To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to repeal certain provisions relating to the acceptance and use of contributions for public-private partnerships, and for other purposes.
Introduced Jan 28, 2025 by Rep. Harriet M. Hageman
It's waiting on a committee vote to reach the full chamber. Most bills never leave this stage.
This bill repeals provisions that allow the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to accept and use contributions for public-private partnerships.
Specifically, the bill repeals the public-private partnerships allowed under an act commonly known as the Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act (the SUSTAINS Act). In addition, the bill allows NRCS to continue to accept nonfederal contributions of funds to certain programs (e.g., the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program) in order to support the purposes of the programs.
As background, Congress enacted provisions of the SUSTAINS Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Under the SUSTAINS Act provisions, the NRCS may accept contributions of nonfederal funds to support a broad range of conservation programs for the purposes of addressing issues related to climate change, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat improvement, and protection of drinking water sources. NRCS may match these contributions. In addition, those contributing funds may designate the funds for use in a specific program or geographic area.
Summary by the Congressional Research Service.
No floor votes yet — it hasn't reached the floor of either chamber.