H. R. 2419—288 
SEC. 6206. STUDY OF RURAL TRANSPORTATION ISSUES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec-
retary of Transportation shall jointly conduct a study of transpor-
tation issues regarding the movement of agricultural products, 
domestically produced renewable fuels, and domestically produced 
resources for the production of electricity for rural areas of the 
United States, and economic development in those areas. 
(b) INCLUSIONS.—The study shall include an examination of— 
(1) the importance of freight transportation, including rail, 
truck, and barge, to— 
(A) the delivery of equipment, seed, fertilizer, and other 
such products important to the development of agricultural 
commodities and products; 
(B) the movement of agricultural commodities and 
products to market; 
(C) the delivery of ethanol and other renewable fuels; 
(D) the delivery of domestically produced resources 
for use in the generation of electricity for rural areas; 
(E) the location of grain elevators, ethanol plants, and 
other facilities; 
(F) the development of manufacturing facilities in rural 
areas; and 
(G) the vitality and economic development of rural 
communities; 
(2) the sufficiency in rural areas of transportation capacity, 
the sufficiency of competition in the transportation system, 
the reliability of transportation services, and the reasonableness 
of transportation rates; 
(3) the sufficiency of facility investment in rural areas 
necessary for efficient and cost-effective transportation; and 
(4) the accessibility to shippers in rural areas of Federal 
processes for the resolution of grievances arising within various 
transportation modes. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Secretary 
of Transportation shall submit to Congress a report that contains 
the results of the study required by subsection (a). 
Subtitle D—Housing Assistance Council 
SEC. 6301. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Housing Assistance Council 
Authorization Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 6302. ASSISTANCE TO HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCIL. 
(a) USE.—The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
may provide financial assistance to the Housing Assistance Council 
for use by the Council to develop the ability and capacity of commu-
nity-based housing development organizations to undertake commu-
nity development and affordable housing projects and programs 
in rural areas. Assistance provided by the Secretary under this 
section may be used by the Housing Assistance Council for— 
(1) technical assistance, training, support, research, and 
advice to develop the business and administrative capabilities 
of rural community-based housing development organizations;
H. R. 2419—289 
(2) loans, grants, or other financial assistance to rural 
community-based housing development organizations to carry 
out community development and affordable housing activities 
for low- and moderate-income families; and 
(3) such other activities as may be determined by the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Housing 
Assistance Council. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 
to be appropriated for financial assistance under this section for 
the Housing Assistance Council $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2009 through 2011. 
SEC. 6303. AUDITS AND REPORTS. 
(a) AUDIT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The financial transactions and activities 
of the Housing Assistance Council shall be audited annually 
by an independent certified public accountant or an inde-
pendent licensed public accountant certified or licensed by a 
regulatory authority of a State or other political subdivision 
of the United States. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS OF AUDITS.—The Comptroller General 
of the United States may rely on any audit completed under 
paragraph (1), if the audit complies with— 
(A) the annual programmatic and financial examina-
tion requirements established in OMB Circular A-133; and 
(B) generally accepted government auditing standards. 
(3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Comptroller General shall 
submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services 
of the House of Representative a report detailing each audit 
completed under paragraph (1). 
(b) GAO REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study and submit a report to the Committee 
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representative 
on the use of any funds appropriated to the Housing Assistance 
Council over the past 7 years. 
SEC. 6304. PERSONS NOT LAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES. 
Aliens who are not lawfully present in the United States shall 
be ineligible for financial assistance under this subtitle, as provided 
and defined by section 214 of the Housing and Community Develop-
ment Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 1436a). Nothing in this subtitle shall 
be construed to alter the restrictions or definitions in such section 
214. 
SEC. 6305. LIMITATION ON USE OF AUTHORIZED AMOUNTS. 
None of the amounts authorized by this subtitle may be used 
to lobby or retain a lobbyist for the purpose of influencing a Federal, 
State, or local governmental entity or officer.
H. R. 2419—290 
TITLE VII—RESEARCH AND RELATED 
MATTERS 
Subtitle 
A—National 
Agricultural 
Re-
search, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977 
SEC. 7101. DEFINITIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1404 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 
3103) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (E) 
as clauses (i) through (v), respectively; 
(B) by striking ‘‘(4) The terms’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The terms’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The terms ‘college’ and ‘university’ 
include a research foundation maintained by a college or 
university described in subparagraph (A).’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (8), (9) through 
(11), (12) through (14), (15), (16), (17), and (18) as paragraphs 
(6) through (9), (11) through (13), (15) through (17), (20), (5), 
(18), and (19), respectively, and moving the paragraphs so 
as to appear in alphabetical and numerical order; 
(3) in paragraph (9) (as redesignated by paragraph (2))— 
(A) by striking ‘‘renewable natural resources’’ and 
inserting ‘‘renewable energy and natural resources’’; and 
(B) by striking subparagraph (F) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(F) Soil, water, and related resource conservation and 
improvement.’’; 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so redesignated) 
the following: 
‘‘(10) HISPANIC-SERVING
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGES
AND 
UNIVERSITIES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘Hispanic-serving agricul-
tural colleges and universities’ means colleges or univer-
sities that— 
‘‘(i) qualify as Hispanic-serving institutions; and 
‘‘(ii) offer associate, bachelors, or other accredited 
degree programs in agriculture-related fields. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—The term ‘Hispanic-serving agricul-
tural colleges and universities’ does not include 1862 
institutions (as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 
(7 U.S.C. 7601)).’’; 
(5) by striking paragraph (11) (as so redesignated) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(11) HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The term ‘Hispanic- 
serving institution’ has the meaning given the term in section
H. R. 2419—291 
502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a).’’; 
and 
(6) by inserting after paragraph (13) (as so redesignated) 
the following: 
‘‘(14) NLGCA INSTITUTION; NON-LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OF 
AGRICULTURE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The terms ‘NLGCA Institution’ and 
‘non-land-grant college of agriculture’ mean a public college 
or university offering a baccalaureate or higher degree 
in the study of agriculture or forestry. 
‘‘(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The terms ‘NLGCA Institution’ and 
‘non-land-grant college of agriculture’ do not include— 
‘‘(i) Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and 
universities; or 
‘‘(ii) any institution designated under— 
‘‘(I) the Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly known 
as the ‘First Morrill Act’; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); 
‘‘(II) the Act of August 30, 1890 (commonly 
known as the ‘Second Morrill Act’) (7 U.S.C. 321 
et seq.); 
‘‘(III) the Equity in Educational Land-Grant 
Status Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–382; 7 U.S.C. 
301 note); or 
‘‘(IV) Public Law 87–788 (commonly known 
as the ‘McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act’) 
(16 U.S.C. 582a et seq.).’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) Section 2(3) of the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 
390(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 1404(8) of the National 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 
1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(8))’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1404 of the 
National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)’’. 
(2) Section 2(k) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities 
Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 450i(k)) is amended in the second 
sentence by striking ‘‘section 1404(17) of the National Agricul-
tural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 
(7 U.S.C. 3103(17))’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1404 of the National 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 
1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)’’. 
(3) Section 18(a)(3)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)(3)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 
1404(5) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(5)))’’ and inserting 
‘‘section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 
and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103))’’. 
(4) Section 1473 of the National Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319) 
is amended in the first sentence by striking ‘‘section 1404(16) 
of this title’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1404(18)’’. 
(5) Section 1619(b) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5801(b)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘section 1404(17) of 
the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(17))’’ and 
inserting ‘‘section 1404 of the National Agricultural
H. R. 2419—292 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 
U.S.C. 3103)’’; 
(B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘section 1404(7) of 
the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(7))’’ and 
inserting ‘‘section 1404 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 
U.S.C. 3103)’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘section 1404(13) of 
the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(13))’’ and 
inserting ‘‘section 1404 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 
U.S.C. 3103)’’. 
(6) Section 125(c)(1)(C) of Public Law 100–238 (5 U.S.C. 
8432 note) is amended by striking ‘‘section 1404(5) of the 
National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(5))’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1404 
of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 
Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)’’. 
SEC. 7102. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, EDU-
CATION, AND ECONOMICS ADVISORY BOARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1408 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 
3123) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘31’’ and inserting 
‘‘25’’; and 
(B) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES.—The Advisory Board shall 
consist of members from each of the following categories: 
‘‘(A) 1 member representing a national farm organiza-
tion. 
‘‘(B) 1 member representing farm cooperatives. 
‘‘(C) 1 member actively engaged in the production of 
a food animal commodity, recommended by a coalition of 
national livestock organizations. 
‘‘(D) 1 member actively engaged in the production of 
a plant commodity, recommended by a coalition of national 
crop organizations. 
‘‘(E) 1 member actively engaged in aquaculture, rec-
ommended by a coalition of national aquacultural organiza-
tions. 
‘‘(F) 1 member representing a national food animal 
science society. 
‘‘(G) 1 member representing a national crop, soil, 
agronomy, horticulture, plant pathology, or weed science 
society. 
‘‘(H) 1 member representing a national food science 
organization. 
‘‘(I) 1 member representing a national human health 
association. 
‘‘(J) 1 member representing a national nutritional 
science society.