Empowering Women in Agriculture Act

119 HR 8042 IH: Empowering Women in Agriculture Act U.S. House of Representatives 2026-03-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8042 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 24, 2026 Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick (for herself, Mr. Jackson of Illinois , Ms. Salinas , and Ms. Brownley ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to expand outreach and assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who are women, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Empowering Women in Agriculture Act . 2. Farming opportunities training and outreach (a) Definitions Section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 2279(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (6), by striking racial or ethnic prejudice and inserting racial, gender, or ethnic prejudice ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (8) Women’s nonprofit organization The term women’s nonprofit organization means an organization that— (A) was founded by, and for the purpose of serving, women; (B) is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; and (C) has been in continuous existence for at least 10 years. . (b) Outreach and assistance for socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers Section 2501(c)(1) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 2279(c)(1) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (H) A women’s nonprofit organization. . (c) Funding Section 2501(l) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 2279(l) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), by striking fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and inserting fiscal years 2021 through 2031 ; and (2) in paragraph (4), by adding at the end the following: (C) Socially disadvantaged women farmers and ranchers Not less that 10 percent of the amounts made available to carry out subsection (c) for a fiscal year shall be used to support programs and services that address the needs of women who are socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. .