S. 1361 — A bill to amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for floodplain easement restoration and management, and for other purposes.

This bill amends the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program to allow the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide for certain floodplain easement restoration and management activities. The EWP Program offers technical and financial assistance, including the purchase of floodplain easements, to safeguard people and property from floods, drought, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters that impair a watershed. Under the bill, USDA may provide financial and technical assistance to restore the adapted vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of wetlands on these purchased floodplain easements. USDA also has the sole discretion to enter into compatible-use agreeme...