What This Bill Does
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make changes to the conservation reserve program, which helps landowners preserve and manage their land. The bill modifies rules about land enrollment, payments to landowners, and management activities on protected land.
Who It Affects
Landowners and operators who participate in the conservation reserve program, the Secretary of Agriculture (the federal official who oversees farm programs), and landowners with grazing operations on their property.
Key Provisions
• Land enrolled under the State acres for wildlife enhancement practice (a program that protects wildlife habitat on farmland) becomes eligible for continuous enrollment in the conservation reserve program (Sec. 2(a))
• Landowners and operators can receive cost sharing payments (government money to help pay for improvements) for grazing infrastructure, including interior cross fencing, perimeter fencing, and water infrastructure such as rural water connections, water wells, pipelines and water tanks (Sec. 2(b)(1))
• When a contract ends on land that has grazing infrastructure built with government cost sharing help, that land is considered ready for replanting and becomes eligible to re-enroll in the conservation reserve program (Sec. 2(b)(2))
• The Secretary can make cost sharing payments for management activities on protected land, except for activities relating to haying (cutting and drying grass) or grazing (Sec. 2(c)(2))
• The maximum rental payment a landowner can receive increases from one amount to another amount (Sec. 2(d))
What Changes
Not specified in bill text
Important Definitions
None defined
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 174
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the conservation reserve
program, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JANUARY 31, 2023
Mr. THUNE (for himself and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nu-
trition, and Forestry
A BILL
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the
conservation reserve program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Conservation Reserve
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Program Improvement Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM IMPROVE-
6
MENTS.
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(a) STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT
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CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT.—Section 1231(d)(6)(A)(i) of
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•S 174 IS
the
Food
Security
Act
of
1985
(16
U.S.C.
1
3831(d)(6)(A)(i)) is amended—
2
(1) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
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end; and
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(2) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(IV) land that will be enrolled
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under the State acres for wildlife en-
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hancement practice established by the
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Secretary; and’’.
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(b) COST SHARING PAYMENTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT
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OF GRAZING INFRASTRUCTURE.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1234(b)(1) of the
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Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(b)(1))
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is amended—
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(A) by striking ‘‘establishing water’’ and
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inserting the following: ‘‘establishing—
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‘‘(A) water’’;
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(B) in subparagraph (A) (as so des-
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ignated), by striking the period at the end and
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inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
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(C) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(B) grazing infrastructure, including inte-
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rior cross fencing, perimeter fencing, and water
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infrastructure (such as rural water connections,
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water wells, pipelines, and water tanks), under
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•S 174 IS
each contract, for all practices, if grazing is in-
1
cluded in the conservation plan and addresses a
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resource concern.’’.
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(2) REENROLLMENT OF LAND WITH GRAZING
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INFRASTRUCTURE.—Section 1231(h) of the Food
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Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(h)) is amend-
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ed by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(3) LAND WITH GRAZING INFRASTRUCTURE.—
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On the expiration of a contract entered into under
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this subchapter that covers land that includes graz-
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ing infrastructure established with cost sharing as-
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sistance under section 1234(b)(1)(B)—
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‘‘(A) the Secretary shall consider that land
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to be planted for purposes of subsection
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(b)(1)(B); and
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‘‘(B) that land shall be eligible for reenroll-
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ment in the conservation reserve, subject to the
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requirements of this subchapter.’’.
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(c) MID-CONTRACT MANAGEMENT FOR ACTIVITIES
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NOT RELATING TO HAYING OR GRAZING.—
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(1) DEFINITION
OF
MANAGEMENT.—Section
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1232(a)(5) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
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U.S.C. 3832(a)(5)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(as de-
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fined in section 1231A(a))’’ after ‘‘management’’.
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•S 174 IS
(2)
MANAGEMENT
PAYMENTS.—Section
1
1234(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
2
U.S.C. 3834(b)(2)) is amended by striking subpara-
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graph (B) and inserting the following:
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‘‘(B) MANAGEMENT PAYMENTS.—The Sec-
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retary shall make cost sharing payments to an
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owner or operator under this subchapter for
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any management activity described in section
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1232(a)(5), except for those management ac-
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tivities relating to haying or grazing.’’.
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(d) PAYMENT
LIMITATION
FOR
RENTAL
PAY-
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MENTS.—Section 1234(g)(1) of the Food Security Act of
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1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(g)(1)) is amended by striking
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‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$125,000’’.
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Æ
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