BUFFER Act

House Bill

H.R. 5466

119th Congress

BUFFER Act

In Committee

Introduced:Sep 18, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Mark Takano

Representative

Democratic

CA-39

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Summary

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental regulations to still be eligible for the CRP program, with some exceptions.

Latest Action

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

SponsorMark Takano (D-CA)

Introduced9/18/2025

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

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

BUFFER Act

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental regulations to still be eligible for the CRP program, with some exceptions.

Bill Number: 5466
Sponsor: Mark Takano (D-CA)
Introduced: 9/18/2025
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: BUFFER Act
Bill Number: 5466
Sponsor: Mark Takano (D-CA)
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
Introduced: 9/18/2025
Summary: The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental regulations to still be eligible for the

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental regulations to still be eligible for the CRP program, with some exceptions.

Last updated: 12/29/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER ActThis 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.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The bill would make land subject to state or local environmental regulations eligible for the CRP program, reversing a current exclusion.
The bill includes an exception that would make land ineligible if the environmental regulations were imposed by a court or administrative order.
The CRP program pays farmers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and implement conservation practices.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily impact farmers and landowners, making it easier for them to receive CRP payments for environmentally sensitive land that is subject to state or local regulations. This could encourage more conservation practices on working lands and provide additional income to farmers.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Related Subjects

Farmland

Lakes and rivers

Land use and conservation

State and local government operations

Water quality

Wetlands

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

5466, 119th Congress (2025). "BUFFER Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5466

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