[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2508 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2508

    To authorize a plant pathogen genomics research program at the 
   Department of Agriculture to reduce the economic impact of plant 
            pathogens on commercially important crop plants.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2001

Mr. Smith of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                    to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize a plant pathogen genomics research program at the 
   Department of Agriculture to reduce the economic impact of plant 
            pathogens on commercially important crop plants.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Plant Pathogen Genome Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Plant pathogens cause significant economic damage to 
        the Nation's agricultural production by direct reduction of 
        yields and by marketing and export losses.
            (2) Each year, the Nation's farmers and orchardists suffer 
        billions of dollars in lost yields and lost marketing 
        opportunities.
            (3) Economic losses caused by plant pathogens threaten the 
        economic viability of many farm communities.
            (4) Plant pathogens, such as species of Fusarium, also can 
        pose serious health risks to consumers.
            (5) The plant genome program has been successful in 
        discovering new knowledge about the structure, organization, 
        and function of plant genomes important to science and 
        agriculture and in developing the tools and capabilities needed 
        to study complex genomes. These and other efforts have led to 
        the development of new varieties of plants that resist 
        pathogens and other pests.
            (6) The Department of Agriculture should take advantage of 
        new knowledge and technologies developed through other 
        federally funded genome research programs to improve our 
        understanding of plant pathogens.
            (7) The Department of Agriculture should develop and 
        implement a research initiative to sequence the genomes of 
        plant pathogens of economic, environmental, and health 
        importance, to identify the functions of important genes, and 
        to develop improved strategies to reduce the impact of plant 
        pathogens on United States agriculture.

SEC. 3. PLANT PATHOGEN GENOME INITIATIVE.

    The Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the 
``Secretary'') shall establish a joint research program within the 
Agricultural Research Service and the Cooperative State Research, 
Education, and Extension Service's National Research Initiative Grants 
Program for the following purposes:
            (1) To sequence the genomes of plant pathogens that have a 
        significant agricultural, environmental, or health impact.
            (2) To determine the function of individual genes and 
        associated metabolic pathways for the sequenced plant 
        pathogens.
            (3) To enhance bioinformation capabilities in plant 
        pathogen genomics.
            (4) To ensure that the information developed under the 
        program is accessible to the broader scientific, agricultural, 
        and industrial communities.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006 to carry out 
this Act.
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