PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.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.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. LaMalfa, Doug [R-CA-1] · R–CA
Legislative record
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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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jul 27, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-18 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act would give the Secretary more flexibility to support wetland wildlife habitat on agricultural land through certain conservation agreements. It could allow otherwise ineligible land to participate, permit seasonal flooding and farming with conservation practices, and adjust annual rental payments. It would also allow the Secretary to waive a requirement for matching contributions.
This Act may be cited as the Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act.
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.
In the case of an agreement described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may waive the matching requirement described in subsection (c)(1).
Section 2 would add these optional authorities to the conservation reserve enhancement program. They would apply to agreements under existing subsection (b)(1) that address declines in wetland wildlife habitat quantity and quality. The Secretary would exercise the enrollment, agricultural-use and rental-payment authorities in consultation with the applicable State technical committee.
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:
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—
The Secretary could enroll agricultural land that does not otherwise qualify if the land can address the agreement's identified resource concerns and its enrollment is critical to achieving the agreement's purposes.
(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;
For qualifying agreements maintaining habitat for at least one wetland-dependent species on working cropland, the Secretary could permit seasonally flooded agricultural uses. At least one best management practice—a practice for managing the land's use—would have to be adopted.
(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;
The Secretary could calculate annual rental payments using a method comparable to the annual cost of maintaining other seasonally flooded wetland wildlife habitats in the region. That method would also have to ensure consistent rental-payment rates within the region.
(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.
For qualifying habitat agreements, the Secretary could waive the existing matching requirement, which calls for contributions to accompany program support. The waiver would be discretionary, rather than automatic.
(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).
The supplied action snapshot, updated July 27, 2026, records introduction and referral to the House Committee on Agriculture on February 18, 2025, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology on March 28, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-07-27T17:16:25Z.
2025-03-28: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology. 2025-02-18: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2025-02-18: Introduced in House
The July 27, 2026 source snapshot also records that, on July 16, 2026, the House agreed without objection to let Mr. Gallagher be considered the first sponsor for adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings. The entry identifies Representative LaMalfa as the original introducer.
Source snapshot updated 2026-07-27T17:16:25Z. 2026-07-16: 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.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-18. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying materials needed to assess formal earmark status are not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The text contains conditional eligibility and matching-contribution exceptions tied to the bill's habitat policy. These are discretionary exceptions, not guaranteed awards or evidence of improper favoritism.
Agricultural land outside the program's ordinary eligibility rules could receive access through certain wetland habitat agreements. The exception is limited to land that can address identified resource concerns and whose enrollment is critical to the agreement's purposes.
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;
Parties otherwise required to provide matching contributions for qualifying wetland habitat agreements could receive a waiver. This would give those agreements a conditional exception from the existing matching requirement, although the supplied text does not identify the contributor or required amount.
In the case of an agreement entered into under subsection (b)(1) that addresses diminished quantity and quality of wetland wildlife habitats
(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).
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 27, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI