118 HR 8003 IH: Securing American Agriculture Act U.S. House of Representatives 2024-04-15 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I118th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 8003IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESApril 15, 2024Mrs. Hinson (for herself, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Alford, Mr. Carson, Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mrs. Wagner, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Kustoff, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Finstad, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, Mr. Van Orden, and Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on AgricultureA BILLTo direct the Secretary of Agriculture to publish, on an annual basis, an assessment on United States dependency on critical agricultural products or inputs from the People’s Republic of China, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Securing American Agriculture Act.

2.

Critical agricultural products or inputs study

(a)

In general

The Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the Secretary) shall, on an annual basis, submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, an assessment of the dependency of the United States on critical agricultural products or inputs that could be exploited in the event the People’s Republic of China weaponizes any such critical dependency.(b)

Contents

The assessment under subsection (a) shall—(1)address, with respect to the critical inputs specified in subsection (c), the following:(A)the current domestic production capacity of each such critical input; and(B)the current and potential bottlenecks in the supply chain for each such critical input that could be exploited by the People’s Republic of China; and(2)contain the Secretary’s recommendations to reduce the dependency of the United States on the People’s Republic of China to supply critical agricultural products or inputs, including—(A)recommendations to mitigate potential threats posed by the People’s Republic of China to the supply chains of each critical input specified in subsection (c); and(B)recommendations for legislative and regulatory actions to reduce barriers to onshore or nearshore the production of each such critical input.(c)

Critical inputs

The critical inputs specified in this subsection shall include all farm management, agronomic, and field-applied production inputs, including each of the following:(1)Agricultural equipment, machinery, and technology.(2)Fuel.(3)Fertilizers.(4)Feed, including its components, such as vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. (5)Veterinary drugs and vaccines.(6)Crop protection chemicals.(7)Seed.(8)Any other critical agricultural inputs, as determined by the Secretary.(d)

Collection, distribution, and protection of information

(1)

Voluntary basis

In conducting an assessment under subsection (a), the Secretary may not require any private entity to provide information to the Secretary.(2)

Aggregate data

In the case of information provided to the Secretary to conduct an assessment under subsection (a), neither the Secretary, any other officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture or agency thereof, nor any other person may—(A)use such information for a purpose other than the development or reporting of aggregate data in a manner such that the identity of the person who supplied such information is not discernible and is not material to the intended uses of such information; or(B)disclose such information to the public, unless such information has been transformed into a statistical or aggregate form that does not allow the identification of the person who supplied particular information.(3)

Confidentiality

The Secretary shall ensure that assessments submitted under subsection (a) do not include any information that is a trade secret or confidential information subject to section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code, or section 1905 of title 18, United States Code.(4)

Immunity from disclosure

Any information provided to the Secretary as part of an assessment conducted under subsection (a) may not be used by the Secretary for any purpose other than to carry out such subsection.