Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker Alert - Spring 2025

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It’s been a very busy year thus far, with our team adding many new bills and several pieces of reintroduced legislation from the previous Congress. This indicates not only continued support for soil health but a commitment to carry over and continue the groundwork laid in preparation for the overdue Farm Bill .

For our first Bill Tracker Alert of 2025, we’ve focused on bills introduced from January to March (although check back regularly, as we’ll be doing our best to add the many bills that have been introduced this month).

Below, we’ve highlighted a few key “core” soil health bills for you to review. We’ve also noted a few key themes emerging in this Congress, including improving access to technical assistance, crop insurance and risk mitigation, livestock and grazing, and of course, conservation practices and programs.

A note on the budget reconciliation bill:

Land Core is also monitoring budget reconciliation - the bill that Congress uses to change federal taxes, spending, or debt. House Republicans are intensifying pressure on Agriculture Committees in the House and Senate to identify areas for spending cuts, primarily targeting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as part of the broader budget reconciliation process. This push comes as they seek to bridge the gap between the House’s proposed $230 billion in spending cuts with the Senate’s smaller $1 billion savings proposal, for the purpose of funding key GOP fiscal priorities such as tax cuts, border, and energy legislation. With markup dates just weeks away, the timeline is tight and negotiations are expected to escalate in the coming days.

In the meantime, here’s your update on soil health legislation in the U.S. Congress from the Land Core Bill Tracker.

Warmly,

The Land Core Team

Bill Tracker by the Numbers: 119th Congress

Importance to Soil Health: Core or Secondary

Core Bills: 14

Secondary Bills: 30

Party Support

Bipartisan: 29

Democrat Only: 11

Republican Only: 4

Chamber

House Only: 17

Senate Only: 9

Bicameral: 18

Photo by Andy He on Unsplash

Core Soil Health Bills in the 119th Congress

Below are core bills that would have a direct impact on soil health introduced since the beginning of the 119th Congress (January-March).

Bipartisan Bills

S.1150/H.R.575 Increased TSP Access Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)

  • Cosponsors: 2

  • House Sponsor: Rep. James Baird (R-IN-4)

  • Cosponsors: 21

  • Summary: This bill directs USDA to establish a process to approve non-Federal certifying entities (such as ag retailers, conservation organizations, cooperatives, professional societies, and service providers) to become certifying entities for Technical Service Providers (TSPs). It also contains other measures aimed at reversing the shortage of TSPs that support farmers and ranchers, including by helping to implement conservation practices.

S.1050 Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025

  • Lead Sponsor: Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)

  • Cosponsors: 1

  • Summary: Overall, the bill aims to establish a program that facilitates the conservation and restoration of forest land and related resources through the acquisition of conservation easements, with a focus on maintaining working forest land, protecting biodiversity, and meeting other conservation goals. The bill also creates working forest conservation programs, which could improve soil health, to be administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and allocates funding for financial and technical assistance for each program.

H.R.2091 Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act of 2025

  • Lead Sponsor: Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-VA-1)

  • Cosponsors: 5

  • Summary: This bill seeks to establish the Chesapeake Bay States' Partnership Initiative to assist agricultural producers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed with conservation efforts to improve water quality, soil health, and climate resilience. Additionally, it would expand the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to include cropland and pastureland, focusing on grazing and riparian buffer zones to positively impact water quality.

  • Companion Bill: S.971 (Democratic support only)

Single Party Support

H.R.2396/S.117 Honor Farmer Contracts Act

  • Lead Sponsor: Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-2)

  • Cosponsors: 11

  • Party Support: Democrat

  • Summary: The bill directs the USDA to unfreeze funding for all contracts and agreements made prior to the bill’s enactment. If passed, the bill would require the USDA to promptly pay overdue payments, uphold existing agreements with farmers and entities providing assistance to farmers unless breached by the other party, and prevent the closure of Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development offices without providing written notice and justification to Congress at least 60 days in advance.

H.R.1904 Improving Coordination of Agriculture Research and Data Act

  • Lead Sponsor: Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26)

  • Cosponsors: 1

  • Party Support: Democrat

  • Summary: Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to improve coordination of agriculture climate research and data systems. The bill establishes the Climate Scientific Research Advisory Committee, tasked with advising the USDA on national agricultural climate research priorities, including related to carbon sequestration, soil health, and livestock methane production. Additionally, the bill aims to improve collaboration between agricultural producers, researchers, and technical assistance providers.

H.R.1853 Conservation for Agricultural Leased Land (CALL) Act

  • Lead Sponsor: Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26)

  • Cosponsors: 2

  • Party Support: Democrat

  • Summary: This previously introduced bill would require USDA to study the unique barriers that farmers who lease their lands face in accessing conservation programs or implementing conservation practices.

H.R.641 Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act

  • Lead Sponsor: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-4)

  • Cosponsors: 5

  • Party Support: Bipartisan

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

Bills By Issue Area

We identified 4 secondary bills related to crop insurance and risk mitigation:

  • H.R.2435 Save Our Small Farms Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.1073/H.R.2117 Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act (Bipartisan)

  • H.R.228 Acequia Communities Empowered by Qualifying Upgrades for Infrastructure Act (Bipartisan)

  • S.231 Withstanding Extreme Agricultural Threats by Harvesting Economic Resilience (WEATHER) Act of 2025 (Bipartisan) 


There were 4 bills aimed at providing technical assistance to producers: 

  • S.1150/H.R.575 Increased TSP Access Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.1050 Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.971/H.R.2091 Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act of 2025

  • H.R.1230 AG VETS Act (Bipartisan)

We found 4 bills related to livestock and grazing: 

  • H.R.2235 Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • H.R.2238 Ranching Without Red Tape Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.971/H.R.2091 Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act of 2025

  • S.602 Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act (Bipartisan)

We identified 15 bills related to conservation practices and programs: 

  • S.1172/H.R.2396 Honor Farmer Contracts Act

  • S.1150/H.R.575 Increased TSP Access Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • H.R.2235 Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.1050 Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.971/H.R.2091 Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act of 2025

  • H.R.1854 Climate Agricultural Conservation Practices Act 

  • H.R.1853 Conservation for Agricultural Leased Land (CALL) Act

  • S.144/H.R.1719 Farm to Fly Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • S.704/H.R.1565 Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act of 2025 (Bipartisan) 

  • S.670 Protect the West Act of 2025

  • S.629/H.R.1011 Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 (Bipartisan in the Senate / Republican only in the House)

  • H.R.1420 Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act (Bipartisan)

  • S.602 Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act (Bipartisan)

  • S.507/H.R.1985 Promoting Precision Agriculture Act of 2025 (Bipartisan)

  • H.R.389 Southern Border Farmers and Ranchers Protection Act (Bipartisan) 

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 Staff2025