Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act

H.R. 4708, the Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act, would amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to treat control of the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) as a high-priority area for research and extension under the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) programs. Specifically, it authorizes research and extension grants to develop and disseminate research-based tools and treatments to combat the Spotted Lanternfly. In addition, the bill reauthorizes the government’s high-priority research and extension initiatives through 2030 (updating several provisions that currently reference 2023). The overall goal is to accelerate discovery and spread of effective control methods to protect agriculture and related industries from this invasive pest. The bill was introduced in the House (July 23, 2025) with multiple co-sponsors and referred to the Committee on Agriculture. If enacted, it would shape the focus and timeline of federal grant programs supporting SLF-related research and outreach, though it does not, by itself, specify new funding levels.