What This Bill Does
This bill amends federal agricultural law to extend and permanently authorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA). The bill changes AGARDA from a temporary pilot program to a permanent program and expands what types of agricultural challenges it can address, including water conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Agriculture and AGARDA staff, including scientists and professional employees hired to work for the program.
Key Provisions
• The bill removes the word "pilot" from AGARDA's legal status, making it a permanent program rather than a temporary one (Sec. 2(1)).
• AGARDA can now focus on overcoming technological barriers in agriculture that help with water conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and building resilience to extreme weather, drought, diseases and pests (Sec. 2(2)(B)).
• The Director of AGARDA must report to the Chief Scientist of the Department of Agriculture, and no other program head in the department can report to the AGARDA Director (Sec. 2(3)(C)).
• The Director can hire highly qualified scientists and professional staff using existing hiring rules from another federal agricultural law (Sec. 2(3)(E)).
• The Secretary of Agriculture can use other available funds to carry out AGARDA's work, but cannot use funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (a government fund for agriculture support) (Sec. 2(5)(C)).
What Changes
AGARDA transitions from a pilot program ending after fiscal year 2023 to a permanent program. The program's goals expand to specifically include water conservation technologies and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funding changes from what was authorized previously to amounts the bill specifies for fiscal years 2024 through 2029.
Important Definitions
Greenhouse gas emissions: gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 2385
To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy
Act of 1977 to extend and permanently authorize the Agriculture Ad-
vanced Research and Development Authority, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 29, 2023
Mr. PANETTA (for himself and Mr. FEENSTRA) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension,
and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to extend and perma-
nently authorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and
Development Authority, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advancing Cutting
4
Edge Agriculture Act’’ or the ‘‘ACE Agriculture Act’’.
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•HR 2385 IH
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF AGARDA.
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Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Re-
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search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7
3
U.S.C. 3319k) is amended—
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(1) in the section heading, by striking
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‘‘PILOT’’;
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(2) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ‘‘growing,’’
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and inserting ‘‘growing (including water conserva-
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tion technologies and innovation),’’;
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(3) in subsection (b)—
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(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘pilot’’;
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(B) in paragraph (2)—
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(i) by amending subparagraph (B) to
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read as follows:
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‘‘(B) to overcome the long term and high-
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risk technological barriers in the development of
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agricultural technologies, research tools, and
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qualified products and projects that enhance ex-
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port competitiveness, environmental sustain-
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ability, water conservation, the reduction, avoid-
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ance, sequestration, or mitigation of greenhouse
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gas emissions, and resilience to extreme weath-
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er, drought, infectious diseases, plant and ani-
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mal pathogens, and plant and animal pests;’’;
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and
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•HR 2385 IH
(ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting
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‘‘or economic cost’’ after ‘‘financial uncer-
2
tainty’’;
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(C) in paragraph (3)(B)—
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(i) in clause (ii), in the matter pre-
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ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘advise
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the Chief Scientist on, and’’; and
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(ii) by amending clause (iii) to read as
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follows:
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‘‘(iii) RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE DE-
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PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.—
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‘‘(I) CHIEF SCIENTIST.—The Di-
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rector shall report to the Chief Sci-
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entist.
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‘‘(II)
OTHER
PROGRAMS.—No
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other official who is the head of any
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other program of the Department of
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Agriculture shall report to the Direc-
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tor.’’;
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(D) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘pilot’’
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each place it appears in subparagraphs (A) and
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(B); and
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(E) by amending paragraph (9) to read as
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follows:
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‘‘(9) PERSONNEL MATTERS.—
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•HR 2385 IH
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es-
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tablish and maintain within the AGARDA a
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staff with sufficient qualifications and expertise
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to enable the AGARDA to carry out the respon-
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sibilities of the AGARDA under this section in
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conjunction with other operations of the De-
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partment of Agriculture.
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‘‘(B) USE OF EXISTING PERSONNEL AU-
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THORITIES.—In carrying out this subsection,
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the Secretary may appoint highly qualified indi-
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viduals to scientific or professional positions on
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the same terms and conditions as provided in
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subsections (b)(3), (b)(4), (c), (d), (e), and (f)
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of section 620 of the Agricultural Research, Ex-
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tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7
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U.S.C. 7657).’’;
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(4) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the
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following:
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‘‘(4) USE OF STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Secretary
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shall use the strategic plan developed under para-
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graph (1) to inform the administration of the
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AGARDA under this section.’’;
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(5) in subsection (d)—
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(A) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara-
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graph (C);
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•HR 2385 IH
(B)
in
paragraph
(3),
by
striking
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‘‘$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019
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through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000,000
3
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029’’;
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and
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(C) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(4) OTHER FUNDING.—In addition to amounts
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otherwise made available to carry out this section,
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the Secretary may use to carry out this section other
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funds available to the Secretary for any other pur-
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pose.
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‘‘(5) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in paragraph
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(2) or (4) authorizes the use of the funds of the
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Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this sec-
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tion.’’; and
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(6) by striking subsection (e).
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Æ
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