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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4462 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4462

  To provide for the establishment of a National Interagency Seed and 
              Restoration Center, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 5, 2024

  Ms. Hirono introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To provide for the establishment of a National Interagency Seed and 
              Restoration Center, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Interagency Seed and 
Restoration Center Establishment Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the National 
        Interagency Seed and Restoration Center established under 
        section 3(a)(1).
            (2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of the Interior.
            (3) Ecoregion.--The term ``ecoregion'' means a land area 
        varying in size and having a unified climate, geology, 
        topography, soil, potential natural vegetation, and predominant 
        land use.
            (4) Federal interagency partner.--The term ``Federal 
        interagency partner'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary of Agriculture;
                    (B) the Secretary of Transportation; and
                    (C) the Secretary of Defense.
            (5) Genetically appropriate.--The term ``genetically 
        appropriate plant'', with respect to a plant, means--
                    (A) a native plant species that is locally adapted 
                to target site conditions, such as a plant with 
                effective establishment, vigor, and reproductive 
                capabilities;
                    (B) a native plant species that is sufficiently 
                genetically diverse to respond and adapt to changing 
                climate and environment conditions;
                    (C) a native plant species that is unlikely--
                            (i) to cause genetic contamination; and
                            (ii) to undermine--
                                    (I) local adaptations;
                                    (II) community interactions; and
                                    (III) the function of native 
                                species within the ecosystem;
                    (D) a plant that is not likely--
                            (i) to become an invasive species; and
                            (ii) to displace other native species;
                    (E) a plant that is not likely to be a source of 
                nonnative invasive pathogens; and
                    (F) a plant that is likely to maintain critical 
                connections with pollinators.
            (6) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' means any 
        Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, 
        or community individually identified (including 
        parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of the 
        date of enactment of this Act pursuant to section 104 of the 
        Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
        5131).
            (7) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive species'', with 
        respect to a particular ecosystem, means a non-native organism, 
        including the seed, spores, or other biological material of the 
        organism, the introduction of which causes or is likely to 
        cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, 
        or plant health.
            (8) Locally adapted.--The term ``locally adapted'', with 
        respect to a plant, means a plant from an area geographically 
        near a planting site that is environmentally adapted and likely 
        to establish and persist.
            (9) National seed strategy.--The term ``National Seed 
        Strategy'' means--
                    (A) the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation 
                and Restoration 2015-2020; and
                    (B) the National Seed Strategy Business Plan 2015-
                2020.
            (10) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native 
        Hawaiian organization'' has the meaning given the term in 
        section 2 of the Native American Graves Protection and 
        Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001).
            (11) Native plant species.--The term ``native plant 
        species'' means a plant species that occurs naturally in a 
        particular region, State, Tribal land ecosystem, or habitat 
        without direct or indirect human action.
            (12) Noxious weed.--The term ``noxious weed'' means any 
        plant or plant product that can directly or indirectly injure 
        or cause damage to crops (including nursery stock or plant 
        products), livestock, poultry, or other interests of 
        agriculture, irrigation, navigation, the natural resources of 
        the United States, public health, or the environment.
            (13) Plant conservation alliance.--The term ``Plant 
        Conservation Alliance'' means the public-private collaboration 
        established in 1994 among Federal agency members and non-
        Federal cooperators that share the objective of protecting 
        native plant species by ensuring that native plant species 
        populations and communities are maintained, enhanced, and 
        restored.
            (14) Plant material.--The term ``plant material'' means a 
        seed, spore, part of a plant, or whole plant, including 
        seedlings and container stock.
            (15) Plant material specialist.--The term ``plant material 
        specialist'' includes a plant ecologist, botanist, geneticist, 
        seed scientist, or restoration practitioner or ecologist with 
        relevant expertise, including local, Indigenous, and 
        traditional ecological knowledge, qualified to develop and 
        recommend revegetation, rehabilitation, and restoration plans, 
        including site preparation, species and source selection, and 
        seeding and planting specifications and monitoring protocols.
            (16) Rehabilitation.--The term ``rehabilitation'' means the 
        reparation of ecosystem processes, productivity, and services 
        based on functioning preexisting or existing ecosystems that 
        allow for adaptation of sites to specific current or future 
        uses.
            (17) Restoration.--The term ``restoration'' means assisting 
        the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, 
        or destroyed, including the reestablishment of the preexisting 
        biotic integrity in terms of species composition and community 
        structure.
            (18) Revegetation.--The term ``revegetation'' means the 
        reestablishment of plants on a site.
            (19) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (20) Seed transfer guidelines.--The term ``seed transfer 
        guidelines'' means recommendations for protecting the integrity 
        of the natural pattern of adaptive variation of wild 
        populations by restricting seed transfers to areas within which 
        seeds may be moved about freely with the expectation that the 
        seeds would--
                    (A) grow and reproduce successfully; and
                    (B) produce no adverse genetic effects.
            (21) Tribal land.--The term ``Tribal land'' means--
                    (A) land located within the exterior boundaries of 
                an Indian reservation;
                    (B) land to which title is held by a dependent 
                Indian community; and
                    (C) land held in trust for Native Hawaiians by the 
                State of Hawaii pursuant to the Hawaiian Homes 
                Commission Act, 1920 (42 Stat. 108, chapter 42) or 
                section 4 of Public Law 86-3 (73 Stat. 5) (commonly 
                known as the ``Hawaii Statehood Admissions Act, 
                1959'').

SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTERAGENCY SEED AND RESTORATION CENTER.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
        Federal interagency partners, the Plant Conservation Alliance, 
        Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations, shall 
        establish a National Interagency Seed and Restoration Center to 
        provide leadership and oversight with respect to--
                    (A) the research, development, coordination, and 
                distribution of native plant species; and
                    (B) the conduct of ecological restoration, 
                revegetation, and rehabilitation projects across 
                ecoregions throughout the United States.
            (2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center is to facilitate 
        the national coordination of all aspects of native plant 
        species plant materials development process, including 
        ecological restoration, by--
                    (A) enhancing research on--
                            (i) the development and use of native plant 
                        seeds and native plants for native plant 
                        species community restoration, including for 
                        use as food and medicine;
                            (ii) the restoration of native plant 
                        species communities--
                                    (I) in response to natural 
                                disasters; or
                                    (II) as part of mitigation of 
                                noxious weed and invasive species 
                                removals or treatments to prevent and 
                                deter further invasion or for other 
                                purposes;
                            (iii) the propagation and storage and 
                        distribution of native plant materials; and
                            (iv) any other research needs identified by 
                        the National Seed Strategy;
                    (B) providing land managers with--
                            (i) appropriate, locally adapted or 
                        genetically appropriate plant materials in a 
                        timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner; 
                        and
                            (ii) the guidance, tools, and training 
                        necessary for the reclamation, restoration, and 
                        rehabilitation of landscapes using native plant 
                        species;
                    (C) creating resilient native plant species 
                communities to withstand multiple uses and climate 
                change;
                    (D) enhancing interagency coordination to implement 
                the National Seed Strategy through the Federal 
                Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance; and
                    (E) coordinating shared use and enhancement of 
                infrastructure for native plant material development.
    (b) Interagency Coordination.--
            (1) In general.--In coordinating activities of the Center 
        with the Federal interagency partners, the Center shall focus 
        on the coordination of activities relating to--
                    (A) wildland seed and plant material collection and 
                storage, including long-term germplasm or 
                cryopreservation to preserve wild genomes;
                    (B) native plant materials research, development, 
                and production;
                    (C) providing ecoregional liaisons, including 
                agricultural producers and natural resource managers, 
                with native plant materials;
                    (D) the assessment, improvement, and delivery of 
                incentive programs and risk management tools to 
                encourage production of native plant seed and native 
                plant materials on private land and Tribal land;
                    (E) the development and coordination of seed 
                procurement mechanisms, such as forward contracting, 
                blanket purchase agreements, or other procurement 
                vehicles for seed production across ecoregions;
                    (F) coordination with State seed testing and seed 
                certification agency partners;
                    (G) revegetation, restoration, and rehabilitation 
                of landscapes and reporting results of the 
                revegetation, restoration, and rehabilitation to the 
                Center;
                    (H) fostering and improving communication, 
                education, information sharing, and training, including 
                any employment, training, or related services that 
                serve Tribally determined goals consistent with the 
                policy of self-determination;
                    (I) information technology and geospatial 
                coordination;
                    (J) restoring native plant species communities 
                critical to Indigenous foodways and Indigenous 
                medicines pursuant to Tribal and Native Hawaiian 
                organization direction; and
                    (K) ensuring adequate budget and contracting with 
                respect to the conduct of activities described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (J).
            (2) Existing networks.--In coordinating activities of the 
        Center with the Federal interagency partners, the Secretary 
        shall leverage programs and expertise through existing networks 
        such as--
                    (A) the Federal Committee of the Plant Conservation 
                Alliance;
                    (B) Plant Conservation Alliance non-Federal 
                cooperators;
                    (C) the Bureau of Land Management Plant 
                Conservation and Restoration Program and the 
                interagency Ecoregional Native Plant Programs;
                    (D) the United States Geological Survey Climate 
                Adaptation Science Centers and Water Science Centers;
                    (E) the Department of Agriculture Climate Hubs, 
                Plant Materials Centers, and Germplasm Resources 
                Information Network of the Department of Agriculture;
                    (F) the Indigenous SeedKeepers Network of the 
                Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance;
                    (G) the National Academies of Sciences, 
                Engineering, and Medicine;
                    (H) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
                National Seed Strategy Implementation Team and Center 
                for Pollinator Conservation;
                    (I) the Office of Wildland Fire of the Department; 
                and
                    (J) the Inventory and Monitoring Networks, Invasive 
                Plant Management Teams, and ecoregional plant hubs of 
                the National Park Service.
    (c) Research.--
            (1) In general.--To support the activities of the Center, 
        the Secretary, in coordination with the Federal Committee of 
        the Plant Conservation Alliance and other Federal interagency 
        partners, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Indian Tribes, 
        shall support a robust and dedicated program of intramural and 
        extramural botanical science research that is relevant and 
        appropriate to the native seed development process, including 
        collection, germination, agricultural production, genetics, 
        seed banking, seed storage, equipment for planting, 
        distribution, and restoration techniques to support the land 
        management responsibilities of the Federal Government.
            (2) Areas of emphasis.--Research activities authorized 
        under this subsection shall focus on the following:
                    (A) Effective approaches to restoring ecosystems 
                that incorporate the use of appropriate locally adapted 
                native plant materials.
                    (B) Effective methods for developing--
                            (i) locally adapted and genetically 
                        appropriate native seed and plant materials; 
                        and
                            (ii) seed transfer guidelines for native 
                        plant species and land management activities.
                    (C) Effective restoration strategies for using 
                native seed and plant species--
                            (i) to reduce--
                                    (I) the risk of wildfire; and
                                    (II) the likelihood of wildfire 
                                affecting native ecosystems not adapted 
                                to fire;
                            (ii) to manage invasive species and noxious 
                        weeds, including restoration activities to 
                        prevent reintroduction of invasive species;
                            (iii) to rehabilitate, restore, and 
                        revegetate ecosystems after catastrophic 
                        events, such as wildfires, flooding, drought 
                        events, or hurricanes; and
                            (iv) to restore degraded native ecosystems 
                        following habitat modification, such as 
                        hazardous substances releases or introduction 
                        of invasive species.
                    (D) Effective methods to use native seed and native 
                plant materials in response to the impacts of long- and 
                medium-term environmental changes, such as changes in--
                            (i) moisture levels;
                            (ii) temperature;
                            (iii) landscape fragmentation;
                            (iv) invasive species;
                            (v) human activity; and
                            (vi) other features due to climate change.
                    (E) Effective methods to use native seed and native 
                plant materials to restore habitat and promote the 
                recovery of threatened and endangered native plant 
                species and animal species.
                    (F) Economic or social issues relating to effective 
                methods for collaborating with private and commercial 
                sector partners to increase the availability of native 
                plant material such as native seed grower incentives.
                    (G) Restoration of native plant species communities 
                critical to Indigenous foodways, Indigenous foods, and 
                Indigenous medicines, including the protection of 
                intellectual property of Tribal and Indigenous seeds 
                pursuant to Indigenous requests.
                    (H) Addressing the feasibility of seed banking and 
                storage of native species--
                            (i) to support ex situ collections; and
                            (ii) to provide robust seed supply for 
                        habitat restoration.
                    (I) Monitoring strategies for efficacy of 
                treatment.
            (3) Extramural research.--As determined to be appropriate 
        by the Secretary, in coordination with the Federal interagency 
        partners, research conducted under this subsection may be 
        carried out through competitively awarded grants, contracts, 
        contracts established under the Indian Self-Determination and 
        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) or 
        cooperative agreements, to be awarded in accordance with 
        applicable requirements established by the Secretary.
    (d) Use of Existing Seed Infrastructure.--The Center shall 
coordinate the use of existing seed infrastructure of the Department 
and the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of carrying out this 
Act.
    (e) Ecoregional Hubs.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
        Federal interagency partners, Native Hawaiian organizations, 
        and Indian Tribes, shall, using and based on existing Bureau of 
        Land Management Ecoregional Native Plant Programs, establish 
        interagency ecoregional hubs available to each State and 
        territory of the United States that consist of--
                    (A) an Ecoregional Native Plant Coordinator;
                    (B) Tribal, Native Hawaiian organization, and other 
                plant material specialists;
                    (C) regional seed collection teams;
                    (D) seed and plant material warehouses for local 
                storage and seed cleaning facilities;
                    (E) plant production centers; and
                    (F) any other necessary subject matter experts 
                placed at offices throughout the applicable region to 
                support the ecoregional hub.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of an ecoregional hub are--
                    (A) to assess the native plant material needs of 
                the applicable ecoregion; and
                    (B) to coordinate and facilitate the use of 
                appropriate native plant materials in local 
                restoration, rehabilitation, and reclamation projects.
            (3) Hiring.--The Center may hire such staff as are 
        necessary to carry out the duties of the ecoregional hubs.
    (f) Other Partnerships.--The Center shall coordinate with Indian 
Tribes, States, territories, units of local government, Alaska Native 
organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, institutions of higher 
education, botanic gardens, and local stakeholders to assess, and 
provide expertise to address, local community revegetation, 
rehabilitation, and restoration needs.
    (g) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the Department 
and the Federal interagency partners that--
            (1) genetically appropriate plant materials shall be 
        preferentially used for land revegetation, rehabilitation, and 
        restoration; and
            (2) if the use of genetically appropriate plant materials 
        is not feasible, as determined by the Secretary or the Federal 
        interagency partners, as applicable, preference shall be given 
        to the use of native plant species that meet the requirements 
        of subparagraphs (C) and (D) of section 2(5).
    (h) Additional Activities.--In addition to the coordination and 
research activities otherwise authorized under this section, the Center 
may carry out the following activities to develop and use native plant 
materials:
            (1) Identifying, evaluating, and protecting rare plants on 
        public land managed by the Secretary and the Federal 
        interagency partners.
            (2) Developing an understanding of the effects of human 
        activity on native plant species and native plant species 
        communities on public land managed by the Federal interagency 
        partners.
            (3)(A) Supporting efforts to develop genetically 
        appropriate and locally adapted native plant materials for 
        restoring, rehabilitating, and revegetating ecosystems.
            (B) Monitoring the use and effectiveness of the plant 
        materials developed under subparagraph (A).
            (4) Ensuring that the needs of the Department and the 
        Federal interagency partners for native plant materials are 
        met.
            (5) Supporting public-private partnerships to conduct 
        research on the development of seed transfer guidelines.
            (6) Supporting public-private partnerships to catalogue and 
        store plant materials.
            (7) Coordinating a national network of seed cleaning 
        facilities and seed storage warehouses.
            (8) Implementing ecological restoration, rehabilitation, 
        and revegetation on a landscape scale.
            (9) Supporting public-private efforts and volunteer efforts 
        to support native plant species conservation.
            (10) Supporting and working with Indian Tribes and Native 
        Hawaiian organizations on efforts to restore native plant 
        communities critical to Indigenous foodways, including edible 
        and medicinal native plant species, and protecting Tribal 
        intellectual property with respect to Indigenous seeds.
            (11) Providing technical assistance (including tools and 
        training) on selection of appropriate plant materials used for 
        restoration.
            (12) Supporting programs that provide financial and 
        technical assistance and risk management tools for producers of 
        native plant materials.
            (13) Facilitating native seed needs planning based on 
        historic and project needs.
    (i) Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with 
        the Federal Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance, shall 
        submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
        Representatives a report identifying--
                    (A) ecoregional needs and recommendations for the 
                establishment of ecoregional hubs, including--
                            (i) recommended locations;
                            (ii) recommended service areas;
                            (iii) recommended investments in native 
                        plant materials capacity, including workforce, 
                        infrastructure, and research to support hubs; 
                        and
                            (iv) estimated budgets (including estimated 
                        budgets for infrastructure and staffing needs) 
                        to carry out this Act;
                    (B) a list of partners for--
                            (i) the Center; and
                            (ii) each ecoregional hub established in 
                        accordance with subparagraph (A); and
                    (C) scenarios requiring the use of plants that are 
                not native.
            (2) Additional reports.--Not later than 5 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, the 
        Secretary, in coordination with the Federal interagency 
        partners, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources 
        of the House of Representatives a report identifying--
                    (A) the adequacy of native seed inventories for 
                post-disaster restoration, rehabilitation, and 
                revegetation;
                    (B) the adequacy of native seed collection, 
                processing, and storage programs in light of current 
                and anticipated post-disaster restoration, 
                rehabilitation, and revegetation needs; and
                    (C) the adequacy of native seed and plant material 
                capacity and distribution for post-disaster 
                restoration, rehabilitation, and revegetation.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act, including 
necessary infrastructure, $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2029.
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