H.R. 3293

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to increase payments for drought-resilient or water-saving practices and to provide additional payments for perennial production systems, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · May 8, 2025 · Sponsor: Ms. Leger Fernandez · Committee: Committee on Agriculture

Table of contents

• H.R. 3293
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Support for drought-resilient and water-saving practices
  • SEC. 3. Supplemental payments for resource-conserving management

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the Support Water-Efficient Strategies and Technologies Act of 2025.

SEC. 2. Support for drought-resilient and water-saving practices

• (a) Increased payments for drought-Resilient or water-Saving practices
  • Section 1240B(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 () is amended by adding at the end the following: 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)
    • (8) Increased payments for drought-resilient or water-saving practices
      • (A) In general
        • Notwithstanding paragraph (2), in the case of a practice described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary may increase the amount that would otherwise be provided for a practice under this subsection to not more than 85 percent of the costs associated with planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training.
      • (B) Practices
        • The practices eligible for increased payment amounts under subparagraph (A) are the following:
          • (i) Drought-resilient practices that have the capacity to develop and produce on water-deficient environments on eligible lands, as determined by the Secretary.
          • (ii) Conservation practices that—
          • conserve surface water or groundwater that result in a reduction of water use in the agricultural operation of an eligible land;
          • offer support to reduce runoff and increase the absorption of rain on eligible land; or
          • work in concert to transition an operation from irrigated production to a non-irrigated, dry land farming system.

SEC. 3. Supplemental payments for resource-conserving management

• (a) Conservation stewardship payments
  • Section 1240L(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 () is amended— 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)
    • in paragraph (1)—
      • in subparagraph (A), by inserting after ; and
      • in subparagraph (B), by striking improving, maintaining, and managingand inserting maintaining, actively managing, and improving; and
    • in paragraph (2)—
      • Income forgone by the producer, including amounts that reflect—
        • (i) increased economic risk; and
        • (ii) loss in revenue due to—
        • production changes;
        • anticipated reductions in yield;
        • transitions to a resource-conserving cropping or grazing, or perennial production systems; or
        • acreage converted to conserving uses.
      • by amending subparagraph (B) to read as follows:
      • in subparagraph (E), by inserting after .
• (b) Supplemental payments for resource-Conserving crop rotations and advanced grazing management
  • Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 () is amended— 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)
    • in the subsection heading, by inserting after ;
    • in paragraph (1)—
      • by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); and
        • (C) Perennial production system
          • The term perennial production system means—
            • (i) the use of cropland for agroforestry, including alley cropping, silvopasture, and related perennial production systems, as determined by the Secretary;
            • (ii) the use of woodland acres for agroforestry, including forest farming, multi-story cropping, and related perennial production systems, as determined by the Secretary; and
            • (iii) the use of cropland for perennial forages or perennial grain crops.
      • by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
    • in paragraph (2)—
      • in subparagraph (A), by striking or at the end;
      • by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); and
        • perennial production systems; or
      • by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
    • in paragraph (3), by inserting after .
• (c) Payment limitations
  • Section 1240L(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 () is amended to read as follows: 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(f)
    • (f) Payment limitations
      • A person or legal entity (including a joint venture and general partnership) may not receive, directly or indirectly, payments under the program that, in the aggregate, exceed $200,000 under all contracts entered into during any consecutive 5-year period, excluding funding arrangements with Indian tribes, regardless of the number of contracts entered into under the program by the person or legal entity.
• (d) Soil health
  • Section 1240L(k) of the Food Security Act of 1985 () is amended to read as follows: 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(k)
    • (k) Soil health
      • To the maximum extent feasible, the Secretary shall manage the program to enhance soil health, including by—
        • conducting outreach to encourage the use of contracts to improve soil health and sequester carbon in the soil; and
        • offering payments for soil health testing to provide participants and the Secretary with information on the soil health and carbon sequestration impacts of conservation activities.