I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1563 

To establish a Division of Food and Agricultural Science within the National 

Science Foundation and to authorize funding for the support of fundamental agricultural research of the highest quality, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 12, 2005 

Mr. GUTKNECHT (for himself, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, and Mr. KENNEDY

of Minnesota) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a Division of Food and Agricultural Science 

within the National Science Foundation and to authorize 

funding for the support of fundamental agricultural research of the highest quality, 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 ‘‘National Food and 

5 Agricultural Science Act of 2005’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

4 Standing Council of Advisors established under sec5 tion 4(c). 

6 (2) DIRECTOR.—Except as otherwise provided 

7 in this Act, the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director 

8 of Food and Agricultural Science. 

9 (3) DIVISION.—The term ‘‘Division’’ means the 

10 Division of Food and Agricultural Science estab11 lished under section 4(a). 

12 (4) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 

13 means the National Science Foundation. 

14 (5) FUNDAMENTAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH; 

15 FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE.—The terms ‘‘fundamental 

16 agricultural research’’ and ‘‘fundamental science’’ 

17 mean fundamental research or science that— 

18 (A) advances the frontiers of knowledge so 

19 as to lead to practical results or to further sci20 entific discovery; and 

21 (B) has an effect on agriculture, food, nu22 trition, human health, or another purpose of 

23 this Act, as described in section 3(b). 

24 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

25 the Secretary of Agriculture. 
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1 (7) UNITED STATES.—The term ‘‘United 

2 States’’ when used in a geographical sense means 

3 the States, the District of Columbia, the Common4 wealth of Puerto Rico, and all territories and posses5 sions of the United States. 

6 SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Agricultural Research, Econom8 ics, and Education Task Force established under section 

9 7404 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 

10 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3101 note) conducted an exhaustive review 

11 of agricultural research in the United States and evalu12 ated the merits of establishing 1 or more national insti13 tutes focused on disciplines important to the progress of 

14 food and agricultural science. Consistent with the findings 

15 and recommendations of the Agricultural Research, Eco16 nomics, and Education Task Force, Congress finds the 

17 following: 

18 (1) Agriculture in the United States faces crit19 ical challenges, including an impending crisis in the 

20 food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of 

21 the United States. Exotic diseases and pests threat22 en crops and livestock, obesity has reached epidemic 

23 proportions, agriculturally-related environmental 

24 degradation is a serious problem for the United 

25 States and other parts of the world, certain animal 
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1 diseases threaten human health, and United States 

2 producers of some major crops are no longer the 

3 world’s lowest cost producers. 

4 (2) In order to meet these critical challenges, it 

5 is essential that the Nation ensure that the agricul6 tural innovation that has been so successful in the 

7 past continues in the future. Agricultural innovation 

8 has resulted in hybrid and higher yielding varieties 

9 of basic crops and enhanced the world’s food supply 

10 by increasing yields on existing acres. Since 1960, 

11 the world’s population has tripled with no net in12 crease in the amount of land under cultivation. Cur13 rently, only 1.5 percent of the population of the 

14 United States provides the food and fiber to supply 

15 the Nation’s needs. Agriculture and agriculture 

16 sciences play a major role in maintaining the health 

17 and welfare of all people of the United States and 

18 in husbanding our land and water, and that role 

19 must be expanded. 

20 (3) Fundamental scientific research that leads 

21 to understandings of how cells and organisms work 

22 is critical to continued innovation in agriculture in 

23 the United States. Such future innovations are de24 pendent on fundamental scientific research, and will 
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1 be enhanced by ideas and technologies from other 

2 fields of science and research. 

3 (4) Opportunities to advance fundamental 

4 knowledge of benefit to agriculture in the United 

5 States have never been greater. Many of these new 

6 opportunities are the result of amazing progress in 

7 the life sciences over recent decades, attributable in 

8 large part to the provision made by the Federal Gov9 ernment through the National Institutes of Health 

10 and the National Science Foundation. New tech11 nologies and new concepts have speeded advances in 

12 the fields of genetics, cell and molecular biology, and 

13 proteomics. Much of this scientific knowledge is 

14 ready to be mined for agriculture and food sciences, 

15 through a sustained, disciplined research effort at an 

16 institute dedicated to this research. 

17 (5) Publicly sponsored research is essential to 

18 continued agricultural innovation to mitigate or har19 monize the long-term effects of agriculture on the 

20 environment, to enhance the long-term sustainability 

21 of agriculture, and to improve the public health and 

22 welfare. 

23 (6) Competitive, peer-reviewed fundamental ag24 ricultural research is best suited to promoting the 

25 fundamental research from which breakthrough in-
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1 novations that agriculture and society require will 

2 come. 

3 (7) It is in the national interest to dedicate ad4 ditional funds on a long-term, ongoing basis to an 

5 institute dedicated to funding competitive peer-re6 viewed grant programs that support and promote 

7 the highest caliber of fundamental agricultural re8 search. 

9 (8) The Nation’s capacity to be competitive 

10 internationally in agriculture is threatened by inad11 equate investment in research. 

12 (9) To be successful over the long term, grant13 receiving institutions must be adequately reimbursed 

14 for their costs if they are to pursue the necessary 

15 agricultural research. 

16 (10) To meet these challenges, address these 

17 needs, and provide for vitally needed agricultural in18 novation, it is in the national interest to provide suf19 ficient Federal funds over the long term to fund a 

20 significant program of fundamental agricultural re21 search through an independent institute. 

22 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Division estab23 lished under section 4(a) shall be to ensure that the tech24 nological superiority of agriculture in the United States 

25 effectively serve the people of the United States in the 
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1 coming decades, and to support and promote fundamental 

2 agricultural research of the highest caliber in order to 

3 achieve goals, including the following goals: 

4 (1) Increase the international competitiveness 

5 of United States agriculture. 

6 (2) Develop knowledge leading to new foods and 

7 practices that improve nutrition and health and re8 duce obesity. 

9 (3) Create new and more useful food, fiber, 

10 health, medicinal, energy, environmental, and indus11 trial products from plants and animals. 

12 (4) Improve food safety and food security by 

13 protecting plants and animals in the United States 

14 from insects, diseases, and the threat of bioter15 rorism. 

16 (5) Enhance agricultural sustainability and im17 prove the environment. 

18 (6) Strengthen the economies of the Nation’s 

19 rural communities. 

20 (7) Decrease United States dependence on for21 eign sources of petroleum by developing biobased 

22 fuels and materials from plants. 

23 (8) Strengthen national security by improving 

24 the agricultural productivity of subsistence farmers 
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1 in developing countries to combat hunger and the 

2 political instability that it produces. 

3 (9) Assist in modernizing and revitalizing the 

4 Nation’s agricultural research facilities at institu5 tions of higher education, independent nonprofit re6 search institutions, and consortia of such institu7 tions, through capital investment. 

8 (10) Achieve such other goals and meet such 

9 other needs as determined appropriate by the Foun10 dation, the Director, or the Secretary. 

11 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIVISION. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

13 the National Science Foundation a Division of Food and 

14 Agricultural Science. The Division shall be administered 

15 by a Director of Food and Agricultural Science. 

16 (b) REPORTING AND CONSULTATION.—The Director 

17 shall coordinate the research agenda of the Division after 

18 consultation with the Secretary. 

19 (c) STANDING COUNCIL OF ADVISORS.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—There is established a 

22 Standing Council of Advisors composed of 12 

23 highly qualified scientists who are not employed 

24 by the Federal Government and 12 stake25 holders. 
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1 (B) SCIENTISTS.— 

2 (i) APPOINTMENT.—The 12 scientist 

3 members of the Council shall be appointed 

4 to 4-year staggered terms by the Director 

5 of Food and Agricultural Science, with the 

6 consent of the Director of the National 

7 Science Foundation. 

8 (ii) QUALIFICATIONS.—The persons 

9 nominated for appointment as scientist 

10 members of the Council shall be— 

11 (I) eminent in the fields of agri12 cultural research, nutrition, science, 

13 or related appropriate fields; and 

14 (II) selected for appointment 

15 solely on the basis of established 

16 records of distinguished service and to 

17 provide representation of the views of 

18 agricultural research and scientific 

19 leaders in all areas of the Nation. 

20 (C) STAKEHOLDERS.— 

21 (i) APPOINTMENT.—The 12 stake22 holder members of the Council shall be ap23 pointed to 4-year staggered terms by the 

24 Secretary, with the consent of the Direc25 tor. 
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1 (ii) QUALIFICATIONS.—The persons 

2 nominated for appointment as stakeholder 

3 members of the Council shall— 

4 (I) include distinguished mem5 bers of the public of the United 

6 States, including representatives of 

7 farm organizations and industry, and 

8 persons knowledgeable about the envi9 ronment, subsistence agriculture, en10 ergy, and human health and disease; 

11 and 

12 (II) be selected for appointment 

13 so as to provide representation of the 

14 views of stakeholder leaders in all 

15 areas of the Nation. 

16 (2) DUTIES.—The Council shall assist the Di17 rector in establishing the Division’s research prior18 ities, and in reviewing, judging, and maintaining the 

19 relevance of the programs funded by the Division. 

20 The Council shall review all proposals approved by 

21 the scientific committees of the Division to ensure 

22 that the purposes of this Act and the needs of the 

23 Nation are being met. 

24 (3) MEETINGS.— 
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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall hold 

2 periodic meetings in order to— 

3 (i) provide an interface between sci4 entists and stakeholders; and 

5 (ii) ensure that the Division is linking 

6 national goals with realistic scientific op7 portunities. 

8 (B) TIMING.—The meetings shall be held 

9 at the call of the Director, or at the call of the 

10 Secretary, but not less frequently than annu11 ally. 

12 SEC. 5. FUNCTIONS OF DIVISION. 

13 (a) COMPETITIVE RESEARCH.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall carry out 

15 the purposes of this Act by awarding competitive 

16 peer-reviewed grants to support and promote the 

17 very highest quality of fundamental agricultural re18 search. 

19 (2) GRANT RECIPIENTS.—The Director shall 

20 make grants to fund research proposals submitted 

21 by— 

22 (A) individual scientists; 

23 (B) single and multi-institutional research 

24 centers; and 
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1 (C) entities from the private and public 

2 sectors, including researchers in the Depart3 ment of Agriculture, the Foundation, or other 

4 Federal agencies. 

5 (b) COMPLEMENTARY RESEARCH.—The research 

6 funded by the Division shall— 

7 (1) supplement and enhance, not supplant, the 

8 existing research programs of, or funded by, the De9 partment of Agriculture, the Foundation, and the 

10 National Institutes of Health; and 

11 (2) seek to make existing research programs 

12 more relevant to the United States food and agri13 culture system, consistent with the purposes of this 

14 Act. 

15 (c) GRANT-AWARDING ONLY.—The Division’s sole 

16 duty shall be to award grants. The Division may not con17 duct fundamental agricultural research or fundamental 

18 science, or operate any laboratories or pilot plants. 

19 (d) PROCEDURES.—The Director shall establish pro20 cedures for the peer review, awarding, and administration 

21 of grants under this Act, consistent with sound manage22 ment and the findings and purposes described in section 

23 3. 

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