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119-s-4091119th CongressWALLET

Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would elevate wildlife habitat connectivity and migration corridors for native big game as a core USDA conservation goal. It would steer payments, program priorities, practice standards, and research toward keeping big mammals like deer, elk, pronghorn, wild sheep, and moose moving across working lands.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Higher CRP rental cap and payments

If enacted, the bill would raise the annual CRP rental payment cap from $50,000 to $125,000 per producer. It would let EQIP and CSP pay part of planning, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training costs on grassland enrolled in CRP that meets an ecological-significance test. You would not be eligible for EQIP/CSP payments for the same practice on the same land if you already receive payments from another Federal program (other than CRP). The changes would not alter CRP emergency haying or grazing rules.

More support for habitat connectivity

If enacted, the bill would add wildlife habitat connectivity and migration corridors (with a focus on native big game species) to Regional Conservation Partnership Program priority language. It would also explicitly list wildlife habitat connectivity as a purpose and priority for EQIP. The Secretary would be able to encourage conservation of landscape corridors and hydrologic connectivity across conservation programs. These changes would affect program priorities but would not by themselves provide new funding.

Virtual fencing help and research

If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, to add nonstructural livestock-distribution methods (for example, virtual fencing) into conservation practice standards and to provide technical assistance for those methods. It would authorize grants for research and extension to study barriers to adopting virtual fencing and its effects on resources, including sensitive riparian areas and crucial winter range and stopover habitats for native big game species. The bill would also define "native big game species" to mean native large mammals such as wild deer, elk, pronghorn, wild sheep, and moose.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

NM • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]

    MT • R

    Sponsored 3/12/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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