,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #cdbg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #aj1 #bjbe,ms4 ,baldwin 7for herself and ,ms4 ,collins7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,agricultural ,marketing ,act of #aidf to establish the ,domestic ,organic ,investment ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,domestic ,organic ,investment ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,domestic ,organic ,investment ,program ,subtitle ,a of the ,agricultural ,marketing ,act of #aidf 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #afba et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #baj;,b4 ,domestic ,organic ,investment ,program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,certified organic product ,the term certified organic product means an agricultural product 7as defined in section #bajc of the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #fejb77 that is organically produced 7as defined in that section74 7#b7 ,eligible entity 7,a7 ,in general ,the term eligible entity means an entity described in subparagraph 7,b7 that-- 7i7 is owned and operated within-- 7,i7 a ,state2 7,,ii7 the ,district of ,columbia2 7,,iii7 any territory or possession of the ,united ,states2 or 7,,iv7 the jurisdiction of an ,indian ,tribe2 and 7ii7 7,i7 is certified in accordance with subpart ,e of part #bje of title #g1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or successor regulations72 or 7,,ii7 is in transition to certification1 as defined by the ,secretary4 7,b7 ,entities described ,an entity referred to in subparagraph 7,a7 is-- 7i7 a producer1 producer cooperative1 or other commercial entity that produces or handles certified organic products2 7ii7 a unit of ,tribal government2 or 7iii7 such other entity as the ,secretary may designate4 7,c7 ,exclusion ,the term eligible entity does not include an entity described in subparagraph 7,b7 the operations of which are suspended or revoked under section #bje4ffb of title #g1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or a successor regulation74 7#c7 ,indian tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 acting through the ,administrator of the ,agricultural ,marketing ,service4 7#e7 ,tribal government ,the term ,tribal government means the governing body of an ,indian ,tribe4 7b7 ,establishment and purpose ,the ,secretary shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,domestic ,organic ,investment ,program1 that-- 7#a7 increases the capacity of the domestic organic product supply chain for producers1 handlers1 suppliers1 and processors of certified organic products2 7#b7 modernizes manufacturing1 tracking1 storage1 and information technology systems specific to the purposes described in this subsection1 such as process control or organic product ingredient tracking systems2 7#c7 improves the capacity of eligible entities to comply with applicable regulatory requirements or quality standards required to access markets1 such as requirements and standards relating to food safety and organic product certification2 7#d7 expands capacity for storage1 processing1 aggregation1 and distribution of certified organic products to create more and better markets for producers of certified organic products2 7#e7 facilitates market development for domestically produced certified organic products currently being serviced by organic imports2 and 7#f7 addresses additional barriers and bottlenecks in the domestic organic product supply chain for producers1 handlers1 suppliers1 and processors of certified organic products1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,grants ,for each fiscal year for which amounts are made available to carry out this section under subsection 7j71 the ,secretary shall provide grants to support eligible entities in conducting activities in accordance with the purposes of the program described in subsection 7b74 7d7 ,applications 7#a7 ,in general ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an eligible entity shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7#b7 ,simplified process ,the ,secretary shall implement a simplified application and award process under this section for use by any eligible entity seeking to carry out an equipment-only project4 7#c7 ,priority ,the ,secretary may establish an annual priority for grants under this section based in part on-- 7,a7 imbalance of trade and reliance on organic imports2 7,b7 ,national ,organic ,standards ,board recommendations2 and 7,c7 identified organic processing and supply chain bottlenecks inhibiting market growth and efficiency4 7#d7 ,competitive process ,the ,secretary-- 7,a7 shall conduct a competitive process to select applications submitted under this subsection2 7,b7 may assess and rank applications with similar purposes as a group2 and 7,c7 before accepting any application under this subsection1 shall make publicly available the criteria to be used in evaluating the applications4 7e7 ,project types ,an eligible entity may use amounts received under this section to carry out1 in accordance with such goals and deadlines for completion as the ,secretary may establish1 the following types of projects3 7#a7 ,certified organic product storage 7including cold storage71 aggregation1 processing1 and distribution capacity expansion4 7#b7 ,equipment-only4 7f7 ,term ,unless otherwise determined by the ,secretary1 a grant provided under this section shall have a term of not longer than #c years4 7g7 ,maximum amount 7#a7 ,in general ,the amount of a grant provided under this section for a project described in subsection 7e77#a7 shall be not more than #b1jjj1jjj4 7#b7 ,equipment-only projects ,the amount of a grant provided under this section for a project described in subsection 7e77#b7 shall be not more than #ajj1jjj4 7h7 ,matching funds 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section to carry out a project described in subsection 7e77#a7 shall provide a non-,federal share equal to not less than #ej percent of the cost of the project4 7#b7 ,equipment-only projects ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section to carry out a project described in subsection 7e77#b7 shall provide a non-,federal share equal to not less than #be percent of the cost of the project4 7#c7 ,rule for certain applications ,the ,secretary may waive or lower the non-,federal share required under this subsection for beginning farmers and ranchers and veterans applying for a grant under this section4 7i7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary may provide to eligible entities technical assistance under this section1 directly or through #a or more cooperative agreements4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations ,in addition to amounts otherwise available1 there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj1 to remain available until expended4 4