Restoring America’s Floodplains Act

Restoring America’s Floodplains Act

This bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide for certain floodplain easement restoration and management activities under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. This program offers technical and financial assistance, including the purchase of floodplain easements, to safeguard people and property from floods, drought, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.

Under the bill, USDA may provide financial and technical assistance to restore the adapted vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of wetlands on these purchased floodplain easements. USDA also has the sole discretion to enter into compatible-use agreements with landowners, and agreements with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, to address the maintenance and management of the vegetative cover and wetlands restoration measures for these floodplain easements.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2215 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2215

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary 
   of Agriculture to provide for floodplain easement restoration and 
                  management, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 9, 2025

 Ms. Ernst (for herself and Mr. Bennet) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary 
   of Agriculture to provide for floodplain easement restoration and 
                  management, 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 ``Restoring America's Floodplains 
Act''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROGRAM FLOODPLAIN EASEMENT RESTORATION AND 
              MANAGEMENT.

    Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking the subsection designation and 
                heading and all that follows through ``The Secretary'' 
                and inserting the following:
    ``(a) Authorizations.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Easement restoration.--The Secretary may provide 
        financial and technical assistance for restoring adapted 
        vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of 
        wetlands on floodplain easements acquired under paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Easement management.--The Secretary shall have sole 
        discretion for entering into compatible-use agreements with 
        landowners and agreements with government agencies or 
        nongovernmental organizations to address maintenance and 
        management of the vegetative cover and wetlands restoration 
        measures on floodplain easements acquired under paragraph 
        (1).''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection 
        designation and heading and all that follows through the ``The 
        Secretary'' in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of 
        paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Modification and Termination of Floodplain Easements.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary''.
                                 <all>