United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 5 D cosponsors

S 2500 — Research for Healthy Soils Act

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced July 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 24% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (5 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Research for Healthy Soils ActThis bill includes research on the agricultural impacts of microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area and reauthorizes other research and extension activities. Microplastic is a plastic or plastic-coated particle that is less than 5 millimeters in size.The bill specifically allows grants for carrying out or enhancing research on microplastics (e.g., through the development or analysis of wastewater treatment techniques to filter out or biodegrade microplastics from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes).Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2031. The bill also specifically reauthorizes through FY2031the Pulse Crop Health Initiative;the Comprehensive Food Safety Training Network;pollinator protection research and extension grants;increased USDA capacity and infrastructure to address and conduct research on colony collapse disorder and other pollinator issues; anda USDA-conducted nationwide honey bee pest, pathogen, health, and population status surveillance program.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds research on microplastics in land-applied biosolids as a high-priority area and extends the reauthorization timeframe for various research initiatives from 2023 to 2031.

  • 7 U.S.C. 5925(d)

    (21) Microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland.--Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purposes of carrying out or enhancing research on the agricultural impacts of plastic or plastic-coated particles that are less than 5 millimeters in any dimension (referred to in this paragraph as `microplastics') in land-applied biosolids on farmland, including-- (A) by conducting surveys and collecting data on microplastic concentration, particle size, and chemical composition in land-applied biosolids on farmland; (B) through the development or analysis of wastewater treatment techniques to filter out or biodegrade microplastics from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes; (C) by conducting an analysis of the impact on agricultural crops and soil health of microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland; (D) by conducting research to better understand how wastewater processing impacts microplastics; and (E) by conducting research to better understand the fate, residence time, and transport of microplastics on farmland.

    This change creates a new focus area for research grants to address the impacts of microplastics in agriculture.

  • 7 U.S.C. 5925

    2023 → 2031

    This change extends the reauthorization timeline for specific research initiatives from 2023 to 2031.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 542 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (542)

542 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 542 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 2500 do?
Research for Healthy Soils ActThis bill includes research on the agricultural impacts of microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area and reauthorizes other research and extension activities. Microplastic is a plastic or plastic-coated particle that is less than 5 millimeters in size.The bill specifically allows grants for carrying out or enhancing research on microplastics (e.g., through the development or analysis of wastewater treatment techniques to filter out or biodegrade microplastics from biosolids intended to be used for agricultural purposes).Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2031. The bill also specifically reauthorizes through FY2031the Pulse Crop Health Initiative;the Comprehensive Food Safety Training Network;pollinator protection research and extension grants;increased USDA capacity and infrastructure to address and conduct research on colony collapse disorder and other pollinator issues; anda USDA-conducted nationwide honey bee pest, pathogen, health, and population status surveillance program.
Who sponsors S 2500?
S 2500 is sponsored by Merkley, Jeff (Democratic), Booker, Cory A. (Democratic), Whitehouse, Sheldon (Democratic), Wyden, Ron (Democratic), and Van Hollen, Chris (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 2500?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced July 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 2500?
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