US HB1420

Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to expand the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) by allowing enrollment of agricultural lands not otherwise eligible when critical to addressing diminished wetland wildlife habitat quality and quantity

Permits seasonally flooded agricultural uses on working cropland enrolled in habitat maintenance agreements for wetland-dependent species, provided at least one best management practice is adopted

Requires annual rental payments to be calculated comparably to costs of maintaining other seasonally-flooded wetland habitats in the region, with regional consistency in payment rates

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to waive state matching fund requirements for qualifying wetland habitat conservation agreements

Introduced February 18, 2025, with bipartisan California sponsorship (LaMalfa, Thompson, Valadao, Panetta, Costa, Matsui) and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture