House Strips Pesticide Preemption From Farm Bill

The pest control industry’s top federal goal for 2026 took a hit in the House this spring. On April 29, House members voted 280 to 142 to strip pesticide provisions out of the farm bill, including language that would have stopped local governments from regulating the use of labeled pesticides.

Federal preemption of local pesticide rules has been a long-running priority for the National Pest Management Association. At NPMA’s Legislative Day in Washington, held March 15 to 17, more than 475 pest management professionals attended, and more than 230 members met with lawmakers and their staff. The main ask was getting pesticide preemption into the 2026 farm bill.

The amendment that removed the language was offered by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, and passed with support from both parties. According to an analysis by farmdoc daily at the University of Illinois, one of the struck sections would have barred local regulation of labeled pesticides, which would have kept towns and cities from adding their own restrictions, such as limits near schools. Another struck section dealt with manufacturer liability and would have limited states and courts from penalizing pesticide makers over their products.

A day later, on April 30, the House passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 by a vote of 224 to 200. Coverage from the agricultural science societies noted that the final House bill dropped the language preempting state and local pesticide warning label rules.

The fight is not over. The Senate Agriculture Committee still has to produce its own version of the bill, and congressional leaders have said they want a final compromise before the end of the year. Supporters of preemption could try to restore some form of the language in the Senate or in a final conference deal.

For now, the patchwork stays in place. In states that do not already preempt local pesticide ordinances, cities and counties keep whatever authority state law gives them to set their own rules on pesticide use. That means a company working across several towns can still face different notice, posting or product rules from one job to the next.