Research for Healthy Soils Act
Latest action. Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Research for Healthy Soils Act
This bill includes research on the agricultural impacts of microplastics and PFAS in land-applied biosolids or compost on farmland as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area. Microplastic is a plastic or plastic-coated particle that is less than 5 millimeters in size. Perfluoroalky and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, are man-made and may have adverse human health effects.
The bill specifically allows grants for carrying out or enhancing research in this area (e.g., the development or analysis of techniques, including wastewater treatment and composting, to filter out or biodegrade such substances from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes).
Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2031.
The bill also specifically reauthorizes through FY2031
the Pulse Crop Health Initiative;
the Comprehensive Food Safety Training Network;
pollinator protection research and extension grants;
increased USDA capacity and infrastructure to address and conduct research on colony collapse disorder and other pollinator issues; and
a USDA-conducted nationwide honey bee pest, pathogen, health, and population status surveillance program.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 12, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 12, 2025: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Marie Perez (D-WA) introduced it on June 12, 2025, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 12, 2025, 455 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 455 days ago, on June 12, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers