# 119-hr-3656: To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirement under the specialty crop research initiative, and for other purposes.

119-hr-3656, To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirement under the specialty crop research initiative, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3656
- As of: 2026-06-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3656
- Congress: 119
- Title: To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirement under the specialty crop research initiative, and for other purposes.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-29
- Sponsor: Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 14
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-19

## Summary

**Allows the Agriculture Secretary to waive the matching-fund requirement for Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants.** The bill would amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to give the Secretary discretionary authority to waive the matching funds rule for SCRI grants awarded after enactment. The change is prospective and does not specify caps, eligibility criteria, additional funding, or enforcement mechanisms. This aims to make SCRI competitions easier to enter for applicants who lack required matching funds.

## Cosponsors (14)

- Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2] (D-WA), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] (R-NY), 2025-06-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2025-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-01-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14] (D-FL), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Match waivers for specialty crop grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Agriculture Secretary could waive the matching funds required for Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grants. This would apply only to grants awarded on or after enactment. Farmers, universities, nonprofits, and small agribusinesses applying for SCRI could face lower or no mat…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-3656 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3656)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3656 (as of 2026-06-19).