II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 834 

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

Act of 1977 to reauthorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and 

Development Authority, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 16, 2023 

Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. MARSHALL) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to reauthorize the 

Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advancing Cutting 

5 Edge Agriculture Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘ACE Agriculture 

6 Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AGRICULTURE ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DEVEL2 OPMENT AUTHORITY. 

3 Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Re4 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

5 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended— 

6 (1) in the section heading, by striking 

7 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (a)(6)(A), by striking ‘‘grow9 ing,’’ and inserting ‘‘growing (including water con10 servation technologies and innovation),’’; 

11 (3) in subsection (b)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘pilot program’’ each place 

13 it appears and inserting ‘‘program’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

16 (I) by inserting ‘‘the long-term 

17 and high-risk technological’’ before 

18 ‘‘barriers’’; and 

19 (II) by striking ‘‘and resilience to 

20 extreme weather;’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘water conservation, the reduction, 

22 avoidance, sequestration, or mitigation 

23 of greenhouse gas emissions from the 

24 agriculture sector, and resilience to 

25 extreme weather, drought, infectious 


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1 diseases, plant and animal pathogens, 

2 and plant and animal pests;’’; and 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 

4 ‘‘or economic cost’’ before the period at the 

5 end; 

6 (C) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

7 (i) in clause (ii), in the matter pre8 ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘advise 

9 the Chief Scientist on, and’’; and 

10 (ii) by striking clause (iii) and insert11 ing the following: 

12 ‘‘(iii) RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE DE13 PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.— 

14 ‘‘(I) CHIEF SCIENTIST.—The Di15 rector shall work in close collaboration 

16 with the Office of the Chief Scientist. 

17 ‘‘(II) OTHER PROGRAMS.—No 

18 other official who is the head of any 

19 other program of the Department of 

20 Agriculture shall report to the Direc21 tor.’’; and 

22 (D) in paragraph (9), by striking the para23 graph designation and heading and all that fol24 lows through ‘‘In carrying out’’ and inserting 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(9) PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es3 tablish and maintain within the AGARDA a 

4 staff with sufficient qualifications and expertise 

5 to enable the AGARDA to carry out the respon6 sibilities of the AGARDA under this section in 

7 conjunction with other operations of the De8 partment of Agriculture. 

9 ‘‘(B) USE OF EXISTING PERSONNEL AU10 THORITIES.—In carrying out’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(4) USE OF STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Secretary 

14 shall use the strategic plan developed under para15 graph (1) and dated 2022 to inform the administra16 tion of the AGARDA under this section.’’; 

17 (5) in subsection (d)— 

18 (A) by redesignating subparagraph (C) of 

19 paragraph (2) as paragraph (5), indenting ap20 propriately, and moving the paragraph so as to 

21 appear after paragraph (3); 

22 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking 

23 ‘‘$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

24 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000,000 

25 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029’’; 


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1 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(4) OTHER FUNDING.—In addition to amounts 

4 otherwise made available to carry out this section, 

5 the Secretary may use to carry out this section other 

6 unobligated funds available to the Secretary for any 

7 other purpose.’’; and 

8 (D) in paragraph (5) (as redesignated by 

9 subparagraph (A)), by striking ‘‘this para10 graph’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (2) or (4)’’; 

11 and 

12 (6) by striking subsection (e). 

Æ 


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