{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4935", "Lawler, Vindman Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Organic Farming Research and Support America\u2019s Farmers", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "House", "NY", "Michael Lawler", "L000599", "lawler.house.gov", "lawler", "https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 10/23/25\u2026 This week, Reps. Mike Lawler (NY-17) and Eugene Vindman (VA-07) introduced the Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025, legislation that strengthens America\u2019s organic agriculture sector by expanding federal research, improving coordination across the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and supporting producers transitioning to organic production.\n\nThe bill directs USDA to elevate organics research within its core scientific mission, ensuring the department better coordinates research across its agencies, includes organic priorities in its annual budget, and expands opportunities for universities and producers to advance innovation in the field.\n\n\u201cOrganic farming represents one of the most innovative sectors in American agriculture. By improving coordination at the USDA, this legislation helps advance the correlation between crop science and the family farms that utilize it to strengthen their business. Supporting agriculture research today means a more competitive agricultural economy tomorrow,\u201d said Congressman Lawler.\n\n\u201cAs the only Virginian on the House Agriculture Committee, I\u2019m proud to be a voice for our farmers in Congress. Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing and most innovative sectors in American farming. This bipartisan bill ensures that federal research keeps pace \u2014 strengthening support for producers, boosting sustainability, and helping secure the future of American agriculture for generations to come,\u201d said Congressman Vindman.\n\nSpecifically, the Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025 would:\n\nImprove coordination of organic research across USDA and require the department to include organics in its annual research and budget planning.\n\nBoost funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative to $100 million annually by 2030 and expand its focus on climate resilience and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge.\n\nCreate new grants to support farmers and universities studying how to transition to organic production and overcome barriers to certification.\n\nStrengthen data and economic analysis of organic agriculture, helping policymakers and producers better understand market trends and rural impacts.\n\nFull text of the bill can be found HERE.\n\n###\n\nCongressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T15:10:06Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4935"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.225412055850029, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}