,i #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hfac ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #d1 #bjbd,mr4 ,lucas 7for himself and ,ms4 ,salinas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,agriculture and the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of ,department of ,agriculture and ,national ,science ,foundation mission requirements and priorities1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,nsf and ,,usda ,interagency ,research ,act4 #b4 ,department of ,agriculture and ,national ,science ,foundation research and development coordination 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary7 and the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation 7in this section referred to as the ,director7 shall carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of ,department of ,agriculture and ,national ,science ,foundation mission requirements and priorities4 7b7 ,memoranda of understanding ,the ,secretary and the ,director shall coordinate the activities under subsection 7a7 through the establishment of memoranda of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreements4 ,such memoranda or agreements1 as the case may be1 shall require the use of a competitive1 merit review process1 as appropriate4 ,such activities may include components proposed by ,federal agencies1 institutions of higher education1 non-profit institutions1 and other appropriate entities1 as determined appropriate under the memoranda or agreements4 7c7 ,coordination ,in carrying out the activities under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary and the ,director may-- 7#a7 conduct collaborative research in a variety of focus areas1 such as-- 7,a7 plant1 animal1 and microbial biology relevant to agricultural challenges2 7,b7 food and nutrition security2 7,c7 rural economic revitalization2 7,d7 cyber-physical systems2 7,e7 smart and connected communities2 7,f7 advanced sensors and models of soil and plant processes2 7,g7 nano-biosensing and analytical technologies to improve food safety1 water quality1 biosecurity1 plant and animal diseases1 and soil health2 7,h7 monitoring of food- or water-borne pathogens1 allergens1 and accidental1 natural1 or intentional bio- or chemical contaminants2 7,i7 key emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence1 machine learning1 automation1 robotics1 digital agriculture1 and information and communication technology for agricultural uses2 7,j7 development and testing of new precision agriculture tools2 and 7,k7 workforce needs1 education1 and development2 7#b7 promote collaboration1 open community-based development1 and data and information sharing between ,federal agencies1 institutions of higher education1 community colleges1 area career and technical education schools1 nonprofit institutions1 and other appropriate entities by providing the necessary access and secure data and information transfer capabilities2 7#c7 support research infrastructure1 including new facilities1 equipment and broadband deployment1 as the ,secretary and ,director determine necessary2 7#d7 develop translational technologies for commercial utilization2 7#e7 organize education1 training1 and research initiatives relating to ,,stem education and workforce development1 which may include-- 7,a7 activities supported by the ,cooperative ,extension ,system2 7,b7 industrial partnership programs2 7,c7 workshops for educating preschool through grade #ab teachers on how to increase agricultural literacy2 7,d7 development of agricultural-based science curricula for kindergarten through grade #ab students2 and 7,e7 distribution of resources for educators to implement curricula1 such as the workshops developed under subparagraph 7,c72 7#f7 award grants to institutions of higher education1 community colleges1 area career and technical education schools1 or eligible nonprofit institutions 7or consortia thereof71 to establish a ,center for ,agricultural ,research1 ,education1 and ,workforce ,development2 and 7#g7 facilitate relationships between public and private entities to carry out the activities specified in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#f7 upon the termination of any agreement entered into under subsection 7b74 7d7 ,agreements ,in carrying out the activities under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary and the ,director are authorized to-- 7#a7 carry out reimbursable agreements between the ,department of ,agriculture1 the ,national ,science ,foundation1 and other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of research and development2 and 7#b7 collaborate with other ,federal agencies1 as appropriate4 7e7 ,report ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the appropriate committees of ,congress1 a report detailing the following3 7#a7 ,interagency coordination between each ,federal agency involved in the research and development activities carried out under this section4 7#b7 ,potential opportunities to expand the technical capabilities of the ,department of ,agriculture and the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7#c7 ,collaborative research achievements4 7#d7 ,areas of future mutually beneficial successes4 7#e7 ,continuation of coordination activities between the ,department of ,agriculture and the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7f7 ,research security ,the activities authorized under this section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle ,d of title ,,vi of the ,research and ,development1 ,competition1 and ,innovation ,act 7enacted as division ,b of the ,,chips ,act of #bjbb 7,public ,law #aag-afg2 #db ,u4,s4,c4 #aibca et seq4774 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress ,the term appropriate committees of ,congress means each of the following committees3 7,a7 ,the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives4 7,b7 ,the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives4 7,c7 ,the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate4 7,d7 ,the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,area career and technical education school ,the term area career and technical education school has the meaning given such term in section #c of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcjb74 7#c7 ,community college ,the term community college has the meaning given such term in section #cafg;,b of the ,energy ,science ,education ,enhancement ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gcha;c-#c74 7#d7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74