Legislative Activity

The LAST ACRE Act of 2025 aims to bridge the digital divide in agriculture by establishing the "Last Acre Program," which provides grants and loans to expand high-speed internet access for agricultural producers, with priority given to unserved and underserved areas. The act directs the Secretary to establish the Last Acre Program to provide grants and loans to covered providers to deliver qualifying connectivity to unserved and underserved eligible land. It also requires the Secretary of Agriculture to collect more comprehensive broadband usage data through updated surveys and censuses. Finally, the Act authorizes $20,000,000 to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

The "Prove It Act of 2025" aims to reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses by requiring agencies to consider indirect costs when creating new rules, allowing small businesses to petition for reviews of agency certifications, and mandating agencies to publish guidance documents and allow comments on rules with a significant economic impact on small businesses. Additionally, the Act amends the periodic review process for rules, requiring agencies to consider indirect costs and providing a mechanism for the Small Business Administration to address rules not reviewed within a 10-year period. The Act specifies that no additional funds will be allocated for its implementation.

The "Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act" mandates the Small Business Administration (SBA) to relocate its regional, district, and local offices out of "sanctuary jurisdictions," defined as areas that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The SBA Administrator must identify and publicly announce which offices are in sanctuary jurisdictions, and then relocate those offices within 60 days to a non-sanctuary location, prioritizing staying within the same state if possible. Offices that are not relocated in time will face operational suspensions and reassignment of employees, and the Act also prohibits the establishment of new SBA offices in sanctuary jurisdictions. This bill aims to ensure SBA offices are not located in areas that hinder federal immigration enforcement efforts.

The Producer and Agricultural Credit Enhancement Act of 2025 increases loan limits for farm ownership, operating, and microloans, and modifies the down payment loan program. It changes the calculation of the inflation percentage used to adjust loan limits and allows for refinancing certain guaranteed loans into direct loans under specific conditions. The bill expresses Congressional support for fully funding Farm Service Agency loan programs to support farmers and ranchers.

The Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act of 2025 aims to bolster the cybersecurity of the agriculture and food critical infrastructure sector by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct regular risk assessments of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. It also mandates annual cross-sector crisis simulation exercises to assess preparedness, identify gaps, and improve coordination in the food supply chain. These exercises will involve government and private sector entities, with reports submitted to Congress to enhance cybersecurity and resilience in the agriculture and food sector. Finally, the Act authorizes $1,000,000 per fiscal year from 2026 through 2030 to carry out the simulation exercises.

This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to implement or enforce the Food and Drug Administration's final rule regarding the regulation of laboratory developed tests as medical devices.

The GRAIN DRY Act amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to allow agricultural producers to construct or upgrade storage facilities for propane used in agricultural production. This expansion of the USDA's Farm Storage Facility Loan Program aims to support the infrastructure needs of farmers.

The "Farm Credit Administration Independent Authority Act" affirms the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) as the sole regulator of the Farm Credit System. It requires Farm Credit System lenders to collect and report demographic data from small farmer loan applicants and borrowers, with the FCA responsible for publishing this data while protecting personal information. The Act also exempts Farm Credit System institutions from certain regulations if related rules are invalidated or repealed. Finally, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act is amended to specify that the entities supervised by the Farm Credit Administration are exempt.

The "Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act" amends the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program to prioritize smaller communities. It lowers the population threshold for eligible areas, expands project eligibility to include those that improve economic development and quality of life, and ensures a significant portion of funds are allocated to projects in the smallest communities. The bill also sets a higher federal cost share for projects within these small communities.