Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker Alert - October/November 2023

 

Here's your Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker update with bills introduced and advanced in October and November. As always, visit the Land Core Bill Tracker to see all tracked soil health bills, including those that have been introduced more recently.

Below you’ll find a selection of bills that were added since we sent the last alert. We added 9 bills in October and 14 in November to the Soil Health Bill Tracker. For bills introduced prior to October, 39 bills added at least one co-sponsor, showing that those bills have traction and support as we near the introduction of the Farm Bill.

Sorting through the Farm Bill marker bills has showcased the breadth of topics - from financing to research - that have the capacity to influence soil health. Since January, we have added 178 bills that are core or secondary to soil health You can explore more specific areas of interest to the 118th Congress on the Bill Tracker:

Thanks to the tireless work of so many producers and organizations around the country, it’s been an incredible year of progress for soil health and agriculture.

We’ll be dreaming of a white Christmas and a Farm Bill passing soon. We’ll be back with more tracking, analysis and opportunities in the new year. Wishing you a very happy and restful holiday season.

- The Land Core Team

Sign up to get these updates directly in your inbox. We will include more analysis of where these bills end up in the Farm Bill as soon as the text is released. We are anxious to find out more!

New Core Soil Health Bills Introduced

H.R.5971 - Study on Improving Lands Act

Sponsor: Rep. Neguse (D-CO-2), Democrat only (0 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, to direct the National Academies of Science to conduct a study on the state of soil health on Federal lands in the United States. The study will determine parameters to measure soil health, including soil organic matter, qualities that promote carbon sequestration, and qualities that support strong ecosystems and resilient environments. See in tracker.

H.R.5973 - Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act

Sponsor: Rep. Newhouse (R-WA-4), Bipartisan (4 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill establishes a structured process for regularly evaluating and updating organic standards based on public input, consultation with experts, and various relevant data sources to ensure continuous improvement in the organic industry while maintaining accountability in regulatory procedures. See in tracker.

H.R.6232 - Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act

Sponsor: Rep. McClellan (D-VA-4), Bipartisan (1 co-sponsor), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to address gaps in soil carbon sequestration and monitoring through increased government and interagency leadership, coordination, and engagement. See in tracker.

H.R.6497 - Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act of 2023

Sponsor: Rep. Ciscomani (R-AZ-6), Bipartisan (5 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

The "Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act of 2023" aims to enhance the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, promote collaboration for better watershed management, and ensure sustainable water and land resource utilization for various purposes. See in tracker.

New Secondary Soil Health Bills Introduced

H.R.5992 - Protecting Farmers from Drought Act of 2023

Sponsor: Rep. Harder (D-CA-9), Bipartisan (1 co-sponsor), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to adjust the eligibility criteria for farmers seeking prevented planting insurance in areas facing prolonged extreme drought conditions, allowing for more flexibility by extending the time frame for qualifying planting history during periods of drought. See in tracker.

H.R.5915 - Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2023

Sponsor: Rep. Adams (D-NC-12), Democrat only (15 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to enhance support, funding, and resources for urban and innovative agricultural practices, providing avenues for technical assistance, grants, and research to advance these sectors and improve access to fresh, healthy food in urban areas. See in tracker.

H.R.5877 - USDA Express Loan Act

Sponsor: Rep. Finstad (R-MN-1), Bipartisan (2 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill directs the Farm Service Agency to introduce two programs: the "USDA Express Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loan Program" and the "USDA Express Guaranteed Farm Operating Loan Program." The goal is to expedite access to credit for American farmers and ranchers by streamlining the loan application and approval process, and states that decisions on loan applications must be made within 36 hours of receipt by USDA express lenders. See in tracker.

S.3147 - Flood Protection and Infrastructure Resilience Act of 2023

Sponsor: Sen. Ricketts (R-NE), Bipartisan (1 co-sponsor), Referred to Committee

This bill would allow the Department of Agriculture to take proactive measures in enhancing watershed health, improving flood protection, and increasing infrastructure resilience. The bill addresses this goal by modifying the Emergency Watershed Program to allow funding for long-term repairs and watershed improvement and by modifying the scope of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to allow funds for flood protection and prevention. See in tracker.

S.3097 - Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields (O DAIRY) Act

Sponsor: Sen. Welch (D-VT), Democrat only (4 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to expand federal support for organic dairy farmers by increasing emergency assistance to farmers who suffer production losses due to feed shortages and increased costs. It would also increase investments in the organic dairy sector to ensure resiliency and longevity, and improve data collection for organic milk production so that prices for consumers are accurate and transparent. See in tracker.

S.3253 / H.R.6186 - Temperature Endorsement for Multi-Peril Policies (TEMP) Act of 2023

Senate Sponsor: Sen. Rubio (R-FL), Republican only (0 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

House Sponsor: Rep. Franklin (R-FL-18), Bipartisan (4 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill would mandate the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to conduct research, either directly or through contracts, to explore an index-based policy for nationwide coverage against crop losses caused by frost or cold weather events. This would include crops such as tomatoes, peppers, sugarcane, strawberries, melons, citrus, peaches, and blueberries. See in tracker.

H.R.6271 - Farm to Fly Act of 2023

Sponsor: Rep. Miller (R-OH-7), Bipartisan (17 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to expand domestic energy resources and create new markets for farmers by 1) expanding markets for agricultural crops through aviation bioenergy by clarifying the eligibility for sustainable aviation fuels; 2) providing for greater collaboration for aviation biofuels and increase private sector partnerships; and 3) affirming a common definition of sustainable aviation fuels for USDA purposes to enable U.S. crops to most effectively contribute to aviation renewable fuels. See in tracker.

H.R.6351 - To establish the Commission on National Agricultural Statistics Service Modernization to modernize the data collection and reporting processes of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and for other purposes

Sponsor: Rep. Moore (R-AL-2), Bipartisan (2 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill would establish a commission to improve and modernize the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The commission would work to improve data reporting, increase producer survey response rates, and reduce survey fatigue. It would be comprised of five agency representatives as well as six representatives appointed by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. See in tracker.

H.R.6314 - Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act

Sponsor: Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-9), Democrat only (2 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to expand the authorization of voluntary federal grazing permit retirement, providing increased flexibility for federal grazing permittees and promoting equitable resolution or avoidance of conflicts on federal lands managed by the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior. The bill would establish a voluntary grazing permit retirement program, allowing permittees to waive their grazing permits with the intention of permanently ending livestock grazing. See in tracker.

H.R.6399 / S.3300 - Specialty CROP Act of 2023

House Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici (D-OR-1), Bipartisan (4 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

Senate Sponsor: Sen. Wyden (D-OR), Bipartisan (5 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to identify and combat trade barriers to help American farmers boost exports of their specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, and floriculture. See in tracker.

H.R.6413 - Agricultural Biorefinery Innovation and Opportunity (Ag BIO) Act

Sponsor: Rep. Nunn (R-IA-3), Bipartisan (3 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

This bill aims to increase biofuel production and drive down energy costs by improving the USDA Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance program. See in tracker.

H.R.6449 - Providing Robust Organics and Diets for Urban Communities Everywhere (PRODUCE) Act

Sponsor: Rep. Menendez (D-NJ-8), Democrat only (2 co-sponsors), Referred to Committee

The PRODUCE Act expands the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production’s capacity to assist urban farming operations by expanding their capacity for awarding grants, thereby expanding access to nutritious food across the country, by increasing discretionary funding to $50 million per year. See in tracker.

Bill tracker alerts summarize updates to our soil health federal bill tracker. View this update as a PDF.

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Policy Memos, EducationLand Core Staff