# 119-s-4956: Farmers and Ranchers Relief Act of 2026

119-s-4956, Farmers and Ranchers Relief Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4956
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4956
- Congress: 119
- Title: Farmers and Ranchers Relief Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-13
- Sponsor: Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**This bill would deliver permitting relief for farmers and ranchers by changing how the Clean Water Act treats certain discharges of dredged or fill material.** It would expand exemptions in Section 404(f)(1), narrow the recapture rule in Section 404(f)(2), and require courts and agencies to construe those exemptions liberally in favor of not requiring permits. - Farmers, ranchers, and landowners: Would face fewer permit requirements for certain dredged or fill discharges because the bill directs a liberal reading of Section 404(f)(1). - Federal regulators and permit applicants: Would see a narrower trigger for losing exemptions under Section 404(f)(2), and a new construction rule that directs officials and courts to favor non-prohibition and non-permitting for covered discharges.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Armstrong, Alan [R-OK] (R-OK), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Fewer wetland permits for landowners: benefit, medium. This bill would tell agencies and courts to read Clean Water Act exemptions for some dredge-or-fill activities more broadly. This would make it less likely that farmers, ranchers, and other landowners need a federal section 404 permit for some discharges of dredged or fill material on their land. I…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.

## Sources
- [119-s-4956 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4956)

## Related
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4956 (as of 2026-09-10).