,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dhea ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bb1 #bjbf,mr4 ,hoeven introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe to establish ,state assistance for soil health and wildlife habitat1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,supporting ,conservation through ,advancing ,local ,efforts ,act of #bjbf or the ,,scale ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,state assistance for soil health and wildlife habitat ,subchapter ,b of chapter #d of subtitle ,d of title ,,xii of the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #chci;aa-#ba et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #abdj,l-#b4 ,state assistance for soil health and wildlife habitat 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,agricultural land ,the term agricultural land means-- 7,a7 cropland2 7,b7 grassland2 7,c7 rangeland2 7,d7 pasture land2 7,e7 nonindustrial private forest land2 and 7,f7 other land in agricultural areas 7including wetlands1 marshes1 and agricultural land used or capable of being used for the production of livestock71 as determined by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,eligible ,indian ,tribe ,the term eligible ,indian ,tribe means an ,indian ,tribe that is-- 7,a7 implementing a soil health and wildlife habitat program for the area over which the ,indian ,tribe has jurisdiction2 and 7,b7 meeting or exceeding performance measures established by the ,indian ,tribe for the soil health and wildlife habitat program4 7#c7 ,eligible ,state ,the term eligible ,state means a ,state that is-- 7,a7 implementing a new or existing soil health and wildlife habitat program for the ,state2 and 7,b7 meeting or exceeding performance measures established by the ,state for the soil health and wildlife habitat program4 7#d7 ,soil health and wildlife habitat program ,the term soil health and wildlife habitat program means a program to improve soil health and wildlife habitat on agricultural land that-- 7,a7 is broadly consistent with the soil health principles of the ,natural ,resources ,conservation ,service1 as determined by the ,secretary1 including the use of perennial grasses2 and 7,b7 may include-- 7i7 technical assistance2 7ii7 financial assistance2 7iii7 on-farm research and demonstration2 7iv7 education1 outreach1 and training2 7v7 monitoring and evaluation2 or 7vi7 such other components as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7b7 ,availability and purpose of grants ,for fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca1 the ,secretary shall make grants to eligible ,states and eligible ,indian ,tribes for the purpose of improving soil health and wildlife habitat on agricultural lands through the implementation of ,state and ,tribal soil health and wildlife habitat programs4 7c7 ,applications 7#a7 ,in general ,to receive a grant under this section1 an eligible ,state or eligible ,indian ,tribe shall submit to the ,secretary an application that shall contain-- 7,a7 a description of performance measures to be used to evaluate the ,state or ,tribal soil health and wildlife habitat program and the expected results of any activities carried out using grant funds received under this section2 and 7,b7 an assurance that grant funds received under this section will supplement the expenditure of ,state or ,tribal funds in support of soil health and wildlife habitat1 rather than replace such funds4 7#b7 ,tribal option ,an ,indian ,tribe shall have the option1 at the sole discretion of the ,indian ,tribe1 to be incorporated into the application of an eligible ,state4 7d7 ,grants 7#a7 ,amount ,the amount of a grant to an eligible ,state or eligible ,indian ,tribe under this section for a fiscal year may not exceed #aj1jjj1jjj4 7#b7 ,term ,a grant under this section shall be for #e years1 and may be renewed4 7#c7 ,matching funds 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 a ,state shall provide matching funds in the form of cash or an in-kind contribution in an amount equal to the amount of ,federal funds provided4 7,b7 ,exception ,if a ,state is unable to provide matching funds under subparagraph 7,a7 sufficient to receive the full amount for which the ,state is otherwise eligible1 the ,secretary shall provide the ,state a proportional amount of ,federal funds equal to the amount of matching funds the ,state commits to provide4 7e7 ,audits and reviews ,an eligible ,state or eligible ,indian ,tribe receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary1 for each year for which the ,state or ,indian ,tribe receives such a grant1 the results of an audit of the expenditures of the grant funds4 7f7 ,effect of noncompliance ,if the ,secretary1 after reasonable notice to an eligible ,state or eligible ,indian ,tribe receiving a grant under this section1 finds that the ,state or ,indian ,tribe has failed to comply with the terms of the grant1 the ,secretary may disqualify1 for #a or more years1 the ,state or ,indian ,tribe from receipt of future grants under this section4 7g7 ,funding ,of the funds of the ,commodity ,credit ,corporation1 the ,secretary shall use to carry out this section #ej1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca4 7h7 ,administration 7#a7 ,department ,the ,secretary may not use more than #c percent of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year for administrative expenses4 7#b7 ,states or ,indian ,tribes ,an eligible ,state or eligible ,indian ,tribe receiving a grant under this section may not use more than #g percent of the granted funds for a fiscal year for administrative expenses4 7#c7 ,deadline ,the ,secretary shall award the grants under this section not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this section4 7#d7 ,no conditions ,a grant awarded under this section shall not-- 7,a7 be conditioned on any requirement1 guideline1 technical standard1 or administrative directive of the ,department of ,agriculture2 or 7,b7 direct or require modification of any soil health and wildlife habitat program established1 funded1 or administered by a ,state or local government4 4