Heirs Education and Investment Act

Summary#

This bill reauthorizes and changes a relending program that helps resolve ownership and succession on multi-owner farmland. It adds a new authority for the Secretary to make cooperative agreements with eligible nonprofit organizations to provide legal or accounting services at no cost to underserved heirs. Those services are meant to help transition or keep land in agricultural production and to resolve property claims so owners can meet land ownership rules for programs run by the Secretary. Cooperative agreements generally last up to 4 years and can be renewed if ownership is not resolved. Eligible entities must give annual reports and other non‑identifying data to the Secretary, and the Secretary may end agreements that do not show success. The bill defines who counts as an eligible entity, a limited resource heir, and an underserved heir (including certain income tests, persistent poverty communities, socially vulnerable areas, socially disadvantaged groups, and veterans). It requires annual reports to Congress on program activities and extends related land access and farmland ownership data collection through 2031. The bill authorizes $60,000,000 for each fiscal year 2027–2031 for these cooperative agreements and allows up to 3 percent of those funds to be used for administration.

What it means for you#

• If you are an underserved heir with an undivided interest in multi-owner farmland or forest land, you may be eligible for free legal or accounting help to resolve ownership or succession problems and to help enroll land in programs run by the Secretary. Exact eligibility, how to apply, and how many people can be helped will be set by the Secretary.
• If you run a nonprofit legal or accounting program, you could qualify to enter a cooperative agreement if you provide free services to heirs and have experience resolving multi-owner land issues. You must report progress each year.
• The Secretary will publish criteria for selecting organizations, may use public input or rulemaking, and must send annual reports to congressional agriculture committees.
• No publicly available information on the detailed application process, the number of heirs expected to be served, or specific program timelines.

Expenses#

• The bill authorizes $60,000,000 to be appropriated to the Secretary for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031 to carry out the cooperative agreements.
• The Secretary may use not more than 3 percent of those amounts for administrative costs.
• No publicly available information on estimated total federal cost beyond the authorized appropriations or on any official budget score.

Proponents' View#

The bill’s stated purpose is to reauthorize and improve the relending program and to expand access to free legal and accounting services so underserved heirs can resolve property claims, keep or return land to agricultural production, and meet land ownership requirements for programs administered by the Secretary. It also increases reporting and extends data collection on land access and ownership.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.