I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8539 

To establish the Office of Biotechnology Policy in the Department of 

Agriculture, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2024 

Mr. KHANNA (for himself and Mrs. BICE) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To establish the Office of Biotechnology Policy in the 

Department of Agriculture, 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 ‘‘Agricultural Bio5 technology Coordination Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. BIOTECHNOLOGY AT THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRI7 CULTURE. 

8 (a) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

9 shall prioritize biotechnology at the Department of Agri10 culture by providing for the effective coordination of poliVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:41 Sep 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8539.IH H8539

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1 cies and activities with respect to biotechnology, biomanu2 facturing, synthetic biology, and related emerging tech3 nologies. 

4 (b) OFFICE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY.—Subtitle 

5 A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act 

6 of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by adding 

7 at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 224B. OFFICE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY. 

9 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab10 lish within the Department the Office of Biotechnology 

11 Policy (referred to in this section as the ‘Office’). 

12 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—The Office shall be headed by a Di13 rector (referred to in this section as the ‘Director’), who 

14 shall report directly to the Secretary or a designee of the 

15 Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(c) DUTIES OF THE OFFICE.—The Office shall be 

17 responsible for— 

18 ‘‘(1) the development and coordination of poli19 cies, activities, and services of the Department with 

20 respect to biotechnology and related topics, includ21 ing— 

22 ‘‘(A) research and development; 

23 ‘‘(B) communication, extension, and edu24 cation; 

25 ‘‘(C) regulation and labeling; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) commercialization, use, and trade; 

2 ‘‘(2) assisting other offices and agencies of the 

3 Department in fulfilling their responsibilities relating 

4 to biotechnology under applicable laws; and 

5 ‘‘(3) carrying out such other duties as are re6 quired by law or determined by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(d) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—In support of 

8 the duties required under subsection (c), the Director shall 

9 provide leadership to ensure coordination of interagency 

10 activities with the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

11 Food and Drug Administration, and other Federal and 

12 State agencies. 

13 ‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—In carrying out the duties of the 

14 Office under this section, the Director shall consult as nec15 essary with biotechnology developers, academics, agricul16 tural producers, and other entities that may be affected 

17 by biotechnology-related activities or actions of the De18 partment or other Federal or State agencies.’’. 

19 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subtitle A of the 

20 Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is 

21 amended by redesignating section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) 

22 (relating to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A. 

Æ 


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