S. 4470

119 S4470 IS: Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-04-30
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 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 4470  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   April 30, 2026   Mr. Fetterman  (for himself,  Ms. Slotkin ,  Mr. Schiff ,  Ms. Smith ,  Mr. Booker ,  Mr. Bennet ,  Mr. Heinrich , and  Mr. Hickenlooper ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry    A BILL
To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to improve the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2026  .
2.
Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
Section 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 6923 ) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (a)(3)—
(A)
in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting  production  after  emerging agricultural ;
(B)
in subparagraph (D)—
(i)
by inserting  controlled-environment agriculture, including  before  hydroponic ; and
(ii)
by striking  and  at the end;
(C)
by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (H); and
(D)
by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:
(E)
using the resources of the Department and of State, Tribal, and local agencies to provide technical assistance for business incorporation, navigating local zoning, and managing farm tract numbers for smaller, noncontiguous parcels to growers implementing activities described in this paragraph;
(F)
using the resources of the Department and of State, Tribal, and local agencies to promote conservation techniques unique to urban agriculture and innovative production, including techniques that address stormwater runoff and the impacted nature of urban land and the subsurface of the land;
(G)
assisting urban and innovative producers in navigating Federal, State, Tribal, and local policies and regulations that impact business or operations; and
 ;
(2)
in subsection (b)—
(A)
in paragraph (5)(B), by striking  2023  and inserting  2030 ; and
(B)
in paragraph (7)(A), by striking  the date that is 5 years after the date on which the members are appointed under paragraph (2)(B)  and inserting  September 30, 2030 ;
(3)
by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
(c)
Grants and cooperative agreements
(1)
Grants
(A)
In general
The Director shall award competitive grants to support the development of urban and innovative agricultural production and technical or financial assistance to producers.
(B)
Subgrants
An eligible entity may use funds from a grant under subparagraph (A) to provide subgrants to urban and innovative producers to support the growth of the farm or farm business of the urban and innovative producers.
(C)
Priority
In awarding competitive grants under this paragraph, the Director shall prioritize projects that improve access to local foods in areas where access to fresh, healthy food is limited.
(D)
Eligible entities
An entity eligible to receive a grant under subparagraph (A) is—
(i)
a nonprofit organization;
(ii)
a unit of local government;
(iii)
a Tribal organization;
(iv)
an agricultural cooperative or other agricultural business entity or a producer network or association; or
(v)
a school that serves any of grades kindergarten through grade 12.
(2)
Cooperative agreements
(A)
In general
The Director may enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to support the development of urban and innovative agricultural production.
(B)
Eligible entities
An entity eligible to enter into a cooperative agreement under subparagraph (A) is—
(i)
a nonprofit organization;
(ii)
a unit of local government;
(iii)
a Tribal organization; or
(iv)
an agricultural cooperative or a producer network or association.
 ;
(4)
in subsection (d)—
(A)
in the subsection heading, by striking
Pilot projects   and inserting
Projects  ;
(B)
in paragraph (1)—
(i)
in subparagraph (A), by striking  Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program for not fewer than 5 years that  and inserting  The Secretary shall carry out a program that ; and
(ii)
in subparagraph (C)—
(I)
in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking  2023  and inserting  2030 ; and
(II)
in clause (i), by striking  pilot ; and
(C)
in paragraph (2)—
(i)
in subparagraph (A)—
(I)
by striking  pilot ;
(II)
by striking  local or municipal  and inserting  local, municipal, Tribal, State, or United States territory ; and
(III)
by inserting  or territories  after  States ;
(ii)
in subparagraph (B)—
(I)
in the subparagraph heading, by striking
pilot  ; and
(II)
in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting  Tribal governments, States, United States territories,  after  local governments, ; and
(iii)
in subparagraph (C), by striking  pilot  each place it appears; and
(5)
by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:
(e)
Funding
(1)
Mandatory funding
Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
(2)
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
 .
3.
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
Section 2(b)(2)(E) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grants Act ( 7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)(E) ) is amended—
(1)
in clause (iv), by striking  and  at the end;
(2)
in clause (v), by striking the period at the end and inserting  ; and ; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(vi)
hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, and other production technologies used in controlled-environment agriculture production.
 .
4.
Data collection
Section 7212(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–334 ; 132 Stat. 4812) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)—
(A)
by striking  Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the  and inserting  The ; and
(B)
by striking  the census of agriculture conducted in the calendar year 2017  and inserting  each census of agriculture ; and
(2)
in paragraph (2), by striking  $14,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2019 through 2021  and inserting  $18,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, to remain available until expended .