118th Congress Agriculture and Food
H.R. 1517: Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed House (not reached)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a grant program to help states and other entities address contamination by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, on agricultural land and commercial farms.
Specifically, the USDA program must provide an eligible government (e.g., a state, territory, or Indian tribe) a grant for purposes that include
- providing financial assistance to a person whose commercial farm is affected by PFAS contamination;
- assisting the producers on agricultural land and commercial farms contaminated by PFAS in developing an enterprise budget for alternative production, remediation strategies, transitioning to an alternative revenue stream, or relocating farming operations;
- expanding the capacity of PFAS testing and data management; and
- conducting research on soil and water remediation systems and food safety relating to PFAS contamination.
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At least 30% of the program's total annual funding is set aside for one or more eligible governments with a population of less than 3 million people.
The bill also requires USDA to establish a task force to provide (1) advice regarding whether addressing PFAS contamination should be added as an eligible activity for each USDA program, (2) evaluations of necessary actions for farms already enrolled in a USDA program where PFAS is detected, and (3) technical assistance to eligible governments in addressing PFAS contamination.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Jared Golden D-MEOriginal
- Teresa Leger Fernandez D-NMOriginal
- Elissa Slotkin D-MI
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez D-WA
- Joe Courtney D-CT
- Brian Fitzpatrick R-PA
- Ann Kuster D-NH
- Becca Balint D-VT
- Valerie Hoyle D-OR
- Daniel Kildee D-MI
- Mike Thompson D-CA
Who scored on this bill
- 1Chellie Pingree SponsorIntroduced, drew cross-party cosponsors2 events+6
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.
Other bills by Chellie Pingree
History
- Introduced in the House by Chellie Pingree.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in House
- Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.