Bill · S. 845· Senate(119-S-845)
Farmland Security Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 3/4/2025
- Last activity
- 3/4/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Tammy Baldwin
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Farmland Security Act of 2025 aims to amend the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. This bill seeks to remove the previous limitations on the amount of civil penalties that can be issued. It introduces specific penalties for foreign-owned shell corporations, defined as entities with no or nominal operations. The legislation also mandates that the Secretary conduct an annual compliance audit of at least 10 percent of submitted reports. Additionally, the Secretary is tasked with conducting research on agricultural leasing, foreign-owned shell corporations, and foreign ownership of agricultural production. Finally, the bill authorizes appropriations for these activities through the year 2030.
Yes· 3 of 9
Would farmers be better off under this?+5
The bill increases oversight and research regarding the impact of foreign-owned shell corporations on family farms.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+3
The bill provides research and increased oversight focused on the impact of foreign land ownership on rural communities.
Does this put more money into scientific research?+3
The bill authorizes $2,000,000 annually through 2030 to fund research on agricultural land ownership and leasing.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Accountability for Shell Corporations: The bill establishes a significant penalty for foreign-owned shell corporations that fail to file or file defective reports, setting the penalty at 100 percent of the fair market value of the interest in the agricultural land involved (Sec. 2(a)(3)(2)). This could act as a strong deterrent against entities with no or nominal operations.
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Opportunity for Compliance: Shell corporations are given a chance to avoid the heavy penalty if they remedy a defective filing or failure to file within 60 days after receiving notice from the Secretary (Sec. 2(a)(3)(3)).
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Enhanced Oversight through Audits: The Secretary is required to perform an annual compliance audit on at least 10 percent of submitted reports to check for completeness and accuracy (Sec. 2(b)(2)). This helps ensure the information being tracked is correct.
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Improved Local Knowledge: The Secretary must provide annual training to State and county-level personnel to help them identify agricultural land that requires reports but has not yet been reported by a foreign person (Sec. 2(b)(3)).
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Data-Driven Insights: The Secretary is required to conduct research on how foreign leasing impacts family farms, rural communities, and the domestic food supply, as well as trends in land purchases by foreign-owned shell corporations (Sec. 2(c)(2)). This research could provide better understanding of shifts in the agricultural economy.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Heavy Financial Burdens on Shell Corporations: A foreign-owned shell corporation could face a civil penalty equal to 100 percent of the fair market value of its interest in the agricultural land if it fails to comply with filing requirements (Sec. 2(a)(3)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+5Good For Rural Residents+3Good For Low Income Households+1Good For Middle Class Households+1
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+3
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+2
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+1
- 3/4/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Chuck GrassleyRepublican · Iowa