Only the left has signed this so far (Bill Ranking)
S. 4912 · 119th Congress (2025-2026)
2 members · Left 2 · Center 0 · Right 0 (Bill Ranking)
| Sponsor | Sen. Welch, Peter (D-VT) (Introduced 06/24/2026) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Voting Record | Lean left · DW-NOMINATE -0.40 · measured from every roll-call vote this member has cast (voteview.com) (Sponsor Ranking) |
| Support |
LLLCLRR support across the spectrum: 2 members signed on (Bill Ranking) this bill: sponsor + current cosponsors, each once |
| Committees | Senate - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee |
| Latest Action | 06/24/2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. |
| Roll Call Votes | There have been no roll call votes |
| Source | view on congress.gov → |
Introduced in Senate (06/24/2026)
Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER Act
This bill provides that certain land (that is under state regulations) is eligible to participate under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Under CRP, the Department of Agriculture provides annual payments to agricultural producers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and install resource-conserving practices.
Specifically, land otherwise eligible under the program remains eligible for enrollment even if a tribal, state, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation requires any resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice. The bill includes an exception that makes the land ineligible under the program if the implementation requirement has been imposed by an administrative order or a court order.
Current regulations exclude from enrollment eligibility (with exceptions) land that is subject to tribal, state, or other local laws, ordinances, or other regulations that require any resource-conserving or environmental protection measures or practices.
119 S4912 IS: Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act U.S. Senate 2026-06-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. II119th CONGRESS2d SessionS. 4912IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESJune 24, 2026Mr. Welch (for himself and Mr. Sanders) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and ForestryA BILLTo amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to clarify land eligible for enrollment in the conservation reserve program.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER Act.2.Eligible land under the conservation reserve programSection 1231(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(b)) is amended—(1)in paragraph (6)(B)(ii), by striking or at the end;(2)in paragraph (7)—(A)in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking as determined by the Secretary,; and(B)in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or; and(3)by adding at the end the following:(8)land that is otherwise eligible for enrollment and for which a Tribal, State, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation requires any resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice, unless the requirement to implement such a measure or practice has been imposed by an administrative order or a court order, in which case that land shall not be eligible for enrollment..
The bill's own words, from our database (synced from the GPO BILLS XML); paragraph breaks added at the bill's section boundaries, nothing else changed.
| Date | Chamber | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 06/24/2026 | Library of Congress | Introduced in Senate |
| 06/24/2026 | Senate | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. |
| Title Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Display Title | BUFFER Act |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | BUFFER Act |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act |
| Official Title as Introduced | A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to clarify land eligible for enrollment in the conservation reserve program. |
There are no amendments to this bill.
* = Original cosponsor
| Committee | Activity |
|---|---|
| Senate - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee | 06/24/2026 Referred To |
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food
No legislative subjects have been assigned yet.
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