sole and independent regulator of the Farm Credit System with respect to activities subject to this Act.
Section 8.0(7)(B) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2279aa(7)(B)) is amended by inserting “ or section 9007(c)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107(c)(1))” before the 1st comma.
Section 8.8 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2279aa–8) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking “mortgage investors” and inserting “investors in those types of loans”; and
(2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
“(c) Qualified loan limitation for single borrowers.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall not treat a loan secured by agricultural real estate as a qualified loan when the cumulative principal amount of all loans to a single borrower or related borrowers exceeds 10 percent of the Corporation’s tier 1 capital, as defined by the Farm Credit Administration.
“(2) REGULATOR DETERMINATION.—The Farm Credit Administration may issue regulations establishing a single borrower concentration limit lower than the percentage specified in paragraph (1) if the Farm Credit Administration determines that such a lower limit is necessary for the safe and sound operation of the Corporation.”.
(a) Matching grants to States.—Section 502 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5102) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(e) Carryover of financial assistance.—The Secretary shall permit a State that receives financial assistance under subsection (a) for a fiscal year to carry over not more than 25 percent of the financial assistance that is not expended by the end of the fiscal year, for use during the next fiscal year without deducting the amount from any assistance provided under this Act in subsequent fiscal years.”.
(b) Authorization of appropriations.—Section 506 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5106) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Elimination of obsolete references to county committees.—
(1) Section 333A(a)(2)(B)(vi) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a(a)(2)(B)(vi)) is amended by striking “by the county committee” and inserting “of the application”.
(2) Section 336 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1986) is amended—
(3) Section 339 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1989) is amended—
(4) Section 359(c)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2006a(c)(1)) is amended by striking “(as determined by the appropriate county committee during the determination of eligibility for the loan)”.
(b) Revision of loan assessment requirements.—Section 360(d)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2006b(d)(1)) is amended by striking “annual review of direct loans, and periodic review (as determined necessary by the Secretary) of guaranteed loans” and inserting “periodic review (as determined by the Secretary) of direct and guaranteed loans”.
(c) Updating of outdated references to the Farmers Home Administration and the Rural Development Agency.—
(1) Section 309(e) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1928(e)) is amended by striking “Farmers Home Administration and the Rural Development Administration” and inserting “Farm Service Agency and Rural Development”.
(2) Section 331(b)(4) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1981(b)(4)) is amended by striking “Consolidated”.
(3) Section 331(b) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1981(b)) is amended in each of paragraphs (5) and (7) by striking “Farmers Home Administration” each place it appears and inserting “Farm Service Agency and Rural Development”.
(4) Section 331(b)(8) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1981(b)(8)) is amended by striking “Rural Development Administration or by the Farmers Home Administration” and inserting “Farm Service Agency and Rural Development”.
(5) Section 331A(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1981a(a)) is amended by striking “Farmers Home Administration or by the Rural Development Administration” and inserting “Farm Service Agency or by Rural Development”.
(6) Section 335(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1985(a)) is amended by striking “Farmers Home Administration or the Rural Development Administration” and inserting “Farm Service Agency or Rural Development”.
(7) Section 335(f)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1985(f)(1)) is amended—
(A) by striking “Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service payments” and inserting “Farm Service Agency farm program”;
(8) Section 338(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1988(a)) is amended by striking “Farmers Home Administration or the Rural Development Administration” and inserting “Farm Service Agency and Rural Development”.
(9) Section 347 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1995) is amended by striking “Farmers Home Administration” and inserting “Farm Service Agency and Rural Development”.
(10) Section 356 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2004) is amended—
(11) Section 370(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2008e(a)) is amended by striking “the Rural Development Administration, the Farmers Home Administration, the Rural Electrification Administration” and inserting “Rural Development, the Farm Service Agency, the Rural Utilities Service”.
(12) Each of the following provisions of such Act is amended by striking “Farmers Home Administration” each place it appears and inserting “Farm Service Agency”:
(A) Section 309(g)(1) (7 U.S.C. 1929(g)(1)).
(B) Section 331A(a) (7 U.S.C. 1981a(a)).
(C) Section 333A(e)(1) (7 U.S.C. 1983a(e)(1)).
(D) Section 335(d) (7 U.S.C. 1985(d)).
(E) Section 353A (7 U.S.C. 2001a).
(F) Section 349(e)(1)(B) (7 U.S.C. 1997(e)(1)(B)).
(G) Section 361 (7 U.S.C. 2006c).
(d) Section 335(c)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1985(c)(1)) is amended—
(3) in subparagraph (C), by striking “not later than 135 days after acquiring the real property, the Secretary shall, not later than 30 days after the 135-day period,” and inserting “or if the property is not suitable for farming and ranching as determined by the Secretary, not later than 60 days after the 180-day period, the Secretary shall”.
(e) Correction of infeasible inventory property disposition framework.—
(1) Section 331(b)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1981(b)(1)) is amended by striking “, and until January” and all that follows through “fit)”.
(2) Section 335(f) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1985(f)) is amended—
(f) Replacement of references to district office with references to District Director.—Section 333A(a)(2)(B) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a(a)(2)(B)) is amended by striking “district office” each place it appears and inserting “District Director”.
(g) Correction of obsolete reference to former trust territories.—Section 343(a)(6) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(6)) is amended by striking “the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands” and inserting “the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands”.
(h) Revision of farmer program loan definition.—Section 343(a)(10) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(10)) is amended by inserting “before June 18, 2008, conservation loan (CL) under section 304 on or after June 18, 2008,” before “emergency loan (EM)”.
(i) Elimination of inconsistency between rules applicable to beginning farmers.—Section 343(a)(11)(C) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(11)(C)) is amended by striking “related to one another by blood or marriage” and inserting “qualified beginning farmers”.
(j) Updating of provisions To reflect repurposing of conservation loan provisions.—
(1) Section 303(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1923(a)) is amended in each of paragraphs (1)(D) and (2)(D) by striking “described in section 304”.
(2) Section 310D of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1934) is amended by striking “, or paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 304(a),” and inserting “section 304(a)”.
(k) Updating of notice provision requirement and lifetime debt forgiveness limit.—Section 353(i)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2001(i)(1)) is amended by striking “registered or certified mail” and inserting “any method that provides documentation of delivery”.
(l) Updating of obsolete reference to the Soil Conservation Service.—Section 306(a)(13) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(13)) is amended by striking “Soil Conservation Service” and inserting “Natural Resources Conservation Service”.
(m) Clarification of interest rate requirements.—
(1) Section 307(a)(3)(B) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1927(a)(3)(B)) is amended by striking “not be—” and all that follows and inserting “be equal to the interest rate for direct farm ownership loans under this subtitle, not to exceed 5 percent per year.”.
(2) Section 316(a)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1946(a)(2)) is amended by striking “not be—” and all that follows and inserting “be equal to the interest rate for direct farm ownership loans under this subtitle, not to exceed 5 percent per year.”.
(n) Correction of heading.—Section 309(h)(6) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1929(h)(6)) is amended in the paragraph heading by striking “Beginning farmer loans” and inserting “Down payment loan program participant”.
(o) Elimination of superfluous restrictions.—Section 312 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1942) is amended by striking subsection (d) and redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (d).
(p) Elimination of confusing references to loan guarantees.—Section 319 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1949) is amended—
(q) Elimination of obsolete reporting requirements.—Section 346 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1994) is amended by striking subsections (c) and (d).
(r) Correction of obsolete appeals provisions.—
(1) Section 352(c)(3) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2000(c)(3)) is amended by striking “section 333B” and inserting “subtitle H of title II of Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994”.
(2) Section 353 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2001) is amended—
(s) Elimination of unnecessary constraint on pilot projects.—Section 333D(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1983d(a)) is amended by striking “that are consistent with subtitle A through this subtitle”.
(t) Correction of heading.—The paragraph heading in section 8.8(a)(3) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2279aa–8(a)(3)) is amended by striking “Mortgage loans” and inserting “Loan quality”.
(a) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report evaluating the feasibility of requiring the adoption of certain risk management practices as a condition for approving certain direct and guaranteed farm loans.
(b) Requirement.—In the report under subsection (a), the Secretary shall evaluate the feasibility of requiring, as a condition for approving certain direct and guaranteed farm loans, the adoption of 1 or more of the following risk management practices:
(4) Cash management services to facilitate timely disbursement of funds and structured collection of operating revenues.
(c) Certification.—In completing the report under subsection (a), the Secretary shall also evaluate the feasibility of establishing a certification program that identifies loans approved contingent on the adoption of enhanced risk management practices, including through voluntary lender incentives to promote integrated risk management support without increasing costs or burdens for applicants.
(d) Applicability.—The requirements and evaluations under this section shall apply only to operating, production, and working capital loans made for agricultural production purposes and shall not apply to real estate loans, rural development loans, housing loans, business and industry loans, or other non-operating credit programs administered by the Secretary.
(a) In general.—Section 5.19(a) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2254(a)) is amended in the 1st sentence—
Section 6101(a) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (132 Stat. 4726; Public Law 115–334) is amended—
Section 2335A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–5) is amended by striking “$82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023” and inserting “$82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to remain available for 2 fiscal years after the fiscal year for which appropriated”.
(a) In general.—Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking “Access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas” and inserting “ReConnect Rural Broadband Program”;
(2) in subsection (a), by striking “The purpose” and all that follows through “provide funds for” and inserting “The Secretary shall establish a program, which shall be known as the ‘ReConnect Rural Broadband Program’, to provide grants, loans, and loan guarantees to finance”;
(3) in subsection (c)—
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following:
“(A) IN GENERAL.—In making grants, making loans, and guaranteeing loans under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give the highest priority to applications for projects to provide broadband service to unserved rural communities that do not have any residential broadband service of at least—
“(B) OTHER.—After giving priority to the applications described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall then give priority to applications—
“(ii) that were developed with the participation of, and will receive a substantial portion of the funding or in-kind assistance for the project from, 2 or more stakeholders, including—
“(III) community anchor institutions, such as—
“(bb) elementary schools and secondary schools (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801));
(C) in paragraph (3)—
(D) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:
“(4) FEES.—
“(A) INITIAL GUARANTEE FEE.—The Secretary may assess an initial guarantee fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under this section in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.
“(B) PERIODIC RETENTION FEE.—The Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under this section in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal of the guarantee loan.
“(C) DISCLOSURE.—In altering any fee charged for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under this section, the Secretary, not less than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall provide a public disclosure, of the financial data, economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, and other factors used to determine the new fee rates.”;
(4) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (E) and inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
“(B) INCLUSIONS.—An entity eligible to obtain assistance under subsection (c) may include—
“(i) a State or local government, including any agency, subdivision, instrumentality, or political subdivision of a State or local government;
“(iii) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));
“(C) INELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An individual or legal general partnership that is formed with individuals shall not be eligible to obtain a grant, loan, or grant and loan combination under subsection (c).
“(D) AFFILIATED OWNED AND OPERATED NETWORKS.—Under this subsection, the Secretary may fund the construction of networks owned and operated by an affiliate of an eligible entity receiving the grant, loan, or loan guarantee, if the eligible entity, the affiliate, or both, as determined necessary by the Secretary, furnishes adequate security for the grant, loan, or loan guarantee.”; and
(5) in subsection (e)—
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
“(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary may adjust, through a 30-day public notice and comment period published in the Federal Register, an increase in the minimum level of broadband service under paragraph (1) of no more than 50 percent from the preceding year, if less than 95 percent of the funds of the program are obligated in the preceding 2 funding rounds.”; and
(C) in paragraph (4)—
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) through (D) and inserting the following:
“(B) BROADBAND BUILDOUT STANDARDS DEFINED.—A project must meet the following applicable broadband standard in order to be considered for assistance;
“(i) A project with an award term of less than 8 years must provide service at 2 times the minimum broadband speed established in subsection (e)(1).
“(C) NETWORK UPGRADE PLANNING.—The Secretary may prioritize an applicant seeking to meet the broadband buildout standards under clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (B) if the applicant submits information regarding the potential for the physical infrastructure of the network to be upgraded to meet the broadband buildout standards under subparagraph (B)(iii) at the time of the application, assuming reasonable progress in relevant networking technologies.”;
(b) Regulations.—Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate rules to carry out the amendments made by subsection (a) of this section, and complete the biennial review process required by section 601(e)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.
(c) Sunset.—The authorities provided by section 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) shall have no force or effect beginning 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Transition rules.—
(1) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than 1 percent of the unobligated balances of amounts made available, as of the date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, to carry out the pilot program described in section 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) may be used for the costs of transitioning from the pilot program to the program under section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended by this Act.
(2) CONSOLIDATION OF FUNDS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The unobligated balances of all amounts made available on or before June 30, 2025, to carry out the pilot program described in section 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) that are in excess of the amount described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph are hereby transferred to and merged with amounts made available to carry out the program authorized under section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.
(B) UNFUNDED APPROVALS.—The amount described in this subparagraph is the amount required to fully fund each project approved as of the date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, under the pilot program described in such section 779 for which amounts were not obligated or partially obligated as of such date.
Section 602(g) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–1(g)) is amended by striking “2018 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 603 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–2) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 603. Innovative broadband advancement program.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a program to be known as the ‘Innovative Broadband Advancement Program’, under which the Secretary may provide a grant, a loan, or both to an eligible entity for the purpose of demonstrating innovative broadband technologies or methods of broadband deployment that significantly decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and provide substantially faster broadband speeds than are available, in a rural area.
“(b) Terrestrial broadband demonstration projects.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide grants or loans to eligible entities for the purpose of deploying innovative broadband technologies to qualified consumers who subscribe to terrestrial broadband service in rural areas.
“(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to obtain assistance under this subsection for a project, an entity shall—
“(A) submit to the Secretary an application—
“(i) that describes a terrestrial broadband demonstration project designed to decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and substantially increase broadband speed to not less than the maximum broadband project agreement requirements established under section 601(e)(4), to qualified consumers in a rural area to be served by the project; and
“(3) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding assistance under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals for projects that—
“(4) QUALIFIED CONSUMER.—In this subsection, the term ‘qualified consumer’ means—
“(C) an essential community facility, as defined pursuant to section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)).
“(c) Satellite broadband demonstration projects.—
“(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection is to reduce or eliminate the costs to access satellite broadband service for remote subscribers.
“(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
“(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ means a broadband service provider that provides Internet access directly to qualified consumers in remote areas via satellite technology.
“(B) QUALIFIED CONSUMER.—The term ‘qualified consumer’ means a consumer served by an eligible entity that receives a grant under paragraph (3), who is—
“(i) an individual or a member of a household at or below the poverty line (as defined in section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, including any revision required by such section, applicable to a family of the size involved); or
“(ii) an essential community facility, as defined pursuant to section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)).
“(C) SATELLITE BROADBAND EQUIPMENT.—The term ‘satellite broadband equipment’ means user terminals, Wi-Fi routers, power supplies, mounts, and any other equipment necessary to connect a qualified consumer to satellite broadband service.
“(3) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (B), the Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities for the purpose of reducing or eliminating the cost associated with the purchase or installation, or both, of satellite broadband equipment to qualified consumers to subscribe to satellite broadband service in remote areas.
“(B) REQUIREMENTS.—As a condition of receiving a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall—
“(i) provide retail broadband service delivered via satellite technology to qualified consumers, that—
“(ii) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such other information as the Secretary may require;
“(d) Report.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a comprehensive report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate that shall provide the outcomes, effectiveness, and impact of the Innovative Broadband Advancement Program, including—
“(1) an assessment of the broadband infrastructure funded, including the scope, scale, nature and geographic locations of each award;
Section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–3) is amended—
Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–5) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950cc) is amended—
(2) in subsection (a)(1)(B)(i), by inserting “, including a complete shapefile map” before the semicolon;
(3) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C) and inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
“(B) validate the information submitted by service providers under subparagraph (A) through procedures established by the Secretary, which shall include an agency determination provided to the submitter, an opportunity of the submitter to respond, and a final non-appealable determination of the Secretary; and”; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking all that precedes subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
“(2) ASSESSMENT OF ELIGIBILITY.—In making any determination to award a loan, loan guarantee, or grant for any retail broadband project provided assistance or for which assistance is sought that is administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall confirm that each unserved rural community identified in the application is eligible for funding by—
“(A) utilizing the map created by the Federal Communications Commission under section 802(c)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 and the Deployment Locations Map established under section 60104(b) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1704(b));”; and
(4) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:
“(e) Broadband technical assistance program.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants to private, nonprofit, or public organizations to provide or receive eligible entities broadband technical assistance and training to expand access to broadband service in rural communities through the broadband programs of the Department of Agriculture including—
“(B) identifying resources to finance broadband facilities from public and private sources, including other Federal agencies;
“(C) preparing feasibility studies, financial forecasts, market surveys, environmental studies, and technical design information to support broadband services;
“(D) preparing reports and surveys necessary to support the need for broadband services, the price range, and request financial assistance;
“(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to obtain assistance under this subsection, an entity shall be—
“(B) a State or local government, including any agency, subdivision, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof;
“(D) an institution of higher education (including a 1862 Land-Grant Institution, 1890 Land-Grant Institution, 1994 Land-Grant Institution, Hispanic-Serving Institution, or Historically Black College or University);
“(E) a nonprofit organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
“(f) Assistance for community broadband mapping.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants to eligible entities for the purpose of collecting broadband service data to assist the Secretary in—
“(A) establishing the availability of broadband service or middle mile infrastructure in a rural area;
“(B) determining the eligibility of a community for assistance under any broadband program administered by the Secretary;
“(D) collecting information to submit a challenge to the National Broadband Map created by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to section 802(c)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(c)(1)).
“(2) APPLICATION.—To apply for a grant under this section, an entity shall submit an application which identifies—
“(3) LIMITATION OF GRANT AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant made available under this subsection shall not exceed $50,000.
“(4) BROADBAND SERVICE DATA USAGE.—The Secretary shall ensure that any broadband service data collected under this section is—
“(A) measured or assessed in accordance with such standards as are established by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to section 802(a)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(a)(1)(A));
“(B) accurate and verifiable in accordance with such standards as are established by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to section 802(a)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(a)(1)(A));
“(5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
“(A) BROADBAND SERVICE.—The term ‘broadband service’ has the same meaning given the term in section 601.
“(B) BROADBAND SERVICE DATA.—
Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 608. Limitation on overbuilding.
“Any area in a proposed service area under this title shall not be considered unserved if an applicant in another Federal or State broadband program has received an obligation of funding to offer retail broadband service in the area not more than 5 years from the date of the obligation of funds, at a speed of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.”.
Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting “, if the entity continues to serve rural areas (as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A))” before the semicolon;
(iii) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (E) and inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
“(C) any Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
“(2) ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES.—The term ‘energy efficiency measures’ means, with respect to any property service by an eligible entity—
(2) in subsection (c)—
(B) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
(C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (9) as paragraphs (3) through (10), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
“(2) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary shall give priority to applications from eligible entities serving at least 80 percent of their ratepayers residing in rural areas, as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).”;
(E) by striking paragraph (6) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph) and inserting the following:
(G) by striking paragraph (9) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph) and inserting the following:
(H) by adding at the end the following:
“(11) GRANTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—At the election of an eligible entity that receives a loan under this subsection, the Secretary may provide to the eligible entity a grant to pay for a portion of the costs incurred in—
“(B) AMOUNT.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in clause (ii), the amount of a grant provided to an eligible entity under this paragraph shall be equal to not more than 5 percent of the amount of the loan provided to the eligible entity under this subsection.
“(ii) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUNTIES.—The amount of a grant provided under this paragraph to an eligible entity that will use the grant to make loans under subsection (d) to qualified consumers located in a persistent poverty county (as determined by the Secretary) shall be equal to 10 percent of the amount of the loan provided to the eligible entity under this subsection.”;
(3) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting the following:
“(B) (i) may have a term and amortization schedule the length of which is the useful life of the energy efficiency measures implemented using the loan, if the loan term does not exceed 20 years; and
“(ii) shall finance energy efficiency measures for the purpose of decreasing energy usage or costs of the qualified consumer by an amount that ensures, to the maximum extent practicable, that the applicable loan term described in clause (i) will not pose an undue financial burden on the qualified consumer, as determined by the eligible entity;
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) CLARIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), an eligible entity may make a loan under this subsection to any qualified consumer located within the service territory of the eligible entity, regardless of whether the qualified consumer is located in a rural area.”;
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) ADVANCED WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY.—The term “advanced wireless communications technology” means advanced technology that contributes to mobile (5G or beyond) networks, next-generation Wi-Fi networks, or other future networks using other technologies, regardless of whether the network is operating on an exclusive licensed, shared licensed, or unlicensed frequency band.
(2) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term “artificial intelligence” has the meaning given the term in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061).
(3) FOREIGN ADVERSARY.—The term “foreign adversary” means any foreign government or foreign nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States, or security and safety of United States persons.
(4) PRECISION AGRICULTURE; PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The terms “precision agriculture” and “precision agriculture technology” have the meanings given the terms in section 1201 of the Food Security Act of 1985.
(5) TRUSTED.—The term “trusted” means, with respect to a provider of advanced communications service or a supplier of communications equipment or service, that the Secretary has determined that the provider or supplier is not owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of, a foreign adversary.
(6) VOLUNTARY CONSENSUS STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION.—The term “voluntary consensus standards development organization” means an organization that develops standards in a process that meets the principles for the development of voluntary consensus standards (as defined in the document of the Office of Management and Budget entitled “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities” (OMB Circular A–119)).
(c) Interconnectivity standards for precision agriculture.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission, shall—
(A) develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture that will promote economies of scale and ease the burden of the adoption of precision agriculture; and
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Secretary, in carrying out paragraph (1), shall, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, consider—
(d) GAO assessment of precision agriculture standards.—
(1) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the Secretary develops standards under subsection (c), and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 years, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study that assesses those standards, including the extent to which those standards, as applicable—
(2) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that summarizes the findings of each study conducted under paragraph (1).
Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is amended by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
“(f) Food supply chain capacity and resilience guaranteed loans.—
“(1) DEFINITION OF FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN GUARANTEED LOAN.—In this subsection, the term ‘food supply chain guaranteed loan’ means a business and industry guaranteed loan that is made or guaranteed by the Secretary under subsection (a)(2)(A), including a guarantee described in subsection (a)(3).
“(2) PURPOSE.—A food supply chain guaranteed loan may be made for the purpose of financing new investments in the start-up or expansion of projects in the United States that will increase the capacity of the food supply chain in the United States to aggregate, process, manufacture, store, transport, wholesale, or distribute food, agricultural products, or agricultural inputs.
“(3) LIMITATIONS.—The maximum amount of a food supply chain guaranteed loan shall not exceed $40,000,000.
“(4) LOAN GUARANTEES IN NONRURAL AREAS.—The Secretary may guarantee a food supply chain guaranteed loan to an eligible entity for a facility that is not located in a rural area if—
“(A) the primary purpose of the loan guarantee is for a facility to aggregate, process, manufacture, store, transport, wholesale, or distribute food agricultural products, or agricultural inputs for agricultural producers or processors that are located within 80 miles of the facility;
“(5) QUARTERLY REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that contains—
“(A) an evaluation of the outcomes achieved through use of the assistance, and the ability of the recipient of the assistance to meet performance goals;
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term “eligible entity” means—
(A) a public, private, or cooperative organization organized on a for-profit or nonprofit basis, including a small establishment and very small establishment;
(B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));
(C) a land-grant college or university (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));
(2) SMALL ESTABLISHMENT; VERY SMALL ESTABLISHMENT.—The terms “small establishment” and “very small establishment” have the meanings given the terms “smaller establishment” and “very small establishment”, respectively, in the final rule entitled “Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems” (61 Fed. Reg. 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regulations).
(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this section are—
(2) to expand, diversify, and increase resilience in meat and poultry processing and rendering activities;
(4) to improve compliance of processors with livestock and poultry processing statutes (including regulations), including the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.);
(c) Grants.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to use in accordance with subsection (d).
(d) Use of funds.—An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant to carry out activities in support of the purposes described in subsection (b), including activities—
(1) to identify and analyze business opportunities, including feasibility studies required for credit worthiness;
(3) to conduct regional, community, and local economic development planning and coordination and leadership development;
(4) to incentivize new, innovative, or mobile enterprises for increasing or improving local and regional meat or poultry processing and rendering;
(5) to implement humane handling infrastructure, including holding space for livestock prior to slaughter, shade structures, and structures and equipment for humane slaughter;
(6) to develop a feasibility study or business plan for, or carry out any other activity associated with, establishing or expanding a small meat or poultry slaughter, processing, or rendering facility;
(e) Federal share.—The Federal share of the activities carried out using a grant awarded under this section shall not exceed—
(f) Quarterly reports to Congress.—Within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that contains—
(1) an evaluation of the outcomes achieved through use of the grant, and the ability of the grantee to meet performance goals;
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) CHILDCARE.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term “childcare” means any program that—
(i) provides quality care and early education for children who have not yet entered first grade; and
(ii) is operated by—
(I) an eligible childcare provider described in section 658P(6)(A) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(6)(A)); or
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term “childcare” includes—
(ii) a program described in subparagraph (A) that is a Head Start program, including a migrant and seasonal Head Start program, or an American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start program carried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.);
(b) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish an initiative, to be known as the “Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative”, under which the Secretary shall provide, for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029, priority in accordance with subsection (c) to address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in rural areas.
(c) Childcare priorities.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in selecting recipients of loans and grants under a program described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall give priority to any qualified applicant that proposes to use the loan or grant to address the availability, quality, or cost of childcare.
(2) DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS.—The programs referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:
(A) The essential community facilities loan and grant programs authorized under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)).
(B) The business and industry direct and guaranteed loan program authorized under section 310B(g) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)).
(C) The rural microentrepreneur assistance program authorized under section 379E of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s).
(D) The intermediary relending program authorized under the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1936b).
(d) Requirements.—In providing funding in accordance with the Initiative, the Secretary shall ensure a balanced geographical distribution of the benefits under the Initiative.
(e) Evaluation; report.—
(1) EVALUATION.—Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the projects carried out using assistance provided under the Initiative, including—
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report describing the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1), including a thorough analysis of the outcomes of the evaluation.
(a) In general.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall directly, or through cooperative agreements, provide technical assistance and strengthen local capacity to improve access to rural development programs administered by the Secretary for local partners (including local governments, cooperatives, businesses, and community anchor institutions) in geographically underserved and distressed areas.
(b) Reports.—Beginning 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall annually publish, make available to the public, and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on how the provision of technical assistance under subsection (a) has affected geographically underserved and distressed areas in the year covered by the report.
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) GEOGRAPHICALLY UNDERSERVED AND DISTRESSED AREA.—The term “geographically underserved and distressed area” means a rural area (as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)))—
Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 379J. Rural Development Innovation Center.
“(a) Definition of rural development mission areas.—In this section, the term ‘Rural Development Mission Areas’ means the agencies under the Rural Development Agency at the Department of Agriculture, including the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Housing Service.
“(b) Establishment.—There is hereby established within the Rural Development Mission Areas a Rural Development Innovation Center (the ‘Innovation Center’) to promote and facilitate innovation in the administration and implementation of rural development programs and initiatives.
“(c) Functions.—The Innovation Center shall—
“(1) review all processes for Rural Development Mission Area programs to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, and barriers to access, including—
“(2) establish and maintain an ongoing public process for public and private stakeholders to provide perspectives on the challenges faced when applying for, utilizing, or participating in Rural Development Mission Area programs;
“(3) identify and assess any innovative strategies and collaborative models to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of rural development programs and initiatives;
“(4) foster and maintain partnerships with public and private stakeholders to leverage expertise and resources for the Rural Development Mission Areas;
“(6) identify and implement technological solutions and software applications to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Rural Development Mission Area programs, including enhancing data management systems;
“(d) Modernization plan.—The Innovation Center shall develop, and periodically update, a modernization plan to facilitate innovation in administering and implementing rural development programs and initiatives that—
“(1) outlines strategies aimed at harnessing the potential of emerging technologies for program delivery and overall service;
“(2) enhances program efficiencies by identifying and implementing measures to streamline program and administrative processes, reduce redundancies, and optimize resource allocation;
“(3) expands the availability and accessibility of digital services, leveraging digital platforms and tools to broaden the reach of the programs and improve the overall user experience for rural stakeholders;
“(e) Report.—The Secretary shall submit an annual report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on—
“(1) the activities and accomplishments of the Innovation Center, including progress in advancing rural development innovation and the outcome achieved;
Section 236 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6946) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(10) coordinate with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in implementation of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network provided for in section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936).”; and
Section 306(a)(2)(B)(vii) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(2)(B)(vii)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 306(a)(22) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)) is amended to read as follows:
“(22) RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CIRCUIT RIDER PROGRAM.—
“(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, through the Rural Utilities Service, shall continue a national rural water and wastewater circuit rider program that is consistent with the activities and results of the program conducted before the date of enactment of this Act, and with this section, as determined by the Secretary.
“(B) PURPOSE.—The Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program shall provide a network of expert rural water Circuit Riders located in all 50 States, including United States territories and Freely Associated States, which work one-on-one with eligible rural water and wastewater systems in major assistance categories described in subparagraph (D). The program is intended to help rural water systems operate effectively and efficiently and achieve long-term sustainability and compliance with certain Federal laws and requirements, including the Safe Water Drinking Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.) and the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.).
“(C) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In selecting recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to be made available for activities listed under subparagraph (D), the Secretary shall select nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated experience providing technical assistance and disaster and recovery assistance for water and wastewater utilities nationwide. Awardees shall rely on personnel that possess active water and wastewater operators’ licenses or overall knowledge of water utilities necessary to carry out eligible activities under subparagraph (D).
“(D) ELIGIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall use funds under the Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider program for a rural water, wastewater, or wastewater disposal facility for—
“(i) technical assistance, including—
“(II) managerial and financial operations with the effort to enhance the long-term sustainability of rural water and wastewater systems, including partnerships, consolidation, and regionalization;
“(ii) disaster and recovery assistance including—
“(III) facilitating the development of action plans between utilities, local governments, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State emergency management agencies;
“(VI) updating vulnerability assessments, preparation of emergency response plans, communication protocols, hazard recognition and evaluation skills;
“(VIII) addressing outstanding deficiencies focused on resolving health-based regulatory, operational, financial, and managerial deficiencies that impact the sustainability of the affected utilities;
“(IX) application and reporting assistance for Federal and State requirements including Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance recovery claims;
Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (22) the following:
“(23) ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRESSED WATER SYSTEMS.—
“(A) To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of eligible rural community waste disposal and water facilities as described in subparagraph (B), for any entity described in subparagraph (C), the Secretary may—
“(ii) forgive the principal or interest, or modify any term or condition of a new or existing loan made pursuant to paragraph (1);
“(B) To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of the services provided by eligible entities, the Secretary shall—
“(C) An entity shall be eligible for assistance under this paragraph if the entity—
“(D) An entity eligible under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) may designate a water and wastewater utility provider to apply for a loan under this paragraph and carry out the loan application on behalf of the eligible entity.
Section 306(a)(25)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(25)(C)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 306A(i)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926a(i)(2)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 306D(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d(d)(1)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 306E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926e) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 306E. Rural decentralized water systems.
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible individual’ means an individual who is a member of a household the members of which have a combined income (for the most recent 12-month period for which the information is available) that is not more than 80 percent of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the State or territory in which the individual resides, according to the most recent decennial census of the United States.
“(2) ELIGIBLE GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term ‘eligible grant recipient’ means a private nonprofit organization that uses a grant provided under this section for the purposes described in subsection (b)(1).
“(3) QUALIFIED WATER QUALITY TESTING.—The term ‘qualified water quality testing’ means a baseline analysis of the bacterial and chemical characteristics of concern from a drinking water sample collected at the point of consumption and tested by a laboratory certified to conduct water quality testing that is provided to—
“(b) Grants.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants to an eligible grant recipient for the purpose of—
“(A) providing loans and subgrants to eligible individuals for—
“(B) performing qualified water quality testing of individual household water well systems and individually utilized household decentralized wastewater systems in rural areas that are or will be utilized by the eligible individuals; or
“(2) TERMS AND AMOUNTS FOR LOANS AND SUBGRANTS.—
“(3) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A recipient of a grant made under this section may use grant funds to pay administrative expenses associated with providing the assistance described in paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary.
“(c) Priority in awarding grants.—In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to an applicant that has substantial expertise and experience in promoting the safe and effective use of individually owned household water well systems, individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems, and ground water.
Section 310B(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(a)) is amended—
Section 310B(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(b)) is amended—
Section 310B(c)(4)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(4)(A)) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended—
(2) in paragraph (5)—
(3) in paragraph (6), by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
“(B) AWARD RENEWALS FOR QUALIFIED NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary shall award a grant under this subsection to a nonprofit institution on the same terms and for the establishment or operation of the same center or centers for cooperative development for which the nonprofit institution was awarded a grant in the current fiscal year, if the nonprofit institution—
(4) in paragraph (10), by adding at the end the following: “The Secretary shall analyze the data resulting from the research, and include the data and the analysis in the annual report submitted by the interagency working group under paragraph (12).”;
(a) In general.—Section 333 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1983) is amended—
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(b) Fees.—
“(1) INITIAL GUARANTEE FEE.—The Secretary may assess an initial guarantee fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 306(a) in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.
“(2) PERIODIC RETENTION FEE.—The Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 306(a) in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal of the guaranteed loan.
“(3) DISCLOSURE.—In altering any fee charged for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 306(a), the Secretary, not less than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall provide a public disclosure of the financial data, economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, and other factors used to determine the new fee rates.”.
(b) Conforming amendment.—Section 310B(g)(5) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(5)) is amended to read as follows:
“(5) FEES.—
“(A) INITIAL GUARANTEE FEE.—The Secretary may assess an initial guarantee fee for any guaranteed business and industry loan in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.
“(B) PERIODIC RETENTION FEE.—The Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee for any guaranteed business and industry loan in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal of the guaranteed loan.
“(C) DISCLOSURE.—In altering any fee charged for any guaranteed business and industry loan, the Secretary, not less than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall provide a public disclosure of the financial data, economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, and other factors used to determine the new fee rates.”.
Section 310B(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 310B(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(i)) is amended—
Section 310B(j) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(j)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 310H(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936b(i)) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
(a) In general.—Section 342 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1990a) is amended—
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(2) REQUIREMENTS.—To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of an eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall—
“(3) WAIVER.—In the case of an application for refinancing pursuant to this section, the Secretary may waive the requirement of section 302(a)(1)(D) if the eligible health care facility is insolvent.
“(b) Rural health care facility technical assistance program.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—In lieu of any other authority under which the Secretary may provide technical assistance to any eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program (in this section referred to as the ‘Program’) to provide technical assistance and training, tailored to the capacity and needs of each eligible health care facility, to help eligible health care facilities in rural areas—
“(A) identify development needs for maintaining essential health care services, and support action plans for operational and quality improvement projects to meet the development needs;
“(2) GOALS.—The goals of the Program shall be to—
“(A) improve the long-term financial position and operational efficiency of the eligible health care facilities;
“(3) PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall engage in outreach and engagement strategies to encourage eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program.
“(B) ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE FACILITY SELECTION.—In selecting eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to borrowers and grantees of the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service. The Secretary may also consider—
“(ii) the financial vulnerability of the eligible health care facility, and the ability of the eligible health care facility to meet debt obligations;
“(C) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a written report describing the progress and results of the program conducted under this section, which should include—
“(c) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ has the meaning given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).
“(3) ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE FACILITY.—The term ‘eligible health care facility’ means a facility that is located in a rural area and is—
“(4) HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA.—The term ‘health professional shortage area’ has the meaning given the term in section 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act.
Section 363 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2006e) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 363. Prohibition on use of loan or grant for certain purposes.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall not approve any loan or grant under this title to drain, dredge, fill, or level, or otherwise manipulate a wetland (as defined in section 1201(a)(16) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(16))), or to engage in any activity that results in impairing or reducing the flow, circulation, or reach of water, except in the case of activity related to the maintenance of previously converted wetlands, or in the case of such activity that commenced before November 29, 1990.
“(b) Exclusions.—
“(1) UTILITIES LINES.—This section shall not apply to a loan made or guaranteed under this title for a utility line.
“(2) PERMITTED ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS.—This section shall not apply to a rural development loan made or guaranteed under section 306 or 306C of this Act for an activity or project for which the applicant or borrower has obtained or is required to obtain a permit from the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, under section 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403; 30 Stat. 1151, chapter 425), or section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344).”.
Section 368(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008c(d)(1)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 378 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008m) is amended—
Section 379B(d) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008p(d)) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 379E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s) is amended—
(2) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking “shall not exceed 75 percent” and inserting “may be up to 100 percent, and a loan under this section for a project may be used to cover not more than 50 percent of any renovation, construction, or related costs of real estate improvements under the project”;
Section 379G(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008u(e)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 379H(d)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v(d)(4)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 379I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)—
(i) in clause (iii)—
(I) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the following:
“(I) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101, and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 102(a)(1), of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002(a)(1)));”;
(II) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as subclauses (III) and (IV), respectively, and inserting after subclause (I) the following:
“(II) an area career and technical education school (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302));”; and
(ii) in clause (iv)—
(I) by striking subclause (IV) and inserting the following:
“(IV) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101, and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 102(a)(1), of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002(a)(1)));”; and
(II) by redesignating subclause (V) as subclause (VI) and inserting after subclause (IV) the following:
“(V) an area career and technical education school (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)); or”; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
“(v) in the case of a career pathway program, includes 1 or more members of the local workforce development board established under section 107 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and serving the region to ensure the program is integrated with the activities carried out by the local workforce development board; and”; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(6) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘career pathway’ has the meaning given the term in section 3(7) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(7)).
“(7) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘industry or sector partnership’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).”;
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “or carry out career pathway training programs or industry or sector partnerships aligned with industry sectors in rural communities” before “, including”;
(3) in subsection (d)(1)—
(4) in subsection (e)—
(B) in paragraph (2)(B)—
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) in the case of a career pathway program or industry or sector partnership, report to the Secretary the employment and earnings outcomes for individuals who participate in the program on the indicators described in subclauses (I) through (III) of section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.”; and
Section 384J(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–9(c)) is amended by striking “50” and inserting “75”.
Section 384S of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–18) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Each of the following provisions of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act are amended by striking “urbanized” and inserting “urban”:
(1) Section 343(a)(13)(A)(ii) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)(ii)).
(2) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(I) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)), in the matter preceding item (aa).
(4) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(II) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(II)).
(5) Section 343(a)(13)(E) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(E)).
(6) Section 343(a)(13)(F)(i)(II) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(F)(i)(II)).
(7) Section 384I(c)(4)(C) (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–8(c)(4)(C)).
Section 306(a)(14) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(14)) is amended—
Section 313A(f) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–1(f)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 313B of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–2) is amended—
(1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
“(b) Repayments.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of zero interest loans, the Secretary shall establish such reasonable repayment terms as will encourage borrower participation.
“(2) LETTERS OF CREDIT.—The Secretary shall not require a letter of credit or other similar guarantee from a recipient of a zero-interest loan under this section if the borrower assigns the Secretary a security interest in any collateral provided to secure a loan made with funds loaned under this section, or makes other similar arrangements to the satisfaction of the Secretary.”; and
Section 315(d) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940e(d)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
Section 1408 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123) is amended—
Section 1408A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123a) is amended—
Section 1415A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3151a) is amended—
(1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
“(b) Determination of veterinarian shortage situations.—In determining ‘veterinarian shortage situations’, the Secretary—
Section 1415B of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3151b) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i), by striking “, as defined in” and all that follows through “1991(a))”; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) RURAL AREA.—The term “rural area” has the meaning given such term in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).”;
(4) in subsection (d)—
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking “To Relieve Veterinarian Shortage Situations and Support Veterinary Services”; and
(B) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “situations and support” and inserting “situations, to expand, retain, or attract additional veterinary practices in rural areas, and to support”; and
Section 1417(m)(2) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3152(m)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1419A(e) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3155(e)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1419B of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3156) is amended—
Section 1425(g) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3175(g)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1433 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3195) is amended—
(a) Extension.—Section 1444(a)(2) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3221(a)(2)) is amended by striking “20 percent” and inserting “40 percent”.
(b) Research.—Section 1445 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222) is amended—
Section 1446 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222a) is amended—
Section 1447(b) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222b(b)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1447B(d) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222b–2(d)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1449 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222d) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(2) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
“(c) State matching funds requirement.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this subtitle, for each fiscal year, a State shall provide to each eligible institution located in the State matching funds from non-Federal sources in an amount equal to the amounts provided to the eligible institution under sections 1444 and 1445 for the purposes described in subsection (b)(1).”.
Section 1450 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222e) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking “land-grant college or university” and inserting “land-grant college or university (except for a 1994 Institution (as defined in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–382; 7 U.S.C. 301 note)))”; and
Section 1455(c) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3241(c)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1458(e) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3291(e)) is amended—
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking “United States and Israel” and inserting “United States, Israel, or other signatories of the Abraham Accords Declaration”; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) BARD FUND ACCELERATOR.—The BARD Fund shall establish an accelerator program that supports mid-stage research, as determined by the technology readiness level, in priority areas established by the BARD Fund that—
“(A) fast-tracks cooperative research between scientists participating in activities described in paragraph (2);
“(B) accelerates the successful development of agricultural research through resources and services developed or orchestrated by the BARD Fund;
(a) In general.—Section 1458A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3292) is amended—
(1) by amending the section heading to read as follows “Grants and partnerships for international agricultural research, extension, and education”;
(2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and inserting the following:
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) DEVELOPING COUNTRY.—The term ‘developing country’ means a country that meets such criteria as determined by the Secretary, established using a gross national income per capita test selected by the Secretary.
“(3) INTERNATIONAL PARTNER INSTITUTION.—The term ‘international partner institution’ means a higher education institution in a developing country that is performing, or desiring to perform, activities similar to agricultural research, extension, and education activities carried out through eligible institutions in the United States.
“(b) Grants and partnerships.—
“(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary may make competitive grants to eligible institutions in order to strengthen United States economic competitiveness and to promote international market development through—
“(A) enhancing the international content of the curricula in colleges and universities so as to ensure that United States students acquire an understanding of the international dimensions and trade implications of their studies;
“(B) ensuring that United States scientists, extension agents, and educators involved in agricultural research and development activities outside of the United States have the opportunity to convey the implications of their activities and findings to their peers and students in the United States and to the users of agricultural research, extension, and teaching;
“(C) enhancing the capabilities of colleges and universities to do collaborative research with other countries, in cooperation with other Federal agencies, on issues relevant to United States agricultural competitiveness;
“(D) enhancing the capabilities of colleges and universities to provide cooperative extension education to promote the application of new technology developed in foreign countries to United States agriculture; and
“(E) enhancing the capability of United States colleges and universities, in cooperation with other Federal agencies, to provide leadership and educational programs that will assist United States natural resources and food production, processing, and distribution businesses and industries to compete internationally, including through the use of product market identification, international policies limiting or enhancing market production, the development of new or enhancement of existing markets, and production efficiencies.
“(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary may promote cooperation and coordination between eligible institutions and international partner institutions through—
“(A) improving extension by—
“(B) improving agricultural research by—
“(C) improving agricultural teaching and education by—
“(D) assisting eligible institutions in strengthening their capacity for food, agricultural, and related research, extension, and teaching programs relevant to agricultural development activities in developing countries to promote the application of new technology to improve education delivery;
“(E) providing support for the internationalization of resident instruction programs of eligible institutions;
(b) Conforming amendment.—Section 1459A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3292b) is repealed.
Section 1462A(e) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310a(e)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1463 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3311) is amended by striking “2023” each place it appears in subsections (a) and (b) and inserting “2031”.
Section 1464 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3312) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1473D of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319d) is amended—
Section 1473E of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319e) is amended—
(1) by amending the section heading to read as follows: “Grants for community college agriculture and natural resources programs”;
(3) by striking subsections (a) through (c) and inserting the following:
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ means—
“(A) a junior or community college (as defined in section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058)) supporting agriculture advancement;
“(C) an area career and technical education school (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)) that offers a program of study in agriculture.
“(2) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term ‘work-based learning’ has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).
“(b) Competitive grants.—The Secretary shall make competitive grants to eligible entities to conduct workforce training, education, research, and outreach activities relating to food and agricultural sciences.
“(c) Priority.—In making grants under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity coordinating with a local agriculture industry operator or conservation district to provide work-based learning, experiential training, and other opportunities for students.
“(d) Use of funds.—An eligible entity that receives a grant under subsection (b) may use the funds made available through the grant—
Section 1473F(b) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319i(b)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(B) in paragraph (5)—
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (2), by amending subparagraph (B) to read as follows:
“(B) to overcome the long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of agricultural technologies, research tools, and qualified products and projects that enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, water conservation, and resilience to extreme weather, drought, infectious diseases, plant and animal pathogens, and plant and animal pests;”;
Section 1477(a)(2) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324(a)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and insert “2031”.
Section 1484(a)(3) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3351(a)(3)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) In general.—Section 1485 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3352) is amended—
(1) by amending the section heading to read as follows: “Agriculture and food protection grant program”;
(2) by striking subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) and inserting the following:
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program under which the Secretary will award grants to eligible entities to support research, extension, and education activities that improve the capability of the United States to protect the food and agricultural system from any chemical, biological, cybersecurity, or bioterrorism attack.
“(b) Use of funds.—Grants made under this section shall be used to—
“(2) promote the development and expansion of teaching programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and other disciplines closely allied to the food and agriculture system to increase the number of trained individuals with an expertise in agricultural biosecurity and cybersecurity;
“(3) expand or upgrade facilities to meet biosafety and biosecurity requirements necessary to protect facility staff, members of the public, and the food supply while carrying out agricultural biosecurity research;
(b) Conforming amendments.—Chapters 1 and 2 of subtitle B of title XIV of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8912, 8913, 8921, and 8922) are repealed.
Section 1490(f)(2) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3362(f)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1491(c)(2) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3363(c)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Section 1410 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 ((7 U.S.C. 3125) is repealed.
(b) Section 1419C of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3158) is repealed.
(c) Section 1447A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222b–1) is repealed.
(d) Subtitle M of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3331 et seq.) is repealed.
Subtitle B of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.) is amended by striking “2023” each place it appears in sections 1624 (7 U.S.C. 5814), 1627(d) (7 U.S.C. 5821(d)), 1628(f)(2) (7 U.S.C. 5831(f)(2)), and 1629(i) (7 U.S.C. 5832(i)), and inserting “2031”.
Section 1635(b)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5844(b)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1671(g) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5924(g)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1672 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925) is amended—
(1) in subsection (d)—
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (7), (8), (12), (14), (15), (16), (17), (19), and (20) as paragraphs (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), and (13), respectively;
(C) in paragraph (11), as so redesignated, by inserting “and harmful algal blooms” after “macro-algae systems”; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
“(14) FERTILIZER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of carrying out research to improve fertilizer use efficiency in crops and examining nutrient management based on the source, rate, timing, and placement of crop nutrients.
“(15) TROPICAL PLANT HEALTH INITIATIVE.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of—
“(A) developing and disseminating science-based tools and treatments to combat plant pests and noxious weeds (as those terms are defined in section 403 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7702)) that impact tropical plants, including—
“(16) BIOCHAR RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of testing the full range of biochar types across soil types, soil health and soil management conditions, application methods, and climatic and agronomic regions, including through the establishment of a national biochar research network, to—
“(A) assess the soil carbon sequestration potential of various biochars and management systems integrating biochar use;
“(17) WILDFIRE SMOKE EXPOSURE RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of studying the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on specialty crops, including wine grapes, hops, stone fruit, and apples, by—
“(B) establishing a reliable database of background levels of smoke exposure compounds that occur naturally in specialty crops;
“(18) INVASIVE SPECIES RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of developing and disseminating science-based tools and treatments to manage or eradicate (including through methods of biocontrol and sterile insect techniques) invasive species of plants and animals, such as the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella), and spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii).
“(19) MICROPLASTICS AND PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES ON FARMLAND.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of carrying out or enhancing research on the agricultural impacts of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including structural firefighting foam, in land-applied biosolids or compost on farmland, including by—
“(A) conducting surveys and collecting data on concentration, particle size, and chemical composition of such substances in land-applied biosolids on farmland;
“(B) the development or analysis of techniques, including wastewater treatment and composting, to filter out or biodegrade such substances from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes;
“(C) conducting an analysis of the impact on agricultural crops and soil health of such substances in land-applied biosolids on farmland, including the uptake of such substances by various crops or livestock;
“(20) AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of converting agricultural byproducts or forest residuals into valuable materials and products, including innovations in production processes for easily deployable refining facilities, developing alternatives to agricultural burning, and fostering energy production through recycling animal byproducts, wet waste, and plant-based waste.
“(21) SOIL HEALTH RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of—
“(22) WHITE OAK RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of white oak research, including conducting research on—
“(23) ALTERNATIVE GROWING MEDIA RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of developing and enhancing research on the characterization, utilization, and evaluation of alternative growing media, including science-based techniques that maximize functions in the growth of plants and harvest yields.
“(24) RANGELAND RESEARCH.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of carrying out or enhancing research on the development of forage production and improved grazing and range management, including the adoption of virtual fencing technology that simultaneously enhance wildlife habitat, protect watersheds, and reduce hazards of erosion and flooding.
(6) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
“(h) Report.—Not later than February 1, 2028, and not less frequently than once every other year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing how the Department carried out research and extension activities specified in subsections (d) through (f) for the previous two fiscal years, including the amount of funding allocated to each high-priority research and extension initiative, through—
“(2) amounts made available to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under capacity and infrastructure programs (as defined in section 251 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971));
Section 1672B of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925b) is amended—
Section 1672D(d)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925f(d)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 1672E(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925g(a))—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)—
(A) by striking “the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee established under section 222(b) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994” and inserting “the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee and the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production established under section 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923)”; and
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking “emerging agricultural production” and inserting “emerging agricultural production practices”;
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(10) advising land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)), minority-serving institutions (as described in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))), junior or community colleges (as defined in section 312(f) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1058(f))), and vocational schools, with respect to career and technical education.”.
Section 1673 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5926) is amended—
(1) by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and inserting the following:
“(a) Centers of excellence.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish at least one center of excellence for the purpose of carrying out research, extension, or education activities for each of the areas of focus described in paragraph (3).
“(2) HOST INSTITUTIONS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Institutions eligible to host or co-host a center of excellence established under this subsection include—
“(i) 1862 Institutions, as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601);
“(ii) 1890 Institutions, as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601);
“(iii) 1994 Institutions, as defined in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note);
“(iv) non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103);
“(v) Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges or universities, as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103); and
“(B) DISTRIBUTION.—To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure the geographic diversity of institutions selected to host or co-host a center of excellence established under this subsection.
“(C) LIMITATION.—An institution may host or co-host only one center of excellence under this subsection at a time.
“(D) DUTIES.—The institution or institutions selected to host or co-host a center of excellence established under this subsection shall partner with the Agricultural Research Service, other Federal agencies, State governments, other institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), agricultural industry groups, or other relevant entities to—
“(i) reduce duplicative efforts and focus on filling gaps across research, extension, or education activities by enhancing coordination and improving cost-effectiveness;
“(iii) implement training and educational initiatives to increase awareness and effectively disseminate solutions to target audiences through extension activities;
“(iv) increase the economic returns to rural communities by identifying, attracting, and directing funds to high-priority agricultural issues;
“(v) rapidly respond to emerging issues that threaten any sector of the United States agricultural industry;
“(3) AREAS OF FOCUS.—
“(A) AQUACULTURE.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on developing and applying aquaculture methods, including through the propagation and rearing of economically and ecologically valuable aquatic and marine species.
“(B) BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCHERS.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension or education activities focused on training beginning farmers and ranchers, including farm and agribusiness management, mentoring and technical assistance, and access to capital.
“(C) BIOSECURITY AND CYBERSECURITY.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on agricultural biosecurity and cybersecurity efforts to defend the United States food supply from any attacks.
“(D) BIOSYSTEMS AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on biosystems and agricultural engineering, including precision agriculture technologies and mechanization and automation technologies for specialty crops.
“(E) BIOTECHNOLOGY.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on development of animal and plant biotechnologies that will increase agricultural productivity.
“(F) CROP PRODUCTION, PROTECTION, AND RESILIENCE.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on crop production and protection, including the development, manufacture, and use of fertilizer, crop protection tools, and adjuvants in increasing productivity and protecting crops from damaging pests and diseases.
“(G) DIGITAL AGRICULTURE.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on developing, evaluating, and deploying digital agriculture, including artificial intelligence and remote sensing systems.
“(H) FARM BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on farm business and financial management activities, including marketing plans, production diversification, and cash forward contracting.
“(I) FOOD QUALITY.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on improving food quality, including research on the uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food, the presence of microplastics in biosolids, and the efficacy and feasibility of reducing levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, or mercury in food.
“(J) FOREIGN ANIMAL DISEASE.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on foreign animal diseases, including the ecology and etiology of emerging diseases, control methods, and implementation strategies to enhance preparedness and response efforts to protect the livestock and poultry industry.
“(K) FORESTRY.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on forest productivity and forest health, including invasive species control, biochar and pyrolysis development and commercialization, reforestation and restoration of damaged landscapes, and new wood-based materials.
“(L) INVASIVE SPECIES.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on the control and eradication of invasive species that pose a persistent and growing threat to United States agricultural production, forest resources, global food security, and rural economies.
“(M) LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on issues impacting livestock (including equines) and poultry production in the United States, including economic research to understand policy implications for producers.
“(N) VETERINARY MEDICINE.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on developing additional veterinarians, including large animal veterinarians, to address the veterinarian shortage in rural areas.
“(O) WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY.—A center of excellence established under this subsection may engage in research, extension, or education activities focused on water quality and quantity efforts, including drought, water management, natural resource benefits, and the health and resilience of the water supply in the United States.
“(4) TERMS.—
“(5) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this subsection, and every year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing—
“(A) the projects initiated by each center of excellence established under this subsection in the preceding year;
“(C) the institutions participating in each such project and their shares of the overall funding for each project;
“(E) any technology transfer and intellectual property management actions taken by each such center of excellence, such as the number of relevant invention disclosures, any provisional patents filed, any non-provisional patents filed and issued, the number of licenses executed, and any start-up companies registered; and
(3) in subsection (b), as so redesignated—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(i) in subparagraph (A)—
(ii) in subparagraph (E), by inserting “and nature-based solutions to improve the composition of soil organic compounds, including carbon, that are beneficial to soil quality and the environment” before the period at the end; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
“(G) FOREST HEALTH AND CONSERVATION.—A center of excellence established under paragraph (1) may focus on forest health, sustainable forest management, agroforestry, enhancing forest resilience to catastrophic wildfire, supporting rural infrastructure, and urban and community forestry programs to promote healthy forest ecosystems and resilient communities.
Section 1680 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5933) is amended—
Section 2501 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c)—
(A) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)—
(B) in paragraph (4)—
(i) in subparagraph (F), by inserting “and organizations that provide training and technical assistance in budgeting, business planning, and similar financial and management skills that focus on the ongoing economic viability of beginning farm and ranch enterprises” after “veteran farmers and ranchers”;
(2) in subsection (d)—
(C) in paragraph (8), by striking “to partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental, community-based organizations and school-based educational organizations with expertise in new agricultural producer training and outreach” and inserting “to programs that provide training and technical assistance in budgeting, business planning, and similar financial and management skills that focus on the ongoing economic viability of beginning farm and ranch enterprises”; and
Section 2381(e) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 3125b(e)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Subtitle D of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5851 et seq.) is repealed.
Title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 1673 (7 U.S.C. 5926) the following:
“SEC. 1674. Researching the transition to organic.
“(a) Competitive specialized research and extension grants authorized.—The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’), in consultation with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board, may make competitive grants to support research, education, and extension activities relating to the transition of nonorganic production systems into organic agricultural production systems for the purposes of—
“(b) Grant administration.—Paragraphs (4), (7), (8), and (11)(B) of subsection (b) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)) shall apply with respect to the making of grants under this section.
Section 405 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7625) is amended—
Section 406(f) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7626(f)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 408(e)(3) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7628(e)(3)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 410(d)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7630(d)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632) is amended—
(1) in subsection (f)(3), by striking “subsection (d) and (j)” and inserting “subsections (d), (j), and (k)”;
(2) in subsection (g)(3), by adding at the end the following:
(5) by inserting after subsection (j) the following:
“(k) Specialty crop mechanization and automation research and extension program.—The Secretary shall establish a competitive research and extension grant program to award grants to eligible entities to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops in the United States through the advancement and acceleration of mechanization and automation, including projects that—
(6) in subsection (l), as redesignated by paragraph (4)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) by amending subparagraph (C) to read as follows:
“(C) RESERVATION FOR SPECIALTY CROP MECHANIZATION AND AUTOMATION RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROGRAM.—For each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, the Secretary shall reserve not less than $30,000,000 of the funds made available under subparagraph (B) to carry out the program established under subsection (k).”; and
(ii) by amending subparagraph (D) to read as follows:
“(D) REALLOCATION.—Notwithstanding paragraph (4), any funds reserved under subparagraph (C) that remain unobligated at the end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which such funds are first made available shall be reallocated to carry out activities of the specialty crop research initiative established under subsection (b).”;
Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7624 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 414. Agriculture grants for veteran education and training services.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a program under which the Secretary will award competitive grants to eligible entities for the purpose of establishing and enhancing farming and ranching opportunities for veterans (as defined in section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code).
“(b) Eligible entities.—An entity is eligible for a grant under this section if such entity is—
“(2) a land-grant college or university (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));
“(c) Use of funds.—An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds received through the grant—
“(1) to provide training and classroom education that leads to a comprehensive understanding of farm and ranch business operations and management practices;
Section 604(e) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7642(e)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 614(f)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7653(f)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 617(f)(1) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7655b(f)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
The Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by striking section 404 (7 U.S.C. 7624); and
(2) by striking section 411 (7 U.S.C. 7631).
Section 7502 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–246; 122 Stat. 2019) is amended by striking “, or otherwise be conveyed or transferred in whole or in part, for the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2026” and inserting “, beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act”.
Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936) is amended—
(4) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
“(f) Referrals to providers.—As part of the efforts of the recipient of a grant under subsection (a) to connect individuals to behavioral health counseling and wellness support and to ensure individuals have access to a comprehensive scope of mental health and substance use treatments and supports, when applicable, the grant recipient may establish referral relationships with—
“(1) certified community behavioral health clinics described in section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 1396a note; Public Law 113–93);
“(2) health centers (as defined in section 330(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(a)));
“(3) rural health clinics (as defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)));
“(5) critical access hospitals (as defined in section 1861(mm) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(mm))).”.
Section 7526 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8114) is amended—
The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8701 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by striking section 7521 (7 U.S.C. 3202); and
(2) by striking section 7525 (7 U.S.C. 5937).
The Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382) is amended—
(3) in section 535, by striking “2023” each place it appears in subsections (b)(1) and (c) and inserting “2031”; and
Section 6(a) of the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390d(a)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Subsection (b) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2)—
(B) in subparagraph (B)(i), by inserting “, including methods of increasing survival rate and adaptability of shellfish” after “aquaculture”;
Subsection (d)(6) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(d)(6)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 9008(h)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8108(h)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
The Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1671 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 6 (16 U.S.C. 1675), in the first sentence, by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”; and
(2) in section 8 (16 U.S.C. 1671 note), by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
The National Aquaculture Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 4 (16 U.S.C. 2803)—
(B) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “, not less than once every 3 years,” after “periodic reviews”; and
(C) in subsection (e)—
(i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “, not less than once every 3 years,” after “undertake a continuing assessment of aquaculture in the United States”;
(2) in section 5 (16 U.S.C. 2804), by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
“(d) Aquaculture advisory committee.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee, to be known as the Aquaculture Advisory Committee (referred to in this subsection as the ‘Committee’), to advise the Secretary on—
“(A) oversight of programs of the Department and other members of the coordinating group to support development of, and to advance, aquaculture best practices using the best available science, in consultation with farmers and industry partners;
“(2) MEMBERSHIP.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall be composed of 14 members, who are not officers or employees of the Federal Government.
“(B) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Secretary shall appoint the members of the Committee not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section.
“(C) PERIOD OF INITIAL APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in clause (ii), a member of the Committee shall be appointed for a term of 3 years.
“(4) DUTIES.—The Committee shall—
“(A) develop recommendations and advise the Secretary on aquaculture policies, initiatives, and outreach administered by the Department;
“(e) Annual report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and each year thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the coordinating group and in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, shall prepare on an annual basis, and submit to Congress, a report on the status of aquaculture in the United States. Such report shall contain—
“(1) a description and evaluation of the actions undertaken with respect to the Plan during the reporting period;
“(4) an evaluation of the role each Federal department or agency has in supporting the aquaculture industry;
(3) in section 10 (16 U.S.C. 2809), by striking “2023” each place it appears in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) and inserting “2031”.
Section 7116 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2207d) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “Not later than” and inserting the following:
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(b) Outreach.—Not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide information relating to each matching requirement applicable to the State under the programs referred to in subsection (a) to the Governor and legislature of each State in which an 1862 Institution or 1890 Institution (as those terms are defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)) is located.
“(c) Attestations.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than once each calendar year, the Governor of each State described in subsection (b) shall submit to the Secretary an attestation that describes if the State is able to fulfill each matching requirement with respect to which information is provided by the Secretary under such subsection for such State and calendar year.
Section 1431 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act Amendments of 1985 (title XIV of Public Law 99–198; 99 Stat. 1556) is repealed.
Section 3(b)(3) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(b)(3)) is amended by inserting after “for the purposes set forth in section 2” the following: “, and for 1994 Institutions to acquire, alter, repair, maintain, and operate relevant equipment necessary to strengthen the capacity of such 1994 Institutions to achieve the purposes set forth in section 2”.
Section 7601 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 5939) is amended—
(1) in subsection (d)(1)—
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking “the roadmap for agricultural research, education, and extension authorized by section 7504 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7614a)” and inserting “the national research policies and priorities set forth in section 1402 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3101)”;
(2) in subsection (e)(2)(C)(i)—
(A) in subclause (I), by striking “National Academy of Sciences” and inserting “National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board established under section 1408 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123)”; and
(3) in subsection (f)(3)(B)(i)—
(A) in subclause (I)—
(i) in the matter preceding item (aa), by striking “and post online” and inserting “online and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate”;
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
“(ee) the source and amount of each gift to the Foundation of money, including a specification of any restrictions on the purposes for which a gift to the Foundation may be used;
“(ff) the source and amount of any Federal or State grant, contract, or cooperative agreement awarded to the Foundation;
Section 6402 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1632b) is amended—
Public Law 100–208 (101 Stat. 1439) is amended by striking “Knipling-Bushland Research Laboratory” each place it appears and inserting “Knipling-Bushland Research Center”.
Section 5 of the Hatch Act of 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361e) is amended—
(a) Establishment.—There is established a commission to be known as the Commission on National Agricultural Statistics Service Modernization (referred to in this section as the “Commission”).
(b) Study.—The Commission shall conduct a study of the National Agricultural Statistics Service and provide recommendations on—
(1) how data collection can be modernized and streamlined to—
(D) improve producer response rates in statistical surveys and identifying ways to reduce survey fatigue;
(E) increase transparency and confidence in statistical reports through improved collaboration with agricultural stakeholders;
(c) Membership.—
(1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be composed of 11 members, as follows:
(F) 3 members appointed by the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, of which—
(2) DATE OF APPOINTMENTS.—The appointment of all members of the Commission shall be made not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(d) Quorum.—A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.
(e) Chair.—The Chair of the Commission shall be selected by a majority of the members of the Commission.
(f) Report.—Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to the President, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing the results of the study required by subsection (b), including—
(g) Hearings.—The Commission shall hold such hearings, meet and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to carry out this section.
(h) Stakeholder engagement.—The Commission shall establish a process to collect feedback from agricultural stakeholders to inform the results of the study required under subsection (b) and the report required under subsection (f).
(i) Information from Federal agencies.—The Commission may secure directly from a Federal agency such information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out this section. On request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head of the agency shall provide the information to the Commission.
(j) Postal services.—The Commission may use the United States mail in the same manner and under the same conditions as other agencies of the Federal Government.
(k) Assistance from secretary.—The Secretary shall provide to the Commission appropriate office space and such reasonable administrative and support services as the Commission may request.
(l) Compensation of members.—
(1) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which the member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the Commission.
(2) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of the Commission who is an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall serve without compensation in addition to the compensation received for the services of the member as an officer or employee of the Federal Government.
(3) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from the home or regular place of business of the member in the performance of the duties of the Commission.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(2) 4–H EMBLEM OR NAME.—The term “4–H emblem or name” means the 4–H sign or emblem, consisting of a green four-leaf clover with stem and the letter “H” in white or gold on each leaflet, and the words “4–H”, “4–H Club”, and “4–H Clubs”, used to identify and distinguish the 4–H Program and the activities, clubs, members, goods, and services of the 4–H Program.
(3) 4–H PROGRAM.—The term “4–H Program”—
(4) LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The term “land-grant college or university”—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term “land-grant college or university” means an 1862 Institution, an 1890 Institution, or a 1994 Institution (as those terms are defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)).
(b) Effect of repeal; ratification.—
(1) CIVIL ACTS.—Any civil act or action of the 4–H Program, a 4–H club, the Secretary, or a land-grant college or university taken with respect to the use of the 4–H emblem or name, or the recognition of any 4–H club, during the period beginning on May 8, 1914, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act, is deemed to be of legal force and effect and ratified as if section 1002(3) of the Clean Up the Code Act of 2019 (title X of division O of Public Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 2155) had not been enacted into law.
(2) EFFECT ON CRIMINAL LAW.—Nothing in this subsection affects the effect on criminal law of the repeal made by section 1002(3) of the Clean Up the Code Act of 2019 (title X of division O of Public Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 2155).
(c) Authorizations for use of 4–H emblem or name; fees; deposits.—
(d) Unauthorized use of 4–H emblem or name.—
(1) PROHIBITION.—Whoever, other than the 4–H Program, a 4–H club, the Department, a land-grant college or university, and those authorized by them, uses in commerce the 4–H emblem or name or any reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable imitation of the 4–H emblem or name to indicate membership in an association, organization, or other collective group, or in connection with the sale, offering for sale, distribution, or advertising of goods or services, on or in connection with which that use is likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake, or to deceive as to membership or participation in, an affiliation, connection, or association with, or authorization or approval by, a 4–H club or the 4–H Program, shall be subject to the civil action under paragraph (2).
(2) CIVIL ACTION.—The Attorney General, on behalf of the Secretary, or contract counsel procured by the Secretary, may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United States against whoever engages in any of the prohibited acts described in paragraph (1) for the remedies provided in the Act of July 5, 1946 (commonly known as the “Trademark Act of 1946” or the “Lanham Act”) (15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.).
Section 251 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971) is amended—
(2) in subsection (e)(3)(C), by striking “not less than 3 years” and inserting “not less than 1 year”; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(h) Interagency coordination.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of the mission requirements and priorities of the Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies.
“(2) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.—
“(A) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary and the Secretary of Energy(referred to in this subparagraph as the ‘Secretaries’) shall coordinate the activities under paragraph (1) through the establishment of memoranda of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreements. Such a memorandum or such an agreement shall require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process as appropriate. Activities may include components proposed by Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and other entities deemed appropriate under the memorandum or agreement.
“(ii) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the activities under paragraph (1), the Secretaries may—
“(II) develop methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information with variable accuracy and scale;
“(III) promote collaboration and open community-based development between—
“(cc) institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001));
“(IV) support research infrastructure, including new facilities and equipment, and workforce development as the Secretaries determine necessary;
“(iii) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out the activities under this subparagraph, the Secretaries are authorized to—
“(B) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary and the Director of the National Science Foundation (referred to in this subparagraph as the “Director”) shall coordinate the activities under paragraph (1) through the establishment of memoranda of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreements. Such a memorandum or such an agreement shall require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process as appropriate. Activities may include components proposed by Federal agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and other entities deemed appropriate under the memorandum or agreement.
“(ii) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the activities under paragraph (1), the Secretary and the Director may—
“(II) promote collaboration and open, community-based development between—
“(cc) community colleges (as defined in section 3167B of the Energy Science Education Enhancement Act (42 U.S.C. 7381c–3));
“(dd) area career and technical education schools (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302));
“(III) support research infrastructure, including new facilities, equipment and broadband deployment, as the Secretary and Director determine necessary;
“(V) organize education, training, and research initiatives relating to STEM education and workforce development, which may include—
“(cc) workshops for educating kindergarten through grade 12 teachers on how to increase agricultural literacy;
“(iii) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out the activities under this subparagraph, the Secretary and the Director are authorized to—
“(C) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (referred to in this subparagraph as the ‘Secretaries’) shall coordinate the activities under paragraph (1) through the establishment of memoranda of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreements. Such a memorandum or such an agreement shall require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process as appropriate. Activities may include components proposed by Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, industry, and other entities deemed appropriate under the memorandum or agreement.
“(ii) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the activities under paragraph (1), the Secretaries may—
“(I) conduct collaborative research in a variety of focus areas, including the areas specified in clause (iv);
“(II) develop methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information with variable accuracy and scale;
“(III) promote collaboration and secure information sharing with stakeholders that are capable of increasing market-based adoption of technologies developed pursuant to the memoranda of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreements entered into under this subparagraph;
“(IV) promote collaboration and open community-based development between—
“(cc) institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001));
“(V) support research infrastructure, including new facilities and equipment, and workforce development as the Secretaries determine necessary;
“(iii) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out the activities under this subparagraph, the Secretaries are authorized to—
“(iv) FOCUS AREAS DESCRIBED.—The focus areas described in this clause are the following:
“(I) Management strategies for water, energy, soil, forests, and food to reduce scarcity risks to civilian and military operations.
“(D) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—In addition to the memoranda of understanding with Federal agencies described in subparagraphs (A) and (B), the Secretary shall, as appropriate, enter into memoranda of understanding with the heads of other Federal agencies to coordinate the activities under paragraph (1).
“(3) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing—
“(A) interagency coordination between each Federal agency involved in the research and development activities carried out under this section;
“(B) potential opportunities to expand the technical capabilities of each Federal agency involved in the research and development activities carried out under this section;
“(E) continuation of coordination activities between each Federal agency involved in the research and development activities carried out under this section;
“(4) RESEARCH SECURITY.—The activities authorized under this section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle D of title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted as division B of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–167; 42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.)).”.
(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish an Agricultural Innovation Corps (referred to in this section as the “Ag I–Corps”) to promote technology transfer and increase the economic impact of federally-funded research through—
(1) supporting agricultural researchers, students, and institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), in exploring the commercial potential of technologies developed in laboratories through a standardized entrepreneurial training program; and
(b) Eligibility.—Agricultural researchers, students, and institutions of higher education receiving funds from the Department shall be eligible to participate in Ag I–Corps.
(c) Follow-on grants.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make funds available from the Small Business Innovation Research Program for competitive grants to Ag I–Corps participants to help support—
(2) LIMITATION.—Grants under paragraph (1) shall be limited to participants in Ag I–Corps with innovations that, because of the early stage of development of such innovations, are not eligible to participate in a Small Business Innovation Research Program or Small Business Technology Transfer Program (as defined in section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)).
(d) Partnerships.—The Secretary may engage in partnerships with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, economic development organizations, and nonprofit organizations to provide access to Ag I–Corps to support entrepreneurship education and training for agricultural researchers, students, and institutions of higher education under this section.
(e) Report.—Not later than September 30, 2027, and not less frequently than once every other year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the efficacy of Ag I–Corps, including metrics on the effectiveness of the program.
(a) In general.—Not later than September 30, 2026, the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a study on, and submit to Congress a report on, ways to increase opportunities for 1890 Institutions (as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)) to conduct educational programs and provide technical assistance with respect to issues relating to the transfers of agricultural land and assets, including heirs property, to the next generation of farmers and ranchers.
(b) Heirs property defined.—In this section, the term “heirs property” means real property held in tenancy in common which, as of the date on which a partition action is filed, satisfies all of the following requirements:
(1) There is no recorded agreement binding all the co-tenants which governs the partition of the property.
Section 2A(f) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101a(f)) is amended—
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking “to carry out this section,” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: “the Secretary may use any other funds made available under this Act to develop and implement the State-wide assessment and State-wide strategy required by subsection (a), except that the total amount of combined funding used to develop and implement such assessment and strategy may not exceed $10,000,000 in any fiscal year.”.
Section 7(l)(3) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103c(l)(3)) is amended—
Section 13A(l)(3) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2109a(l)(3)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 10 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C 2106) is amended—
(1) in subsection (e)(2)(B), by striking “in kind contributions.” and inserting “in-kind contributions. The Secretary may waive the Federal share requirements of this subparagraph with respect to any such funds made available to rural volunteer fire departments.”; and
Section 103(e)(5) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6513(e)(5)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 108 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6518) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 303 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(2) in subsection (b)—
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A watershed protection and restoration project under the Program shall be designed to—
“(3) PRIORITIES.—In selecting watershed protection and restoration projects under the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to projects that—
“(A) provide risk management benefits associated with drought; wildfire; post-wildfire conditions; extreme weather; flooding; resilience to climate change; and watershed and fire resilience, including minimizing risks to watershed health, water supply and quality, and water-related infrastructure, including municipal and agricultural water supply systems;
“(4) CONDITIONS FOR PROJECTS ON ADJACENT LAND.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—No project or activity may be carried out under this section on adjacent land unless the owner of the adjacent land agrees in writing that the owner is a willing and engaged partner in carrying out that project or activity.
(3) in subsection (c)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking “watersheds that provide water to the end water users” and inserting “watersheds, and lands adjacent to any such watershed, that provide water—
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following:
“(D) a good neighbor agreement entered into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); or”; and
(4) in subsection (d)—
(A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) REDUCING REDUNDANCY.—An existing watershed plan, such as a watershed protection and restoration action plan developed under section 304(a)(3), or other applicable watershed planning documents as approved by the Secretary may be used as the basis for a water source management plan under this subsection.”;
(5) in subsection (e)(1), by striking “primary purpose of” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting “primary purpose of advancing any of the purposes described in subsection (b)(2).”;
(6) in subsection (g), by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
(7) in subsection (g)(4)—
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(D) SET-ASIDE FOR PARTNER PARTICIPATION IN PLANNING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Of the amounts made available under subparagraph (B) to carry out this section for each fiscal year, the Secretary may not use more than 10 percent for non-Federal partner planning and technical assistance efforts in developing or implementing a water source management plan under subsection (d).”.
Section 304(a) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6543(a)) is amended in paragraphs (3) and (5) by striking “protection and”.
Section 406 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6556) is amended by striking “October 1, 2023” and inserting “October 1, 2031”.
Section 602(d)(2) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591a(d)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b), by inserting “, including retaining and expanding existing forest products infrastructure necessary to carry out an agreement or contract under this subsection” before the period at the end;
(3) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the following:
“(4) SPECIAL RULE FOR LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTS.—
“(A) DEFINITION OF MULTIYEAR CONTRACT.—In this paragraph, the term ‘multiyear contract’ means a contract entered into under subsection (b) that—
“(B) SPECIAL RULE.—A multiyear contract entered into under subsection (b) by the Chief or the Director with an entity shall provide that, in the case of cancellation or termination of the multiyear contract by the Chief or the Director, the Chief or the Director, as applicable, shall provide to the entity a cancellation or termination payment equal to the lesser of—
Section 1243 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 101–624) is amended—
(2) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) as subsections (b), (d), (e), and (h), respectively;
(3) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so redesignated) the following:
“(a) Definition of agroforestry.—In this section, the term ‘agroforestry’ means a management system that intentionally integrates trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to build more profitable and weather-resilient farms, ranches, and communities, address natural resource concerns and conservation needs, and establish productive and sustainable land use practices, including—
(4) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated)—
(B) by inserting “(referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’)” after “Secretary of Agriculture”;
(5) by inserting after subsection (b) (as so redesignated) the following:
“(c) Regional agroforestry centers.—
“(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service and in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, establish 1 or more regional agroforestry centers to advance agroforestry research, outreach, technical assistance, and adoption.
“(2) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service and in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall appoint a Director to manage and coordinate the 1 or more regional agroforestry centers established under paragraph (1).
“(3) LOCATION.—In selecting the locations for the 1 or more regional agroforestry centers under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prioritize locations at which the Department of Agriculture has, on the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, at least 1 employee providing coordination among a diverse group of research institutions and other partners.
(6) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)—
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking “forestry products for commercial sale from semiarid land” and inserting “agroforestry products for commercial sale”;
(E) in paragraph (5), by inserting “technical assistance, demonstration projects, and” before “technology”;
(G) by striking paragraph (6) and inserting the following:
“(6) develop improved silvopasture, alley cropping, forest farming, multistory cropping, riparian buffer, windbreak and shelterbelt, and other perennial production and conservation systems and technologies to improve soil health, carbon sequestration, drought preparedness, soil and water conservation, environmental quality, and biological diversity;
(7) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated)—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking “the Center” and inserting “each of the Centers”;
(a) Matching funds.—Section 405(b) of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j–3(b)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(b) White oak restoration fund.—Section 409 of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j–7) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(b) White oak restoration fund.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Funds described in paragraph (2) shall be made available for activities—
“(2) FUND.—The National Forest Foundation may accept gifts, devises, or bequests for the purposes of carrying out the activities specified in paragraph (1).
“(3) SUMMARY.—Beginning 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the National Forest Foundation shall include in the budget justification materials submitted to Congress in support of the budget of each such Foundation for each fiscal year (as submitted with the budget of the President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code) a summary of the activities carried out under paragraph (1) and the funds accepted under paragraph (2) that includes—
(c) Authorization of appropriations.—Section 410(b) of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j-8(b)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) Conveyance of forest service administrative sites.—Section 503(f) of the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 (16 U.S.C. 580d note; Public Law 109–54) is amended by striking “September 30, 2019” and inserting “September 30, 2031”.
(b) Authorization for lease of Forest Service sites.—Section 8623(i) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 U.S.C. 580d note; Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking “2023” each place it appears and inserting “2031”.
(a) In general.—Section 3(e) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642(e)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting “including with respect to available forest carbon data,” after “2 decades,”;
(3) in paragraph (4)—
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(C) TERMINOLOGY.—The Secretary shall include a clear description of the definition of ‘forest’ used for purposes of reporting data from inventories and analyses of forests and the resources of forests under this subsection with—
“(ii) Renewable Resource Assessments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)); and
(4) in paragraph (6)—
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection,” and inserting “In accordance with paragraph (7),”; and
(B) by striking subparagraphs (D) and (E) and inserting the following:
“(D) the organization and procedures necessary to understand and report on changes in land cover and use;
“(E) the organization and procedures necessary to sample and evaluate carbon-related data variables, including soil carbon, collected from forest inventory and analysis plots, timber products output surveys, and national woodland owner surveys to ensure that carbon accounting information needs can be met; and”; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(7) UPDATES TO STRATEGIC PLAN.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall prepare an update to the strategic plan under paragraph (6) to include—
“(i) a plan to implement nationally consistent data collection protocols and procedures to improve the statistical precision of base program estimates;
“(ii) pathways to integrate and report on status and trends in forest carbon pools, including below-ground carbon;
“(iii) plans, including the identification of challenges, to collaborate with other Federal agencies, non-Federal partners, and the private sector to integrate existing nationally available data sets and best available commercial technologies, such as remote sensing, spatial analysis techniques, and other new technologies;
“(v) a plan to expand current data collection, further integrate remote sensing technology, or both, to include procedures to improve the statistical precision of estimates at the sub-State level;
“(B) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives the update to the strategic plan prepared under subparagraph (A).
“(8) ACCESSIBILITY.—The Secretary shall ensure that data collected under this subsection is—
“(B) collected and made accessible using means that ensure the confidentiality, in accordance with section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276), of—
“(9) BIENNIAL COMPILATIONS.—Biennially, the Secretary shall prepare and make publicly available a compilation of national forest inventory and analysis forest statistics, which shall be similar to the tables contained in the Renewable Resource Assessments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)), accompanied by relevant geospatial products.
“(10) EXTERNAL COMPLEX DATA REQUESTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish an office, a data platform, or team to process and respond to complex data requests submitted by external organizations relating to the program under this subsection.
(b) Remote sensing technologies.—Section 8632(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking “technologies” and inserting “technologies, such as microwave, LiDAR, hyperspectral, and high-resolution remote sensing data, and advanced computing technologies for improved modeling to provide tabular statistical estimates and geospatial products,”.
(a) Partnerships, collaboration, and other assistance in support of nurseries and seed orchards.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall—
(1) partner with Federal and State agencies, Indian Tribes, private nurseries, and other relevant entities to provide training, technical assistance, and research to nursery and tree establishment programs that support natural regeneration, reforestation, agroforestry, and afforestation;
(2) promote information sharing to improve the technical knowledge, practices, and understanding of the demands, climate change impacts, and other issues necessary to address all facets of the reforestation pipeline;
(3) provide technical and financial assistance to international nursery and tree establishment programs through—
(A) international programs conducted by the Forest Service pursuant to the International Forestry Cooperation Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.);
(4) collaborate with other relevant Federal departments and agencies, including the Foreign Agricultural Service of the Department, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, and international organizations to provide technical and financial assistance related to nurseries and reforestation;
(b) Nursery and seed orchard financial assistance.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program to provide grants to eligible recipients to support nurseries and seed orchards.
(2) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—The Secretary may make a grant under this subsection to an eligible recipient for a project to carry out at least one of the following:
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term “eligible recipient” means—
(C) a private nursery that has experience growing high-quality native trees of appropriate genetic sources in bareroot or container stock types specific for reforestation, restoration, or conservation, including native plants and seeds that are of cultural significance to Indian Tribes;
(D) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); and
(a) Categorical exclusion.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a categorical exclusion (as defined in section 111 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4336e)) for high-priority hazard tree activities.
(2) ADMINISTRATION.—In developing and administering the categorical exclusion under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
(A) comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and
(b) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) HIGH-PRIORITY HAZARD TREE.—The term “high-priority hazard tree” means a standing tree that—
(A) presents a visible hazard to people or property due to conditions such as deterioration of, or damage to, the root system, trunk, stem, or limbs of the tree, or the direction or lean of the tree, as determined by the Secretary;
(2) HIGH-PRIORITY HAZARD TREE ACTIVITY.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term “high-priority hazard tree activity” means a forest management activity that mitigates the risks associated with high-priority hazard trees, including pruning, felling, and disposal of a high-priority hazard tree.
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term “high-priority hazard tree activity” does not include any activity—
(iii) conducted on Federal land on which, by Act of Congress or Presidential proclamation, the removal of vegetation is restricted or prohibited;
Section 603(c)(1) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591b(c)(1)) is amended by striking “3000 acres” and inserting “10,000 acres”.
Section 605(c)(1) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591d(c)(1)) is amended by striking “3000 acres” and inserting “10,000 acres”.
Section 40806(d)(1) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592b(d)(1)) is amended by striking “3,000 acres” and inserting “10,000 acres”.
Section 606 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591e) is amended—
(a) Categorical exclusion established.—Forest management activities described in subsection (b) are a category of activities designated as being categorically excluded from the preparation of an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332).
(b) Forest management activities designated for categorical exclusion.—The forest management activities designated as being categorically excluded under subsection (a) are—
(1) the development and approval of a vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance plan submitted under section 512(c)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(1)) to the Secretary; and
(c) Availability of categorical exclusion.—On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary may use the categorical exclusion established under subsection (a) in accordance with this section.
(d) Exclusion of certain areas.—The categorical exclusion established under subsection (a) shall not apply to any forest management activity conducted—
(e) Permanent roads.—
(1) PROHIBITION ON ESTABLISHMENT.—A forest management activity designated under subsection (b) shall not include the establishment of a permanent road.
(f) Applicable law.—A forest management activity designated under subsection (b) shall not be subject to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536) or section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
(a) In general.—The Secretary may conduct forest management activities on National Forest System land.
(b) Coordination.—In carrying out forest management activities, the Secretary shall, as appropriate, coordinate with impacted parties to increase efficiency and maximize the compatibility of management practices across National Forest System lands.
(c) Objectives.—
(d) Ground disturbance.—Consistent with applicable Federal law and any applicable forest plan, the Secretary shall—
(e) Availability of categorical exclusion for certain forest management activities.—A forest management activity conducted on National Forest System land for the purpose of reducing forest fuels is categorically excluded from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) if the forest management activity—
(f) Cooperative authorities.—The Secretary may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with an impacted party to provide for fuel reduction, soil restoration, erosion control, reforestation, riparian restoration, revegetation, and similar management activities on Federal land and non-Federal land.
(g) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY.—The term “forest management activity” means a project or activity that is carried out by the Secretary on National Forest System land and is consistent with any applicable forest plan.
(2) FOREST PLAN.—The term “forest plan” means a land and resource management plan under section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1406).
(4) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term “National Forest System” has the meaning given that term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
(a) In general.—With respect to National Forest System lands described in subsection (b), the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service—
(1) shall—
(2) shall not inhibit the suppression efforts of State or local firefighting agencies that are authorized to respond to wildfire on such lands;
(3) may only use fire as a resource management tool if the fire is a prescribed fire that complies with applicable law and regulations;
(4) may only initiate a backfire or burnout during a wildfire—
(5) shall use available resources to control any such initiated backfire or burnout until contained;
(b) Limitations on scope.—For purposes of subsection (a), the National Forest System lands described in this subsection are National Forest System lands that—
(1) the National Interagency Fire Center has established as a National Wildland Fire Preparedness Level of 5;
(c) National Forest System defined.—In this section, the term “National Forest System” has the meaning given such term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
(a) Forest service plans.—Section 6(d)(2) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604(d)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
“(2) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION REQUIRED UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be required to reinitiate consultation under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation), on a land management plan approved, amended, or revised under this section when—
“(A) a new species is listed or critical habitat is designated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or
(b) Bureau of land management plans.—Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(g) No additional consultation required under certain circumstances.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be required to reinitiate consultation under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation), on a land use plan approved, amended, or revised under this section when—
“(1) a new species is listed or critical habitat is designated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or
(a) Good neighbor authority.—Section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amended—
(2) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
(3) in subsection (b)—
(B) in paragraph (2)(C)—
(i) in clause (i)—
(b) Conforming amendments.—Section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)) is amended—
(c) Effective date.—The amendments made by this section apply to any project initiated pursuant to a good neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)))—
(1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if the project was initiated after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4490); or
Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended—
(2) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (2)—
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
“(G) proposals that seek to use innovative implementation mechanisms, including good neighbor agreements entered into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a), and similar implementation mechanisms;
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate committees” means—
(3) COVERED ENTITY.—The term “covered entity” means—
(C) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).
(b) Deployment and testbed pilot program established.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordination with the heads of the covered agencies, shall establish a deployment and testbed pilot program for new and innovative wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and mitigation technologies.
(c) Functions.—In carrying out the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall—
(d) Applications.—To participate in the Pilot Program, a covered entity shall submit to the Secretaries an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretaries may require, which shall include a proposal to test technologies specific to key technology priority areas identified under subsection (c)(2).
(e) Prioritization of emerging technologies.—In selecting covered entities to participate in the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall give priority to covered entities developing and applying emerging technologies that address issues identified by the Secretaries, including artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, computing and quantum-hybrid applications, augmented reality, and 5G private networks and device-to-device communications supporting nomadic mesh networks, for wildfire mitigation.
(f) Outreach.—The Secretaries, in coordination with the heads of the covered agencies, shall make publicly available the key technology priority areas identified under subsection (c)(2) and invite covered entities to apply to test and demonstrate their technologies to address those priority areas.
(g) Reports and recommendations.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter for the duration of the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall submit to the appropriate committees a report that includes the following with respect to the Pilot Program:
Section 8302 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 3851a) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking “aces” and inserting “experienced services” (and by conforming the item relating to such section in the table of sections accordingly);
Section 14 of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(j) In the event of extreme risks to a unit of National Forest System land, including catastrophic wildfire, insect and disease outbreak, wind, hurricane, flood, drought, or to avoid impacts from such extreme events, the Secretary may, without an appraisal and under such rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary, dispose of by sale or otherwise, portions of trees or forest products located on such unit of National Forest System land.”.
(a) In general.—In any special use permit or easement on National Forest System lands provided to an electric utility company (as defined in section 1262 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16451)), the Secretary may provide permission to cut and remove trees or other vegetation from within the vicinity of distribution lines or transmission lines, including hazardous vegetation that increases fire risk, without requiring a separate timber sale if that cutting and removal is consistent with the applicable land management plan.
(b) Use of proceeds.—A special use permit or easement that includes permission for the cutting and removal of trees or other vegetation described in subsection (a) shall include a requirement that, if the applicable electrical utility sells any portion of the material removed under the permit or easement, the electrical utility shall provide to the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, any proceeds received from the sale, less any transportation costs incurred in the sale.
(a) Strategy.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall develop and implement a strategy to utilize livestock grazing as a wildfire risk reduction tool on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned.
(2) INCLUSIONS.—The strategy under paragraph (1) shall include—
(A) the completion of any reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) to allow a permittee with a grazing permit in effect to graze on vacant grazing allotments during instances of drought, wildfire, or other natural disaster that disrupt grazing on the allotments covered by such grazing permit;
(C) an increase in the use of temporary grazing permits to promote targeted fuels reduction and reduction of invasive annual grasses;
(E) the integrated use of advanced technologies to dynamically adjust livestock placement on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned;
Section 40808 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is amended—
Section 9013 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8113) is amended—
(1) in the heading, by striking “Community Wood Energy And Wood Innovation Program” and inserting “Community Wood Facilities Program”;
(2) in subsection (a)—
(3) in subsection (b), by striking “to be known as” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting “to be known as the ‘Community Wood Facilities Program’.”;
(4) in subsection (d), by striking “exceed—” in the matter preceding paragraph (1) and all that follows through the period at the end of paragraph (2) and inserting “exceed $5,000,000.”;
(a) Application to transportation costs.—Section 8643(b)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d(b)(1)) is amended by inserting “, including the construction of new facilities that advance the purposes of the program and for the hauling of material removed to reduce hazardous fuels to locations where that material can be utilized” before the period at the end.
(b) Targeting To support economic development, enhanced building design, and impact assessment.—Section 8643(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d(c)) is amended to read as follows:
“(c) Targeting To support economic development, enhanced building design, and impact assessment.—In selecting among proposals of eligible entities under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary may give priority to proposals for projects that—
“(1) include the use or retrofitting (or both) of existing sawmill facilities located in counties in which the average annual unemployment rate exceeded the national average unemployment rate by more than 1 percent in the previous calendar year;
“(2) recognize or enhance carbon reduction strategies in building design and interior wood products, including forest impacts, which can be improved by North American manufacturing; or
(c) Matching requirement.—Section 8643(d) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655d(d)) is amended by inserting “50 percent of” before “the amount”.
(a) In general.—Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, in collaboration with the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and in consultation with federally recognized Indian Tribes, State foresters, and private sector partners, shall establish a publicly available platform to provide measurement, monitoring, verification, and reporting data regarding the carbon emissions, sequestration, storage, and related atmospheric impacts of forest management and wood products.
(b) Activities.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall source data, information, and data analysis from Department programs and interagency programs, including—
(c) Priorities.—The platform established by subsection (a) shall provide tools that calculate—
(1) the above- and below-ground forest carbon stocks and stock changes associated with species composition, forest management regime, and landowner types (including small area estimations for regional and localized geographies across the United States) made available through Forest Inventory and Analysis updates and annual reports;
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) BIOCHAR.—The term “biochar” means carbonized biomass produced by converting feedstock through reductive thermal processing for nonfuel uses.
(2) COVERED SECRETARIES.—The term “covered Secretaries” means—
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term “eligible entity” means—
(D) a National Laboratory (as such term is defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)); or
(4) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term “eligible institution” means land-grant colleges and universities, including institutions eligible for funding under—
(A) the Act of July 2, 1862 (12 Stat. 503, chapter 130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.);
(B) the Act of August 30, 1890 (26 Stat. 417, chapter 841; 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including Tuskegee University;
(D) the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382).
(b) Demonstration projects.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of appropriations made in advance for such purpose, not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the covered Secretaries shall establish a program to enter into partnerships with eligible entities to carry out demonstration projects to support the development and commercialization of biochar in accordance with this subsection.
(B) LOCATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—In carrying out the program established under subparagraph (A), the covered Secretaries shall, to the maximum extent practicable, enter into partnerships with eligible entities such that not fewer than one demonstration project is carried out in each region of the Forest Service and each region of the Bureau of Land Management.
(2) PROPOSALS.—To be eligible to enter into a partnership to carry out a biochar demonstration project under paragraph (1)(A), an eligible entity shall submit to the covered Secretaries a proposal at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the covered Secretaries may require.
(3) USE OF FUNDS.—In carrying out the program established under paragraph (1)(A), the covered Secretaries may enter into partnerships and provide funding to such partnerships to carry out demonstration projects to—
(B) develop and optimize commercially and technologically viable biochar production units, including mobile and permanent units;
(4) PRIORITY.—In selecting proposals under paragraph (2), the covered Secretaries shall give priority to entering into partnerships with eligible entities that submit proposals to carry out biochar demonstration projects that—
(A) have the most potential to create new jobs and contribute to local economies, particularly in rural areas;
(B) have the most potential to demonstrate—
(5) FEEDSTOCK REQUIREMENTS.—To the maximum extent practicable, an eligible entity that carries out a biochar demonstration project under this subsection shall, with respect to the feedstock used under such project, derive at least 50 percent of such feedstock from forest thinning and management activities, including mill residues, conducted on National Forest System lands or public lands.
(6) REVIEW OF BIOCHAR DEMONSTRATION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The covered Secretaries shall conduct regionally specific research, including economic analyses and life-cycle assessments, on any biochar produced from a demonstration project carried out under the program established in paragraph (1)(A), including—
(7) LIMITATION ON FUNDING FOR ESTABLISHING BIOCHAR FACILITIES.—If the covered Secretaries provide to an eligible entity that enters into a partnership with the covered Secretaries under paragraph (1)(A) funding for establishing a biochar facility, such funding may not exceed 35 percent of the capital cost of establishing such biochar facility.
(c) Biochar research and development grant program.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish or expand an existing applied biochar research and development grant program to make competitive grants to eligible institutions to carry out the activities described in paragraph (3).
(2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible institution shall submit to the Secretary a proposal at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(3) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible institution that receives a grant under this subsection shall use the grant funds to conduct applied research on—
(A) the effect of biochar on forest health and resiliency, accounting for variations in biochar, soil, climate, and other factors;
(B) the effect of biochar on soil health and water retention, accounting for variations in biochar, soil, climate, and other factors;
(d) Reports.—
(1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the covered Secretaries shall submit to Congress a report that—
(2) MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.—Beginning with the second fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter until the date described in subsection (e), the covered Secretaries shall include in the materials submitted to Congress in support of the President’s budget pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, a report describing, for the fiscal year covered by the report, the status of each demonstration project carried out under subsection (b) and each research and development grant carried out under subsection (c).
Section 2371(d)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6601(d)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 205 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7125) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
“(6) APPOINTMENTS BY APPLICABLE REGIONAL FORESTERS.—In making appointments under this subsection, the Secretary concerned may act through the applicable regional forester so long as before the applicable regional forester makes an appointment, the applicable regional forester conducts the review and analysis that would otherwise be conducted for an appointment to a resource advisory committee, including any review and analysis with respect to civil rights, budgetary requirements, vetting, and reporting, as the Secretary concerned determines appropriate.”;
(a) Materials submitted in support of President’s budget.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary concerned shall include in the materials submitted to Congress in support of the President’s budget pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, a report describing the number of acres of Federal land on which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities during the preceding fiscal year, as determined using—
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—For purposes of a report required under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall—
(A) in determining the number of acres of Federal land on which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities during the period covered by the report—
(B) with respect to the acres of Federal land recorded in the report, include information relating to—
(ii) the level of hazard potential of the acres on the first and last day of the period covered by the report;
(iii) the types of hazardous fuels reduction activities completed with respect to the acres, including a description of whether those hazardous fuels reduction activities were conducted—
(b) Accurate data collection.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall implement standardized procedures for tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out by the Secretary concerned.
(2) ELEMENTS.—The standardized procedures required under paragraph (1) shall include—
(A) regular, standardized data reviews of the accuracy and timely input of data used to track hazardous fuels reduction activities;
(B) verification methods that validate whether those data accurately correlate to the hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out by the Secretary concerned;
(c) GAO study.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall—
(d) Definitions.—In this section:
All or part of the programmatic administrative fee, and any fees related to the special use authorization, as appropriate, may be waived by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, when equitable and in the public interest as determined by the Chief of the Forest Service, for the use and occupancy of National Forest System land in the following circumstances:
(1) The holder of the special use authorization is a State or local government or any agency or instrumentality thereof, excluding municipal utilities and cooperatives whose principal source of revenue is customer charges.
(2) The holder is—
(A) an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code;
(a) Recovery of fair market value for products.—
(b) Fees.—
(1) IMPOSITION AND COLLECTION.—The Secretary shall charge and collect fees from persons who harvest forest botanical products on National Forest System lands.
(2) AMOUNT OF FEE.—The fees collected under paragraph (1) shall be based on the fair market value of the harvested forest botanical products and the costs incurred by the Secretary associated with granting, modifying, or monitoring the authorization for harvest of the forest botanical products, including the costs of any environmental or other analysis.
(c) Sustainable harvest levels for forest botanical products.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall—
(2) PROHIBITION ON HARVEST IN EXCESS OF SUSTAINABLE LEVELS.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, may not permit under the program under this section the harvest of forest botanical products on National Forest System lands at levels in excess of sustainable harvest levels, as defined under section 4 of the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 531).
(d) Waiver authority.—
(1) PERSONAL USE.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish a personal use harvest level for each forest botanical product, and the harvest of a forest botanical product below that level by a person for personal use shall not be subject to charges and fees under subsections (a) and (b).
(e) Deposit and use of funds.—
(1) DEPOSIT.—Funds collected under the program in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) shall be deposited into a special account in the United States Treasury.
(2) FUNDS AVAILABLE.—Funds deposited into the special account in accordance with paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended without further appropriation.
(3) AUTHORIZED USES.—The funds made available under paragraph (2) shall be expended at units of the National Forest System in proportion to the charges and fees collected at that unit under the program under this section to pay for—
(4) TREATMENT OF FEES.—Funds collected under the program in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) shall not be taken into account for the purposes of the following laws:
(A) The sixth paragraph under the heading “forest service” in the Act of May 23, 1908 (16 U.S.C. 500), and section 13 of the Act of March 1, 1911 (commonly known as the Weeks Act; 16 U.S.C. 500).
(B) The fourteenth paragraph under the heading “forest service” in the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501).
(C) Section 33 of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1012).
(D) The Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) and the Act of May 24, 1939 (43 U.S.C. 2621 et seq.).
(E) Section 6 of the Act of June 14, 1926 (commonly known as the Recreation and Public Purposes Act; 43 U.S.C. 869–4).
(F) Chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code.
(G) Section 401 of the Act of June 15, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 715s).
(f) Reporting requirements.—As soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year in which the Secretary collects charges and fees under the program in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) or expends funds from the special account under subsection (e), the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall submit to the Congress a report summarizing the activities of the Secretary under the program under this section, including the funds collected under the program in accordance with subsections (a) and (b), the expenses incurred to carry out the program under this section, and the expenditures made from the special account during that fiscal year.
(g) Definitions.—For purposes of this section:
(1) FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCT.—The term “forest botanical product”—
(A) means any naturally occurring mushroom, fungus, flower, seed, root, bark, leaf, berry, bough, bryophyte, bulb, burl, cone, epiphyte, fern, forb, grass, moss, nut, pine straw, sedge, shrub, transplant, tree sap, or other vegetation (or portion thereof) that grows on National Forest System lands; and
(B) does not include trees, or portions of trees, except as provided in regulations issued under section 339 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 528 note) by the Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term “National Forest System” has the meaning given that term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
Section 8 of Public Law 88–657 (16 U.S.C. 538a) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c)(2)—
(A) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
For fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a Job Corps graduate (as defined in section 142(5) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3192(5))) to a position in the competitive service in the Forest Service for which the graduate meets the qualification standards.
Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206) is amended—
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
“(e) Advance payments.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall give an owner of nonindustrial private forest land the option of receiving, before the owner carries out emergency measures under this section, not more than 75 percent of the cost of the emergency measures, as determined by the Secretary based on the fair market value of the cost of the emergency measures using the estimated cost of the applicable practice published in the Field Office Technical Guide of each State by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“(2) RETURN OF FUNDS.—If the funds provided under paragraph (1) are not expended by the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date on which the owner of nonindustrial private forest land receives those funds, the funds shall be returned to the Secretary within a reasonable timeframe, as determined by the Secretary.”.
(a) In general.—The requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) or division A of subtitle 54, United States Code, shall not apply to an application for a communications use authorization on National Forest System lands, including National Forest System lands on which authorized utilities, communications facilities, powerline facilities, or roads have been installed, if—
(b) No additional consultation required under certain circumstances.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be required to reinitiate consultation of the requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) or division A of subtitle 54, United States Code, for an application for a communications use authorization on previously analyzed areas of National Forest System lands if new information concerning a previously analyzed area of National Forest System lands becomes available.
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY; COMMUNICATIONS USE AUTHORIZATION.—The terms “communications facility” and “communications use authorization” have the meanings given the terms, respectively, in section 8705 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (43 U.S.C. 1761a).
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) DELI, INC.—The term “Deli, Inc.” means Deli, Inc., a sphagnum moss production business located in Millston, Wisconsin.
(2) DELI LAND.—The term “Deli land” means the approximately 37.27 acres of land owned or optioned to acquire, subject to the approval of the land exchange by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, and the Governor of Wisconsin, in 2 separate parcels, by Deli, Inc., and located in Millston, Wisconsin, as depicted on the map and as described as follows:
(A) A parcel of real property containing approximately 31.3 acres (which includes land within the road right-of-way), together with any improvements—
(ii) excluding—
(II) a parcel 150 feet wide, with 50 feet lying to the northeast, and 100 feet to the southwest, of a line commencing at a point 5 feet east of the northwest corner of the quarter-quarter section described in clause (i), thence south 56° east 39″ a distance of 222 feet, thence south 57° east 31″ a distance of 1359 feet; and
(B) A parcel of real property containing approximately 5.97 acres located in the SW¼SW¼ sec. 20, T. 20 N., R. 4 W., Town of Millston, Jackson County, Wisconsin, comprising lot 7 of Certified Survey Map No. 4483, as recorded in volume 19S of the certified survey maps, page 334, as Document No. 413440 in the Jackson County Register of Deeds.
(3) MAP.—The term “map” means the map entitled “Black River State Forest–Deli, Inc.” and dated June 26, 2023.
(5) STATE FOREST LAND.—The term “State forest land” means the approximately 31.83 acres of land located in the Black River State Forest in Millston, Wisconsin, as depicted on the map and as described as follows:
(A) A parcel containing 23.13 acres—
(B) A parcel containing 8.70 acres comprising the portion of the NE¼NE¼ sec. 29, T. 20 N., R. 2. W., Town of Millston, Jackson County, Wisconsin, lying north of the railroad right-of-way, forming a triangular piece and described as commencing at the northeast corner of that quarter-quarter section, thence west 1010 feet to the north line of the railroad right-of-way, thence southeasterly along the boundary of the railroad to the east line of that quarter-quarter section, thence north on the east line 750 feet to the place of beginning.
(b) Conditional release.—
(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(A) the State forest land is subject to a reversionary interest of the United States pursuant to section 32(c) of The Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1011(c)), requiring that the State forest land be used for public purposes in perpetuity; and
(2) CONDITIONAL RELEASE.—If the State offers in a written agreement to convey the State forest land to Deli, Inc., in exchange for the conveyance of the Deli land to the State—
Section 1 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 7101 note) is amended by inserting “or the ‘Doug LaMalfa Secure Rural Schools Act’” before the period at the end.
(a) Minor range improvements by permittees.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue regulations allowing a permittee to carry out a minor range improvement on the lands with respect to which the permittee holds a grazing permit if—
(b) Range improvements by the secretary.—The Secretary, acting through the applicable district ranger, shall—
(1) respond to a covered request not later than 30 days after the date on which such request is submitted; and
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) CFR TERMS.—The terms “grazing permit”, “permittee”, and “range improvement” have the meanings given those terms, respectively, in section 222.1 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulations).
(a) In general.—The White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition shall be established—
(b) Duties.—In addition to the duties specified in the charter described in subsection (a)(2), the duties of the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition are—
(1) to coordinate Federal, State, Tribal, local, private, and nongovernmental restoration of white oak in the United States; and
(2) to make program and policy recommendations, consistent with applicable forest management plans, with respect to—
(A) changes necessary to address Federal and State policies that impede activities to improve the health, resiliency, and natural regeneration of white oak;
(B) adopting or modifying Federal and State policies to increase the pace and scale of white oak regeneration and resiliency of white oak;
(c) Administrative support, technical services, and staff support.—The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary shall make such personnel available to the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition for administrative support, technical services, and development and dissemination of educational materials as the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary, as applicable, determines necessary to carry out this section.
(a) In general.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish and carry out 5 pilot projects in national forests to restore white oak in such forests through white oak restoration and natural regeneration practices that are consistent with applicable forest management plans.
(b) National forests reserved or withdrawn from public domain.—At least 3 pilot projects required under subsection (a) shall be carried out on national forests reserved or withdrawn from the public domain.
(a) Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a nonregulatory program to be known as the “White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat Regeneration Program” (in this section referred to as the “Program”).
(b) Duties.—In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall—
(1) draw upon the best available science and management plans for species of white oak to identify, prioritize, and implement restoration and conservation activities that will improve the growth of white oak within the United States;
(2) collaborate and coordinate with the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition to prioritize white oak restoration initiatives;
(c) Coordination.—In establishing the Program, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall consult with—
(d) Purposes.—The purposes of the Program include—
(1) coordinating restoration and conservation activities among Federal, State, Tribal, and local entities and conservation partners to address white oak restoration priorities;
(2) improving and regenerating white oak and upland oak forests and the wildlife habitat such forests provide;
(3) carrying out coordinated restoration and conservation activities that lead to the increased growth of species of white oak in native white oak regions on Federal, State, Tribal, and private land;
(4) facilitating strategic planning to maximize the resilience of white oak systems and habitats under changing climate conditions;
(e) Grants and assistance.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent that funds are available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall establish a voluntary grant and technical assistance program (in this section referred to as the “grant program”) to achieve the purposes of the Program, as described in subsection (d).
(2) ADMINISTRATION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in this subsection referred to as the “Foundation”) to manage and administer the grant program.
(B) FUNDING.—Subject to the availability of appropriations made in advance for such purpose, after the Secretary enters into a cooperative agreement with the Foundation under subparagraph (A), the Foundation shall, for each fiscal year, receive amounts to carry out this subsection in an advance payment of the entire amount on October 1, or as soon as practicable thereafter, of that fiscal year.
(3) APPLICATION OF NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT ACT.—Amounts received by the Foundation to carry out the grant program shall be subject to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding section 10(a) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)).
(a) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall—
Section 9001(3)(B)(iv) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101(3)(B)(iv)) is amended by inserting “and sustainable aviation fuel” after “diesel-equivalent fuel”.
Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the following:
“(G) PROCUREMENT RESOURCES.—The Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in coordination with the Secretary, shall provide educational materials to procuring agencies to consider the longevity of a product, economic savings, and the efficacy and performance of a product when making procurement decisions under this subsection.”; and
(B) in paragraph (4)—
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (ii) and redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively;
(ii) in subparagraph (B)(i)—
(II) in subclause (I), by inserting “, including the actions taken by the procuring agency to establish and implement the biobased procurement program of the procuring agency under that paragraph” before the semicolon;
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
“(D) ACCOUNTABILITY.—The Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in consultation with the Secretary, shall annually—
“(i) collect the information required to be reported under subparagraph (B) and make the information publicly available;
(2) in subsection (f)—
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3) and inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
“(2) REPORT.—To inform the development of codes under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, a report that provides—
“(A) the Federal statistical collections of information related to the North American Industry Classification System codes and the North American Product Classification System codes that utilize bioeconomy-specific data;
(a) In general.—Section 9003 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8103) is amended—
(2) in subsection (d)(1)—
(A) in subparagraph (B)—
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
“(C) TECHNICAL REVIEW AGREEMENT.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with each project applicant that clearly outlines the specific objectives, outcomes, and conditions by which the Secretary determines successful technical feasibility of the project under this section.
“(ii) CONDITIONS OF AGREEMENT.—The agreement provided under clause (i) shall include clear guidelines and expectations for the methodologies, protocols, and procedures, and what the eligible technology must demonstrate, for the Department to determine technical feasibility from an integrated demonstration unit, including—
“(I) a set timeline for the integrated demonstration unit campaign and final technical report to show reliable evidence of continuous, steady-state production;
“(II) criteria and methods for evaluating the project’s success, including any third-party assessments or evaluations that may be conducted during the demonstration period and at the conclusion of the set timeline;
“(III) criteria and methods to prove the ability of the integrated demonstration unit to use project-specific feedstock for the production of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, or biobased products at a yield and quality consistent with the design basis of the project;
“(iii) FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH AGREEMENT.—
“(I) NONCOMPLIANCE NOTIFICATION.—If a project applicant fails to comply with the technical feasibility requirements as provided under clause (ii), the Secretary shall issue a written notice to the project applicant detailing the specific deficiencies and providing a reasonable timeframe for the project applicant to rectify the issues.
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101–8115) is amended by inserting after section 9003 the following:
“SEC. 9004. Bioproduct labeling terminology.
“(a) Uniform standards.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue rules implementing national uniform labeling standards for, and ensuring the proper use of, the following terms in the labeling and marketing of bioproducts:
Section 9005(g)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8105(g)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 9006 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106) is repealed.
(a) In general.—Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting “(referred to in this section as the ‘Program’)” after “Program”;
(3) in subsection (c)—
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i), by inserting “, agricultural cooperatives with less than 2,500 employees,” before “and rural”;
(4) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and (f) as subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively, and inserting after subsection (c) the following:
“(d) Streamlined application process.—The Secretary shall develop a streamlined application process, including within each tier described in subsection (c)(4), under which an entity may apply for a grant under subsection (b), financial assistance under subsection (c), or a bundled application for a project with components eligible under clauses (i) and (ii) of subsection (c)(1)(A).”;
(5) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated)—
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking “Outreach” and inserting “Outreach, technical assistance, and education”;
(C) in paragraph (1) (as inserted by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(6) in subsection (g), (as so redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section)—
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) RESERVE FUND.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds obligated under paragraph (1) for each fiscal year , not less than 10 percent shall be deposited in a reserve fund in the Treasury and reserved for use in accordance with this subparagraph.
“(B) USE OF FUNDS.—
“(C) FREQUENCY OF SOLICITATIONS TO FUND.—The Secretary shall carry out at least 2 solicitations for applications for grants from the reserve fund in each fiscal year.
“(D) REALLOCATION.—Any funds reserved under subparagraph (A) that remain unobligated 1 year after the end of the fiscal year in which made available under subparagraph (A) shall be reallocated to carry out the program established under this section.
“(E) DEFINITION OF UNDERUTILIZED RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES.—The term ‘underutilized renewable energy technologies’ means renewable energy technologies for which have been expended not more than 20 percent of the average of the total amounts made available under this section for the 5 fiscal years most recently ending before the date of the enactment of this paragraph.”; and
(7) by adding at the end the following:
“(h) Project diversity.—In approving grant or loan guarantee applications under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, there is diversity in the types of projects approved for grants or loan guarantees to ensure that as wide a range as possible of technologies, products, and approaches are assisted.”.
(b) Conforming amendments.—Section 9007 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended by striking “subsection (f)” each place it appears and inserting “subsection (g)”.
Section 9010(b) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110(b)) is amended—
Section 9011(f)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8111(f)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 9014 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8115) is repealed.
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101–8115) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 9014. Study on effects of solar panel installations on covered farmland.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall conduct a study on the effects of solar panel installations on the conversion of covered farmland out of agricultural production in accordance with this section.
“(b) Content.—In conducting the study under this section, the Secretary shall—
“(1) analyze the economic effects of solar panel installations on covered farmland, including the effects on—
“(2) investigate impacts of solar panel installation, operation, and decommissioning on covered farmland, and suggest best practices to protect—
“(3) assess the impacts of shared solar energy and agricultural production on covered farmland, including best practices to—
“(4) assess the types of agricultural land best suited and worst suited for shared solar energy and agricultural production;
“(5) study the compatibility of different species of livestock with different solar panel system designs, including—
“(6) study the compatibility of different crop types with different solar panel system designs, including—
“(7) evaluate the degree to which existing Federal, State, or local tax incentives result in the development of covered farmland under study;
“(8) recommend effective incentives that could shift solar panel installations toward the built environment, brownfield sites, and other contaminated sites;
“(c) Consultation with relevant stakeholders.—In addition to consultation with the Secretary of Energy, while conducting the study under this section, the Secretary shall consult with—
“(8) land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); and
“(d) Report.—Within 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a written report on the findings of the study and recommendations under this section.
“(e) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) COVERED FARMLAND.—The term ‘covered farmland’ includes—
“(A) farmland, as defined in section 1540(c)(1) of the Farmland Protection Policy Act (7 U.S.C. 4201(c)(1)); and
“(B) nonindustrial private forest land, as defined in section 201(a)(18) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(18)).
“(2) BROWNFIELD SITE.—The term ‘brownfield site’ has the meaning given that term in section 101(39) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601(39)).
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101–8115) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 9015. Limitation on USDA funding for ground-mounted solar energy systems.
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) COVERED FARMLAND.—The term ‘covered farmland’ includes—
“(A) farmland, as defined in section 1540(c)(1) of the Farmland Protection Policy Act (7 U.S.C. 4201(c)(1)); and
“(B) nonindustrial private forest land, as defined in section 201(a)(18) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(18)).
“(2) CONVERSION.—The term ‘conversion’ means, with respect to covered farmland, any activity that results in the covered farmland failing to meet the requirements of a State (as defined in section 343 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991)) for agricultural production, activity, or use or timber harvest.
“(b) In general.—The Secretary may not provide financial assistance for a project that would result in the conversion of covered farmland for solar energy production.
“(d) Covered farmland protection.—
“(1) FARMLAND CONSERVATION PLAN REQUIRED.—A person who has applied to the Secretary for financial assistance for a project to which subsection (c)(2) applies shall—
“(2) OBLIGATION AND DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—The Secretary may obligate financial assistance for a project described in paragraph (1), but shall not disburse the financial assistance until the Secretary has determined that the applicant for the financial assistance has complied with paragraph (1).
“(3) FARMLAND CONSERVATION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.—A person referred to in paragraph (1) shall carry out—
“(e) Additional limitations.—The Secretary may not provide financial assistance for a project that procures a solar energy component (as defined in section 45x(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) produced, manufactured, or assembled—
“(1) in a foreign country of concern (as defined in section 10638(2) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. 19237(2))); or
“(2) by—
“(B) a foreign entity of concern (as defined in section 10638(3) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. 19237(3))).”.
The Secretary shall establish a Departmentwide strategy to advance the production of sustainable aviation fuels by—
(1) facilitating the collaboration between relevant Department mission areas to encourage the advancement of the sustainable aviation fuels supply chain, including utilization of agricultural crops grown for sustainable aviation fuels production;
(2) identifying opportunities to maximize sustainable aviation fuels development, deployment, and commercialization;
(a) Findings.—Congress finds the following:
(1) There are over 600,000 pumping systems used for irrigation on agricultural land in the United States, many of which still rely on fossil fuels.
(2) Improving the efficiency of agricultural irrigation pumping systems can save up to 22,000,000,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year and eliminate 8,300,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.
(3) Energy savings from electrifying agricultural irrigation pumping systems can save farmers and ranchers more than $1,800,000,000 annually in energy costs.
(4) Pumping systems play a central role in the watering of livestock and the management of animal waste in every State.
(6) Improving the efficiency of pumping systems used in raising livestock and fish can significantly reduce energy use, save producers millions of dollars annually, and provide meaningful reductions in carbon emissions.
(7) Agricultural irrigation pumping systems utilizing plastic piping can provide significant drought relief benefits, dramatically reducing water losses from evaporation and seepage; agriculture uses 37 percent of the Nation’s surface and ground water, 30 percent of which is lost to seepage and evaporation.
(b) Information on energy-Efficient pumping systems.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with pumping system experts, in order to educate farmers on the benefits of energy-efficient pumping systems, shall develop and make publicly available on the website of the Department easily accessible information on cost savings, energy savings, water conservation, and carbon emissions reductions that can be realized through the use of energy-efficient pumping systems.
(c) Energy efficiency preassessment tool.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with pumping system experts, in order to raise awareness of the benefits of energy-efficient pumping systems and increase participation in Department programs that promote energy efficiency, shall develop and make publicly available on the website of the Department a user-friendly tool to—
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—
(A) EASE OF USE.—The Secretary shall ensure that the tool made available under paragraph (1) provides a user with projected energy savings, projected cost savings, and projected carbon emissions reductions through the input by the user of the following data relating to an existing pumping system:
(d) Energy auditor education.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation with pumping system experts, in order to increase the effectiveness of Department of Agriculture energy efficiency programs, shall establish a process to educate persons performing energy efficiency audits for the Department of Agriculture on energy use and energy efficiency in pumping systems.
(e) Conservation stewardship program activities.—Section 1240I(2)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–21(2)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting “and energy-efficient pumping systems” before “, as determined”.
Section 9001(15)(A) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101(15)(A)) is amended by striking “or hydroelectric” and inserting “hydroelectric, or waste energy recovery”.
Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108–465) is amended—
Section 10107(b) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1622b(b)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(3)—
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “production” after “emerging agricultural”;
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:
“(E) using the resources of the Department and of State, Tribal, and local agencies to provide technical assistance for business incorporation, navigating local zoning, and managing farm tract numbers for smaller, noncontiguous parcels to growers implementing activities described in this paragraph;
(3) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
“(c) Grants and cooperative agreements.—
“(1) GRANTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall award competitive grants to support the development of urban and innovative agricultural production and technical or financial assistance to producers.
“(B) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible entity may use funds from a grant under subparagraph (A) to provide subgrants to urban and innovative producers to support the growth of the farm or farm business of the urban and innovative producers.
“(2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to support the development of urban and innovative agricultural production.
(4) in subsection (d)—
(C) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking “Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program for not fewer than 5 years that” and inserting “The Secretary shall continue to implement a program that”;
(D) in paragraph (1)(C), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”; and
(E) in paragraph (2)—
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting “and construct at-scale composting, food-to-feed, or anaerobic digestion food waste-to-energy projects” before the period at the end; and
Section 12203(c)(5) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8914(c)(5)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(a) State and tribal plans.—Section 297B of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639p) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (2)—
(i) in subparagraph (A)—
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking “include any other practice” and inserting the following: “include—
“(i) notwithstanding subparagraph (A)(iii), a procedure for the use of visual inspections, performance-based sampling methodologies, certified seed, or a similar procedure when developing sampling plans for any producer who elects to be designated as a producer of only industrial hemp under subparagraph (A)(ii)(I);
“(ii) notwithstanding subsection (e)(3)(B)(i), a procedure for eliminating the 10-year period of ineligibility following the date of conviction for a felony related to a controlled substance for producers who elect to be designated as producers of only industrial hemp under subparagraph (A)(ii); and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) INSPECTION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRODUCERS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—If a State or Tribal plan referred to in paragraph (1) includes procedures for reducing or eliminating sampling or testing requirements under paragraph (2)(B)(i) for a producer of industrial hemp, the State or Indian tribe shall require the producer to provide documentation that demonstrates a clear intent to produce, and use in-field practices consistent with production of, only industrial hemp, such as a seed tag, sales contract, Farm Service Agency report, harvest technique, or harvest inspection.
(2) in subsection (e)(2)(A)(iii), by striking “delta-9” and all that follows through “percent” and inserting the following: “total tetrahydrocannabinol concentration (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) of not more than 0.3 percent in the plant”; and
(3) in subsection (e)(3)—
(A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:
“(A) REPORTING.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a State department of agriculture or a Tribal Government with respect to which a State or Tribal plan is approved under subsection (b), such State department of agriculture or Tribal Government (as applicable) shall immediately report a hemp producer to the Attorney General and, as applicable, the chief law enforcement officer of the State or Indian tribe, if the State department of agriculture or Tribal Government (as applicable) determines that the hemp producer has—
(B) in subparagraph (B), by amending clause (ii) to read as follows:
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(D) PRODUCTION INCONSISTENT WITH INDUSTRIAL HEMP DESIGNATION.—Any person who knowingly produces a crop that is inconsistent with the designation of only industrial hemp under subsection (a)(2)(A)(ii) shall be ineligible to participate in the program established under this section for a period of 5 years beginning on the date of the violation.”.
(b) Department of agriculture.—Section 297C of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639q) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (2)—
(i) by striking “paragraph (1) shall” and all that follows through “practice to maintain” and inserting the following: “paragraph (1)—
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, and moving the margins of such subclauses (as so redesignated) two ems to the right;
(iii) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (E) as clauses (iii) through (vi), respectively, and moving the margins of such clauses (as so redesignated) two ems to the right;
(iv) by inserting after clause (i) (as designated by clause (i) of this subparagraph) the following:
(vi) in clause (v) (as redesignated by clause (iii) of this subparagraph), by inserting “and” after the semicolon at the end;
(viii) by adding at the end the following:
“(B) may include—
“(i) notwithstanding subparagraph (A)(iii), a procedure for the use of visual inspections, performance-based sampling methodologies, certified seed, or a similar procedure when developing sampling plans for any producer who elects to be designated as a producer of only industrial hemp under subparagraph (A)(ii);
“(ii) notwithstanding section 297B(e)(3)(B)(i), a procedure for eliminating the 10-year period of ineligibility following the date of conviction for a felony related to a controlled substance for producers who elect to be designated as producers of only industrial hemp under subparagraph (A)(ii); and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) INSPECTIONS OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRODUCERS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—If a plan referred to in paragraph (1) includes procedures for reducing or eliminating sampling or testing requirements under paragraph (2)(B)(i) for a producer of only industrial hemp, the Secretary shall require the producer to provide documentation that demonstrates a clear intent to produce, and use in-field practices consistent with production of, industrial hemp, such as a seed tag, sales contract, Farm Service Agency report, harvest technique, or harvest inspection.
(c) Regulations and guidelines; effect on other law.—Section 297D of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639r) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking “REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES” and inserting “ADMINISTRATION, REGULATIONS, AND GUIDELINES”; and
(2) in subsection (a)—
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking “PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES” and inserting “ADMINISTRATION, REGULATIONS, AND GUIDELINES”; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(3) LABORATORY ACCREDITATION.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, shall establish a process by which the Department of Agriculture can issue certificates of accreditation to laboratories for the purposes of testing hemp in accordance with this subtitle.”.
Subtitle A of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7711 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 420A. Pilot program for the intra-organizational movement of genetically engineered microorganisms by certain authorized parties.
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) COVERED MICROORGANISM.—The term ‘covered microorganism’—
“(A) means a genetically engineered microorganism that is a plant pest or may pose a plant pest risk; and
“(B) does not include listed agents or toxins (as defined in section 212(l) of the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8401(l))).
“(2) COVERED UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE.—The term ‘covered unauthorized release’ means an unauthorized release of a covered microorganism, including such a release that a responsible party suspects took place.
“(3) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘pilot program’ means the pilot program established under subsection (b).
“(4) PLANT PEST RISK.—The term ‘plant pest risk’ has the meaning given such term in section 340.3 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).
“(5) RESPONSIBLE PARTY.—The term ‘responsible party’ means a partnership, corporation, association, joint venture, or other legal entity that—
“(B) is not owned by or otherwise affiliated with the government of a country of concern (as defined in section 10638 of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. 19237));
“(D) employs quality control personnel that are capable of overseeing the movement and control of covered microorganisms;
“(E) has, in each of the 3 years preceding enrollment in the pilot program, moved plant pests pursuant to permits granted by the Secretary under this Act;
“(F) has the ability and resources to ensure compliance with the requirements under subsection (e) for the duration of the pilot program;
“(G) has implemented the precautions specified in subsection (e) to prevent the unauthorized release of covered microorganisms; and
“(6) RESPONSIBLE PARTY BIOCONTAINMENT FACILITY.—The term ‘responsible party biocontainment facility’—
“(b) Establishment.—Not later than 100 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program under which the Secretary shall authorize not more than 75 responsible parties—
“(c) Application.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept applications from responsible parties for enrollment in the pilot program during a 45-day application period, beginning on the date on which the pilot program is established under subsection (b), using a web-based application process established by the Secretary.
“(2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted by a responsible party for enrollment in the pilot program shall include the following:
“(A) The name and contact information of the responsible party and any agent of the responsible party that will be involved in the movement of a covered microorganism.
“(B) The methods by which a covered microorganism will be moved and the measures taken to ensure that there is no unauthorized release of the covered microorganism.
“(C) The manner in which a shipping container, packaging material, or any other material accompanying the covered microorganism will be disposed of to prevent the unauthorized release of a covered microorganism.
“(D) A list of responsible party biocontainment facilities to which the responsible party intends to move covered microorganisms.
“(3) SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—A responsible party may submit a supplemental application to the Secretary to update a list under subparagraph (D) or (E) of paragraph (2) at any time during such enrollment. The Secretary shall make a determination with respect to such supplemental application not later than 30 days after the date on which such supplemental application is submitted to the Secretary.
“(d) Selection process.—
“(1) TIMING.—The Secretary shall—
“(2) DENIAL.—The Secretary shall deny an application received under subsection (c)(1) if—
“(3) APPEAL.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—A responsible party seeking to enroll in the pilot program whose application has been denied under paragraph (2) may submit to the Secretary a written appeal within—
“(e) Requirements.—A responsible party shall, as a condition of enrollment in the pilot program, agree to—
“(1) maintain, move, and dispose of covered microorganisms in a manner that prevents unauthorized release, spread, dispersal, or persistence of those covered microorganisms in the environment;
“(2) unless otherwise authorized under a permit under this Act, only move a covered microorganism between sites that are responsible party biocontainment facilities;
“(4) ensure that each covered microorganism is maintained, moved, and disposed of in a manner commensurate with the plant pest risk posed by that covered microorganism;
“(5) use, at a minimum, a package for movement—
“(A) that consists of a securely sealed inner and outer container, each of which is an effective barrier to the escape or unauthorized dissemination of the covered microorganism;
“(6) on request, grant the Secretary access—
“(7) maintain detailed and accurate records of all activities carried out under the pilot program to demonstrate compliance with the applicable requirements;
“(8) on request, grant the Secretary access to each responsible party biocontainment facility for inspection in relation to a responsible party’s enrollment in the pilot program; and
“(f) Prohibition on certain preferences.—In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall take no action or promulgate any regulation that—
“(g) Reporting by responsible parties.—A responsible party shall submit to the Secretary a quarterly report that describes the activities of the responsible party under the pilot program during the period covered by the report, including—
“(1) a description of each covered microorganism moved in interstate commerce, including—
“(A) the 1 or more countries or localities at which the covered microorganism was collected, developed, manufactured, reared, cultivated, or cultured, as applicable;
“(B) the genus, species, and any relevant subspecies and common name information of the covered microorganism; and
“(h) Unauthorized release.—In the case of a covered unauthorized release, a responsible party shall—
“(i) Disenrollment from pilot program.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall terminate the enrollment of a responsible party in the pilot program if the Secretary has a sound factual basis to determine that—
“(A) the responsible party no longer meets the eligibility criteria of a responsible party described in subsection (a)(5);
“(j) Termination.—The pilot program shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date on which the Secretary completes the application selection process under subsection (d)(1)(B).
Section 8e(a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (7 U.S.C. 608e–1(a)), reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, is amended—
Section 210A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
“(5) FOOD HUB.—The term ‘food hub’ means a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products to multiple buyers from multiple producers, who are primarily local and regional producers, to strengthen the ability of such producers to satisfy local and regional wholesale, retail, and institutional demands.”;
(3) in subsection (c)(4), by striking “stakeholders” and inserting “stakeholders before and after providing grants under the program”;
(4) in subsection (d)—
(C) in paragraph (6)—
(ii) in subparagraph (C)—
(I) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “applications that” and inserting “applications, outreach, and technical assistance that would”;
(iv) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following:
“(D) SIMPLIFIED APPLICATIONS.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a simplified application form for eligible entities described in subparagraph (B) that—
“(ii) PROJECT CATEGORIES.—The Secretary shall establish a simplified application form for the following project categories but may include additional project categories as necessary:
“(I) DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER PROJECTS.—In the case of a direct-to-consumer project, an application form described in clause (i) may be available for the following categories of projects:
(5) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by striking “2019 through 2023” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: “2026 through 2031 to support partnerships—
Section 12306 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 1632c) is amended—
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
“(e) Consultations.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the first request for applications under this section that occurs at least 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, not later than 6 months before such a request for applications, the Secretary shall solicit input from maple syrup industry stakeholders with respect to the research and education priorities of the maple syrup industry.
Section 7407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5925c) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(4) collect and publish cost-of-production data for organic milk, through support from regional and national programs, including regularly reported data related to—
“(B) the establishment of an Organic All Milk Prices Survey, which shall be analogous to the existing All Milk Prices Survey conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, to gather and report monthly data about the amounts organic dairy farmers are being paid for organic milk and prices received for organic dairy cows, including—
“(C) periodic organic milk reporting under which the Secretary, using data collected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Economic Research Service, or the Agricultural Marketing Service, publishes new periodic reports that include, or add to existing periodic reports relating to, data for organic milk, which shall be equivalent to data reported for conventionally produced milk.”; and
(a) Reports.—Section 2122(d)(1) of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6521(d)(1)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
(b) Organic technical assistance.—The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 2122A (7 U.S.C. 6521a) the following:
(c) Funding.—Section 2123(b)(6) of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6522(b)(6)) is amended by striking “for fiscal year 2023” and inserting “for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2031”.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that examines—
(1) the process by which domestic commodities or products (as defined in section 220.16 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation)) are procured by the Secretary, including the solicitation process used to procure such commodities or products;
Section 2103 of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502) is amended—
(4) by inserting after paragraph (20), as so redesignated, the following:
“(21) RISK TO ORGANIC INTEGRITY.—The term ‘risk to organic integrity’ means the likelihood that a product marketed as organically produced is, or contains, an agricultural product that was not produced using a system of organic farming in compliance with this title, not processed in compliance with this title, or both.”.
Paragraph (5) of section 2107(a) of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6506(a)) is amended to read as follows:
“(5) provide for annual inspections by the certifying agent of each farm and handling operation that has been certified under this title, which inspections shall be—
“(A) in the case of a farm or handling operation site located outside of the United States, conducted on-site;
“(B) in the case of a farm or handling operation site located in the United States, conducted on-site once every three years with intervening annual inspections being conducted on-site or virtually based on the farm’s or handling operation’s risk to organic integrity, as determined by the Secretary; and
The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), as amended by section 10105, is further amended by inserting after section 2122B (as added by such section 10105) the following:
“SEC. 2122C. Study and reform of National Organic Program oversight protocols.
“(a) Study.—Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive study for the purpose of determining whether the establishment of oversight protocols based on risk to organic integrity and the implementation of related reforms are necessary and appropriate.
“(b) Elements.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall examine the feasibility, opportunities, and implications of implementing oversight protocols that—
“(B) include differential treatment of non-compliance that increases the risk to organic integrity versus non-compliance that does not;
“(C) adopt standardized organic plans under section 2114 aligned with the risk to organic integrity;
“(c) Report.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and make publicly available on the websites of the Department of Agriculture, a report describing the findings of the study conducted under subsection (a).
“(e) Authority to establish additional terms and conditions.—
“(1) ISSUANCE OF REGULATIONS.—Based on the findings described in the report under subsection (c), and after consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, the Secretary may issue regulations to establish or modify oversight protocols under this title that the Secretary determines are necessary and appropriate, provided such regulations maintain strong organic integrity, support a resilient domestic organic sector, and are consistent with the requirements of this title.
“(2) REDUCING OVERSIGHT COSTS; PRIORITIZATION.—In issuing the regulations under paragraph (1), the Secretary may seek to—
(a) Definitions.—Section 2 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136) is amended—
(1) by amending subsection (v) to read as follows:
“(v) Plant regulator.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘plant regulator’ means any substance or mixture of substances intended, through physiological action, for accelerating or retarding the rate of growth or rate of maturation, or for otherwise altering the behavior of plants or the produce thereof.
(2) in subsection (hh)—
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(pp) Plant biostimulant.—The term ‘plant biostimulant’ means any substance or mixture of substances that, when applied to seeds, plants, the rhizosphere, or soil or other growth media, acts to support a plant’s natural nutrition processes independently of the nutrient content of that substance or mixture of substances, and that thereby improves—
“(qq) Nutritional chemical.—The term ‘nutritional chemical’ means any substance or mixture of substances that interacts with plant nutrients in a manner that improves nutrient availability or aids the plant in acquiring or utilizing plant nutrients.
“(rr) Vitamin hormone product.—The term ‘vitamin hormone product’ means a product that—
(b) Exemption from regulation.—Section 25(b) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136w(b)) is amended to read as follows:
“(b) Exemption of pesticides.—
“(1) EXEMPTION BY RULE.—The Administrator may exempt from the requirements of this Act by regulation any pesticide which the Administrator determines either—
“(2) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN PLANT-INCORPORATED PROTECTANTS.—
“(A) EXEMPTION.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Upon the issuance of guidance as described in subparagraph (B), plant-incorporated protectants resulting from endogenous genetic material found within or that could arise from the plant’s gene pool are exempt from the requirements of this Act.
“(ii) EXCEPTION.—A specific plant-incorporated protectant arising from endogenous genetic material found within or that could arise from the plant’s gene pool shall not be exempt from the requirements of this Act if the Administrator determines that such plant-incorporated protectant is of a character which is necessary to be subject to this Act in order to carry out the purposes of this Act.
“(B) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Administrator shall issue guidance for the implementation of subparagraph (A). The Administrator may update such guidance, as the Administrator determines to be appropriate.
“(C) ORDER.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—If the Administrator makes a determination described in subparagraph (A)(ii) with respect to a plant-incorporated protectant, the Administrator shall issue an order explaining the basis for such determination, which may be issued directly to any person who owns, controls, or has custody of such plant-incorporated protectant or published in the Federal Register.
“(D) TOLERANCE EXEMPTION.—The residue of a plant-incorporated protectant that is exempt under subparagraph (A)(i) shall be exempt from the requirement for a tolerance under section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 346a) unless, and until such time as, the Administrator issues or publishes an order under subparagraph (C)(i).”.
(c) Conforming amendments.—Section 17(c) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136o(c)) is amended—
Section 3 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(i) Coordination.—
“(1) RISK MITIGATION MEASURES.—If any risk mitigation measures are required for any pesticide registered under this Act, the Administrator shall—
“(2) DATA AND INFORMATION.—
“(A) COORDINATION OF DATA AND INFORMATION.—With regard to the registration or registration review of a pesticide under this Act and for making a determination under section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 346a) with respect to any action that impacts the sale, distribution, or use of a pesticide, the Administrator shall coordinate with the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the Office of Pest Management Policy, so that the Administrator has for the Administrator’s use and consideration for such processes—
“(3) REASONABLE AND PRUDENT ACTIONS AND MEASURES.—For implementation of reasonable and prudent actions and measures with respect to the use of a pesticide registered under this Act, the Administrator shall coordinate with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Commerce—
“(A) to review the development of any such actions and measures that are a result of consultations relating to actions under this Act;
“(4) WAIVER.—The coordination requirements imposed by this subsection may be waived or modified for a specific action to the extent agreed upon by the Administrator, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the registrant so long as such agreement is published by the Administrator in the docket for the corresponding action.”.
Section 3(c)(11) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(11)) is amended—
(3) by amending subparagraph (E) to read as follows:
“(E) CONSULTATION.—
“(i) WORKING GROUP WITH PRIVATE SECTOR.—In carrying out the duties under this paragraph, the working group shall, as appropriate—
“(ii) ADMINISTRATOR WITH WORKING GROUP.—Before the Administrator implements any policy, strategy, workplan, or pilot program regarding the application of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) to the processes for the registration or registration review of a pesticide under this Act, the Administrator shall—
(a) Extension of deadline.—Section 3(g)(1)(A)(iii) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a(g)(1)(A)(iii)) is amended—
(b) Interim Registration Review Decision Requirements.—Section 3(g)(1)(A) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a(g)(1)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(vi) INTERIM REGISTRATION REVIEW DECISION REQUIREMENTS.—
“(I) REQUIREMENTS.—Any covered interim registration review decision shall include, where applicable, measures to reduce the effects of the applicable pesticide on—
“(aa) species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or
“(II) CONSULTATION.—In developing measures described in subclause (I), the Administrator shall take into account the input received from the Secretary of Agriculture and other members of the interagency working group established under subsection (c)(11).
“(III) COVERED INTERIM REGISTRATION REVIEW DECISION.—In this subsection, the term ‘covered interim registration review decision’ means an interim registration review decision—
“(bb) that is noticed in the Federal Register during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this clause and ending on October 1, 2031; and
“(cc) for which the Administrator has not, as of the date on which the decision is noticed in the Federal Register, made effects determinations or completed any necessary consultation under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)).”.
(c) Conforming repeal.—Section 711 of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (title VI of division HH of Public Law 117–328) is repealed.
(a) In general.—Section 24(b) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136v(b)) shall be applied to require uniformity in pesticide labeling nationally, and to prohibit any State, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof, or a court from directly or indirectly imposing or continuing in effect any requirements for, or penalize or hold liable, any entity for failing to comply with requirements that would require labeling or packaging that is in addition to or different from the labeling or packaging approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this section as the “Administrator”) under such Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.), including any requirements relating to warnings on such labeling or packaging, provided that the entity is not in material violation of subparagraph (M), (Q), or (R) of section 12(a)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 136j(a)(2)), for which the entity has been penalized pursuant to section 14 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 136l).
(b) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or diminish the authority of States under subsections (a) and (c) of section 24 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136v).
Section 24 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136v) is amended—
Section 3(f) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a(f)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 10109(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4906) is amended to read as follows:
“(b) Administration.—
“(1) SUBMISSION.—The Secretary shall submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and make publicly available, the survey described in subsection (a).
“(2) COMMERCIAL DATA.—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Pest Management Policy, shall obtain commercial data on pesticide use to inform the conduct of, and enhance the results of, the survey described in subsection (a).
“(3) RULEMAKING PROCEDURE.—The administration of this section shall be made without regard to chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the Paperwork Reduction Act).”.
(a) In general.—Subject to subsection (b), no court may enjoin under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) a covered entity from conducting an aerial application of a covered fire retardant and water enhancer for wildfire suppression, control, or prevention activities that results in a discharge, if such aerial application is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Facility Compliance Agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service, as agreed to on February 16, 2023.
(b) Period of application.—Subsection (a) shall apply to any aerial application described in such subsection that is conducted before the effective date of a permit issued by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency or a State, as applicable, under section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1342) that authorizes the discharge, from such aerial application, of a covered fire retardant and water enhancer for wildfire suppression, control, or prevention activities.
(c) Effect.—Nothing in this section affects the authority of any court under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to any discharge resulting from an aerial application not conducted in accordance with the requirements described in subsection (a).
(d) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) COVERED ENTITY.—The term “covered entity” means—
(2) COVERED FIRE RETARDANT AND WATER ENHANCER.—The term “covered fire retardant and water enhancer” means a fire retardant and water enhancer that—
(3) DISCHARGE; STATE.—The terms “discharge” and “State” have the meanings given those terms in section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362).
Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 220 (7 U.S.C. 6920) the following:
“SEC. 220A. Office of Biotechnology Policy.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall establish in the Department an Office of Biotechnology Policy to provide for the effective coordination of policies and activities within the Department of Agriculture related to biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and related emerging technologies, while taking into account the effects of regulatory actions of other government agencies.
“(b) Director.—The Office of Biotechnology Policy shall be under the direction of a Director appointed by the Secretary, who shall report directly to the Secretary or a designee of the Secretary.
“(c) Duties.—The Director of the Office of Biotechnology Policy shall—
“(2) coordinate activities and services of the Department on biotechnology and related topics, including—
“(d) Interagency coordination.—In carrying out the duties under subsection (c), the Director of the Office of Biotechnology Policy shall provide leadership to ensure coordination of interagency activities with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and other Federal and State agencies.
“(e) Outreach.—The Director of the Office of Biotechnology Policy shall consult with biotechnology developers, academics, agricultural producers, and other entities that may be affected by biotechnology-related activities or actions of the Department or other Federal and State agencies as necessary in carrying out the Office’s responsibilities under this section.
(a) In general.—Section 505 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1505) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(f) Specialty crop advisory committee.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall—
“(2) COMPOSITION.—
“(A) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the Committee shall be an individual with experience in crop insurance and the unique nature of the specialty crop industry.
“(3) DUTIES.—The Committee established by this subsection shall—
“(B) provide input, through the Chairperson of the Committee, to the Board on decisions relating to specialty crop insurance policies;
“(C) review available educational programs and make recommendations to the Manager of the Corporation on how to enhance the effectiveness of such programs for specialty crop producers;
“(D) provide recommendations to the Manager of the Corporation regarding the presentation of policies to the Board required by section 508(a)(6);
(b) Specialty crops coordinator.—Section 507(g)(2) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1507(g)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
“(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Specialty Crops Coordinator shall have primary responsibility for addressing the needs of specialty crop producers, and for providing information and advice, in connection with the activities of the Corporation to improve and expand the insurance program for specialty crops.
(c) Annual review of new and specialty crops.—Section 508(a)(6)(A) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(6)(A)) is amended by inserting “(in consultation with the Specialty Crop Advisory Committee)” after “Corporation”.
Section 506(m) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1506(m)) is amended—
(1) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
“(3) IDENTIFICATION OF HOLDERS OF SUBSTANTIAL INTERESTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Manager of the Corporation may require each policyholder to provide to the Manager, at such times and in such manner as prescribed by the Manager, the name of each individual or other entity that acquires or holds a substantial beneficial interest in such policyholder.
“(B) EXTENSION AVAILABLE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a policyholder that does not provide the information required pursuant to subparagraph (A) to the Manager at the time prescribed by the Manager, the Manager shall allow such policyholder to provide to the Manager such information at any time during the applicable crop year.
“(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall not apply to a policyholder that an approved insurance provider determines—
Section 506(n) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1506(n)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 508(a)(1) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(1)) is amended, in the second sentence, by inserting “or a decline in the market price of the insured commodity, so long as such decline was not directly caused by the producer (as determined by the Secretary)” before the period at the end.
(a) In general.—The Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) is amended—
(b) Conforming amendment.—Section 1115 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9015) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(j) Limitation.—Beginning with the 2026 crop year, in the case of a farm for which a producer obtains coverage under the Stacked Income Protection Plan for upland cotton under section 508B of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508b) for a crop year, such farm shall not be eligible to receive payments for seed cotton for such crop year under—
Section 508(d) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(d)) is amended by inserting at the end the following new paragraph:
“(5) LIMITATION ON INTEREST ACCRUAL.—Effective beginning with the 2026 reinsurance year, in the case of a producer that is delinquent in paying a premium or administrative fee, an approved insurance provider may charge such producer with respect to such delinquency an amount less than or equal to 1 percent of the simple interest of the amount for which such producer is delinquent, for each month (not to exceed 60 consecutive months) the producer is so delinquent.”.
(a) Definition of veteran farmer or rancher.—Section 502(b)(14)(B) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1502(b)(14)(B)) is amended—
(b) Increase in assistance.—Section 508(e)(9) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(e)) is amended by inserting “or veteran farmer or rancher” after “beginning farmer or rancher” each place it appears.
Section 508(h)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(h)(4)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (A), by amending clause (iii) to read as follows:
(2) in subparagraph (D), by adding at the end the following:
“(iv) MARKETABILITY DEADLINE.—Any new policy, plan of insurance, or other material approved by the Board under this subsection during a reinsurance year and after the Standard Reinsurance Agreement closing date of July 1 shall not be implemented for such reinsurance year unless at least 90 days prior to the sales closing date for such policy, plan of insurance, or other material, the Board makes available to the approved insurance providers all necessary, as determined by the Board, handbooks, training materials, and other resources associated with such policy, plan of insurance, or other material.”; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(F) MARKETABILITY DETERMINATION.—
“(i) SUBMISSION TO THE BOARD.—Prior to the approval of a product, any approved insurance provider that submitted a letter of support for the product shall provide information and analysis to the Board on the marketability of such product.
“(ii) DEEMED MARKETABLE.—In reviewing a policy, plan of insurance, or other material submitted to the Board under this subsection, such product shall be deemed marketable in accordance with paragraph (3)(A)(ii)(I) if at least one approved insurance provider, in its submission pursuant to clause (i), expresses support for such policy, plan, or material.
Section 508(k)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)(4)) is amended—
(2) by amending subparagraph (F) to read as follows:
“(F) REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR REINSURANCE YEAR 2027 AND SUBSEQUENT REINSURANCE YEARS.—Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (E), for each of the 2027 and subsequent reinsurance years, the rate established by the Board to reimburse approved insurance providers and agents for the administrative and operating costs of the providers and agents with respect to each policy made available under this Act shall be equal to the rate applicable to the policy in effect for the 2026 reinsurance year.”.
Section 508(m)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(m)(3)) is amended—
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking “Effective beginning not later than the 2004 reinsurance year, based on the review, the Corporation” and inserting “Based on each review conducted under subparagraph (A), the Corporation”;
The Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) is further amended by inserting after section 508D the following:
“SEC. 508E. Pilot program to review effectiveness of coverage penalty.
“(a) In general.—Effective beginning with the 2027 crop year, the Risk Management Agency and the Corporation shall establish a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of the reduction in benefits applied to corn and other crops, as determined by the Corporation, planted during the late planting period (as defined in section 457.8 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulation)).
“(b) Location and duration of pilot.—The pilot program established under subsection (a) shall—
“(c) Evaluation.—In carrying out the pilot program established under subsection (a), the Risk Management Agency and the Corporation shall—
“(1) suspend any reduction to the insurance guarantee applied to an insurance policy for a crop that is planted during the late planting period;
“(d) Report required.—Not later than 90 days after the last day of crop year 2031, the Risk Management Agency and the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Nutrition of the Senate a report that includes—
“(e) Partnerships.—Of the amounts made available in section 522(e)(2)(A)(ii), the Corporation may use not more than $200,000 to enter into a partnership or cooperative agreement with a nonprofit organization, State agency, or public university that is familiar with agricultural production in the region described in subsection (b)(1) to conduct the research and evaluation required under paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c).”.
Section 522(c)(7)(E) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)(7)(E)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(iii) ADDITIONAL REVIEW.—Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this clause and annually thereafter, the Corporation shall—
“(I) review any limitations on insurable revenue (including the overall limitation and limitations specific to animals, animal products, greenhouse and nursery, and aquaculture) to ensure such limitations are adequate to cover the financial risks associated with the production of high-value agricultural products; and
Section 515(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1515(b)) is amended—
(1) in the subsection heading, by inserting “, response, and final determination” after “Notification”;
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking “shall notify in writing” and inserting “shall, through an initial finding in writing, notify (unless such notification is pursuant to the responsibilities to conduct reviews and make corrections)”;
(3) in paragraph (2)—
(C) by adding at the end the following:
“(B) RESPONSE.—During the 90-day period beginning on the date the Corporation notifies an approved insurance provider through an initial finding under paragraph (1), such approved insurance provider may appeal such initial finding in writing.
“(C) FINAL FINDING.—Not later than 90 days after the date on which an approved insurance provider appeals pursuant to subparagraph (B), the Corporation shall issue a final finding in writing to such approved insurance provider.
“(D) REQUEST FOR FINAL ADMINISTRATIVE DETERMINATION.—An approved insurance provider shall have not more than 90 days after the receipt of the Corporation’s final finding under subparagraph (C) to request, in writing, a final administrative determination, if such approved insurance provider has reason to believe that the Corporation’s final finding under subparagraph (C) is not in accordance with—
“(E) FINAL DETERMINATION.—The Corporation shall have not more than 90 days after the receipt of a request for a final administrative determination under subparagraph (D) to provide such final administrative determination, unless substantial new information, as determined by the Corporation, is provided by the approved insurance provider.
(4) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
(a) Expansion of revenue policies.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(20) EXPANSION OF REVENUE POLICIES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, to expand the availability of policies that provide coverage against losses of revenue for—
“(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwithstanding the last sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 508(a)(2), the Corporation shall make a policy described in subparagraph (A) available if the requirements of section 508(h) are met.
“(C) DETERMINATION OF PROJECTED PRICE.—In developing a policy described in subparagraph (A), the Corporation may utilize alternative methods of determining a projected price for a crop, including the correlation of actual prices received for such crop to the futures markets prices of other commodities.
“(D) PRICING LIBRARY.—In developing a policy described in subparagraph (A), the Corporation shall determine the feasibility of creating a pricing library for agents and approved insurance providers using data from alternative sources, as determined by the Secretary.
“(E) DISCOUNT FACTOR.—For purposes of developing a policy described in subparagraph (A), the Corporation shall determine the feasibility of—
(b) Wine grape losses due to smoke exposure.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(21) WINE GRAPE LOSSES DUE TO SMOKE EXPOSURE.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure wine grapes (including wine grapes produced in the States of California, Oregon, and Washington) against losses due to wildfire smoke exposure.
“(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwithstanding the last sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 508(a)(2), not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall make available a policy described in subparagraph (A) if the requirements of section 508(h) are met.
“(C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes—
(c) Mushrooms.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(22) MUSHROOMS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure—
“(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwithstanding the second sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 508(a)(2), the Corporation shall make a policy described in subparagraph (A) available if the requirements of section 508(h) are met.
“(C) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—Research and development described in subparagraph (A) shall evaluate the effectiveness of policies described in that subparagraph, including policies that—
“(ii) consider other causes of loss applicable to mushroom compost and mushroom production, such as—
“(iv) consider whether to provide coverage for mushrooms under 1 policy or to provide coverage for various phases of production;
(d) Study on hurricane insurance.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(23) STANDALONE POLICY FOR HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of offering insurance against tropical storms and hurricanes made available regardless of an underlying crop insurance policy (or lack thereof).
“(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A).”.
(e) Frost or cold weather insurance.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(24) FROST OR COLD WEATHER INSURANCE.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding an index-based policy to insure crops (including table grapes, wine grapes, juice grapes, tomatoes, peppers, sugarcane, strawberries, melons, citrus, peaches, blueberries, and any other crop) on a nationally available basis against losses due to a frost or cold weather event.
“(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—Research and development under subparagraph (A) shall—
(f) Study of inclusion of certain oilseed crops under double and rotational cropping policies.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(25) DOUBLE CROPPING AND ROTATIONAL CROPPING OF CERTAIN OILSEED CROPS.—
“(A) DEFINITION OF COVERED OILSEED CROPS.—In this paragraph, the term ‘covered oilseed crops’ means rapeseed, canola, camelina, and other oilseed crops, as determined by the Corporation.
“(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, with respect to insurance policies for covered oilseed crops under double cropping and rotational cropping practices.
“(C) REQUIREMENTS.—The research and development carried out pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be conducted in consultation with stakeholders to evaluate—
“(i) the factors impacting availability and cost of crop insurance when incorporating covered oilseed crops into double cropping and rotational cropping policies; and
“(ii) the potential risk management benefits associated with incorporating covered oilseed crops into double cropping and rotational cropping policies, specifically with respect to winter-planted covered oilseed crops, including risk management benefits to soil health, biodiversity, and the profitability of farming operations.
“(D) EMPHASIS.—In awarding contracts under subparagraph (B), the Corporation may give priority to awarding contracts to qualified persons that—
(g) Harvest incentives.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(26) HARVEST INCENTIVES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding harvest incentives for policies that provide coverage against losses of revenue.
“(B) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY.—Notwithstanding the last sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 508(a)(2), not later than 24 months after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall make available a policy described in subparagraph (A) if the requirements of section 508(h) are met.
“(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes—
(h) Prevented planting.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(27) PREVENTED PLANTING.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding prevented planting coverage for insurance policies for specialty crops that are not planted on a perennial basis.
(i) Policy for swine producers for catastrophic events.—Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1522(c)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(28) POLICY FOR SWINE PRODUCERS FOR CATASTROPHIC EVENTS.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of updating any conclusions contained in the final report for the study on swine catastrophic disease published by the Risk Management Agency in 2015, the Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding a policy to insure swine producers with respect to financial losses due to a catastrophic event.
“(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes the results of the research and development carried out under subparagraph (A).”.
(a) In general.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the Standard Reinsurance Agreement that includes an analysis of any modifications to such Agreement that are necessary to expand the availability of policies and plans of insurance that meet the risk management needs of agricultural producers, States, regions, and commodities.
(b) Contents.—The analysis required under subsection (a) shall—
(1) take into account the requirements under section 508(k)(8)(F) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(k)(8)(F)) related to budget neutrality of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement; and
(2) include an analysis of—
(A) any benefit related to establishing—
(B) with respect to any funds reimbursed for administrative and operating costs under section 507(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1507(c)), the best method for ensuring that approved insurance providers obligate such funds for—
(a) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the hurricane insurance protection-wind index that includes an analysis of any events in the 5-year period preceding the date of the enactment of this section that caused an outage of a weather radio station operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(b) Contents.—The analysis required under subsection (a) shall include—
(1) data on events where a producer lost crop insurance coverage as a result of an outage of a weather radio station operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that occurred during the period described in subsection (a) and the cause of such outage; and
(2) a contingency plan that evaluates the feasibility of obtaining data from land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) or other third-party sources, as determined by the Secretary.
(a) In general.—The Secretary shall conduct a study that includes an analysis of any modifications to existing livestock protection and risk management programs that may enhance risk management protection to domestic lamb producers.
(b) Content.—In conducting the study under this section, the Secretary shall take into account the various factors affecting risk management, including—
(a) In general.—The Secretary shall conduct a study on potential modifications to the livestock risk protection policy offered under section 523(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1523(b)) to improve the flexibility of such policy with respect to producers of feeder cattle affected by adverse weather events, as determined by the Secretary, including drought and wildfires.
(b) Contents.—In conducting the study under this section, the Secretary shall, with respect to producers of feeder cattle, evaluate—
(1) any impact drought, wildfire, and other adverse weather events have on decisions made by such producers related to the marketing of feeder cattle;
(2) in the case an adverse weather event occurs more than 60 days prior to the end date of a specific coverage endorsement under the livestock risk protection policy described in subsection (a), whether the requirements or endorsement structures of such policy (as in effect on the date of enactment of this section) cause such producers not to market feeder cattle so as to avoid a penalty under such policy;
(a) NADPRP program activities.—Section 10409A(b)(2) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308A(b)(2)) is amended—
(b) Authorization of appropriations.—
(1) NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH LABORATORY.—Section 10409A(d)(2)(A) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)(2)(A)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
(2) NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PROGRAM; NATIONAL ANIMAL VACCINE AND VETERINARY COUNTERMEASURES BANK.—Section 10409A(d)(2)(B) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)(2)(B)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Section 10409A(d)(3)(B) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)(3)(B)) is amended—
(4) AVAILABILITY AND PURPOSE OF FUNDING.—Section 10409A(e)(1) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(e)(1)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.
(a) Program review.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall offer to enter into a contract with a covered institution under which the covered institution shall conduct a review of the Program.
(2) REVIEW ELEMENTS.—The review conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include an evaluation of—
(A) the effectiveness of the Program with respect to preventing and reducing the spread of tick-borne illnesses in cattle, including a review of places from which the cattle fever tick has been eradicated and the resulting economic impact;
(b) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary and a covered institution enter into a contract pursuant to subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes—
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) COVERED INSTITUTION.—The term “covered institution” means—
(A) a land-grant college or university (as defined in section 1404(13) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(13))); or
(B) a non-land-grant college of agriculture (as defined in section 1404(14) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(14))).
(d) Funding.—The Secretary shall use funds made available for the agricultural and food policy research centers under section 1419A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3155) to carry out this section.
The Beagle Brigade Act of 2023 (Public Law 118–191) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 4. Additional training facilities.
“(a) In general.—In addition to the Center established under section 2(a), the Secretary may—
(a) In general.—Section 10405 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8304) is amended—
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
“(d) Engagement with key export markets.—To reduce the impact of animal disease outbreaks on United States exports, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, and the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, is authorized to negotiate in advance, to the extent practicable, regionalization, zoning, compartmentalization, and other agreements regarding outbreaks of known animal disease threats of trade significance with the governments of countries with export markets for livestock animals or animal products from the United States.”.
(b) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this section may be construed—
(1) to limit the ability of the United States Trade Representative to negotiate trade agreements; or
(2) to require the United States Trade Representative to condition other trade agreements on the inclusion of language relating to reducing the impact of animal disease outbreaks on United States exports, as described in subsection (d) of section 10405 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8304) (as inserted by subsection (a)(2)).
(a) In general.—The Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 10404 (7 U.S.C. 8303) the following:
“SEC. 10404A. Importation of live dogs.
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) COMPENSATION.—The term ‘compensation’ means any act, consideration, or thing of value received by a person directly, including cash or noncash benefits, cost-avoidance, obtaining positive or avoiding negative publicity, an exchange of services, or maintaining a license issued under any local, State, or Federal government authority.
“(2) IMPORTER.—The term ‘importer’ means any person who transports or causes the transportation of a dog into the United States from a foreign country.
“(3) IMPORT TRANSPORTER.—The term ‘import transporter’ means any person or entity that—
“(b) Requirements.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), no person shall import a dog into the United States unless prior to transport to the United States, the Secretary receives electronic documentation necessary, as determined by the Secretary, to demonstrate that the dog—
“(B) has received all necessary vaccinations and internal and external parasite treatment, and demonstrated negative test results, as required by the Secretary and evidenced by a certificate that—
“(2) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary, by regulation, shall provide an exception to any requirement under this Act in any case in which a dog is imported for purposes of transfer—
“(B) as a United States military working dog or contracted working dog supporting a military mission or tasking;
“(D) for veterinary treatment which is paid for by the importer, subject to the condition that the dog—
“(E) in the case of a dog that is less than 6 months old, for lawful importation into the State of Hawaii from the British Isles, Australia, Guam, or New Zealand in compliance with the regulations of the State of Hawaii and the other requirements of this section, if the dog is not transported out of the State of Hawaii for transfer at less than 6 months of age.
“(c) Implementation and regulations.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Transportation, shall promulgate such regulations as the Secretary determines necessary to implement and enforce this section, including regulations—
“(1) to facilitate electronic submission and interagency sharing of all documentation required prior to the importation of a dog into the United States under subsection (b)(1);
“(3) to ensure the denial of entry into the United States of any dog attempted to be imported into the United States in violation of subsection (b)(1);
“(4) to provide that each importer, import transporter, intermediate handler, or carrier receiving a certificate of veterinary inspection required under this section shall submit a copy of the certificate to the Secretary, who shall, upon receipt—
“(d) Rule of construction.—Nothing in subsection (c)(5) shall be construed as limiting the availability of funding made available under section 10417 to carry out this section.
“(e) Enforcement.—
“(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall have the authority granted under section 10414 to enforce this section.
“(2) PENALTIES.—An importer or import transporter that fails to comply with this section shall—
(b) Transition period.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the transition period, regulations promulgated under section 18 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2148) (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act) shall continue to apply to the extent that such regulations do not conflict with section 10404A of the Animal Health Protection Act (as inserted by subsection (a)).
(c) Conforming amendment.—Section 18 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2148) is repealed.
(a) Purpose.—The purpose of this section is to—
(b) In general.—Producers of covered livestock have a Federal right to raise and market their covered livestock in interstate commerce and therefore no State or subdivision thereof may enact or enforce, directly or indirectly, a condition or standard on the production of covered livestock other than for covered livestock physically raised in such State or subdivision.
(c) Protecting interstate commerce.—Producers of covered livestock have a Federal right to raise and market their covered livestock in interstate commerce and therefore no State or subdivision thereof may enact or enforce, directly or indirectly, as a condition for sale or consumption, any condition or standard of production on products derived from covered livestock not physically raised in such State or subdivision that is in addition to, or different from, the conditions or standards of production in the State in which the production occurs.
(a) In general.—Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the Department’s preparedness to support livestock producers and poultry growers facing economic losses in the event of an outbreak of a foreign animal disease.
(b) Contents.—The report submitted under subsection (a) shall include, with respect to the Department’s ability to protect producers and growers from significant economic losses as a result of a foreign animal disease—
(1) an assessment of—
(A) existing Federal programs, including catastrophic risk management tools, indemnity, direct payments, biosecurity assistance, and herd buyouts; and
(B) the Department’s capacity to utilize such programs to provide benefits to producers and growers experiencing economic losses as a result of having to sell livestock and poultry at a reduced price, having to quarantine, treat, destroy, or dispose of animals, having to implement additional biosecurity measures or as a result of catastrophic market conditions;
(c) Provision of information.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, for purposes of facilitating the preparation of the report submitted under subsection (a), the relevant Department officials described in paragraph (2) shall inform the Secretary of the information described in subsection (b).
(a) In general.—The Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 30. Protection of greyhounds.
“(a) In general.—It shall be unlawful—
“(1) for any person to knowingly engage in commercial greyhound racing, live lure training, or open field coursing events in which any greyhound is moved in interstate or foreign commerce;
“(2) to conduct any commercial greyhound racing or racing meeting where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of greyhounds occurs;
“(3) to conduct open field coursing or live lure training with the use of any bait that is not an inanimate object;
“(b) Investigations.—The Secretary, or any other person authorized by the Secretary, shall make such investigations as the Secretary determines necessary to determine whether any person has violated or is violating any provision of this section. The Secretary may obtain the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of the Treasury, or other law enforcement agencies of the United States, and State and local governmental agencies, in the conduct of such investigations, under cooperative agreements with such agencies.
“(c) Penalties.—Any person who violates any of paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (a) shall be fined under this Act, imprisoned for not more than 7 years, or both, for each such violation. Each instance of a violation of any such paragraph shall be considered a single violation.
(b) Definition of animal.—Section 2(g) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2132(g)) is amended by inserting “hare,” after “rabbit,”.
(c) Applicability.—The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to conduct occurring on or after October 1, 2027.
(d) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this section, or the amendments made by this section, shall be construed—
(1) to preempt any State law prohibiting gambling or protecting the welfare of animals, including greyhounds, jackrabbits, and hares; or
(2) to alter, limit, or extend the relationship between the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) as it relates to horse racing and other Federal laws in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2156) is amended—
(1) by striking the section designation and all that follows through “It shall be unlawful” in subsection (a)(2) and inserting the following:
(a) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise section 201.67 of title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on January 1, 2024, to specify that—
(b) Savings clause.—Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as a limitation on the authority of the Secretary to adopt or enforce rules or regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) related to the protection of producers, competition, market integrity, or the prevention of conflicts of interest.
(a) Meat establishments.—The Federal Meat Inspection Act is amended by inserting after section 25 (21 U.S.C. 625) the following:
“SEC. 26. Small and very small establishment guidance and resources.
“(a) Studies; model plans.—Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, make publicly available—
“(1) a list of scientific studies (which the Secretary shall update as necessary) for use by small establishments and very small establishments in developing a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan;
“(b) Guidance.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall publish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity for public comment, providing information on the requirements that need to be met for small establishments and very small establishments to develop, pursuant to this Act, a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan.
“(c) Data confidentiality.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall not publish confidential business information of any meat processing establishment, including a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan of a meat processing establishment.
“(d) Small establishment and very small establishment defined.—In this section, the terms ‘small establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’ have the meanings given the terms ‘smaller establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’, respectively, in the final rule entitled ‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ (61 Fed. Reg. 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regulations).”.
(b) Poultry establishments.—The Poultry Products Inspection Act is amended by inserting after section 14 (21 U.S.C. 463) the following:
“SEC. 14A. Small and very small establishment guidance and resources.
“(a) Studies; model plans.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, make publicly available—
“(1) a list of scientific studies (which the Secretary shall update as necessary) for use by small establishments and very small establishments in developing a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan;
“(b) Guidance.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall publish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity for public comment, providing information on the requirements that need to be met for small establishments and very small establishments to develop a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan pursuant to this Act.
“(c) Data confidentiality.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall not publish confidential business information of any poultry processing establishment, including a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan of a poultry processing establishment.
“(d) Small establishment and very small establishment defined.—In this section, the terms ‘small establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’ have the meanings given the terms ‘smaller establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’, respectively, in the final rule entitled ‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ (61 Fed. Reg. 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regulations).”.
(a) Meat.—Section 501 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 683) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(b) Poultry.—Section 31 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 472) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(c) Report.—At the conclusion of each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, the Secretary shall submit a report detailing the activities and results of the outreach conducted during that fiscal year under subsection (k) of section 501 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 683) and subsection (j) of section 31 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 472), as added by subsections (a) and (b), to—
(a) In general.—
(1) STATE OPERATED PILOT PROGRAM.—Upon the receipt of an application from a custom exempt facility and subject to the requirements specified in subsection (c), a State department of agriculture may operate a pilot program to allow such custom facility to sell slaughtered meat and meat food products (referred to in this section as “meat products”) directly to consumers within the State in which the facility is located in accordance with the pilot program.
(b) Allowable number of facilities.—
(1) INITIAL APPROVAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2)—
(2) SUBSEQUENT APPROVAL OF FACILITIES.—Not less than 2 years after the establishment of a pilot program, a State department of agriculture or the Secretary may, if no product produced at a facility that was initially approved under paragraph (1) for participation in such pilot program has been subject to an emergency action under subsection (f) during the 2-year period following such establishment, approve—
(c) Pilot program requirements.—A pilot program established under this section shall, at a minimum, require—
(1) that meat products sold under the pilot program are—
(2) that custom exempt facilities participating in the pilot program comply with—
(A) Public Law 85–765 (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.; commonly known as the “Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958”);
(C) section 23(d) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 623(d)); and
(d) Implementation.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue, and make publicly available, guidance for participation in a pilot program established pursuant to this section.
(e) Ineligibility.—An establishment subject to inspection by the Secretary under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or operating pursuant to a State meat inspection program authorized under section 301 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 661) shall not be eligible to participate in a pilot program established pursuant to this section.
(f) Authority for emergency action.—If the Secretary has credible evidence that a meat product produced at a custom exempt facility participating in a pilot program established pursuant to this section is adulterated, the Secretary—
(1) shall, pursuant to the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), take such actions as may be necessary to address the risk to public health posed by such products; and
(g) Report required.—
(1) REPORTS BY STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE TO SECRETARY.—Beginning September 30, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter until September 30, 2031, each State department of agriculture operating a pilot program pursuant to this section shall submit to the Secretary a report detailing, with respect to each such pilot program within the relevant State for the preceding fiscal year—
(A) the number and location of persons or custom exempt facilities selling meat products under each such pilot program;
(2) REPORT BY SECRETARY TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years after initiating a pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report detailing—
(A) the information received from participating State departments of agriculture under paragraph (1); and
(h) Custom exempt facility defined.—In this section, the term “custom exempt facility” means an establishment engaged in the slaughter of animals and the preparation of the carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and meat food products for commerce that is not subject to the Federal inspection requirements under title I of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).
(i) Sunset.—A State and the Secretary may not operate a pilot program under this section on or after September 30, 2031, and no facility that is exempt from inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) pursuant to this section shall be exempt from that inspection on or after September 30, 2031.
Section 221 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6922) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(f) Detailees.—The Secretary may detail employees of the Department of Agriculture to, and accept employees detailed from, the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947) to assist in carrying out the duties of the Office of Homeland Security.
“(g) Risk assessments and reports.—
“(1) RISK ASSESSMENTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and not less than every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct an assessment of risks and security vulnerabilities to the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector, including—
“(2) BRIEFING AND REPORT.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the completion of a risk assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide a briefing on the results of the risk assessment and submit to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that includes—
“(i) an assessment of any gaps or limitations in national security efforts related to the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector;
“(ii) any actions taken by the Secretary to address any gaps or limitations identified under clause (i), including through interagency coordination, threat information sharing, and stakeholder outreach;
“(iii) any recommendations for administrative, regulatory, or legislative actions that can be taken to reduce any gaps or limitations identified under clause (i), including—
“(B) EXEMPTION FROM ACCESS TO CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORTS ACT.—A report required under subparagraph (A) shall be exempt from the requirements of the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (subtitle D of title VII of Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 3677).”.
Section 226B(f)(3)(B) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934(f)(3)(B)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 277(c)(4) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6997(c)(4)) is amended to read as follows:
Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 309 of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6921) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking “shall advise” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting “shall—”; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
“(2) oversee—
“(A) each self-determination contract (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) entered into between the Secretary and a tribal organization; and
“(B) each self-governance compact (as defined in section 401 of such Act (25 U.S.C. 5361)) entered into between the Secretary and an Indian tribe; and
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) AFIDA.—The term “AFIDA” means the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
(b) MOU with CFIUS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into 1 or more memoranda of understanding with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States under which the Secretary shall provide the Committee with all relevant information relating to reports on foreign ownership of United States agricultural land submitted to the Secretary under section 2 of AFIDA (7 U.S.C. 3501), including information on—
(c) AFIDA handbook updates.—
(1) FIRST UPDATE.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall—
(A) update the most recent version of the Farm Service Agency handbook titled “Foreign Investment Disclosure” as determined necessary by the Secretary for the effective implementation of AFIDA; and
(B) incorporate in such update the recommendations made by the report of the Government Accountability Office titled “Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks” and dated January 18, 2024.
(d) Civil penalties.—Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) is amended—
(2) by striking the section designation and heading and all that follows through “Any such civil penalty shall be recoverable” and inserting the following:
(e) Public disclosure of enforcement actions.—Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) (as amended by subsection (b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(f) Publication of reporting requirements.—Section 3 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3502) (as amended by subsection (c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(e) Outreach.—Using existing resources and efforts to the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall carry out a nationwide outreach program directed primarily toward landlords, operators, owners, persons, producers, and tenants (as those terms are defined in section 718.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026)) of agricultural land and county property appraiser offices, land appraisal companies, and real estate auction companies to increase public awareness and provide education regarding the reporting requirements under this Act.”.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) AGRICULTURAL LAND.—The term “agricultural land” has the meaning given the term in section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508).
(3) COVERED FOREIGN COUNTRY.—The term “covered foreign country” means a foreign country of concern (as defined in section 10638 of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. 19237)).
(4) COVERED FOREIGN PERSON.—The term “covered foreign person” means a foreign person (as defined in section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508)) that is a citizen of, or headquartered in, as applicable, a covered foreign country.
(5) STATE.—The term “State” has the meaning given the term in section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508).
(6) STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM.—The term “state sponsor of terrorism” means a country the government of which the Secretary of State has determined has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism, for purposes of—
(A) section 1754(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)(1)(A)(i));
(B) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371);
(C) section 40(d) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2780(d)); or
(b) Report.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the head of any other appropriate Federal agency, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the national security risks of the purchase and management of agricultural land by covered foreign persons.
(2) CONTENTS.—A report submitted under paragraph (1) shall include the following with respect to the year covered by the report:
(A) A description of—
(B) An analysis of the possible threat to food security, food safety, biosecurity, or environmental protection due to the ownership of agricultural land by each covered foreign country through covered foreign persons.
(C) An analysis of the annual and total cost of support for agricultural land owned by covered foreign persons through farm programs administered by the Farm Service Agency.
(D) An analysis of the use of agricultural land for industrial espionage or intellectual property transfer by covered foreign persons.
(a) Investigative actions.—Section 4 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3503) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 4. Investigative actions.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary shall appoint an employee in the Senior Executive Service (as described in section 3131 of title 5, United States Code) of the Department of Agriculture to serve as Chief of Operations of Investigative Actions (referred to in this section as the ‘Chief of Operations’), who shall hire, appoint, and maintain additional employees to monitor compliance with the provisions of this Act.
“(b) Chief of Operations.—The Chief of Operations may serve in such position simultaneously with a concurrent position within the Department of Agriculture.
“(c) Security.—The Secretary shall—
“(d) Duties.—The Chief of Operations shall—
“(2) refer noncompliance with this Act to the Secretary, the Farm Service Agency, and any other appropriate authority;
“(3) conduct investigations, in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Treasury, the National Security Council, and State and local law enforcement agencies, on malign efforts—
“(4) conduct an annual audit of the database developed under section 12304(b) of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026;
“(5) seek to enter into memoranda of agreement and memoranda of understanding with the Federal agencies described in paragraph (3)—
(b) Definition of foreign entity of concern.—Section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “For purposes of this Act—” and inserting “In this Act:”;
(5) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (6) as paragraphs (3), (4), (6), (7), and (8), respectively;
(6) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
“(2) FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN.—The term ‘foreign entity of concern’ has the meaning given the term in section 9901 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651).”; and
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) AGRICULTURAL LAND.—The term “agricultural land” has the meaning given the term in section 781.2 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
(3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term “foreign person” has the meaning given the term in section 9 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3508).
(b) Database.—Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a database of agricultural land owned by foreign persons, using data that are collected pursuant to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
(c) Contents.—Each entry in the database for each registration or updated registration of agricultural land owned or leased by a foreign person shall include pertinent information, as determined by the Secretary, in the applicable filing, except it shall not publicly disclose the name of the filer and the purchase or lease price of such transaction for a period of at least 30 days following such filing.
(d) Audit.—Not later than 180 days after the database is operational, and annually thereafter, the Chief of Operations for Investigative Actions appointed under section 4 of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (as amended by section 12303(a)) shall—
(2) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report—
(B) describing recommendations for improving compliance with the reporting required under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
(e) Repeal.—Section 773 of division A of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117–328) is repealed.
(a) Inclusion of the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.—Section 721(k) of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4565(k)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(b) Consideration of certain agricultural land transactions.—Section 721(b)(1) of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4565(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(I) CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN AGRICULTURAL LAND TRANSACTIONS.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—After receiving notification from the Secretary of Agriculture of a reportable agricultural land transaction, the Committee shall determine—
“(ii) REPORTABLE AGRICULTURAL LAND TRANSACTION.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘reportable agricultural land transaction’ means a transaction—
“(I) that the Secretary of Agriculture has reason to believe is a covered transaction, based on information from or in cooperation with the intelligence community;
“(iii) SUNSET.—The requirements under this subparagraph shall terminate, with respect to a foreign person of the respective foreign country, on the date that the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, or the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the case may be, is removed from the list of foreign adversaries in section 791.4 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations.”.
Section 12609 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 5009) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking “There is established” and inserting “Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Secretary shall establish”;
(2) in subsection (b)—
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “, and make recommendations relating to,” after “study on”;
(D) in paragraph (3)—
(3) in subsection (f), by striking “1 year after the date of enactment of this Act” and inserting “2 years after the date of enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026”;
Section 12506 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 12512(d)(2) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 5856(d)(2)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Section 12607 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204i) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter,” before “the Secretary of Agriculture”;
(D) by adding at the end the following:
(a) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, shall issue guidance to clarify the process by which an importer of plants that have been denied entry into the United States and detained under the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.) may obtain additional information on such denial and detention.
(b) Information provided.—The process referred to in subsection (a) shall ensure that the Secretary shall provide to an importer described in such subsection, upon the detention of any plants of such importer, the following information:
(1) The specific reasons for which the detention of the plants was initiated, including the date on which the plants were presented to the Secretary for examination.
(a) Report.—Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act (or later, if the Secretary determines appropriate after taking into consideration any ongoing programmatic review of the Animal Care program of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report with respect to companion animals that—
(1) evaluates the enforcement of standards under, and requirements of, the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) by the Secretary for both effectiveness and efficiency;
(2) evaluates the efforts by the Secretary to educate and advise dealers of all standards under, and requirements of, such Act;
(b) Veterinary care.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 13(a)(2)(A) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting “(which shall include visual dental examinations, whenever practicable)” after “adequate veterinary care”.
(2) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143) is amended by redesignating the second subsection (f) (prohibiting delivery of certain animals without certificate of inspection), subsection (g), and subsection (h) as subsections (g) through (i), respectively.
Section 12502(b)(8) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that lists all existing authorities of the Secretary and programs within the Department that are or could be made available to provide assistance to agricultural producers in the State of Texas that have suffered economic losses due to the failure of Mexico to deliver water to the United States in accordance with the Treaty Relating to the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande signed at Washington on February 3, 1944, and the Supplementary Protocol signed at Washington November 14, 1944.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) AGENCY ACTION.—The term “agency action” has the meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) QUALIFIED RENEWABLE BIOMASS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term “qualified renewable biomass” means—
(i) forest products manufacturing bioenergy feedstocks, including from—
(I) forest products manufacturing residuals, including spent pulping liquors, pulping by-products, bark, woody manufacturing residuals, paper recycling residuals, wastewater and process water treatment plant residuals, and anaerobic digester biogas;
(II) harvest residues, including portions of harvested trees that are too small or of too poor quality to be utilized for wood products or paper products;
(b) In general.—
(1) CONSIDERATION AS RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE.—With respect to any agency action of the Department related to qualified renewable biomass, the Secretary shall consider qualified renewable biomass to be a renewable energy source and assign it (and a facility, to the extent it uses qualified renewable biomass as fuel) a greenhouse gas emission rate, and a carbon intensity, of not greater than zero, if the use of such qualified renewable biomass as fuel does not cause the conversion of forests to non-forest use.
(2) PETITIONS.—Not later than 1 year after receiving a petition requesting a change to a rule, policy, or program of the Department in order to comply with the requirements of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take such action as may be necessary to comply with such requirements with respect to such rule, policy, or program.
(c) Guidance.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish guidance for purposes of carrying out subsection (b).
Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “Act—” and inserting “Act and breakfasts served by schools participating in the school breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773)—”;
(2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting “or the school breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773)” after “Act”; and
(a) In general.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of the public with respect to spotted lanternflies.
(b) Required activities.—In carrying out the national campaign under this section, the Secretary shall—
(a) Establishment.—The Secretary, in coordination with the heads of the agencies described in subsection (c), shall establish an interagency working group to coordinate a whole-of-government strategy to protect the economic interests of United States agricultural producers impacted by water deliveries under the 1944 Water Treaty.
(b) Duties.—The Working Group shall—
(1) analyze the economic impact of water delivery deficits under the 1944 Water Treaty on the United States agricultural sector in the area affected by such water delivery deficits, including specific assessments of damages to perennial crops;
(2) develop and implement a multi-agency strategy to—
(A) secure annual and predictable water deliveries in accordance with the 1944 Water Treaty through the coordinated use of Federal diplomatic and operational authorities;
(B) enhance the resilience of the domestic agricultural water supply through improved conservation and infrastructure;
(C) assess trade-related mechanisms available to address agricultural supply chain disruptions caused by such water delivery deficits;
(c) Composition.—The Working Group shall be composed of—
(e) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Working Group shall submit to the Committees on Agriculture, Appropriations, Foreign Affairs, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Foreign Relations, and Finance of the Senate, a report describing—
(2) the status of diplomatic and operational efforts to secure compliance with the annual water delivery requirements of the 1944 Water Treaty;
(f) Definitions.—In this section:
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) APPROVED ROLLOVER PROTECTION STRUCTURE.—The term “approved rollover protection structure” means a rollover protection structure that the Program Administrator determines—
(3) ELIGIBLE EQUIPMENT.—The term “eligible equipment” means an agricultural tractor that the Program Administrator determines to be eligible for installation of an approved rollover protection structure.
(4) ELIGIBLE SCHOOL.—The term “eligible school” means—
(B) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that provides direct, practical agricultural instruction or training; and
(C) a public or private secondary school (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8107)) the curriculum of which includes an agricultural instruction or training component.
(5) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR.—The term “Program Administrator” means the organization selected by the Secretary under subsection (c)(1)(B).
(b) Cost-share grants.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities for the cost of purchasing, transporting, and installing on eligible equipment approved rollover protection structures.
(2) LIMITATIONS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the amount of a grant under this section shall equal 70 percent of the costs of the eligible entity to purchase, transport, and install the approved rollover protection structure.
(B) EXCEPTION.—If, for an eligible entity that is the recipient of a grant under this section, the costs to purchase, transport, and install an approved rollover structure (as documented by the eligible entity) exceed $500, the amount of the grant shall be increased to cover an increased percentage (as determined by the Secretary) of such costs.
(c) Administration.—
(1) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR.—The Secretary shall—
(d) Applications.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—To apply for a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Program Administrator an application, including documentation of the cost described in subsection (b)(2)(A).
(e) Disbursement.—On receipt of a notification under subsection (d)(2)(B), if an applicant is eligible for a grant under this section, the Secretary shall disburse to the eligible entity the amount of the grant described in subsection (d)(2)(A)(ii).
Union Calendar No. 537 | |||||
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[Report No. 119–620] | |||||
A BILL | |||||
To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2031, and for other purposes. | |||||
April 21, 2026 | |||||
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed |