H.R. 3991House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Research for Healthy Soils Act

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Updated November 23, 2025 at 11:56 PM UTC

The Research for Healthy Soils Act amends the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act to make research on microplastics and PFAS in farmland a top priority. It enables federal grants to study how these contaminants enter soils through biosolids or compost, their effects on crops and livestock, and ways to detect, treat, and remediate them. The bill also pushes the authorization period for high‑priority agricultural research programs out to 2031, affecting farmers, researchers, and the USDA.

Key Provisions

Adds microplastics and per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on farmland as a high‑priority research and extension area under the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.
Allows USDA research and extension grants to fund work such as surveying concentrations and particle sizes of these substances in land‑applied biosolids, developing treatment or composting methods to remove or break them down, and studying their impact on crops, soil health, livestock, and water systems.
Authorizes research on the fate, transport, residence time, and remediation of microplastics and PFAS in agricultural soils and water.
Extends the reauthorization of high‑priority research and extension initiatives from 2023 to 2031.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Agriculture Committee

June 12, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

June 12, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Agriculture Committee

June 12, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued June 12, 2025

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3991

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 12, 2025

Ms. Perez (for herself and Mrs. Kim) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

A BILL

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to include as a high-priority research and extension area research on microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on farmland.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Research for Healthy Soils Act.

Microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on farmland

Section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(21)

Microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on farmland

Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of carrying out or enhancing research on the agricultural impacts of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including structural firefighting foam, in land-applied biosolids or compost on farmland, including by—

(A)

conducting surveys and collecting data on concentration, particle size, and chemical composition of such substances in land-applied biosolids on farmland;

(B)

the development or analysis of techniques, including wastewater treatment and composting, to filter out or biodegrade such substances from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes;

(C)

conducting an analysis of the impact on agricultural crops and soil health of such substances in land-applied biosolids on farmland, including the uptake of such substances by various crops or livestock;

(D)

conducting research to better understand how wastewater processing impacts such substances;

(E)

conducting research to better understand the fate, residence time, and transport of such substances on farmland; and

(F)

conducting research on how to remediate soil and water systems contaminated with such substances.

Reauthorization of high-priority research and extension initiatives

Section 1672 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925) is amended by striking 2023 each place it appears in subsection (e)(5), subsection (f)(5), paragraphs (1)(B), (2)(B), and (3) of subsection (g), and subsection (h) and inserting 2031.