# 119-hr-9681: Fair Seeds for Farmers Act

119-hr-9681, Fair Seeds for Farmers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-30).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9681
- As of: 2026-10-30
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9681
- Congress: 119
- Title: Fair Seeds for Farmers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-14
- Sponsor: Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-30

## Summary

**Limits federal intellectual property protection for plants to plant-specific statutes.** This bill would require that federal patents or other IP rights for plants, plant varieties, and plant germplasm be available only under the Plant Variety Protection Act or the Plant Patent Act. It would also bar enforcing contracts that restrict use of those biological materials for research, breeding, seed saving, or propagation. - Farmers and seed savers: Would protect the ability to save and reuse seed and other propagating material by blocking contractual limits on seed saving and propagation. - Plant breeders and researchers: Would preserve freedom to study, breed, and experiment with germplasm by preventing contracts that lock up material for research or breeding uses. - Seed companies and IP holders: Would narrow the tools available to control plant material to two statutes and limit enforcement of restrictive contract terms. Additional details state clear definitions for "germplasm" and "plant variety" and set an effective date that would apply to patent applications and contracts pending or entered on or after enactment while preserving certain pre-enactment patents.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-10-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35] (D-TX), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New plant patent rules for farmers: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would limit federal intellectual property protection for plants so protection could only be granted under the Plant Variety Protection Act or the Plant Patent Act. It would bar enforcing contracts made on or after enactment that restrict research, breeding, seed saving, or prop…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-9681 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9681)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [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)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9681 (as of 2026-10-30).