I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2385 

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

Act of 1977 to extend and permanently authorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2023 

Mr. PANETTA (for himself and Mr. FEENSTRA) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to extend and permanently authorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and 

Development Authority, 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 ‘‘Advancing Cutting 

5 Edge Agriculture Act’’ or the ‘‘ACE Agriculture Act’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 2385 IH

1 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF AGARDA. 

2 Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Re3 search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

4 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended— 

5 (1) in the section heading, by striking 

6 ‘‘PILOT’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ‘‘growing,’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘growing (including water conserva9 tion technologies and innovation),’’; 

10 (3) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘pilot’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

13 (i) by amending subparagraph (B) to 

14 read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(B) to overcome the long term and high16 risk technological barriers in the development of 

17 agricultural technologies, research tools, and 

18 qualified products and projects that enhance ex19 port competitiveness, environmental sustain20 ability, water conservation, the reduction, avoid21 ance, sequestration, or mitigation of greenhouse 

22 gas emissions, and resilience to extreme weath23 er, drought, infectious diseases, plant and ani24 mal pathogens, and plant and animal pests;’’; 

25 and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 2385 IH

1 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 

2 ‘‘or economic cost’’ after ‘‘financial uncer3 tainty’’; 

4 (C) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

5 (i) in clause (ii), in the matter pre6 ceding subclause (I), by striking ‘‘advise 

7 the Chief Scientist on, and’’; and 

8 (ii) by amending clause (iii) to read as 

9 follows: 

10 ‘‘(iii) RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE DE11 PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.— 

12 ‘‘(I) CHIEF SCIENTIST.—The Di13 rector shall report to the Chief Sci14 entist. 

15 ‘‘(II) OTHER PROGRAMS.—No 

16 other official who is the head of any 

17 other program of the Department of 

18 Agriculture shall report to the Direc19 tor.’’; 

20 (D) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘pilot’’ 

21 each place it appears in subparagraphs (A) and 

22 (B); and 

23 (E) by amending paragraph (9) to read as 

24 follows: 

25 ‘‘(9) PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 2385 IH

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es2 tablish and maintain within the AGARDA a 

3 staff with sufficient qualifications and expertise 

4 to enable the AGARDA to carry out the respon5 sibilities of the AGARDA under this section in 

6 conjunction with other operations of the De7 partment of Agriculture. 

8 ‘‘(B) USE OF EXISTING PERSONNEL AU9 THORITIES.—In carrying out this subsection, 

10 the Secretary may appoint highly qualified indi11 viduals to scientific or professional positions on 

12 the same terms and conditions as provided in 

13 subsections (b)(3), (b)(4), (c), (d), (e), and (f) 

14 of section 620 of the Agricultural Research, Ex15 tension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 

16 U.S.C. 7657).’’; 

17 (4) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(4) USE OF STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Secretary 

20 shall use the strategic plan developed under para21 graph (1) to inform the administration of the 

22 AGARDA under this section.’’; 

23 (5) in subsection (d)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara25 graph (C); 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 2385 IH

1 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking 

2 ‘‘$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

3 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000,000 

4 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029’’; 

5 and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(4) OTHER FUNDING.—In addition to amounts 

8 otherwise made available to carry out this section, 

9 the Secretary may use to carry out this section other 

10 funds available to the Secretary for any other pur11 pose. 

12 ‘‘(5) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in paragraph 

13 (2) or (4) authorizes the use of the funds of the 

14 Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this sec15 tion.’’; and 

16 (6) by striking subsection (e). 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB