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H.R. 7518119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Feb 11, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
Official title: To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to ensure adequate staffing and resources for the Institute of Tropical Forestry and the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govThe plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 7518 would set minimum staff levels at two Forest Service research institutes: 50 in Puerto Rico, 30 in Hawaii.
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This bill would require the federal government to keep at least 50 employees at the Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico and at least 30 at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry in Hawaii. It would also require both locations to have enough resources to carry out research, demonstration projects, and sharing of forestry knowledge. Right now, no such minimums exist in law.
This bill affects the U.S. Forest Service and the Secretary of Agriculture, who would be legally required to meet the new staffing floors. Scientists, land managers, and communities in Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands who rely on these institutes would also be affected.
Without minimum staffing requirements, these institutes could be reduced in size, which could limit the research and expertise available to people in those regions. This bill would set a legal floor that the government must stay at or above.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.