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Bill

HR 9968

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to submit to Congress a report on barriers to participation in Department of Agriculture programs faced by certified organic farms and farms that may be interested in transitioning to organic production, and for other purposes.

119th Congress Introduced by Shontel Brown and 1 co-sponsor

HR 9968 requires a report from the Secretary of Agriculture detailing barriers to USDA program participation for certified organic farms and those considering organic transition.

Introduced in House
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HR 9968

Summary of HR 9968 (118th or 119th Congress, as indicated)

Note: This summary reflects the bill’s stated title and available action history. For full text and precise section-by-section language, consult the official bill text and legislative digest.

Purpose and intent

  • HR 9968 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to submit to Congress a report on barriers to participation in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs.
  • The focus of the report is on certified organic farms and farms that may be interested in transitioning to organic production, with the aim of identifying and addressing obstacles to participation in USDA programs.

Key provisions and changes the bill would make

  • Mandates a report from the Secretary of Agriculture to Congress. The report should detail barriers to participation in USDA programs for:
    • Certified organic farms
    • Farms that may be interested in transitioning to organic production
  • The scope suggests assessing barriers across programs that support organic certification, production, marketing, financial assistance, technical assistance, and other USDA-administered supports (although the exact programs covered would be specified in the bill’s text).
  • The bill does not, based on the provided information, enact new program funding or create new USDA authorities; rather, it calls for an evidence-based assessment and reporting to Congress on barriers and potential recommendations.

Who/what would be affected

  • Certified organic farms (current participants in USDA programs)
  • Farms considering or planning an organic transition
  • USDA programs and offices involved in organic certification, production support, and transition assistance
  • Congress, which would receive the mandated report and could consider accompanying statutory or administrative actions

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (July 27, 2026).
  • The standard expectation would be that the Secretary would prepare and submit the report by a congressionally specified deadline (not provided in the brief action history; the bill text would set timing).
  • Subsequent steps would typically involve committee review, possible amendments, and floor consideration, depending on committee actions and scheduling.

Additional notes

  • The bill has two listed co-sponsors: Shontel Brown and Andy Ogles.
  • The legislation is narrowly focused on information gathering and reporting rather than creating new programs or substantive policy changes, at least in the stated provisions.
  • Without the full text, exact criteria for “barriers,” methodology for the report, and preferred formats for recommendations remain to be clarified.

If you’d like, I can pull the full bill text and provide a more granular section-by-section breakdown, including any defined terms, reporting requirements, and timeline deadlines.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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