# 119-s-4912: BUFFER Act

119-s-4912, BUFFER Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4912
- As of: 2026-08-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4912
- Congress: 119
- Title: BUFFER Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-26

## Summary

**Disqualifies land from the Conservation Reserve Program when Tribal, State, or local laws require conservation measures.** The bill would amend Section 1231(b) of the Food Security Act to add that exclusion and to adjust related wording. - Farmers and landowners: Land that is subject to Tribal, State, or local laws requiring resource‑conserving or environmental practices would not qualify for CRP enrollment. Administrative orders and court orders are also treated as disqualifying legal requirements. - Tribal, State, and local governments: Local conservation rules could make privately held land ineligible for CRP in those jurisdictions, changing how local policy choices interact with federal enrollment incentives. - Conservation program administrators: The bill revises statutory text in Section 1231(b) and removes a phrase about decisions being “as determined by the Secretary,” which would change how the Department of Agriculture assesses CRP eligibility.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New CRP limits for farm owners: cost, medium. This bill would make some land ineligible for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Land that is otherwise eligible would be disqualified if a tribal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation requires any resource‑conserving or environmental protection practice. Land would also be ineligible…

## Related bills

- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4912 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4912)

## Related
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1507)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4912 (as of 2026-08-26).