Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 2654
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-08-01: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T06:51:49Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of S. 2654: Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act of 2025
Purpose
The legislation aims to strengthen the biobased markets program under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 by expanding support for products made from renewable agricultural materials (biobased products). It seeks to boost markets for farm commodities like corn and soybeans, promote rural economic growth, reduce dependence on petroleum, and increase federal and public use of these products through better procurement, labeling, and coordination within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Key Provisions
- Findings and Purposes (Section 2): Recognizes the economic value of biobased products, including their role in creating jobs (nearly 4 million in 2021), contributing $489 billion to the economy, and supporting rural development. Purposes include enhancing USDA's promotion of biobased products, expanding federal purchases, and committing to agricultural economies.
- New Definitions (Section 3): Adds or refines terms in the existing law to broaden coverage:
- Bio-attributed plastic: A plastic made from biological sources but not qualifying as fully biobased.
- Bio-attributed product: Commercial or industrial items (not food or feed) partly or wholly from biological materials like renewable agricultural, plant-based, animal-derived, or forestry sources.
- Biobased plastic: Plastics that qualify as biobased products.
- Bioproduct: Encompasses biobased or bio-attributed products.
- Plant-based product: Non-food items mainly from plant materials produced via photosynthesis, qualifying as biobased.
- Biobased Markets Program Enhancements (Section 4): Updates the USDA's BioPreferred Program:
- Strengthens federal procurement by requiring agencies to annually increase biobased-only contracts or purchase volumes, set price premiums for different product types, and consider product lifespan and efficacy in decisions.
- Improves reporting: Agencies must detail biobased purchases, unmet needs, and failures to meet goals; the Office of Federal Procurement Policy verifies compliance and makes data public.
- Mandates training for procurement staff on biobased buying within 2 years.
- Updates federal systems (e.g., Federal Procurement Data System, GSA Advantage!) to track and designate biobased products using industry codes.
- Enhances voluntary labeling: Allows public reporting of label misuse, outreach to small businesses and states, and public-private partnerships for promotion. USDA can accept non-federal funds for marketing.
- Requires annual reports on labeling authorizations, audits, marketing plans, and contributions.
- Shifts some research coordination to the Secretary of Commerce (in consultation with USDA).
- Adds lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions analysis for biobased products and updates reports every 5 years starting in 2025.
- Extends program funding authorization through 2031.
- Specifies standards (e.g., ASTM-D-6866) for measuring biobased content, with stakeholder input required for changes.
- Biobased Task Force (Section 5): Creates a temporary USDA task force (lasting 4 years) led by the Rural Development mission area, involving representatives from various USDA offices (e.g., research, economics, energy policy). It coordinates biobased research, development, promotion, and analysis; assesses program effectiveness with public input; and studies opportunities for new USDA initiatives. A report with recommendations is due to Congress within 3 years. Exempt from certain federal advisory committee rules.
- Bioproduct Labeling (Section 6): Prohibits selling or labeling products with misleading terms (e.g., "biobased product," "renewable chemical") unless they meet USDA definitions (or approved alternatives). Enforces confidentiality for business information during oversight, protecting identities and proprietary data.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Expands definitions to include broader categories like bio-attributed products and plant-based items, previously limited to strictly biobased products.
- Mandates progressive increases in federal biobased procurement (e.g., annual volume growth) and introduces price premiums, verification, and training—previously more voluntary or static.
- Enhances reporting and transparency, including public data on purchases and unmet needs, and shifts some responsibilities (e.g., research coordination to Commerce).
- Adds marketing tools like non-federal funding acceptance and public education campaigns.
- Establishes a new inter-agency task force for coordination, absent in prior law.
- Extends funding from 2023 to 2031 and incorporates environmental assessments (e.g., greenhouse gas reductions).
- Introduces prohibitions on term misuse with enforcement protections, building on existing labeling rules.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: USDA gains expanded roles in promotion, coordination, and enforcement, requiring new resources for task force, training, and reporting. Federal procuring agencies (e.g., via General Services Administration) must increase biobased purchases, potentially raising short-term costs but yielding long-term savings from durable products. Enhanced data systems could improve procurement efficiency.
- Citizens and Economy: Boosts rural jobs and income for farmers by creating markets for commodities, supporting 1.4 indirect jobs per biobased job. Increases access to sustainable products via labeling and education, potentially lowering petroleum use and emissions. Small businesses may benefit from outreach and partnerships.
- International Relations: Minimal direct impact, but promotes U.S. agricultural exports and domestic manufacturing, indirectly strengthening competitiveness in global biobased markets. No explicit foreign policy elements.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Farmers and Agricultural Producers: Benefit from expanded markets for feedstocks like corn and soybeans.
- Biobased Product Manufacturers and Small Businesses: Gain from federal preferences, labeling opportunities, and promotion support.
- Rural Communities: See economic growth through job creation and development initiatives.
- Federal Agencies and Procurement Officials: Face new compliance, training, and reporting duties.
- Consumers and State Governments: Receive better information on biobased options; states may align procurement with federal preferences.
- USDA and Related Offices: Lead implementation, including the new task force.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Introduces enforceable prohibitions on labeling misuse, with confidentiality safeguards to protect trade secrets under existing USDA authorities. Relies on Administrative Procedure Act-like processes for standard changes, ensuring stakeholder input and reducing litigation risks. No new regulatory burdens on private entities beyond labeling compliance.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's commerce clause authority to regulate agriculture and federal spending. Exempts the task force from formal advisory committee requirements (5 U.S.C. Ch. 10), streamlining operations without violating due process.
- Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (e.g., Sens. Slotkin, Ernst) signals broad support for rural and green economy priorities. Emphasizes economic multipliers and pandemic resilience, potentially appealing across aisles, but may face debate over federal procurement costs or industry standards. Promotes sustainability without mandating private sector changes, avoiding broader regulatory controversies.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA], Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE], Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Recent Actions
- 2025-08-01: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2025-08-01: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act of 2025 — issued 2025-08-01 — PDF (21 pages)