Summary
# PLANT BIOSTIMULANT ACT - PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY
## WHAT THIS BILL DOES
This bill changes federal rules about plant biostimulants, which are substances or microorganisms (tiny living things) that help plants grow better. The bill says plant biostimulants should not be regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which is a federal law about pesticides and similar products. The bill also orders the Secretary of Agriculture to study how plant biostimulants help soil health.
## WHO IT AFFECTS
- Manufacturers and sellers of plant biostimulants
- Farmers and people who use plant biostimulants
- The Environmental Protection Agency (the federal agency that makes rules about these products)
- The Secretary of Agriculture (the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture)
## KEY PROVISIONS
- Plant biostimulants will no longer be regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (Sec. 3A)
- The Environmental Protection Agency must update its rules within 120 days of this law taking effect to remove plant biostimulants from its regulations (Sec. 2(c))
- The Secretary of Agriculture must conduct a study on how plant biostimulants help achieve soil health goals like increasing organic matter, reducing runoff of nutrients, and helping with climate benefits (Sec. 3(a))
- The Secretary of Agriculture must report results of the study to Congress and make them public within 1 year of when funding becomes available (Sec. 3(b))
## WHAT CHANGES
If this becomes law, plant biostimulants will no longer be treated as pesticide-type products by the federal government. Companies selling these products will not have to follow the same rules they currently follow under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The government will also study whether these products help protect soil and the environment.
## IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
**Plant biostimulant:** A substance, microorganism, or mixture that is applied to seeds, plants, soil, or other growing areas and helps plants use nutrients better, handle stress, and grow better, separate from what nutrients it contains.
**Nutritional chemical:** A compound or mixture that helps plants get or use nutrients better, and some plant biostimulants fall into this category.
**Vitamin hormone product:** A product made of a mixture of plant hormones, plant nutrients, inoculants (live organisms added to soil), or soil amendments (substances added to improve soil).
## EFFECTIVE DATE
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1472
To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide
for a consistent definition for plant biostimulants.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 8, 2023
Mr. PANETTA (for himself and Mr. BAIRD) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To
amend
the
Federal
Insecticide,
Fungicide,
and
Rodenticide Act to provide for a consistent definition
for plant biostimulants.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Plant Biostimulant
4
Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. EXCLUSION FROM REGULATION UNDER FIFRA.
6
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Insecticide, Fun-
7
gicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.) is
8
amended by inserting after section 3 (7 U.S.C. 136a) the
9
following:
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•HR 1472 IH
‘‘SEC. 3A. EXCLUSION OF PLANT BIOSTIMULANTS.
1
‘‘A plant biostimulant shall not be subject to regula-
2
tion under this Act.’’.
3
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Federal Insecti-
4
cide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136) is
5
amended—
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(1) in subsection (v)—
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(A) by striking ‘‘vitamin-hormone horti-
8
cultural product’’ and inserting ‘‘vitamin hor-
9
mone products’’; and
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(B) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘Such term shall not include a plant biostimu-
12
lant.’’; and
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(2) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(pp) PLANT BIOSTIMULANT.—The term ‘plant bio-
15
stimulant’ means a substance, microorganism, or mixture
16
thereof, that, when applied to seeds, plants, the
17
rhizosphere, soil, or other growth media, act to support
18
a plant’s natural processes independently of the biostimu-
19
lant’s nutrient content, thereby improving nutrient avail-
20
ability, uptake or use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress,
21
and consequent growth, development, quality, or yield.
22
‘‘(qq) NUTRITIONAL CHEMICAL.—The term ‘nutri-
23
tional chemical’—
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‘‘(1) means a compound or mixture that inter-
25
acts with plant nutrients in a manner which im-
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•HR 1472 IH
proves nutrient availability or aids the plant in ac-
1
quiring or utilizing plant nutrients; and
2
‘‘(2) includes some plant biostimulants.
3
‘‘(rr) VITAMIN HORMONE PRODUCT.—The term ‘vi-
4
tamin hormone product’ means a product consisting of a
5
mixture of plant hormones, plant nutrients, inoculants, or
6
soil amendments.’’.
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(c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 120 days after
8
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator
9
of Environmental Protection Agency shall revise the regu-
10
lations under subchapter E of chapter I of title 40, Code
11
of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of the
12
enactment of this Act) to carry out the amendments made
13
by subsections (a) and (b).
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SEC. 3. SOIL HEALTH STUDY.
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(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall con-
16
duct a study to assess the types of, and practices using,
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plant biostimulants (as defined in section 2 of the Federal
18
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C.
19
136)) that best achieve the following:
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(1) Increasing organic matter content.
21
(2) Reducing atmospheric volatilization.
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(3) Promotion of nutrient management prac-
23
tices.
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•HR 1472 IH
(4) Limiting or eliminating runoff or leaching
1
of soil or nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen
2
into groundwater or other water sources.
3
(5) Restoring beneficial bioactivity or healthy
4
nutrients to the soil.
5
(6) Aiding in carbon sequestration, nutrient use
6
efficiency, and other climate-related benefits.
7
(7) Supporting innovative approaches to im-
8
proving agricultural sustainability, including the
9
adoption of performance-based outcome standards
10
and criteria.
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date
12
on which funds are first made available for the study
13
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make publicly
14
available and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of
15
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
16
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report
17
that describes the results of the study.
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