II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2458 

To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment 

in agriculture research. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 

Mr. DURBIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national 

investment in agriculture research. 

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 ‘‘America Grows Act 

5 of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FUNDING. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro8 priated to each funding recipient described in subsection 

9 (b), as determined by the Director of the Office of Man10 agement and Budget— 


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1 (1) for fiscal year 2020, not less than 105 per2 cent of the amount of new budget authority made 

3 available in appropriation Acts for that recipient for 

4 fiscal year 2019, adjusted for inflation; 

5 (2) for fiscal year 2021, not less than 105 per6 cent of the amount determined under paragraph (1) 

7 for that recipient, adjusted for inflation; 

8 (3) for fiscal year 2022, not less than 105 per9 cent of the amount determined under paragraph (2) 

10 for that recipient, adjusted for inflation; 

11 (4) for fiscal year 2023, not less than 105 per12 cent of the amount determined under paragraph (3) 

13 for that recipient, adjusted for inflation; and 

14 (5) for fiscal year 2024, not less than 105 per15 cent of the amount determined under paragraph (4) 

16 for that recipient, adjusted for inflation. 

17 (b) FUNDING RECIPIENTS DESCRIBED.—The fund18 ing recipients referred to in subsection (a) are— 

19 (1) the Agricultural Research Service; 

20 (2) the Economic Research Service; 

21 (3) the National Agricultural Statistics Service; 

22 and 

23 (4) the National Institute of Food and Agri24 culture. 


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1 SEC. 3. BUDGETARY PROVISIONS. 

2 (a) CAP ADJUSTMENTS.—Section 251(b)(2) of the 

3 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 

4 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘(G) AGRICULTURE RESEARCH.— 

7 ‘‘(i) ADJUSTMENT FOR ADDITIONAL

8 FUNDING.—If a bill or joint resolution 

9 making appropriations for a fiscal year is 

10 enacted that specifies amounts for an agri11 cultural research funding recipient, then 

12 the adjustments for that fiscal year shall 

13 be the amount of additional new budget 

14 authority provided in that Act for that ag15 ricultural research funding recipient for 

16 that fiscal year, but shall not exceed— 

17 ‘‘(I) for fiscal year 2020, the dif18 ference between— 

19 ‘‘(aa) the amount of new 

20 budget authority made available 

21 in appropriation Acts for that ag22 ricultural research funding recipi23 ent for fiscal year 2019; and 

24 ‘‘(bb) the amount deter25 mined by the Director under sec26 tion 2(a)(1) of the America 


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1 Grows Act of 2019 with respect 

2 to that agricultural research 

3 funding recipient; 

4 ‘‘(II) for fiscal year 2021, the 

5 difference between— 

6 ‘‘(aa) the amount of new 

7 budget authority made available 

8 in appropriation Acts for that ag9 ricultural research funding recipi10 ent for fiscal year 2019; and 

11 ‘‘(bb) the amount deter12 mined by the Director under sec13 tion 2(a)(2) of the America 

14 Grows Act of 2019 with respect 

15 to that agricultural research 

16 funding recipient; 

17 ‘‘(III) for fiscal year 2022, the 

18 difference between— 

19 ‘‘(aa) the amount of new 

20 budget authority made available 

21 in appropriation Acts for that ag22 ricultural research funding recipi23 ent for fiscal year 2019; and 

24 ‘‘(bb) the amount deter25 mined by the Director under secVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:58 Sep 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2458.IS S2458

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1 tion 2(a)(3) of the America 

2 Grows Act of 2019 with respect 

3 to that agricultural research 

4 funding recipient; 

5 ‘‘(IV) for fiscal year 2023, the 

6 difference between— 

7 ‘‘(aa) the amount of new 

8 budget authority made available 

9 in appropriation Acts for that ag10 ricultural research funding recipi11 ent for fiscal year 2019; and 

12 ‘‘(bb) the amount deter13 mined by the Director under sec14 tion 2(a)(4) of the America 

15 Grows Act of 2019 with respect 

16 to that agricultural research 

17 funding recipient; and 

18 ‘‘(V) for fiscal year 2024, the dif19 ference between— 

20 ‘‘(aa) the amount of new 

21 budget authority made available 

22 in appropriation Acts for that ag23 ricultural research funding recipi24 ent for fiscal year 2019; and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) the amount deter2 mined by the Director under sec3 tion 2(a)(5) of the America 

4 Grows Act of 2019 with respect 

5 to that agricultural research 

6 funding recipient. 

7 ‘‘(ii) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this 

8 subparagraph: 

9 ‘‘(I) ADDITIONAL NEW BUDGET

10 AUTHORITY.—The term ‘additional 

11 new budget authority’ means, with re12 spect to an agricultural research fund13 ing recipient, the amount of new 

14 budget authority provided for a fiscal 

15 year in an appropriation Act for that 

16 agricultural research funding recipient 

17 that is in excess of the amount of new 

18 budget authority provided in fiscal 

19 year 2019 in an appropriation Act for 

20 that agricultural research funding re21 cipient. 

22 ‘‘(II) AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

23 FUNDING RECIPIENT.—The term ‘ag24 ricultural research funding recipient’ 

25 means a funding recipient described 


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1 in section 2(b) of the America Grows 

2 Act of 2019. 

3 ‘‘(III) DIRECTOR.—The term 

4 ‘Director’ means the Director of the 

5 Office of Management and Budget.’’. 

6 (b) MINIMUM CONTINUED FUNDING REQUIRE7 MENT.—The amount of new budget authority made avail8 able in appropriation Acts for a funding recipient de9 scribed in section 2(b) for each of fiscal years 2020 

10 through 2024, and each subsequent fiscal year, shall not 

11 be less than the amount of new budget authority made 

12 available in appropriation Acts for that funding recipient 

13 for fiscal year 2019. 

14 (c) EXEMPTION OF CERTAIN APPROPRIATIONS FROM

15 SEQUESTRATION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the 

17 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 

18 Act (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting 

19 after ‘‘Advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund 

20 and Other Funds (16–0327–0–1–600).’’ the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘Appropriations pursuant to section 

23 2(a) of the America Grows Act of 2019.’’. 

24 (2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by 

25 this section shall apply to any sequestration order 


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1 issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

2 Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.) 

3 on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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