# 119-hr-8531: Farmland for Farmers Act of 2026

119-hr-8531, Farmland for Farmers Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8531
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8531
- Congress: 119
- Title: Farmland for Farmers Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-27
- Sponsor: Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Limits institutional and multilayer ownership of farmland.** This bill would require agricultural land to be owned by natural persons who are actively engaged in farming. It would define a narrow class of authorized legal entities with no more than 25 natural-person owners and bar multilayered or fiduciary structures that try to evade the rule. - Farmers and family owners: Ownership interests in agricultural land must be held by natural persons actively engaged in farming, with narrow exceptions for research, cooperatives, heirs’ property, and certain debt or lien situations. - Institutional investors and trusts: Unauthorized entities such as pension or investment funds, multilayered entities, and trusts would be prohibited from acquiring or holding farmland. Violations can trigger civil and criminal penalties, penalties tied to fair market value, daily fines with an overall cap, and a required divestiture within 1 year. - States, federal programs, and enforcement: States may adopt rules at least as restrictive and state attorneys general can bring civil actions. The bill also authorizes federal enforcement, bars noncompliant entities from USDA programs and the Farm Credit System, mandates ongoing attestations and documentation, and requires annual reporting to Congress on violations and divestitures.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-04-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-04-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tough penalties and forced land sales: cost, high. If enacted, the Secretary would report suspected ownership violations to the Attorney General. A court could order an unauthorized entity to divest and would give the owner one year to sell the land; that one-year rule would run with the title. The Secretary could assess civil penalties up to twice…
- New sworn filings for farmland owners: cost, low. If enacted, legal entities that buy or hold farmland would have to sign sworn affidavits saying they comply with the ownership rules. Purchasers must file an acquisition affidavit with the Secretary at the time of purchase. Starting with the first taxable year after enactment, any entity with an ow…
- Limits on who can own farmland: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar unauthorized business entities from directly or indirectly buying or holding agricultural land. "Agricultural land" would include cropland, pasture, rangeland, forestland, and land farmed within the prior 10 years. Only natural persons actively engaged in farming, or…
- Narrow exceptions for research and foreclosures: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would allow two narrow exceptions to the ownership ban. Land used only for research, testing, demonstration, or experimental work would be allowed so long as commercial sales from farming the land are incidental (less than 25% of gross sales of the research product). Land acqui…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8531 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8531)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8531 (as of 2026-09-21).