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S. 2897Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Tropical Plant Health Initiative Act

Sponsored by Mazie K. HironoSen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
Introduced September 18, 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 23, 2025 at 9:55 PM UTC

The Tropical Plant Health Initiative Act amends the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act to create a new grant program focused on protecting tropical crops from pests and invasive weeds. It directs funding toward research, extension services, pest‑management programs, data collection, and scientific studies on a range of tropical plants, including coffee, cacao, bananas, mangoes, and others. The law also extends the funding authorization period to 2030, affecting USDA agencies that administer agricultural research and extension grants.

Key Provisions

  • Adds a new “tropical plant health initiative” to the existing grant program, allowing research and extension funds to be used for developing science‑based tools and treatments against pests and noxious weeds that affect tropical crops such as coffee, macadamia, cacao, bananas, mangoes, floriculture and nursery plants, vanilla, and any other tropical plant the Secretary identifies.
  • Authorizes the creation of area‑wide integrated pest‑management programs in regions where these tropical plants are threatened.
  • Funds surveys and data collection on the production and health of tropical plants.
  • Supports studies on the biology, genetics, ecology, immunology, and bioinformatics of tropical plants.
  • Provides research on factors that influence the immune systems of tropical plants and other serious threats to them.
  • Extends the authorization of appropriations for these activities through the year 2030 (instead of ending in 2023).

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee

September 18, 2025

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 18, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee

September 18, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 18, 2025

II

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 2897

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 18 (legislative day, September 16), 2025

Ms. Hirono (for herself and Mr. Schatz) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

A BILL

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to provide research and extension grants to support the study of insects and pests that impact tropical plants, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Tropical Plant Health Initiative Act.

2.

Tropical plant health initiative

(a)

In general

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)

Tropical plant health initiative

Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of—

(A)

developing and disseminating science-based tools and treatments to combat plant pests and noxious weeds (as those terms are defined in section 403 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7702)) that impact tropical plants, including—

(i)

coffee plants;

(ii)

macadamia trees;

(iii)

cacao trees;

(iv)

plantains and bananas;

(v)

mangos;

(vi)

floriculture and nursery crops;

(vii)

vanilla plants; and

(viii)

any other tropical plant, as determined by the Secretary;

(B)

establishing an areawide integrated pest management program in areas in which those tropical plants are affected by, or are at risk of being affected by, plant pests or noxious weeds (as so defined);

(C)

surveying and collecting data on production and health of those tropical plants;

(D)

investigating biology, immunology, ecology, genomics, and bioinformatics of those tropical plants; and

(E)

conducting research on various factors that may contribute to or be associated with immune systems of those tropical plants and other serious threats to those tropical plants.

.

(b)

Authorization of appropriations

Section 1672(h) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(h)) is amended by striking 2023 and inserting 2030.