AIPM Act of 2015

Summary: Areawide Integrated Pest Management Act of 2015 or the AIPM Act of 2015  This bill amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to expand the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program to include grants to colleges, universities, and other entities for qualified areawide integrated pest management projects to prevent the spread of pests and invasive species.  The bill establishes an areawide integrated pest management committee to consider stakeholder feedback and determine priorities for the projects.  The projects must be implemented on a landscape scale or larger and include collaboration with specified federal, regional, state, and nongovernmental entities. The projects may prevent the spread of pests and invasive species through: prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression; educational programs; and physical, mechanical, cultural biologically-based, or chemical controls.  A qualified project must:   provide for significant benefits for the prevention, eradication, or management of pests and invasive species;  provide for economic and environmental benefits to agriculture, individuals, wildlife, and the environment;  address the annual priorities established by the integrated pest management committee;  last no more than five years;  establish a regional advisory committee to oversee the project; and involve the cooperative extension services in translating the results of research into practical information and tools to be shared.   USDA must transfer to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture the authority for the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Areawide Integrated Pest Management 
Act of 2015'' or the ``AIPM Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. QUALIFIED AREAWIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.

    (a) Qualified Areawide Integrated Pest Management Projects.--
Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7626) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by inserting ``, acting through the Director of 
                the National Institute of Food and Agriculture,'' after 
                ``Secretary of Agriculture''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``and qualified areawide 
                integrated pest management projects'' before the period 
                at the end;
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by inserting ``, acting through the Director of 
                the National Institute of Food and Agriculture,'' after 
                ``Secretary''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``and qualified areawide 
                integrated pest management projects'' after ``extension 
                projects'';
            (3) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following 
        new sentence: ``With respect to a grant under this section 
        providing funding for a qualified areawide integrated pest 
        management project, the Secretary may renew such grant for an 
        additional term of a duration to be determined by the 
        Secretary.'';
            (4) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (h); and
            (5) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsections:
    ``(e) Grants Providing Funding for Qualified Areawide Pest 
Management Projects.--
            ``(1) In general.--An entity seeking a grant under this 
        section providing funding for a qualified areawide integrated 
        pest management project shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application at such time and in such manner and that contains 
        such information as the Secretary may require, including 
        detailed information on--
                    ``(A) the goals of the project;
                    ``(B) any individuals or entities involved in the 
                project;
                    ``(C) the projected benefits of the project;
                    ``(D) details of the membership of the committee 
                described in subsection (f)(2);
                    ``(E) how the project may be continued after grant 
                funds are no longer available for such project; and
                    ``(F) an analysis of the return on investment for 
                the grant funds awarded to fund the project.
            ``(2) Requests for applications.--
                    ``(A) Development of requests for applications.--
                The Secretary shall, in consultation with the 
                integrated pest management committee established under 
                section 1408C and other relevant stakeholders, develop 
                requests for applications for qualified areawide 
                integrated pest management projects that are consistent 
                with the priorities established by such committee under 
                such section.
                    ``(B) Issuance.--The Secretary shall solicit 
                proposals for qualified areawide integrated pest 
                management projects under this section by issuing 
                requests for applications on an annual basis. The 
                Secretary may not select new projects to receive 
                funding through a grant under this section if, on the 
                date on which the request is issued, there is not 
                sufficient funding available to fund projects that, as 
                of such date, are not complete and with respect to 
                which grants were awarded under this section for the 
                previous year.
            ``(3) Selection.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, using a 
                peer-review process, select qualified areawide 
                integrated pest management projects to receive funding 
                through a grant under this section.
                    ``(B) Lead entity.--In selecting projects under 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall designate the 
                college or university or other entity referred to in 
                subsection (b) submitting the application for such 
                project as the lead entity for the project.
            ``(4) Condition.--As a condition of receiving a grant under 
        this section providing funding for a qualified areawide 
        integrated pest management project, the college or university 
        or other entity referred to in subsection (b) that is the 
        recipient of the grant shall--
                    ``(A) certify to the Secretary that the recipient 
                will be carrying out the project in collaboration 
                with--
                            ``(i) the Agricultural Research Service of 
                        the Department of Agriculture through a 
                        subcontractual arrangement; and
                            ``(ii) one or more of any of the following 
                        entities:
                                    ``(I) A college or university.
                                    ``(II) A State department of 
                                agriculture.
                                    ``(III) Another Federal agency.
                                    ``(IV) A State or a regional entity 
                                representing a crucial element of the 
                                project, such as a State department of 
                                natural resources.
                                    ``(V) A nongovernmental 
                                organization;
                    ``(B) certify that the recipient will transfer the 
                appropriate amount of funds to all entities involved in 
                the project so that research, extension, and education 
                activities carried out under the project are funded as 
                needed;
                    ``(C) in cooperation with the Secretary, coordinate 
                efforts conducted by all entities involved in the 
                project; and
                    ``(D) prepare and submit annual and final reports 
                to the Secretary with respect to the project.
    ``(f) Qualified Areawide Integrated Pest Management Project 
Defined.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `areawide integrated pest management 
        project' means a project that is designed and implemented on a 
        landscape scale or larger--
                    ``(A) to prevent the spread of pests and invasive 
                species through prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and 
                suppression;
                    ``(B) to provide educational programs on best 
                management practices with respect to pests and invasive 
                species;
                    ``(C) to control pests and invasive species using 
                physical, mechanical, or cultural controls;
                    ``(D) to manage pests and invasive species using 
                biologically-based controls; or
                    ``(E) where appropriate, to manage pests using 
                chemical controls, such as pesticides.
            ``(2) The term `qualified areawide integrated pest 
        management project' means an areawide integrated pest 
        management project that--
                    ``(A) provides for significant benefits (as 
                determined by the Secretary) for the prevention, 
                eradication, or management of pests and invasive 
                species;
                    ``(B) provides for economic and environmental 
                benefits to agriculture, individuals, wildlife, and the 
                environment;
                    ``(C) addresses the annual priorities established 
                by the integrated pest management committee established 
                under section 1408C;
                    ``(D) has a projected duration of not more than 5 
                years;
                    ``(E) provides for the establishment of a regional 
                advisory committee responsible for the oversight of the 
                project in the community, region, or area in which the 
                project is to be carried out; and
                    ``(F) provides for the active involvement of the 
                cooperative extension services (as defined in section 
                1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 
                and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to 
                translate the results of the research conducted under 
                the project into practical information and pest 
                management tools for purposes of sharing such results 
                with farmers, foresters, and producers.
    ``(g) Ongoing Areawide Integrated Pest Management Projects.--The 
requirements of subsection (e) shall not apply with respect to a grant 
providing funding for integrated agricultural research, education, and 
extension projects related to integrated pest management awarded before 
the date of the enactment of the Areawide Integrated Pest Management 
Act of 2015.''.
    (b) Areawide Integrated Pest Management Committee.--
            (1) In general.--The National Agricultural Research, 
        Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 is amended by 
        inserting after section 1408B (7 U.S.C. 3123B) the following 
        new section:

``SEC. 1408C. AREAWIDE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the executive committee of the Advisory 
Board shall establish and appoint the initial members of a permanent 
areawide integrated pest management committee.
    ``(b) Duties.--The permanent areawide integrated pest management 
committee shall, with respect to areawide integrated pest management 
programs, activities, or projects carried out by the Secretary of 
Agriculture--
            ``(1) consider stakeholder feedback; and
            ``(2) determine the annual and long-term priorities for 
        such programs, activities, or projects.
    ``(c) Members.--
            ``(1) Eligibility.--Individuals who are not members of the 
        Advisory Board may be appointed as members of the areawide 
        integrated pest management committee.
            ``(2) Composition.--The areawide integrated pest management 
        committee shall be composed of the following:
                    ``(A) Three ex officio members consisting of the 
                following individuals:
                            ``(i) The Senior Invasive Species 
                        Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture. 
                            ``(ii) The National Program Leader for Bio-
                        based Pest Management of the National Institute 
                        of Food and Agriculture.
                            ``(iii) The National Program Leader for the 
                        Invasive Pests of Crops of the Agricultural 
                        Research Service.
                    ``(B) Nine voting members, representing stakeholder 
                groups with experience in areawide research programs 
                carried out by Federal, State, or private entities, to 
                be appointed by the Secretary.''.
            (2) Compensation.--Section 1413(b) of the National 
        Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 
        1977 (7 U.S.C. 3128(b)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b)(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), members of the Advisory 
Board who are not otherwise officers or employees of the United States 
shall serve without compensation.
    ``(2) Members of the Advisory Board who are members of the areawide 
integrated pest management committee established under section 1408C 
and who are not otherwise officers or employees of the United States 
may receive compensation for serving on the committee.
    ``(3) Members of the Advisory Board and members of the areawide 
integrated pest management committee established under section 1408C 
shall, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the 
performance of services under this title, be allowed travel expenses, 
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as 
persons employed intermittently in the Government service are allowed 
expenses under sections 5701 through 5707 of title 5, United States 
Code.''.

SEC. 3. TRANSFER OF AUTHORITY.

    The Secretary shall transfer to the National Institute of Food and 
Agriculture, effective not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the authorities (including all budget 
authorities, available appropriations, and personnel), duties, 
obligations, and related legal and administrative functions prescribed 
by law or otherwise granted to any other agency or official of the 
Department of Agriculture under section 406 of the Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7626).