I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1563 
To establish a Division of Food and Agricultural Science within the National 
Science Foundation and to authorize funding for the support of funda-
mental agricultural research of the highest quality, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 12, 2005 
Mr. GUTKNECHT (for himself, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, and Mr. KENNEDY 
of Minnesota) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a Division of Food and Agricultural Science 
within the National Science Foundation and to authorize 
funding for the support of fundamental agricultural re-
search of the highest quality, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Food and 
Agricultural Science Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 
Standing Council of Advisors established under sec-
tion 4(c). 
(2) DIRECTOR.—Except as otherwise provided 
in this Act, the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director 
of Food and Agricultural Science. 
(3) DIVISION.—The term ‘‘Division’’ means the 
Division of Food and Agricultural Science estab-
lished under section 4(a). 
(4) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 
means the National Science Foundation. 
(5) FUNDAMENTAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH; 
FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE.—The terms ‘‘fundamental 
agricultural research’’ and ‘‘fundamental science’’ 
mean fundamental research or science that— 
(A) advances the frontiers of knowledge so 
as to lead to practical results or to further sci-
entific discovery; and 
(B) has an effect on agriculture, food, nu-
trition, human health, or another purpose of 
this Act, as described in section 3(b). 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture.
(7) 
UNITED
STATES.—The 
term 
‘‘United 
States’’ when used in a geographical sense means 
the States, the District of Columbia, the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, and all territories and posses-
sions of the United States. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Agricultural Research, Econom-
ics, and Education Task Force established under section 
7404 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 
2002 (7 U.S.C. 3101 note) conducted an exhaustive review 
of agricultural research in the United States and evalu-
ated the merits of establishing 1 or more national insti-
tutes focused on disciplines important to the progress of 
food and agricultural science. Consistent with the findings 
and recommendations of the Agricultural Research, Eco-
nomics, and Education Task Force, Congress finds the 
following: 
(1) Agriculture in the United States faces crit-
ical challenges, including an impending crisis in the 
food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of 
the United States. Exotic diseases and pests threat-
en crops and livestock, obesity has reached epidemic 
proportions, 
agriculturally-related 
environmental 
degradation is a serious problem for the United 
States and other parts of the world, certain animal
diseases threaten human health, and United States 
producers of some major crops are no longer the 
world’s lowest cost producers. 
(2) In order to meet these critical challenges, it 
is essential that the Nation ensure that the agricul-
tural innovation that has been so successful in the 
past continues in the future. Agricultural innovation 
has resulted in hybrid and higher yielding varieties 
of basic crops and enhanced the world’s food supply 
by increasing yields on existing acres. Since 1960, 
the world’s population has tripled with no net in-
crease in the amount of land under cultivation. Cur-
rently, only 1.5 percent of the population of the 
United States provides the food and fiber to supply 
the Nation’s needs. Agriculture and agriculture 
sciences play a major role in maintaining the health 
and welfare of all people of the United States and 
in husbanding our land and water, and that role 
must be expanded. 
(3) Fundamental scientific research that leads 
to understandings of how cells and organisms work 
is critical to continued innovation in agriculture in 
the United States. Such future innovations are de-
pendent on fundamental scientific research, and will