The state must prove no other choice before taking farm land.
H.R. 10135 — Not In My Barn Yard Act · Filed by Glenn Thompson (R-PA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Aug 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill stops the state from taking farm, ranch, or forest land. It only works if no other option exists for a public project. It only applies to future takings, not ones already started. Farm land means land used for farming, ranching, forestry, or timber work. This must have happened in the past 5 years. Small farms under 10 acres that make less than $1,000 per year do not count as farm land.
Who it affects
Farm owners, ranchers, and forestry workers gain a shield against state land seizure. The state must now show it has no other choice before taking their land.
One thing to notice
A farm with 10.5 acres loses all shield. This is true even if it makes $50,000 per year.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Aug 20, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Aug 20, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- seizing — Taking something by force or legal power.
- forestry — Work with trees and forests.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,063 characters) on Aug 24, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
“The state must prove no other choice before taking farm land.” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr10135/simple Report an error