II

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1910

To establish a national research program to improve the production and

marketing of sweet potatoes and increase the consumption and use of

sweet potatoes by domestic and foreign consumers, and for other

purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 9 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 22), 1994

Mr. JOHNSTON (for himself and Mr. BREAUX) introduced the following bill;

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

A BILL

To establish a national research program to improve the

production and marketing of sweet potatoes and increase

the consumption and use of sweet potatoes by domestic

and foreign consumers, 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 ‘‘Sweet Potato Research

5 and Production Improvement Act of 1994’’.
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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL SWEET POTATO RESEARCH PROGRAM.

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture, act3 ing through the Agricultural Research Service or through

4 cooperative agreements with land-grant colleges and uni5 versities, shall conduct research regarding sweet potatoes,

6 including research to develop—

7 (1) widely adapted, high-quality cultivars of

8 sweet potato with increased yields and improved lev9 els of disease and pest resistance for traditional

10 markets and alternative uses;

11 (2) environmentally compatible management

12 technologies to control diseases, nematodes, insects,

13 and weeds that limit sweet potato production in the

14 United States, including effective controls for sweet

15 potato weevils in host and nonhost crops;

16 (3) detection and monitoring systems for male

17 and female sweet potato weevils in sweet potato stor18 age facilities and in field and seed bed plantings;

19 (4) integrated crop management practices for

20 sweet potatoes that effectively combine cultural and

21 biological controls, environmentally rational chemical

22 usage, and host resistance;

23 (5) improved technology for more efficient har24 vesting, grading, and storage of sweet potatoes;
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1 (6) improved technology for processing sweet

2 potatoes for both traditional and nontraditional food

3 products; and

4 (7) methods to increase sweet potato consump5 tion and uses while also removing possible barriers

6 that limit sweet potato use in both domestic and ex7 port markets.

8 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

9 are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of

10 Agriculture to carry out this section $2,400,000 for fiscal

11 year 1994 and each fiscal year thereafter. Of the amounts

12 made available for a fiscal year under this section—

13 (1) not more than $400,000 shall be made

14 available to carry out research described in sub15 section (a)(1);

16 (2) not more than $500,000 shall be made

17 available to carry out research described in para18 graphs (2) and (3) of subsection (a);

19 (3) not more than $400,000 shall be made

20 available to carry out research described in sub21 section (a)(4);

22 (4) not more than $400,000 shall be made

23 available to carry out research described in sub24 section (a)(5);
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1 (5) not more than $400,000 shall be made

2 available to carry out research described in sub3 section (a)(6); and

4 (6) not more than $300,000 shall be made

5 available to carry out research described in sub6 section (a)(7).

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