Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act

• David G. Valadao (R-CA-22)Original· 2025-02-18
• Doris O. Matsui (D-CA-7)Original· 2025-02-18
• Jim Costa (D-CA-21)Original· 2025-02-18
• Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19)Original· 2025-02-18
• Mike Thompson (D-CA-4)Original· 2025-02-18

ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Gallagher asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 1420, a bill originally introduced by Representative LaMalfa, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.

2026-07-16

Source: Congress.gov

The bill would fund and support habitat restoration projects along the Pacific Flyway, a major migration route for birds traveling between North and South America, to help protect wetlands and other natural areas that birds depend on for survival. These conservation efforts would benefit farmers and landowners in western states by potentially improving water management and soil quality while supporting wildlife populations. The program would involve partnerships between government agencies, conservation groups, and private landowners to restore and maintain critical bird habitats.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 1420 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1420 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to allow for additional agricultural lands to be enrolled under the conservation reserve enhancement program, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 18, 2025 Mr. LaMalfa (for himself, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Costa, and Ms. Matsui) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to allow for additional agricultural lands to be enrolled under the conservation reserve enhancement program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act''. SEC. 2. CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM. Section 1231A of the Food Security Act of 1985 is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following: ``(f) Seasonally Flooded Working Lands Habitat Conservation Agreements.-- ``(1) In general.--In the case of an agreement entered into under subsection (b)(1) that addresses diminished quantity and quality of wetland wildlife habitats, the Secretary, in consultation with the applicable State technical committee established under section 1261(a), may-- ``(A) enroll other agricultural land that is not eligible land on which the resource concerns identified in the agreement can be addressed if the enrollment of such other agricultural land is critical to the accomplishment of the purposes of the agreement; ``(B) if the agreement involves the maintenance of habitat for one or more wetland-dependent species on working cropland, permit seasonally flooded agricultural uses on such working cropland with the adoption of at least one best management practice; and ``(C) calculate annual rental payments in a manner that-- ``(i) is comparable with annual costs to maintain other seasonally-flooded wetland wildlife habitats in the region; and ``(ii) ensures regional consistency in those rental payment rates. ``(2) Matching requirement waiver.--In the case of an agreement described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may waive the matching requirement described in subsection (c)(1).''. <all>