Research for Healthy Soils Act
Introduced Jul 29, 2025 by Sen. Jeff Merkley
It's waiting on a committee vote to reach the full chamber. Most bills never leave this stage.
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;
Read the full summary on Congress.govSummary by the Congressional Research Service.
No floor votes yet — it hasn't reached the floor of either chamber.