Support for Ownership and Investment in Land Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4156
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-06-26: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- Last Updated
- 2025-07-11T17:52:50Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 4156 (SOIL Act)
Purpose
This bill establishes a temporary pilot program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a pre-approval or pre-qualification process for direct farm ownership loans. The goal is to simplify the loan application steps and give borrowers more predictability when seeking financing for farm land purchases under existing federal farm loan authorities.
Key Provisions
- Pilot Program Creation: The Secretary of Agriculture must begin the program no later than one year after the bill becomes law. It applies to direct farm ownership loans authorized under Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.
- Alternative Eligibility: The Secretary may set different eligibility rules for loans processed through the pilot, while requiring that all other standard loan rules still apply to approved applicants.
- Streamlined Assessments: The program must explore ways to simplify required loan reviews and determinations.
- Reporting Requirements: The Secretary must deliver an initial report within one year of enactment, followed by annual reports to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees detailing program actions and outcomes.
- Sunset Date: The pilot authority ends on September 30, 2030.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill adds a new section (333E) to Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. This introduces the first formal pre-approval or pre-qualification mechanism for direct farm ownership loans, allowing limited flexibility in eligibility criteria that current law does not provide.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The USDA would need to design, implement, and monitor the pilot, including developing new eligibility standards and adjusting internal review processes.
- Citizens: Farmers and ranchers seeking direct loans for land ownership could experience faster applications and earlier certainty about loan approval, though participation would be limited to the pilot scope.
- International Relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Farmers and ranchers applying for direct farm ownership loans.
- The USDA Farm Service Agency, which administers these loans.
- Congressional agriculture committees, which receive oversight reports.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The measure creates a time-limited experimental authority that expires in 2030, requiring future congressional action for continuation. It does not alter core constitutional powers or create new regulatory mandates beyond the pilot framework.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2025-06-26: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- 2025-06-26: Introduced in House
- 2025-06-26: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Support for Ownership and Investment in Land Act — issued 2025-06-26 — PDF (3 pages)