A Democratic bill with no cosponsors · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act, or the BUFFER Act. It was introduced in the Senate by Mr. Welch and Mr. Sanders on June 24, 2026. The legislation amends the Food Security Act of 1985. Its main goal is to clarify what land is eligible to be enrolled in the conservation reserve program. Specifically, it adds a new category of eligible land based on local, State, or Tribal laws and regulations.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +6
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
By encouraging enrollment of lands subject to environmental and resource-conserving laws into the conservation reserve program, it supports ecological resilience.
- Scored +6
Would farmers be better off under this?
Farmers and landowners benefit by gaining a clearer pathway to enroll their land into the conservation reserve program under local environmental rules.
- Scored +5
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?
The bill incentivizes conservation practices on agricultural lands by clarifying eligibility for the conservation reserve program.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Section 2 adds a new provision to allow land to be enrolled in the conservation reserve program if a Tribal, State, or local law, ordinance, or regulation requires a resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice on that land. This is a positive outcome because it helps people enroll their land into the conservation reserve program when local rules require them to use environmental protections.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2 states that land is not eligible for enrollment if the requirement to implement a resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice was imposed by an administrative order or a court order. This could be viewed as a negative outcome because it blocks people from enrolling their land in the program if a court or administrative order forced them to follow those environmental rules.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — By encouraging enrollment of lands subject to environmental and resource-conserving laws into the conservation reserve program, it supports ecological resilience. Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — It clarifies land eligibility rules under the Food Security Act of 1985 to better incorporate local and state conservation mandates. Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill helps farmers and landowners in rural areas enroll qualifying lands into federal conservation programs. Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change? — The bill incentivizes conservation practices on agricultural lands by clarifying eligibility for the conservation reserve program.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would farmers be better off under this? — Farmers and landowners benefit by gaining a clearer pathway to enroll their land into the conservation reserve program under local environmental rules. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Rural landowners and agricultural communities benefit from expanded and clarified conservation program opportunities. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill explicitly recognizes Tribal laws and regulations as a basis for conservation reserve program eligibility.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill explicitly incorporates Tribal, State, and local laws and regulations into federal program eligibility determinations.
- 6/24/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont