Research for Healthy Soils Act

Research for Healthy Soils Act

This bill includes research on the agricultural impacts of microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area and reauthorizes other research and extension activities. Microplastic is a plastic or plastic-coated particle that is less than 5 millimeters in size.

The bill specifically allows grants for carrying out or enhancing research on microplastics (e.g., through the development or analysis of wastewater treatment techniques to filter out or biodegrade microplastics from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes).

Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2031. The bill also specifically reauthorizes through FY2031

• the Pulse Crop Health Initiative;
• the Comprehensive Food Safety Training Network;
• pollinator protection research and extension grants;
• increased USDA capacity and infrastructure to address and conduct research on colony collapse disorder and other pollinator issues; and
• a USDA-conducted nationwide honey bee pest, pathogen, health, and population status surveillance program.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2500 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2500

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to 
  include as a high-priority research and extension area research on 
  microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 29, 2025

 Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Booker, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wyden, and 
Mr. Van Hollen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to 
  include as a high-priority research and extension area research on 
  microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland, 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 ``Research for Healthy Soils Act''.

SEC. 2. MICROPLASTICS IN LAND-APPLIED BIOSOLIDS ON FARMLAND.

    Section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(21) Microplastics in land-applied biosolids 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 plastic or plastic-coated 
        particles that are less than 5 millimeters in any dimension 
        (referred to in this paragraph as `microplastics') in land-
        applied biosolids on farmland, including--
                    ``(A) by conducting surveys and collecting data on 
                microplastic concentration, particle size, and chemical 
                composition in land-applied biosolids on farmland;
                    ``(B) through the development or analysis of 
                wastewater treatment techniques to filter out or 
                biodegrade microplastics from biosolids intended to be 
                used for agricultural purposes;
                    ``(C) by conducting an analysis of the impact on 
                agricultural crops and soil health of microplastics in 
                land-applied biosolids on farmland;
                    ``(D) by conducting research to better understand 
                how wastewater processing impacts microplastics; and
                    ``(E) by conducting research to better understand 
                the fate, residence time, and transport of 
                microplastics on farmland.''.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF HIGH-PRIORITY RESEARCH AND EXTENSION 
              INITIATIVES.

    Section 1672 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 
of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925) is amended by striking ``2023'' each place it 
appears in subsection (e)(5), subsection (f)(5), paragraphs (1)(B), 
(2)(B), and (3) of subsection (g), and subsection (h) and inserting 
``2031''.
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