,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #daee ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #bf1 #bjbe,mr4 ,bacon introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,food1 ,agriculture1 ,conservation1 and ,trade ,act of #aiij to require the ,secretary of ,agriculture to recognize centers of excellence1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,agricultural ,security ,research ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,centers of ,excellence ,section #afgc of the ,food1 ,agriculture1 ,conservation1 and ,trade ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #eibf7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking subsections 7a7 through 7c7 and inserting the following3 7a7 ,centers of ,excellence 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall recognize at least one center of excellence for each of the areas of focus described in paragraph 7#b7 for the purpose of carrying out research1 extension1 and education programs4 7#b7 ,areas of ,focus ,a center of excellence recognized under this subsection may engage in research1 extension1 and education programs focused on the following3 7,a7 ,aquaculture ,developing and applying aquaculture methods1 including through the propagation and rearing of economically and ecologically valuable aquatic and marine species4 7,b7 ,beginning farmers and ranchers ,training beginning farmers and ranchers1 including training on farm and agribusiness management1 mentoring and technical assistance1 and access to capital4 7,c7 ,biosecurity and cybersecurity ,agricultural biosecurity and cybersecurity efforts to defend the food supply of the ,united ,states from-- 7i7 a biosecurity or cybersecurity attack2 or 7ii7 other global catastrophic and existential threats1 as defined in section #gcjb of the ,global ,catastrophic ,risk ,management ,act of #bjbb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #hba74 7,d7 ,biosystems and agricultural engineering ,biosystems and agricultural engineering1 including precision agriculture technologies and mechanization and automation technologies for specialty crops4 7,e7 ,biotechnology ,development of animal and plant biotechnologies that will increase agricultural productivity4 7,f7 ,crop production1 protection1 and resilience ,crop production and protection1 including the development1 manufacture1 and use of fertilizer1 crop protection tools1 and adjuvants in increasing productivity and protecting crops from damaging pests and diseases4 7,g7 ,digital agriculture ,developing1 evaluating1 and deploying digital agriculture1 including artificial intelligence and remote sensing systems4 7,h7 ,farm business and financial management ,farm business and financial management activities1 including marketing plans1 production diversification1 and cash forward contracting4 7,i7 ,food quality ,improving food quality1 including research on the uptake of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food1 the presence of microplastics in biosolids1 and the efficacy and feasibility of reducing levels of inorganic arsenic1 lead1 cadmium1 or mercury in food4 7,j7 ,foreign animal disease ,foreign animal diseases1 including the ecology and etiology of emerging diseases1 control methods1 and implementation strategies to enhance preparedness and response efforts to protect the livestock and poultry industry4 7,k7 ,forestry ,forest productivity and forest health1 including invasive species control1 biochar and pyrolysis development and commercialization1 reforestation and restoration of damaged landscapes1 and new wood-based materials4 7#c7 ,host ,institutions 7,a7 ,in general ,an institution eligible to host or co-host a center of excellence recognized under this subsection means-- 7i7 a #ahfb ,institution1 as defined in section #b of the ,agricultural ,research1 ,extension1 and ,education ,reform ,act of #aiih 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #gfja72 7ii7 a #ahij ,institution1 as defined in section #b of the ,agricultural ,research1 ,extension1 and ,education ,reform ,act of #aiih 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #gfja72 7iii7 a #aiid ,institution1 as defined in section #ecb of the ,equity in ,educational ,land-,grant ,status ,act of #aiid 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cja note72 7iv7 a non-land-grant college of agriculture1 as defined in section #adjd of the ,national ,agricultural ,research1 ,extension1 and ,teaching ,policy ,act of #aigg 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cajc72 7v7 a ,hispanic-serving agricultural college or university1 as defined in section #adjd of the ,national ,agricultural ,research1 ,extension1 and ,teaching ,policy ,act of #aigg 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cajc72 and 7vi7 a college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the ,american ,veterinary ,medical ,association4 7,b7 ,distribution ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the ,secretary shall ensure the geographic diversity of institutions selected to host or co-host a center of excellence recognized under this subsection4 7,c7 ,limitation ,an institution may host or co-host only one center of excellence recognized under this subsection during any given period4 7,d7 ,duties ,a institution selected to host or co-host a center of excellence recognized under this subsection shall partner with the ,agricultural ,research ,service1 other ,federal agencies1 ,state governments1 other institutions of higher education 7as defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja771 agricultural industry groups1 or other relevant entities to-- 7i7 reduce duplicative efforts and focus on filling gaps across research1 extension1 and education programs by enhancing coordination and improving cost-effectiveness2 7ii7 leverage available resources by using public-private partnerships2 7iii7 implement training and educational initiatives to increase awareness and effectively disseminate solutions to target audiences through extension activities2 7iv7 increase economic returns to rural communities by identifying1 attracting1 and directing funds to high-priority agricultural issues2 7v7 rapidly respond to emerging issues that threaten any sector of the agricultural industry of the ,united ,states2 7vi7 focus on workforce development for employers to recruit and retain high-quality employees in rural areas2 and 7vii7 engage in assistance for administrative management and education regarding potentially valuable intellectual property derived from federally supported research1 extension1 and education programs4 7#d7 ,duration ,the term of an award under this subsection shall be for a five-year period and may be renewed for not more than one additional five-year period4 7#e7 ,construction ,prohibited ,funds made available under this subsection shall not be used for-- 7,a7 the construction of a new building or facility2 or 7,b7 the acquisition1 expansion1 remodeling1 or alteration of an existing building or facility 7including site grading and improvement and architect fees74 7#f7 ,report ,not later than one year after the date of enactment of the ,american ,agricultural ,security ,research ,act of #bjbe1 and every year thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate a report describing-- 7,a7 the projects initiated in the preceding year by each center of excellence recognized under this subsection2 7,b7 the amount of funding for each such project and the funding source2 7,c7 the institutions participating in each such project and their shares of the overall funding for each project2 7,d7 the level of cost-sharing for each such project2 7,e7 any technology transfer and intellectual property management actions taken by each such center of excellence1 including the number of relevant invention disclosures1 any provisional patents filed1 any non-provisional patents filed and issued1 the number of licenses executed1 and any start-up companies registered2 and 7,f7 any additional information deemed necessary by the ,secretary4 7#g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj to carry out this subsection4 2 7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7d7 as subsection 7b72 and 7#c7 in subsection 7b71 as so redesignated-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7i7 by striking ,the ,secretary and inserting ,in addition to the centers of excellence recognized under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 by striking #c and inserting #h2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7i7 in subparagraph 7,a7-- 7,i7 in the subparagraph heading1 by striking and workforce development and inserting 1 workforce development1 and rural studies2 and 7,,ii7 by inserting economics1 psychology1 rural sociology1 data sciences1 after mathematics12 7ii7 in subparagraph 7,e71 by inserting and developing nature-based solutions to improve the composition of soil organic compounds1 including carbon1 that are beneficial to soil quality and the environment before the period at the end2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following3 7,g7 ,forest health and conservation ,a center of excellence established under paragraph 7#a7 may focus on forest health1 sustainable forest management1 agroforestry1 enhancing forest resilience to catastrophic wildfire1 supporting rural infrastructure1 and urban and community forestry programs to promote healthy forest ecosystems and resilient communities4 7,h7 ,food safety1 bioprocessing1 and value-added agriculture ,a center of excellence established under paragraph 7#a7 may focus on food safety1 bioprocessing1 value-added agriculture enterprise development1 and innovative food and agriculture product development4 2 and 7,c7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking #bjbc and inserting #bjbi4 #c4 ,agriculture and food protection grant program ,section #adhe of the ,national ,agricultural ,research1 ,extension1 and ,teaching ,policy ,act of #aigg 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cceb7 is amended to read as follows3 #adhe4 ,agriculture and food protection grant program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish a program under which the ,secretary will award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to support research1 extension1 and education activities that improve the capability of the ,united ,states to protect the food and agricultural system from-- 7#a7 a chemical1 biological1 cybersecurity1 or bioterrorism attack2 or 7#b7 other global catastrophic and existential threats1 as defined in section #gcjb of the ,global ,catastrophic ,risk ,management ,act of #bjbb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #hba74 7b7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use funds received through the grant-- 7#a7 to encourage basic and applied research on1 and the development of1 qualified agricultural countermeasures2 7#b7 to promote the development and expansion of teaching programs in agriculture1 veterinary medicine1 and other disciplines closely allied to the food and agriculture system of the ,united ,states to increase the number of trained individuals with an expertise in agricultural biosecurity and cybersecurity2 7#c7 to expand or upgrade facilities to meet biosafety and biosecurity requirements necessary to protect facility staff1 members of the public1 and the food supply while carrying out agricultural biosecurity research2 7#d7 to cover costs associated with the acquisition of equipment and other capital costs related to expansion of food1 agriculture1 and veterinary medicine teaching programs in agricultural biosecurity and cybersecurity2 or 7#e7 to otherwise improve the capacity of the ,united ,states to respond in a timely manner to emerging or existing threats4 7c7 ,eligible entities ,an entity eligible to receive a grant under this section is-- 7#a7 a ,state agricultural experiment station2 7#b7 a ,state department of agriculture2 7#c7 a college or university2 7#d7 a university research foundation2 7#e7 a research institution or organization2 7#f7 a ,federal agency2 7#g7 a national laboratory2 or 7#h7 any group consisting of #b or more of the entities described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#g74 7d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 4