HOPE Act

House Bill

H.R. 5252

119th Congress

HOPE Act

In Committee

Introduced:Sep 10, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Gabe Amo

Representative

Democratic

RI-1

Cosponsors

3

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Summary

The HOPE Act would change the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and landowners to address environmental issues. The bill would reduce the maximum payments available to each participant, lower the federal cost-sharing for certain conservation practices, and remove a requirement that half of EQIP funding go to livestock programs.

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.

SponsorGabe Amo (D-RI)

Introduced9/10/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

HOPE Act

The HOPE Act would change the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and landowners to address environmental issues. The bill would reduce the maximum payments available to each participant

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

The HOPE Act would change the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and landowners to address environmental issues. The bill would reduce the maximum payments available to each participant, lower the federal cost-sharing for certain conservation practices, and remove a requirement that half of EQIP funding go to livestock programs.

Bill Number: 5252
Sponsor: Gabe Amo (D-RI)
Introduced: 9/10/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: HOPE Act
Bill Number: 5252
Sponsor: Gabe Amo (D-RI)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced: 9/10/2025
Summary: The HOPE Act would change the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and landowners to address environmental issues. The bill would reduce the maximum payments available to each participant, lower the federal cost-sharing for cer

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The HOPE Act would change the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and landowners to address environmental issues. The bill would reduce the maximum payments available to each participant, lower the federal cost-sharing for certain conservation practices, and remove a requirement that half of EQIP funding go to livestock programs.

Last updated: 12/29/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

EQIP Improvement Act of 2023 This bill amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to reduce and remove certain payment requirements. (EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.) Specifically, the bill <ul> <li>reduces the maximum payments available to a person or legal entity under EQIP to $150,000 per five-year period (from the current level of $450,000), thereby allowing for an increase in the overall number of participants in the program;</li> <li>reduces federal cost sharing to 40% (from 75%) for the costs associated with planning, installation, or maintenance for specified conservation practices (e.g., access roads, dams, and waste storage facilities); and </li> <li>removes a requirement that 50% of EQIP funding payments go to livestock production programs. </li> </ul>

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Reduces the maximum EQIP payments to $150,000 per 5-year period (down from $450,000), allowing more farmers to participate
Decreases federal cost-sharing for certain conservation practices from 75% to 40%
Removes the requirement that 50% of EQIP funding go to livestock production programs

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If enacted, the HOPE Act would affect farmers, ranchers, and other landowners who participate in the EQIP program. It would make the program more accessible to a wider range of agricultural producers by reducing the maximum payments per participant. However, it would also reduce the federal financial support for certain conservation practices, which could make it more challenging for some producers to implement those practices.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Related Subjects

Agricultural conservation and pollution

Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit

Congressional oversight

Land use and conservation

Water quality

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

5252, 119th Congress (2025). "HOPE Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5252

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