# 119-s-5309: COWS Act of 2026

119-s-5309, COWS Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-20).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5309
- As of: 2026-08-20
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5309
- Congress: 119
- Title: COWS Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-20

## Summary

**This bill would expand the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to fund** alternative manure management and composting to cut farm methane and nitrous oxide emissions and boost soil and water health. It targets practices that avoid wet manure handling and support on-farm or shared compost production to improve carbon sequestration and reduce nitrate leaching. - Small and medium dairy and livestock operations would be prioritized for most contracts, with special emphasis on beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers. Joint applications for shared composting facilities are allowed with proportional payment splits. - Participating producers could get EQIP payments covering costs up to 100 percent, and the Secretary must provide at least 50 percent of AMMP payments in advance to buy materials or hire services. - USDA would have to publish methods for estimating carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reductions, pay for design and implementation help, set a new on-farm compost standard, and can use cooperative agreements with third-party technical providers. Projects would be limited to a 3 year term. - The package aims to reduce methane and nitrous oxide, lower nitrate leaching risks to groundwater, and increase on-farm carbon storage.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- How manure and compost projects win awards: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would add award rules to favor projects that maximize carbon storage, greenhouse gas cuts, and water quality and quantity benefits. If enacted, the Secretary would, to the maximum extent practicable, give most AMMP contracts each year to small and medium dairy and livestoc…
- Which farms and practices qualify: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would add a clear definition of alternative manure management practices (AMMPs). Examples listed include pasture-based grazing, compost-bedded pack barns, solid separation and scrape or vacuum systems, drying, composting, vermiculture, evaporation, and solid storage methods. If…
- Advance payments and support for manure projects: mixed, high. If enacted, you would be able to get payments for alternative manure management projects that cover up to 100% of eligible costs. You would be able to get at least a 50% advance for costs for buying materials or equipment and for technical help the Secretary provides. The Secretary would pay for de…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5309 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5309)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1462)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5309 (as of 2026-08-20).