S. 5526
Agricultural Act of 2026
Sponsor: John Boozman · 0 cosponsors
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Text of the bill
I Commodities
A Commodity Policy
B Dairy
C Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance
D Administration
II Conservation
A Conservation Reserve Program
B Environmental Quality Incentives Program
C Conservation Stewardship Program
D Funding and administration
E Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
F Regional Conservation Partnership Program
G Forest Conservation Easement Program
H Other Conservation programs
(a) Short title; findings; declaration of policy. The first section of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001) is amended to read as follows:
1. Short title; findings; declaration of policy
(a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act.
(b) Findings. Congress finds that erosion, floodwater, drought, and sediment damages in the watersheds of the rivers and streams of the United States cause loss of life, declines in agricultural production, harm to fish, birds, wildlife, and recreation opportunities, and damage to property, thereby constituting a menace to the national welfare.
(c) Sense of Congress. It is the sense of Congress that the Federal Government should cooperate with local organizations for the purposes of—
(1) preventing the damages described in subsection (b);
(2) furthering the conservation, management, development, utilization, and disposal of water, and the conservation and utilization of land; and
(3) thereby preserving, protecting, and improving land and water resources and the quality of the environment.
(b) Definitions. Section 2 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1002) is amended to read as follows:
2. Definitions. In this Act:
(1) Conservation of water. The term conservation of water means a reduction in total annual consumptive water use, as compared to total annual consumptive water use before a work of improvement is carried out under this Act.
(2) Local organization. The term local organization means—
(A)
(i) any State, political subdivision of a State, soil or water conservation district, flood prevention or control district, or combination thereof; or
(ii) any other governmental agency having authority under State law to carry out, maintain, and operate a work of improvement;
(B) any irrigation district or reservoir company, water users’ association, canal company, ditch association, acequia, or similar entity, as determined by the Secretary, with—
(i) the capacity to engage in the planning or implementation of land treatment and related conservation measures; or
(ii) the authority to construct and maintain structural measures; or
(C) any Indian Tribe or Tribal organization (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) having authority under Federal, State, or Indian Tribal law to carry out, maintain, and operate a work of improvement.
(3) Management of water. The term management of water means any project or activity carried out to increase the efficiency of water use, transfer, diversion, or conveyance, as compared to the efficiency of water use, transfer, diversion, or conveyance before a work of improvement is carried out under this Act.
(4) Secretary. The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.
(5) Work of improvement
(A) In general. The term work of improvement means any undertaking carried out in a watershed or subwatershed area not exceeding 250,000 acres (including on Federal land necessary to accomplish the purposes of the undertaking) for—
(i) flood prevention (including structural and land treatment measures);
(ii) the conservation, management, development, utilization, and disposal of water; or
(iii) the conservation and proper utilization of land.
(B) Exclusion. The term work of improvement does not include any single structure that provides—
(i) more than 12,500 acre-feet of floodwater detention capacity; and
(ii) more than 25,000 acre-feet of total capacity.
(C) Requirement for agriculture benefits. Each undertaking described in subparagraph (A) shall contain benefits directly related to agriculture, including communities in rural areas (as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a))), that account for at least 20 percent of the total benefits of the undertaking.
(D) Consolidated planning. 1 or more subwatersheds, when the subwatersheds are components of a larger watershed, may be planned together at the discretion of the local organization sponsoring the applicable undertaking.
(c) Assistance to local organizations. Section 3 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1003) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (f);
(2) in subsection (a)(6), in the first sentence, by striking occupiers, individually and inserting the following: “occupiers in accordance with subsection (b).
(b) Agreements with landowners, operators, and occupiers
(1) In general. The Secretary may enter into agreements under subsection (a)(6) with landowners, operators, and occupiers, individually
(3) in subsection (b) (as so designated)—
(A) by striking supplemented. Applications and inserting the following: “supplemented.
(2) Applications. Applications
(B) in paragraph (2) (as so designated)—
(i) in the first sentence, by striking such conservation plans and inserting conservation plans described in paragraph (1); and
(ii) by striking such district. In return and all that follows through interest. The portion and inserting the following: “that district.
(3) Cost sharing
(A) In general. The Secretary may agree to share the costs of carrying out a work of improvement, or specific practices and measures described in such an agreement, if the Secretary determines that cost sharing is appropriate and in the public interest.
(B) Portion of costs. The portion
; and
(iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so designated)—
(I) by striking programs. The Secretary and inserting the following: “programs.
(4) Termination; modifications. The Secretary
(C) in paragraph (4) (as so designated)—
(i) in the first sentence, by striking hereunder, as he and inserting under this subsection, as the Secretary; and
(ii) by striking herein. Notwithstanding and inserting the following: “under this subsection.
(5) Preservation or surrender of history. Notwithstanding
; and
(D) in paragraph (5) (as so designated)—
(i) by striking he and inserting the Secretary;
(ii) by striking paragraph and inserting subsection;
(iii) by striking hereunder for (1) preservation and inserting the following: “under this paragraph for—
(A) preservation
; and
(iv) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by striking crop; or (2) surrender and inserting the following: “crop; or
(B) surrender
; and
(4) by inserting after subsection (b) (as so designated) the following:
(c) Delegation of authorities
(1) Final authority. The Secretary shall provide a State Conservationist final authority to approve watershed plans for works of improvement within the State.
(2) Approval of outsourcing preliminary activities. The Secretary and a State Conservationist shall allow a local organization sponsoring a work of improvement to use funds made available under this Act to pay a third party approved by the State Conservationist to conduct preliminary investigations and pre-planning activities relating to the work of improvement.
(3) Additional authorities. The Secretary may provide additional authority to a State Conservationist not otherwise provided in this Act that the Secretary determines would support a streamlined process for the planning, design, and construction phases of a project.
(d) Deadline for approval or disapproval
(1) In general. Subject to paragraph (2), not later than 45 days after the date on which a local organization submits to the Secretary a complete application to address a resource concern, the Secretary shall approve or disapprove the application.
(2) Extensions. The Secretary may extend the deadline described in paragraph (1) by 45 days, if necessary.
(e) Approved watershed plan required
(1) In general. Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may not provide funds under this Act for the costs of designing or constructing a work of improvement without an approved watershed plan.
(2) Exceptions. Paragraph (1) shall not apply if—
(A) the Secretary determines that the circumstances are so exigent that not providing funds is against the public interest; or
(B) the Secretary has waived the requirement for a watershed plan under subsection (f).
(d) Cost share assistance. Section 3A of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1003a) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting , as determined by the Secretary, after assistance; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
(c) Treatment of other Federal funds for works of improvement. Any funds provided for a work of improvement through any Federal department or agency other than the Department of Agriculture shall be considered to be part of the non-Federal share of the cost of the work of improvement provided by the sponsor of the work of improvement.
(e) Conditions for Federal assistance. Section 4(2) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1004(2)) is amended by inserting management, after conservation,.
(f) Notification requirement. The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act is amended by inserting after section 4 (16 U.S.C. 1004) the following:
4A. Notification requirement
(a) In general. No amounts shall be provided under this Act for any plan for a work of improvement involving an estimated Federal contribution to construction costs in excess of $50,000,000, or that includes any structure that provides more than 2,500 acre-feet of total capacity, unless the plan has been approved by resolutions adopted by the appropriate committees of Congress described in subsection (b).
(b) Committees described. The appropriate committees of Congress referred to in subsection (a) are—
(1) in the case of a plan involving no single structure providing more than 4,000 acre-feet of total capacity, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and
(2) in the case of any plan involving any single structure providing more than 4,000 acre-feet of total capacity, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.
(g) Construction standards. The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 4A (as added by subsection (f)) the following:
4B. Construction standards. Subject to the requirements of this Act, the Secretary shall—
(1) review and update as necessary the engineering standards and requirements to be used for works of improvement under this Act; and
(2) in collaboration with each State Conservationist, each State technical committee established under section 1261(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3861(a)), and local organizations undertaking works of improvement under this Act, review and update as necessary the acceptable variances from national engineering standards that are appropriate for the geomorphology and purpose for which works of improvement are established within each State.
(h) Certain authorities. Section 7 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (68 Stat. 668, chapter 656; 74 Stat. 131; 76 Stat. 610) is amended, in the last proviso, by inserting management, after conservation,.
(i) Data. Section 13 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1010) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking collect and maintain and inserting collect, maintain, and publish on the website of the Department of Agriculture; and
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking control and conservation and inserting control, conservation, and drought resilience.
(j) Funding. Section 14(h)(2)(E) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012(h)(2)(E)) is amended by striking 2023 and inserting 2031.
(k) Conforming amendment. Section 11 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001 note; 68 Stat. 668; 70 Stat. 1090) is repealed.
III Trade
A Food for Peace Act
B Agricultural Trade Act of 1978
C Other agricultural trade laws
D Reports
IV Nutrition
A Supplemental nutrition assistance program
B Commodity distribution programs
C Miscellaneous
V Credit
A Farm Credit System
B Farm ownership and operating loans
C Administrative provisions
VI Rural Development
A Rural Electrification Act of 1936
I Rural broadband access
II Additional amendments
B Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act
C Miscellaneous
I Rural care economy
II Other miscellaneous provisions
VII Research, Extension, and Related Matters
A National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977
B Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990
C Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998
D Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
I Agricultural security
II Miscellaneous provisions
E Other Matters
VIII Forestry
A Forest data modernization
B Forest health and management
I Forest Service management
II State and private partnerships
III Timber innovation
C Forest conservation
D Land designations
E White oak resilience
F Other matters
IX Energy
X Horticulture
A Horticulture marketing and information
B Regulatory reform
XI Crop insurance
XII Miscellaneous
A Livestock
B National security
C Fertilizer
D United States grain standards reauthorization
E Year-Round E15 and RFS reform
F Other miscellaneous provisions