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[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3472 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3472

To establish a Federal interagency task force to promote the benefits, 
  safety, and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology to improve 
  human and animal nutrition, increase crop productivity, and improve 
 agricultural sustainability while ensuring the safety of food and the 
                              environment.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 6, 2003

 Mr. Smith of Michigan (for himself, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Gutknecht, Mr. 
 Rehberg, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Bereuter, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. 
Hall, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Peterson of 
  Minnesota, Mr. Royce, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Chabot, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. 
   Hyde, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Rohrabacher, and Mr. Weller) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To establish a Federal interagency task force to promote the benefits, 
  safety, and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology to improve 
  human and animal nutrition, increase crop productivity, and improve 
 agricultural sustainability while ensuring the safety of food and the 
                              environment.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE TO PROMOTE THE BENEFITS, 
              SAFETY, AND POTENTIAL USES OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Establishment of Interagency Task Force To Promote Benefits, 
Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology.--There is 
established the ``Federal Interagency Task Force to Promote the 
Benefits, Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology'' 
(in this section referred to as the ``task force'') for the purpose of 
improving interagency cooperation and to develop and disseminate 
accurate written scientific information on the benefits, safety, and 
potential uses of agricultural biotechnology.
    (b) Membership.--The members of the task force shall consist of the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, and the 
Director of the National Science Foundation. The Secretary of 
Agriculture shall chair the task force. Members of the task force may 
designate a senior official from the appropriate participating Federal 
agency to attend meetings of the task force.
    (c) Objectives of Task Force.--The task force shall coordinate the 
activities of the participating agencies regarding the following:
            (1) Improved knowledge of foreign-assigned individuals from 
        the participating agencies regarding the safety and potential 
        of biotechnology-derived agricultural products, including 
        regulatory safeguards that assure food and environmental 
        safety.
            (2) Expanded dissemination by participating agencies of 
        scientifically-based facts regarding the safety and potential 
        of biotechnology-derived agricultural products.
            (3) Improved ability of the participating agencies to 
        advocate to foreign countries, including developing nations, 
        the benefits that agricultural biotechnology can potentially 
        provide for human and animal nutrition, the environment, crop 
        productivity, and agricultural sustainability.
            (4) Achievement of a better understanding by foreign 
        countries, including developing nations, of the potential 
        benefits of agricultural biotechnology to develop products that 
        can be grown under local soil and climate conditions and better 
        meet the health and nutritional needs of local populations.
    (d) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Submission.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
        Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the congressional 
        committees specified in paragraph (3) a report on the 
        activities undertaken by the task force and the participating 
        agencies to promote the benefits, safety, and potential uses of 
        agricultural biotechnology.
            (2) Content.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall include 
        information from each member of the task force regarding the 
        measures taken, and progress made, to achieve the objectives of 
        the task force described in subsection (c).
            (3) Congressional committees.--Each report under paragraph 
        (1) shall be submitted to the following congressional 
        committees:
                    (A) The Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives.
                    (B) The Committee of Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives.
                    (C) The Committee on International Relations of the 
                House of Representatives.
                    (D) The Committee on Science of the House of 
                Representatives.
                    (E) The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate.
                    (F) The Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate.
                    (G) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate.
    (e) Duration.--The task force shall terminate 10 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>
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