No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4636 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4636
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage practices that
benefit both soil and wildlife habitat by increasing payments to
producers for such practices under the environmental quality incentives
program and the conservation stewardship program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2025
Ms. Brownley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage practices that
benefit both soil and wildlife habitat by increasing payments to
producers for such practices under the environmental quality incentives
program and the conservation stewardship program, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Saving Our Interconnected Lives
Act'' or the ``SOIL Act''.
SEC. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM.
(a) Increased Payments for Certain Practices Relating to Soil and
Wildlife Habitat.--
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 practices that benefit both
soil and wildlife habitat.--Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the
Secretary shall provide payment to producers at 90 percent of
the cost associated with planning, design, materials,
equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or
training for performing a practice that simultaneously benefits
both soil and wildlife habitat for projects identified by the
Secretary as addressing both soil and wildlife habitat resource
concerns, including practices that--
``(A) achieve alley cropping;
``(B) apply conservation cover;
``(C) apply contour buffer strips;
``(D) enhance or restore wetlands;
``(E) establish filter strips;
``(F) establish permanent vegetation to stabilize
critical areas;
``(G) establish riparian herbaceous cover;
``(H) establish trees and shrubs;
``(I) establish wildlife habitat plantings;
``(J) establish windbreaks;
``(K) implement field borders;
``(L) implement hedgerow planting;
``(M) implement riparian forest buffers;
``(N) improve forest stands;
``(O) manage forage harvest;
``(P) manage harvest of vegetation with grazing;
``(Q) manage or establish stands of trees or shrubs
in coordination with the management of understory
plants or nontimber forest products;
``(R) manage pest and environmental impacts;
``(S) manage residue and tillage management through
no-till or reduced till;
``(T) manage seasonal water for wildlife;
``(U) manage upland and wetland habitat;
``(V) plant cover crops;
``(W) plant grassed waterways;
``(X) plant stripcrops;
``(Y) restore rare or declining natural
communities; and
``(Z) rotate crops.''.
(b) Establishment and Administration.--Section 1240B(f)(2)(B) of
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2(f)(2)(B)) is amended
by striking ``practices benefitting wildlife habitat under subsection
(g)'' and inserting ``practices within projects that address a habitat
resource concern''.
(c) Evaluation and Prioritization of Applications.--Section
1240C(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-3(b)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) that are developed for the purpose of addressing both
a soil and wildlife habitat resource concern.''.
SEC. 3. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.
(a) Evaluation and Ranking of Stewardship Contract Offers.--Section
1240K(b)(1)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-
23(b)(1)(A)) is amended--
(1) in clause (ii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and
(3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following:
``(iii) the degree to which the project
addresses both soil and wildlife habitat
resource concerns; and''.
(b) Supplemental Payments for Resource-Conserving Crop Rotations,
Advanced Grazing Management, and Co-Benefit Activities for Soil and
Wildlife.--Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa-24(d)) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``and Advanced
Grazing Management'' and inserting ``, Advanced Grazing
Management, and Co-benefit Activities for Soil and Wildlife'';
(2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Co-benefit activity.--The term `co-benefit
activity' means a conservation activity that--
``(i) addresses both soil and wildlife
habitat resource concerns; and
``(ii) if implemented--
``(I) improves habitat for
wildlife; and
``(II) increases carbon
sequestration in the soil and reduces
greenhouse gas emissions.'';
(3) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; or''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) co-benefit activities.''; and
(4) in paragraph (3), by striking ``or advanced grazing
management'' and inserting ``, advanced grazing management, or
co-benefit activities''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
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