[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8754 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8754

  To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage practices that 
   benefit both soil and wildlife habitat by increasing payments to 
producers for such practices under the environmental quality incentives 
    program and the conservation stewardship program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 14, 2024

 Ms. Brownley (for herself and Mr. Carbajal) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage practices that 
   benefit both soil and wildlife habitat by increasing payments to 
producers for such practices under the environmental quality incentives 
    program and the conservation stewardship program, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Saving Our Interconnected Lives 
Act'' or the ``SOIL Act''.

SEC. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM.

    (a) Increased Payments for Certain Practices Relating to Soil and 
Wildlife Habitat.--
            Section 1240B(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 
        U.S.C. 3839aa-2(d) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
            ``(8) Increased payments for practices that benefit both 
        soil and wildlife habitat.--Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the 
        Secretary shall provide payment to producers at 90 percent of 
        the cost associated with planning, design, materials, 
        equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or 
        training for performing a practice that simultaneously benefits 
        both soil and wildlife habitat for projects identified by the 
        Secretary as addressing both soil and wildlife habitat resource 
        concerns, including practices that--
                    ``(A) achieve alley cropping;
                    ``(B) apply conservation cover;
                    ``(C) apply contour buffer strips;
                    ``(D) enhance or restore wetlands;
                    ``(E) establish filter strips;
                    ``(F) establish permanent vegetation to stabilize 
                critical areas;
                    ``(G) establish riparian herbaceous cover;
                    ``(H) establish trees and shrubs;
                    ``(I) establish wildlife habitat plantings;
                    ``(J) establish windbreaks;
                    ``(K) implement field borders;
                    ``(L) implement hedgerow planting;
                    ``(M) implement riparian forest buffers;
                    ``(N) improve forest stands;
                    ``(O) manage forage harvest;
                    ``(P) manage harvest of vegetation with grazing;
                    ``(Q) manage or establish stands of trees or shrubs 
                in coordination with the management of understory 
                plants or nontimber forest products;
                    ``(R) manage pest and environmental impacts;
                    ``(S) manage residue and tillage management through 
                no-till or reduced till;
                    ``(T) manage seasonal water for wildlife;
                    ``(U) manage upland and wetland habitat;
                    ``(V) plant cover crops;
                    ``(W) plant grassed waterways;
                    ``(X) plant stripcrops;
                    ``(Y) restore rare or declining natural 
                communities; and
                    ``(Z) rotate crops.''.
    (b) Evaluation and Prioritization of Applications.--Section 
1240C(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-3(b)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) that are developed for the purpose of addressing both 
        a soil and wildlife habitat resource concern.''.

SEC. 3. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) Evaluation and Ranking of Stewardship Contract Offers.--Section 
1240K(b)(1)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-
23(b)(1)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (ii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and
            (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following:
                            ``(iii) the degree to which the project 
                        addresses both soil and wildlife habitat 
                        resource concerns; and''.
    (b) Supplemental Payments for Resource-Conserving Crop Rotations, 
Advanced Grazing Management, and Co-Benefit Activities for Soil and 
Wildlife.--Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3839aa-24(d)) is amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``and Advanced 
        Grazing Management'' and inserting ``, Advanced Grazing 
        Management, and Co-benefit Activities for Soil and Wildlife'';
            (2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) Co-benefit activity.--The term `co-benefit 
                activity' means a conservation activity that--
                            ``(i) addresses both soil and wildlife 
                        habitat resource concerns; and
                            ``(ii) if implemented--
                                    ``(I) improves habitat for 
                                wildlife; and
                                    ``(II) increases carbon 
                                sequestration in the soil and reduces 
                                greenhouse gas emissions.'';
            (3) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) co-benefit activities.''; and
            (4) in paragraph (3), by striking ``or advanced grazing 
        management'' and inserting ``, advanced grazing management, or 
        co-benefit activities''.
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