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AG RESEARCH Act
2/5/2024, 11:45 AM
Summary of Bill HR 4135
The bill aims to increase funding for research in areas such as crop production, soil health, pest management, and agricultural technology. It also seeks to promote collaboration between government agencies, universities, and private sector organizations to ensure that research efforts are coordinated and effective.
Additionally, the AG RESEARCH Act includes provisions to support the development of new technologies and practices that can help farmers improve their productivity and sustainability. This includes funding for research on climate change adaptation, water conservation, and renewable energy in agriculture. Overall, the AG RESEARCH Act is designed to strengthen the agricultural research infrastructure in the United States and support the development of innovative solutions to the challenges facing the agriculture industry. It is currently being reviewed by Congress and may be subject to amendments before it is passed into law.
Congressional Summary of HR 4135
Augmenting Research and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-edge and Helpful Act or the AG RESEARCH Act
This bill provides funding for maintenance at agricultural research facilities.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must (1) revise its review process for evaluating proposals for agricultural research facilities to include consulting with representatives of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) peer review panels; and (2) establish a grant program within NIFA to provide agricultural research facilities with a federal share of the cost for the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of the research facilities or the equipment necessary for agricultural research.
Additionally, the bill provides funding for the grant program and for USDA to provide direct payments to research facilities of the Agricultural Research Service for addressing deferred maintenance. USDA must give priority to the most critical structures in accordance with the Agricultural Research Service Capital Investment Strategy (April 2012).
