Bills · S 845
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
Senate BillS 845Agriculture and Food
Farmland Security Act of 2025
INTRO MAR 4· LAST ACTION MAR 4
READING
4MIN
COSPONSORS
1
READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL
NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST
- Introduced only
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed Senate
Passed House
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenThis bill matters because it aims to increase transparency and accountability regarding who owns and controls U.S. agricultural land, an issue that has gained public attention due to concerns about national security, food supply resilience, and the economic impact on rural communities. If this bill becomes law, it would significantly raise the stakes for foreign entities attempting to secretly acquire farmland, especially through anonymous shell corporations, by imposing much harsher financial penalties.
If the bill does not pass, the current reporting requirements and penalty structures for foreign agricultural land ownership would remain largely unchanged. This means that foreign entities, particularly those using shell corporations, might continue to face relatively less severe consequences for non-disclosure, potentially allowing secret land acquisitions to persist. The new audits, training, and reporting requirements would provide a clearer, more comprehensive picture of foreign involvement in U.S. agriculture, enabling policymakers to make more informed decisions about land use, food security, and foreign investment policies.
KEY PROVISIONS
5AI-extractedPROVISION 01
The bill removes the existing financial limit on civil penalties for foreign persons or entities that fail to disclose their ownership or lease of U.S. agricultural land.
This allows the government to impose much higher fines, acting as a stronger deterrent against non-compliance.
PROVISION 02
It creates a new, specific civil penalty for foreign-owned "shell corporations" that don't report their agricultural land holdings, setting the fine at 100% of the land's fair market value.
This targets entities designed to hide true ownership, aiming to eliminate the financial benefit of obscuring assets and increase transparency.
PROVISION 03
The Secretary of Agriculture must conduct an annual compliance audit of at least 10% of the foreign investment disclosure reports submitted each year.
This ensures active enforcement and verification of reporting, making it less likely that false or incomplete reports go unnoticed.
PROVISION 04
The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to provide annual training to State and county-level personnel on identifying agricultural land for which foreign ownership reports are required but have not been submitted.
This aims to improve grassroots identification of undisclosed foreign land ownership, complementing federal enforcement efforts.
PROVISION 05
The Secretary of Agriculture must submit annual reports to Congress on foreign agricultural leasing activities, trends in purchases by foreign-owned shell corporations, and foreign participation in U.S. agricultural production.
This provides critical data and analysis to lawmakers, enabling informed policy decisions regarding foreign investment in the agricultural sector.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 1
D· Wisconsin
YRS IN OFFICE
27
BILLS LED
52
COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 0%
DEM 0 REP 1 IND 0
ACTION TIMELINE
2 EVENTSMAR 4
Introduced in Senate
MAR 4
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
BILL INFO
TypeSenate Bill
NumberS 845
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedMar 4, 2025
Last actionMar 4, 2025
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED MAR 4, 2025
Senate BillS 845Agriculture and Food
Farmland Security Act of 2025
INTRODUCED MAR 4, 2025· LAST ACTION MAR 4, 2025
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
4 min
COSPONSORS
1
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
