I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6474 
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act 
of 1998 to address deferred maintenance at agricultural research facili-
ties, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 23, 2018 
Ms. GABBARD (for herself, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 
MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. 
DELAURO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. THOMPSON
of Mississippi, Ms. 
HANABUSA, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
CARBAJAL, and Mr. MCGOVERN) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Edu-
cation Reform Act of 1998 to address deferred mainte-
nance at agricultural research facilities, 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 ‘‘Augmenting Research 
and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains 
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Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act’’ or the ‘‘AG RESEARCH 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) in 2015, agriculture and related indus-
tries— 
(A) contributed $992,000,000,000 to the 
gross domestic product of the United States 
(5.5 percent of the total gross domestic product 
of the United States); and 
(B) provided 21,000,000 jobs domestically 
(11 percent of total employment in the United 
States); 
(2) the Department of Agriculture funds more 
than $1,500,000,000 in research funding each year 
to schools of agriculture; 
(3) a study published in 2015 found that de-
ferred maintenance at 91 schools of agriculture 
across the United States totaled $8,200,000,000, 
with a total replacement cost of $29,000,000,000; 
and 
(4) infrastructure investments must be made at 
schools of agriculture to ensure that United States 
agricultural research remains globally competitive. 
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(b) GRANTS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILI-
TIES.—Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, 
and Education Reform Act of 1998 is amended by insert-
ing before section 404 (7 U.S.C. 7624) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 401. GRANTS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILI-
TIES. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to as-
sist agricultural research facilities in efforts to alter or re-
pair those facilities or equipment of the facilities necessary 
for conducting agricultural research. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITION OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FA-
CILITY.—In this section, the term ‘agricultural research 
facility’ has the meaning given the term in section 2 of 
the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390). 
‘‘(c) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish in the National Institute of Food and Agri-
culture a competitive grant program to provide to 
agricultural research facilities the Federal share of 
the cost of the alteration, modernization, renovation, 
or remodeling of— 
‘‘(A) the agricultural research facilities; or 
‘‘(B) equipment of the agricultural re-
search facilities necessary for conducting agri-
cultural research. 
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‘‘(2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share re-
ferred to in paragraph (1) shall be not greater than 
50 percent. 
‘‘(d) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) AMOUNT; 
TERMS
AND
CONDITIONS.— 
Grants awarded under this section shall be in such 
amounts and under such terms and conditions as 
the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out 
the purpose of this section. 
‘‘(2) 
GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.—To 
the 
maximum extent practicable, grants shall be award-
ed under this section to ensure an equitable geo-
graphic distribution of funds. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Not greater than 20 per-
cent of amounts made available to carry out this sec-
tion shall be awarded to projects in any 1 State. 
‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION.—In carrying out this 
section, the Secretary shall establish procedures 
for— 
‘‘(A) the submission of proposals for com-
petitive grants; and 
‘‘(B) in consultation with representatives 
of National Institute of Food and Agriculture 
grantmaking peer review panels, the review and 
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selection of proposals submitted under subpara-
graph (A). 
‘‘(5) PRIORITY.—In selecting proposals under 
paragraph (4)(B), the Secretary shall give priority 
to proposals that— 
‘‘(A) are— 
‘‘(i) ready to proceed quickly; and 
‘‘(ii) included in the facilities master 
plan or capital improvement plan of the 
college, university, or nonprofit institution; 
or 
‘‘(B) incorporate— 
‘‘(i) renewable energy; 
‘‘(ii) energy- or water-efficient tech-
nology; or 
‘‘(iii) both energy and technology de-
scribed in clauses (i) and (ii). 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
2028.’’. 
SEC. 3. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTERS. 
(a) FINDING.—Congress finds that the Agricultural 
Research Service Capital Investment Strategy dated April 
2012 indicates that research facilities of the Agricultural 
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Research Services have more than $1,000,000,000 in de-
ferred maintenance. 
(b) DIRECT FUNDING
FOR DEFERRED MAINTE-
NANCE AT ARS RESEARCH FACILITIES.—Title IV of the 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform 
Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7624 et seq.) is amended by insert-
ing after section 401 (as added by section 2(b)) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 402. DIRECT FUNDING FOR DEFERRED MAINTE-
NANCE AT ARS RESEARCH FACILITIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Using amounts made available 
under subsection (c), the Secretary shall provide direct 
payments to research facilities of the Agricultural Re-
search Service for the purpose of addressing deferred 
maintenance. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In providing direct payments under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to the most 
critical structures in accordance with the Agricultural Re-
search Service Capital Investment Strategy dated April 
2012. 
‘‘(c) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity 
Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out 
this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2028.’’. 
Æ 
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