Improving Pest and Disease Preparedness for Specialty Crops Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4650
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-01T16:55:22Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose The legislation amends the Plant Protection Act to strengthen preparedness and response for plant pests and diseases, with a focus on specialty crops.
Key Provisions
- Adds a requirement that the Secretary of Agriculture prioritize cooperative agreements for activities in high-risk states when using available funds.
- Increases authorized funding for the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention program to $150,000,000 annually beginning in fiscal year 2027.
- Raises the funding limit in subsection (g) from $5,000,000 to $12,000,000.
Significant Changes to Existing Law This bill modifies Section 420 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7721) by inserting new priority language, extending and increasing annual funding authorizations, and raising an existing spending cap. These changes expand resources and direct focus toward high-risk areas without altering the underlying program structure.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: The U.S. Department of Agriculture would receive higher authorized funding levels and must adjust program administration to emphasize high-risk states.
- Citizens and agriculture: Specialty crop producers in high-risk states could gain improved access to cooperative agreements for pest and disease prevention.
- No direct effects on international relations are specified in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- The Secretary of Agriculture and USDA programs.
- Specialty crop growers and related agricultural industries.
- States identified as high-risk for plant pests and diseases.
- Congress, through future appropriations decisions.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill increases authorized spending levels, which would require subsequent congressional appropriations to become available. It introduces a statutory priority for certain states but does not create new regulatory mandates or alter constitutional authorities.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2026-06-02: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Improving Pest and Disease Preparedness for Specialty Crops Act — issued 2026-06-02 — PDF (2 pages)