Sec. 304. State assistance for soil health
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/bill/116/hr/5861/ih/section-304·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: Using funds made available under subsection (l), the Secretary shall make grants to States or tribal governments for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030 to be used by State departments of agriculture or appropriate tribal authorities to improve soil health on agricultural lands. To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State legislature or tribal government shall have enacted and be currently funding a State or tribal soil health program for agricultural land.
A State department of agriculture or tribal government may then prepare and submit, for approval by the Secretary, an application at such time, and in such a manner, and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, including an assurance that grant funds received under this section shall supplement the expenditure of State or tribal funds in support of soil health in that State, rather than replace State or tribal funds. A State or tribal soil health program may include— technical assistance; financial assistance; on-farm research and demonstration; education, outreach, and training; monitoring and evaluation; or such other components as the Secretary deems appropriate.
At the sole discretion of a tribal government, an Indian tribe or tribal organization shall have the option of being incorporated into a State application rather than submitting its own application. The maximum grant any one State or tribe may receive under this section for a fiscal year shall be $5,000,000. The grant amount to a State or tribe shall not exceed— 50 percent of the State expenditure for its soil health program; or 75 percent of the tribal expenditure for its soil health program.
A grant under this section shall be for one year and may be renewed annually. The Secretary shall give priority to States or tribes with a climate action plan that includes soil health, as determined by the Secretary. Each application under subsection
(b)shall include performance measures to be used to evaluate the State or tribal program and the results of the assistance received under this section. The State department of agriculture or the tribal authority shall submit a review and evaluation of its program to the Secretary at such intervals as the Secretary shall establish. In reviewing an application submitted under subsection (b), the Secretary shall ensure the State or tribal program is properly focused on soil health improvement, is broadly consistent with the soil health principles of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and is meeting or exceeding its performance measures. If the Secretary, after reasonable notice to a State or tribe, finds that there has been a failure by the State or tribe to comply with the terms of a grant made under this section, the Secretary may disqualify, for one or more years, the State or tribe from receipt of future grants under this section. For each year that a State or tribe receives a grant under this section, the State or tribe shall conduct an audit of the expenditures of grant funds by the State or tribe and shall submit a copy of the audit to the Secretary within 30 days of its completion. The Secretary may not use more than 3 percent of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year for administrative expenses. A State or tribe receiving a grant under this section may not use more than 7 percent of the funds received under the grant for a fiscal year for administrative expenses. Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make grants under this section using— $60,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 through 2023; $80,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 2026; and $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter. .
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Sec. 304
State assistance for soil health
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