S. 2155: A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to promote biobased manufacturing.

112th Congress · introduced 2012-03-05 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-03-05 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to promote biobased manufacturing.

Plain summary

Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include facilities that convert renewable biomass into renewable chemicals in the definitions of "biomass conversion facility" and "biorefinery." Defines "renewable chemical" as a monomer, polymer, plastic, or formulated product produced from renewable biomass. Amends the biobased markets program to: (1) require federal procuring agencies to issue a certain number of biobased-only contracts; and (2) require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to designate intermediate ingredients or feedstocks and assembled and finished biobased products in the program guidelines; (3) require the Secretary to issue criteria for determining which assembled and finished products may carry the USDA Certified Biobased Product label; (4) require the Secretary to assess the economic impact of the biobased products industry; (5) authorize the Secretary to carry out outreach, education, and promotion activities; and (6) authorize the Secretary to perform audits. Makes renewable chemicals and biobased product manufacturing eligible for grant and loan guarantee assistance. Eliminates feedstocks research, development, and demonstration activities from the Biomass Research and Development Initiative.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to promote biobased manufacturing.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] · 11 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Ballot initiative: A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s2155.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s2155 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112