S. 2215 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jul 9, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands USDA flood protection through floodplain restoration
The bill gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture more tools to help restore floodplains and protect communities from floods and other natural disasters. It allows USDA to provide money and expert help to landowners who agree to let the government restore and manage wetlands and plant cover on their floodplain land. USDA can also make agreements with landowners, government agencies, and nonprofit groups to keep up these restoration efforts over time.
How it affects you
Landowners with floodplain property could benefit from financial assistance and guidance to restore their land, which also helps protect nearby communities from flooding. People living in flood-prone areas may see improved flood protection as more floodplains are restored to absorb and manage water naturally. The bill doesn't directly affect most other Americans, though it expands an existing program that has worked on watershed protection nationwide.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jul 9, 2025)
Restoring America’s Floodplains Act
This bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide for certain floodplain easement restoration and management activities under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. This program offers technical and financial assistance, including the purchase of floodplain easements, to safeguard people and property from floods, drought, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.
Under the bill, USDA may provide financial and technical assistance to restore the adapted vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of wetlands on these purchased floodplain easements. USDA also has the sole discretion to enter into compatible-use agreements with landowners, and agreements with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, to address the maintenance and management of the vegetative cover and wetlands restoration measures for these floodplain easements.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 2215
A BILL
Restoring America’s Floodplains Act
Sponsor: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) · Introduced Jul 9, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 9, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”