Senate bill · S. 4912 (119th Congress)
BUFFER Act
U.S. Senate
Sponsor: Peter Welch (U.S. Senator for Vermont, Democratic)
Following needs an Agora account. You will sign in first, then come back to this page.
From Congress.gov and official rosters. This record was last updated Sep 8, 2026. About our data
Summary
Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER Act This 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.
Summary from the Congressional Research Service. How we handle summaries
Where it stands
Assigned to a committee for review.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Up for a vote
- Passed one chamber
- Passed
- Enacted
Committee
House Committee on Agriculture · U.S. House of Representatives
Also referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry · U.S. Senate.
Your position on this bill
Choose the position closest to yours. You'll sign in or create an account to save it.
Cosponsors
Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Read on Congress.gov (opens in a new tab)- Other1
Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.
Related bills
- H.R. 9572BUFFER ActIdentical bill
- H.R. 5466, 118th CongressRelated bill in another Congress
- S. 2798, 118th CongressRelated bill in another Congress
As identified by Congress.gov.
Full history
- Jun 24, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate
- Jun 24, 2026
Referred to committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Jun 24, 2026
Referred to committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Read the record
- Read on Congress.gov (opens in a new tab) The official record on Congress.gov.