Title: REAL Opportunity Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Recognizing and Encouraging Agricultural Leadership Opportunity Act or the REAL Opportunity Act
This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to require the Department of Agriculture to establish up to six Centers of Excellence and Leadership led by 1890 Institutions (historically black land-grant colleges and universities that were established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890) to award grants, conduct activities, and develop public-private partnerships related to specified research and outreach goals.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6091 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6091

 To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other 
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 13, 2018

 Ms. Adams (for herself and Mr. Luetkemeyer) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other 
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Recognizing and Encouraging 
Agricultural Leadership Opportunity Act'' or the ``REAL Opportunity 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CENTERS FOR EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP AT 1890 INSTITUTIONS.

    The Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 is 
amended by inserting after section 1673 (7 U.S.C. 5926) the following:

``SEC. 1673A. CENTERS FOR EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish not more than 6 
Centers of Excellence and Leadership (in this section referred to as 
the `Centers') to be led by not fewer than three and not more than 4 
lead 1890 Institutions selected by the Secretary of Agriculture in 
consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Food and 
Agriculture. A lead 1890 Institution may not be selected to lead more 
than one Center.
    ``(b) Technical Committee.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a 
        technical committee for each Center to manage and administer 
        the Center--
                    ``(A) to ensure the identification of appropriate 
                priorities for the scope of the work of the Center;
                    ``(B) to ensure a competitive grant process with 
                respect to grants awarded by the Center; and
                    ``(C) to conduct appropriate assessments and 
                evaluations of activities carried out by the Center.
            ``(2) Composition.--A technical committee established under 
        paragraph (1) for a Center shall be composed of--
                    ``(A) one representative from each 1890 Institution 
                participating with the Center; and
                    ``(B) a designee of the 1890 Universities 
                Foundation.
    ``(c) Center Areas of Focus and Goals.--The Secretary shall 
designate Centers of Excellence and Leadership to focus on one or more 
of the following areas and corresponding activities:
            ``(1) With respect to student success and workforce 
        development, such activities as may be necessary to ensure that 
        students have the skills and education needed to work in 
        agriculture and food industries, agriculture science, 
        technology, engineering, mathematics, and related fields of 
        study.
            ``(2) With respect to nutrition, health, wellness, and 
        quality of life, research, education, and extension activities 
        that increase access to healthy food, improve nutrition, 
        mitigate preventable diseases, and develop strategies to assist 
        limited resource individuals in accessing health and nutrition 
        resources.
            ``(3) With respect to farming systems, rural prosperity, 
        and economic sustainability--
                    ``(A) sharing best practices with farmers to 
                improve agricultural production, processing, and 
                marketing;
                    ``(B) activities designed to reduce urban food 
                deserts;
                    ``(C) examining new uses for traditional and 
                nontraditional crops, animals, and natural resources; 
                and
                    ``(D) such activities as are carried out, as of the 
                date of the enactment of this section, by the Center of 
                Innovative and Sustainable Small Farms, Ranches, and 
                Forest Lands.
            ``(4) With respect to global food security and defense--
                    ``(A) engaging in international partnerships that 
                strengthen agricultural development in developing 
                countries;
                    ``(B) partnering with international researchers 
                regarding new and emerging animal and plant pests and 
                diseases;
                    ``(C) engaging in agricultural disaster recovery; 
                and
                    ``(D) such activities as are carried out, as of the 
                date of the enactment of this section, by the Center 
                for International Engagement.
            ``(5) With respect to natural resources, energy, and the 
        environment, such activities as may be necessary to protect and 
        manage domestic natural resources for current and future 
        production of food and agricultural products.
            ``(6) With respect to emerging technologies, activities 
        related to--
                    ``(A) developing of emerging technologies to 
                increase the agricultural productivity;
                    ``(B) enhancing small farm economic viability; and
                    ``(C) improving rural communities by--
                            ``(i) developing genetic and sensor 
                        technologies for food and agriculture; and
                            ``(ii) providing technology training to 
                        farmers.
    ``(d) Reports.--Beginning not later than one year after the date on 
which funds are first allocated under subsection (g)(2) and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a comprehensive 
progress report describing--
            ``(1) the resources invested in the Centers; and
            ``(2) the work done by the Centers.
    ``(e) Lead 1890 Institution Defined.--In this section, the term 
`lead 1890 Institution' means an 1890 Institution (as defined in 
section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform 
Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)) that has the critical mass of faculty, 
special facilities, and capacity to engage in and support the 
identified education, extension, and research priorities of a Center.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2023.''.
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