H.R. 7761

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7761 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7761

To reauthorize and improve the relending program to resolve ownership 
and succession on farmland, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 3, 2026

Mr. Bishop (for himself, Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, and Mr. Davis of 
North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To reauthorize and improve the relending program to resolve ownership 
and succession on farmland, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Heirs Education and Investment to 
Resolve Succession of Property Act''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HEIRS PROPERTY INTERMEDIARY RELENDING 
PROGRAM.

Section 310I(g) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1936c(g)) is amended by striking ``2023'' and inserting 
``2031''.

SEC. 3. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR HEIRS PROPERTY RESOLUTION THROUGH 
DIRECT PUBLIC INTEREST LEGAL SERVICES.

Section 310I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
U.S.C. 1936c) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections 
(g) and (h), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
``(f) Cooperative Agreements for Heirs Property Resolution Through 
Direct Public Interest Legal Services.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into 
cooperative agreements with eligible entities to provide legal 
or accounting services to underserved heirs, at no cost to the 
underserved heirs, to assist in resolving issues related to 
ownership and succession on farmland or forest land that has 
multiple owners. Such a cooperative agreement must be for any 
of the following purposes:
``(A) To assist with transitioning land to 
agricultural production.
``(B) To maintain land in agricultural production.
``(C) To increase access to programs administered 
by the Secretary through the resolution of real 
property claims in order to allow real property owners 
to meet land ownership eligibility requirements for 
participation in a program administered by the 
Secretary.
``(2) Administration of cooperative agreements.--
``(A) Duration.--
``(i) In general.--A cooperative agreement 
under paragraph (1) shall be in effect for not 
more than 4 years, subject to clause (ii).
``(ii) Special rule.--The Secretary may re-
enter into a cooperative agreement with the 
same or a different eligible entity to provide 
continued services for heirs if property 
ownership is not resolved within the initial 
term of the original cooperative agreement, and 
the entity certifies that the entity 
understands that the cooperative agreement is 
not guaranteed to be funded for more than 4 
years after the commencement of the original 
cooperative agreement.
``(B) Management of performance.--
``(i) Annual reports.--An eligible entity 
must provide annual reports to the Secretary 
summarizing the progress made during each 
fiscal year towards achieving the goals of the 
cooperative agreement for the heirs for whom 
services are provided under the cooperative 
agreement.
``(ii) Information and data.--The Secretary 
may require an eligible entity to provide the 
Secretary with such information or data, other 
than personally identifiable information or 
data, as the Secretary deems necessary to 
determine that the eligible entity is making 
acceptable progress.
``(iii) Effect of failure to demonstrate 
success.--If an eligible entity providing 
services under such a cooperative agreement 
does not demonstrate success, as determined by 
the Secretary, in resolving or reasonably 
attempting to resolve the property claims of an 
heir, the Secretary may terminate the 
agreement, or elect to not enter into a new 
cooperative agreement with the eligible entity 
after the initial term of the original 
cooperative agreement.
``(C) Implementation.--The Secretary may utilize 
requests for public input or the formal rulemaking 
process to effectuate this subsection. At a minimum, 
the Secretary shall make publicly available the 
criteria for selecting an eligible entity to enter into 
an agreement to provide services, the administrative 
and performance requirements for cooperative agreements 
under this subsection, as well as codify within its 
internal policy its implementation process.
``(D) Heirs property not in farming.--On a limited 
basis, and when determined by the Secretary to meet the 
purposes of a program administered by the Secretary and 
to expand access to such a program, the Secretary may 
allow an eligible entity to provide services at no cost 
to an heir who is not an underserved heir if--
``(i) the land with respect to which the 
services are to be provided is not farmland or 
in agricultural production, but could be viably 
productive for agricultural, conservation, or 
forestry purposes;
``(ii) the heir satisfies all other 
requirements of the definition of `underserved 
heir';
``(iii) the heir can provide proof to 
substantiate that the heir is in control of the 
real property; and
``(iv) the heir certifies to the Secretary 
that the heir intends to apply for, and make a 
good faith effort to enroll the land in, a 
program administered by the Secretary once 
property claims to the land are resolved 
through services provided under a cooperative 
agreement entered into under this subsection.
``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
means a nonprofit organization that--
``(i) provides legal or accounting services 
to an underserved heir at no cost to the 
underserved heir; and
``(ii) has demonstrated experience in 
resolving issues related to ownership and 
succession on farmland or forest land that has 
multiple owners.
``(B) Limited resource heir.--An heir shall be 
considered a limited resource heir for purposes of this 
subsection if--
``(i) the total household income of the 
heir is at or below the national poverty level 
for a family of 4, or less than 50 percent of 
the county median household income for the 2 
immediately preceding calendar years, as 
determined annually using data of the 
Department of Commerce; or
``(ii) the property of the heir for which 
legal services are provided pursuant to a 
cooperative agreement entered into under this 
subsection is in a persistent poverty 
community, as determined annually on the basis 
of data from the Department of Commerce, or a 
socially vulnerable area, as designated by the 
Centers on Disease Control and Prevention.
``(C) Underserved heir.--The term `underserved 
heir' means an heir with an undivided ownership 
interest in farmland that has multiple owners, who is--
``(i) a limited resource heir;
``(ii) a member of a socially disadvantaged 
group (as defined in section 2501(a) of the 
Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 
of 1990); or
``(iii) a veteran (as defined in section 
101(2) of title 38, United States Code).
``(4) Annual reports to congress.--Within 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this subsection, and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare, make public, and 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry of the Senate a written report on the activities 
carried out under this subsection in the year covered by the 
report.
``(5) Limitations on authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) In general.--To carry out this subsection, 
there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
``(B) Limitation on use of funds for 
administration.--The Secretary may expend for 
administrative purposes not more than 3 percent of the 
amounts made available under subparagraph (A).''.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT ON OPERATIONS AND OUTCOMES UNDER THE RELENDING 
PROGRAM TO RESOLVE OWNERSHIP AND SUCCESSION ON FARMLAND.

Section 310I(g) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, 
as so redesignated by section 3 of this Act, is amended by striking 
``Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Secretary shall'' and inserting ``The Secretary shall annually''.

SEC. 5. REPORTS ON LAND ACCESS AND FARMLAND OWNERSHIP DATA COLLECTION.

Section 12607(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 
U.S.C. 2204i(c)) is amended by striking ``2023'' and inserting 
``2031''.
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