# 119-hr-6969: Rural Investment for Producers and the Environment (RIPE) Act of 2026

119-hr-6969, Rural Investment for Producers and the Environment (RIPE) Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6969
- As of: 2026-05-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6969
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rural Investment for Producers and the Environment (RIPE) Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-01-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-23

## Summary

**Direct payments to farmers and ranchers for conservation in targeted watersheds.** This bill would create a USDA demonstration that pays producers per acre and per animal unit to adopt selected practices that aim to improve water quality, soil health, climate resilience, biodiversity, and yields. - Producers could enter contracts that last 3 to 5 years and receive performance-based payments that cover adoption costs, income foregone, long-term maintenance, and measured environmental benefits. - Limited-resource and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers would get targeted outreach, at least 10 percent of funds reserved for them, and a payment increase equal to 15 percent above the otherwise applicable rate. - Watershed communities would see a focused pilot limited to no more than 30 eligible watersheds nationwide and no more than 2 per State, with annual reporting on enrolled acres, animal units, greenhouse gas benefits, and adoption barriers. *The bill would use Commodity Credit Corporation funding of $1.0 million for 2026 setup and $150.0 million per year for 2027 through 2029, increasing federal outlays.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-01-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Direct conservation payments for producers: benefit, high. If enacted, producers in selected watersheds would be able to enter 3-to-5 year contracts for direct payments to adopt conservation practices. Payments would be made each year per acre and per animal unit and would cover adoption and management costs, income foregone or transition losses, long-term…
- Federal funding for RIPE program: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would make Commodity Credit Corporation funds available to start and run the RIPE demonstration. It would provide $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to set up regulations and administrative procedures. It would provide $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027, 2028, and 2029 to…
- Which watersheds can participate: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary would choose which watersheds can join the demonstration. The Secretary could pick up to 2 watersheds per State or territory and no more than 30 watersheds total. Watersheds that serve Tribal lands would not count toward the 2-per-State limit. The Secretary must complete s…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6969 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6969)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6969 (as of 2026-05-23).