Originally drafted with NOFA/Mass, ‣ and Soil 4 Climate in 2017, the bill went through several revisions. It was expanded to include all land use types in order to match the scope of the 2018 RFP for the Healthy Soils Action Plan when it was redrafted by Environment and Agriculture Committee in November 2019 (S.2404). The language of S.2402 was then included as an amendment to a “must pass” economic development bill late in the 2019-20 legislative session, and passed in the final hours of informal session on January 6, 2021 (yes, that day). On January 14th, 2021 Gov. Baker signed into law the Massachusetts Healthy Soils legislation as part of the economic development bill (sections 4-8, 13, and 73).
See testimony and fact sheets produced by NOFA/Mass: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FW9kY1-N8MJFoLoYEdfK52Ye8l3t7SYK?usp=drive_link
The bill establishes a healthy soils program is to “encourage and promote the use of healthy soils policies and practices by private and public landowners, including commercial farmers and any assistance available to program participants, which may consist of grants, technical assistance or education on the benefits and implementation of healthy soils best practices.”
It also establishes a dedicated Healthy Soils Program Fund, administered by the secretary of energy and environmental affairs. Language specifies the potential sources of the fund, outlines usage of the funds for implementing healthy soils practices, and ensures that funds do not revert to the General Fund at the end of the fiscal year.
It also caused for the creation of a new seat on the state’s food policy council for a designated expert in “healthy soils practices” adds the promotion healthy soils practices to the body’s official priorities.
Introduced to House and Senate 1/22/2019
Re-drafted bill passed out of Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means in fall 2019.
On January 14th, 2021 Gov. Baker signed into law the Massachusetts Healthy Soils legislation as part of the economic development bill (sections 4-8, 13, and 73) that passed the last day of the session on January 6th.
H.3713 An Act to promote healthy soils was a predecessor to this bill in the 2017-2018 session.
S.438/H.873 were redrafted as H.2404 with an expanded scope beyond agriculture, in order to align with a state-funded Healthy Soils Action Plan, released in 2022.