II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3746 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 

to make grants to facilitate the establishment of the National Ag Science 

Center in Stanislaus County, California. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 27 (legislative day, JULY 26), 2006 

Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the following bill; 

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

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 

of Agriculture to make grants to facilitate the establishment of the National Ag Science Center in Stanislaus 

County, California. 

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 Ag Science 

5 Center Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) the State of California (referred to in this 

2 Act as the ‘‘State’’) is a preeminent producer of 

3 more than 350 different agricultural commodities, 

4 including— 

5 (A) more than 90 percent of all of the to6 matoes and grapes produced in the United 

7 States; 

8 (B) all of the commercial almonds, dates, 

9 figs, olives, cling peaches, prunes, and raisins 

10 produced in the United States; and 

11 (C) 1 out of every 5 glasses of milk con12 sumed in the United States; 

13 (2) California is the leading State in terms of 

14 agricultural exports, annually shipping more than 

15 $7,000,000,000 worth of agricultural commodities 

16 around the world; 

17 (3) the direct and indirect economic impact of 

18 the total investment by the 78,500 farms in the 

19 State is staggering; 

20 (4) if the State is going to keep the agricultural 

21 industry of the State strong and vibrant, the State 

22 must focus on the needs of agricultural producers 

23 who are valuable contributors to the economic, so24 cial, and cultural life of the State and the United 

25 States. 


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1 (5) since 1945, agricultural land has been rap2 idly disappearing across the State, with soil erosion, 

3 urbanization, the growth of deserts, and salinization 

4 all contributing to the loss of productive farmland in 

5 the State; 

6 (6) if the trends described in paragraph (5) 

7 continue, the State will be unable— 

8 (A) to supply food for the population of 

9 the State, let alone the United States; or 

10 (B) to export food to the rest of the world; 

11 (7) as people in the United States grow more 

12 and more detached from the great agrarian history 

13 of the United States, fewer people in the United 

14 States understand the fundamental importance of 

15 agriculture to the society of the United States; 

16 (8) educating young people in the United States 

17 about agriculture and the importance of agriculture 

18 to the United States is an investment that would 

19 pay off in future benefits; 

20 (9) greater public understanding and apprecia21 tion of the importance of agriculture to the State, 

22 the United States, and the world is needed to secure 

23 a positive future in which the United States can rely 

24 on healthy food that is produced domestically; 


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1 (10) citizens of all ages, especially youth, must 

2 play a meaningful, hands-on role in determining the 

3 future of agriculture in the State; 

4 (11) as planners, conservationists, and other in5 terested persons throughout the State organize to 

6 help protect agricultural resources, the proposed Na7 tional Ag Science Center (referred to in this Act as 

8 the ‘‘Center’’) in Stanislaus County, California, is 

9 preparing— 

10 (A) to educate and alert future generations 

11 about the need to preserve agricultural land; 

12 and 

13 (B) to foster an understanding of the im14 portance of agriculture; 

15 (12) the mission of the National Ag Science 

16 Center would be to— 

17 (A) provide exciting and fun agricultural 

18 learning opportunities and resources in order 

19 for young people to learn how a vibrant agricul20 tural economy is necessary for a vibrant society; 

21 and 

22 (B) ensure a bright future for all aspects 

23 of the agriculture industry; 


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1 (13) the Center would prepare young people in 

2 the United States for career and leadership opportu3 nities in agriculture; 

4 (14) according to findings of the Center for 

5 Public Policy Studies at California State University, 

6 Stanislaus, the Center would— 

7 (A) create or support up to 359 new local 

8 jobs; 

9 (B) create or support up to $57,500,000 in 

10 economic activity and $15,200,000 in labor in11 come through construction of the new facility; 

12 (C) generate as much as $8,500,000 in 

13 total annual economic activity; and 

14 (D) result in as much as $3,400,000 in 

15 total annual labor income; 

16 (15) on September 14, 2005, the Yosemite 

17 Community College District Board, in Stanislaus 

18 County, California, voted unanimously to approve 

19 the dedication of a 3.5-acre site on the West Cam20 pus of Modesto Community College for the Center; 

21 and 

22 (16) establishment of the Center is in the na23 tional interest, because the proposed Center would 

24 enable future generations to help ensure a healthy 


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1 and profitable place for agriculture in the economy 

2 of the State and the United States. 

3 SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL 

4 AG SCIENCE CENTER, STANISLAUS COUNTY, 

5 CALIFORNIA. 

6 (a) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—Using amounts 

7 made available under subsection (c), the Secretary of the 

8 Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide to 

9 the entity known as ‘‘Ag Science Center, Inc.,’’ in 

10 Stanislaus County, California, grants to pay not more 

11 than a total of 33 percent of the total costs of establishing 

12 the National Ag Science Center, including any costs relat13 ing to the design, planning, construction, furnishing, 

14 equipping, and expansion of the Center. 

15 (b) GRANT PROPOSAL.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 

17 subsection (a), Ag Science Center, Inc., shall submit 

18 to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Ag19 riculture, or the Secretary of the Interior and the 

20 Secretary of Agriculture, a proposal for the use of 

21 the grant funds. 

22 (2) INCLUSIONS.—A grant proposal submitted 

23 under paragraph (1) shall include detailed plans for 

24 the design, construction, furnishing, equipping, and 

25 expansion of the Center. 


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1 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte3 rior and the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants 

4 under subsection (a) $10,000,000, to remain available 

5 until expended. 

Æ 


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