[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2106 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2106

  A bill to increase internationally the exchange and availability of 
    information regarding biotechnology and to coordinate a Federal 
      strategy in order to advance the benefits of biotechnology, 
                      particularly in agriculture.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 24, 2000

 Mr. Ashcroft introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  A bill to increase internationally the exchange and availability of 
    information regarding biotechnology and to coordinate a Federal 
      strategy in order to advance the benefits of biotechnology, 
                      particularly in agriculture.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This title may be cited as the ``Advancing the Global Opportunities 
for Biotechnology in Agriculture Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Biotechnology in the agricultural sector holds the 
        prospect for substantial benefits to mankind in a number of 
        critical areas.
            (2) Enhanced crop yields resulting from the use of 
        agricultural biotechnology will help in feeding a growing world 
        population, especially in developing countries.
            (3) Healthier bio-engineered foods will assist in combating 
        diseases specific to the developing world that arise from 
        vitamin and other nutritional deficiencies.
            (4) Pest and disease resistant crops developed through 
        biotechnology will preserve and improve the environment by 
        reducing the need for herbicides and pesticides.
            (5) Greater agricultural yields will preserve the 
        environment by minimizing the need for additional farmland to 
        feed and clothe the world's growing population.
            (6) Ensuring that these benefits, the underlying scientific 
        information, and the regulatory framework for managing this 
        technology are shared globally is imperative and should be an 
        integral part of United States foreign assistance programs.

SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Of the funds appropriated to carry out sections 
103 through 106, and chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 for fiscal years 2001-2002, $6,000,000 is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Agency for International Development for programs 
and projects designed to educate government officials in developing 
countries regarding the use of biotechnology in the agricultural sector 
and the regulatory procedures used by the United States with respect to 
agricultural products using biotechnology. The programs and activities 
shall encourage acceptance by those countries of products approved 
under the United States regulatory system or, in the case of countries 
who choose to establish a national regulatory system based on science, 
to encourage adoption of domestic approval processes based on objective 
scientific principles. The programs and activities shall include the 
following:
            (1) Technical exchange program for foreign officials.--The 
        Agency for International Development shall carry out a 
        technical exchange program that brings to the United States 
        appropriate foreign officials for the purpose of educating them 
        about the scientific process underlying biotechnology and the 
        regulatory approval system employed in the United States for 
        biotechnology products, and to seek answers to any questions 
        they or their citizens may have regarding the safety of 
        biotechnology, particularly in agricultural products.
            (2) Technical exchange program for united states 
        biotechnology experts.--The Agency for International 
        Development shall carry out a technical exchange program that 
        sends United States experts in the field of biotechnology in 
        the agriculture sector to foreign capitals to provide 
        information on the scientific process underlying biotechnology, 
        the regulatory approval system employed in the United States to 
        approve agricultural products produced with biotechnology, and 
        to respond to any questions the officials in foreign countries 
        or their citizens may have regarding the safety of 
        biotechnology, particularly in the agriculture sector.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERTISE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE AGENCY FOR 
              INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

    In order to carry out the programs and activities in section ____, 
the Agency for International Development shall establish a group of 
experts within the agency to carry out these programs. To maximize its 
effectiveness, this group should draw on the expertise, as appropriate, 
of regulatory officials in the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Food and Drug Administration, and the United States Department of 
Agriculture, as well as appropriate officials from the Department of 
State.

SEC. 5. COORDINATED FEDERAL STRATEGY.

    (a) Coordination.--The President shall establish an interagency 
process for all relevant executive branch agencies, including the 
United States Department of Agriculture, the Office of the United 
States Trade Representative, the Department of State, the Agency for 
International Development, the Department of Commerce, the Food and 
Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to 
coordinate efforts and to generate support for the acceptance of 
agricultural biotechnology. United States policies must stress the 
prominence of science as the foundation for regulatory decision-making 
and work aggressively in international fora such as the World Trade 
Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development, the World Health Organization, including its CODEX 
Alimentarius, and the United Nations, to advocate for science-based 
decision making.
    (b) Standards for Food Aid.--The Agency for International 
Development and the United States Department of Agriculture should work 
to ensure that all food and grain products that meet United States 
health and safety requirements are acceptable to foreign countries 
under relevant food aid programs.

SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    It is the Sense of the Congress that the Secretary of State should 
work with United States embassies abroad to develop bilateral support 
from foreign governments for the approval of science-based trading 
regimes in multilateral forums and organizations.
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