I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2447
To establish a Federal interagency task force to promote the benefits, safety, 
and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology to improve human and 
animal nutrition, increase crop productivity, and improve agricultural 
sustainability while ensuring the safety of food and the environment. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2003
Mr. SMITH of Michigan (for himself, Mr. PAUL, Mr. BALLENGER, Mr. ROYCE, 
Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. 
PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. WELLER, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON 
of Texas, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. BACHUS, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. 
HYDE, Mr. BEREUTER, Ms. LOFGREN, and Mr. HALL) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Rela-
tions, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a Federal interagency task force to promote 
the benefits, safety, and potential uses of agricultural 
biotechnology to improve human and animal nutrition, 
increase crop productivity, and improve agricultural sus-
tainability while ensuring the safety of food and the 
environment.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE TO PRO-
MOTE THE BENEFITS, SAFETY, AND POTEN-
TIAL 
USES 
OF 
AGRICULTURAL 
BIO-
TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE 
TO PROMOTE BENEFITS, SAFETY, AND POTENTIAL USES 
OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY.—There is estab-
lished the ‘‘Federal Interagency Task Force to Promote 
the Benefits, Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural 
Biotechnology’’ (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘task force’’) for the purpose of improving interagency co-
operation and to develop and disseminate accurate written 
scientific information on the benefits, safety, and potential 
uses of agricultural biotechnology. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the task force 
shall consist of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the United States 
Trade Representative, the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development, and the Di-
rector of the National Science Foundation. The Secretary 
of State shall chair the task force. Members of the task 
force may designate a senior official from the appropriate 
participating Federal agency to attend meetings of the 
task force.
(c) OBJECTIVES OF TASK FORCE.—The task force 
shall coordinate the activities of the participating agencies 
to—
(1) improve the knowledge of foreign assigned 
individuals from the participating agencies regarding 
the safety and potential of biotechnology-derived ag-
ricultural products, including regulatory safeguards 
that assure food and environmental safety; 
(2) expand the dissemination by participating 
agencies of scientifically-based facts regarding the 
safety and potential of biotechnology-derived agricul-
tural products; 
(3) improve the ability of the participating 
agencies to advocate to foreign countries the benefits 
that agricultural biotechnology can potentially pro-
vide for human and animal nutrition, the environ-
ment, crop productivity, and agricultural sustain-
ability; and 
(4) achieve a better understanding by foreign 
countries of the potential benefits of agricultural bio-
technology to develop products that can be grown 
under local soil and climate conditions and better 
meet the health and nutritional needs of local popu-
lations. 
(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) SUBMISSION.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and bian-
nually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit 
to the Congress a report on the activities undertaken 
by the task force and the participating agencies to 
promote the benefits, safety, and potential uses of 
agricultural biotechnology. 
(2) 
REQUIREMENTS.—A 
report 
submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall include a description of—
(A) measures taken to coordinate and com-
municate, as appropriate, the scientific evidence 
on the benefits, safety, and potential uses of ag-
ricultural biotechnology; 
(B) progress toward achieving coordination 
under subsection (c); 
(C) the success of efforts coordinated 
under subsection (c); 
(D) efforts to advance the goals of sub-
section (c) in developing nations; and 
(E) recommendations to improve the ac-
tivities of the participating agencies pertaining 
to communicating benefits, safety, and potential 
uses of biotechnology.
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