Sec. 304. State assistance for soil health
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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 (k), the Secretary shall make grants to States or Tribal governments for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2030 to be used by State departments of agriculture or appropriate Tribal authorities to develop and implement plans to improve soil health on agricultural land. A State department of agriculture or Tribal government requesting a grant under this section shall prepare and submit for approval by the Secretary an application at such time, 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, rather than replace State or Tribal funds for those purposes.
A State or Tribal government may request funds under this section— to develop or modify a State or Tribal soil health plan; or to implement a State or Tribal soil health plan approved by the Secretary under this section, including through— technical assistance; financial assistance; on-farm research and demonstration; education, outreach, and training; monitoring and evaluation; or such other activities as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. Prior to approving a State or Tribal soil health plan, the Secretary shall ensure that the plan, at a minimum— is broadly consistent with the soil health principles of the Natural Resources Conservation Service; and identifies effective strategies for increasing adoption of regionally appropriate soil health practices and systems on privately owned agricultural land under the jurisdiction of the applicable State or Tribal government.
A State or Tribal government may— apply for a grant for the purposes described in paragraph (2)(A) at any time; and apply for a grant for the purposes described in paragraph (2)(B) on approval by the Secretary of a soil health plan for the State or Tribal government. 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 an application for the Indian Tribe or Tribal organization.
The maximum grant any 1 State or Tribal government may receive under this section for a fiscal year shall be— in the case of a grant for the purposes described in subsection (b)(2)(A), $1,000,000; and in the case of a grant for the purposes described in subsection (b)(2)(B), $5,000,000. The amount of a grant to a State under this section shall not exceed— 75 percent of the cost of developing or modifying a soil health plan; or 50 percent of the cost of implementing the soil health plan.
The amount of a grant to a Tribal government under this section shall not exceed— 90 percent of the cost of developing or modifying a soil health plan; or 75 percent of the cost of implementing the soil health plan. A grant made under this section shall be made on the condition that the non-Federal share of expenditures under paragraph
(2)be provided by non-Federal sources. A grant under this section shall be for 1 year and may be renewed annually, at the discretion of the Secretary. The Secretary shall give priority to States or Tribal governments 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 results of the assistance received under this section. Each applicable State department of agriculture or Tribal authority shall submit to the Secretary a review and evaluation of the progress of the State department of agriculture or Tribal authority, using the performance measures under paragraph (1), at such intervals as the Secretary shall establish. If the Secretary, after reasonable notice to a State or Tribal government, determines that there has been a failure by the State or Tribal government to comply with the terms of a grant made under this section, the Secretary may disqualify, for 1 or more years, the State or Tribal government from receipt of future grants under this section. For each year that a State or Tribal government receives a grant under this section, the State or Tribal government shall— conduct an audit of the expenditures of grant funds by the State or Tribal government; and not later than 30 days after the completion of the audit under paragraph (1), submit to the Secretary a copy of the audit. 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 Tribal government 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 use to make grants under this section— $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2023; $80,000,000 for each of 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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