Research for Healthy Soils Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Research for Healthy Soils Act adds microplastics and PFAS in land-applied biosolids or compost to USDA's high-priority agricultural research and extension grant authority. Grants may support surveys and data collection on concentration, particle size, and chemical composition of these substances on farmland; development or analysis of wastewater treatment and composting techniques to filter out or biodegrade contaminants before agricultural use; analysis of impacts on crops, livestock uptake, and soil health; research on how wastewater processing affects the substances; research on fate, residence time, and transport on farmland; and research on remediation of contaminated soil and water systems. The bill also extends several high-priority research and extension initiative authorizations by replacing 2023 with 2031. It is a research-capacity bill for contaminants in agricultural soils rather than a direct ban on biosolids or PFAS.
Who Benefits and How
Agricultural researchers benefit because USDA can fund studies on microplastics and PFAS in land-applied biosolids or compost. Farmers using biosolids benefit from data on crop uptake, livestock exposure, soil health, and remediation options. Wastewater treatment researchers benefit from grant eligibility for filtration and biodegradation techniques. PFAS-affected farmland owners benefit if research identifies soil and water remediation methods. Extension programs benefit from reauthorization of high-priority initiatives through 2031.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA research grant staff must review and administer contaminant research and extension grants. Biosolids suppliers may face scrutiny as research measures contaminant concentrations and chemical composition. Compost producers may need to respond to research on microplastic or PFAS content in land-applied products. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of extended research and grant activity.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes research grants on microplastics and PFAS in land-applied biosolids or compost.
- Provides surveys and data collection on concentration, particle size, and chemical composition.
- Supports filtration, biodegradation, crop uptake, livestock uptake, soil health, wastewater processing, transport, and remediation research.
- Extends high-priority research and extension initiatives through 2031.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes USDA high-priority research and extension grants for agricultural impacts of microplastics and PFAS, including structural firefighting foam, in land-applied biosolids or compost on farmland, covering surveys, concentration, particle size, chemical composition, filtration, biodegradation, crop and livestock uptake, soil health, wastewater processing, fate, residence time, transport, and remediation, and reauthorizes multiple high-priority research and extension initiatives through 2031.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Environmental Health, Research
Primary Purpose
Authorizes USDA high-priority research and extension grants for agricultural impacts of microplastics and PFAS, including structural firefighting foam, in land-applied biosolids or compost on farmland, covering surveys, concentration, particle size, chemical composition, filtration, biodegradation, crop and livestock uptake, soil health, wastewater processing, fate, residence time, transport, and remediation, and reauthorizes multiple high-priority research and extension initiatives through 2031.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Agricultural researchers
- Farmers using biosolids
- Wastewater treatment researchers
- PFAS-affected farmland owners
- Extension programs
Identified Costs
- USDA research grant staff
- Biosolids suppliers
- Compost producers
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Perez (for herself and Mrs. Kim) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Agricultural researchers, Compost producers, Extension programs
Positive-direction: Agricultural researchers, Extension programs, Farmers using biosolids, PFAS-affected farmland owners
Negative-direction: Compost producers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology