[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2659 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2659

 To authorized the establishment of a program for cooperative research 
 and development in agriculture with the Government of Israel, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2017

Mr. Soto (for himself, Mr. Yoho, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Crist, Mr. 
    Hastings, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Frankel of Florida, and Ms. Wasserman 
   Schultz) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign 
Affairs, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorized the establishment of a program for cooperative research 
 and development in agriculture with the Government of Israel, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``United States-Israel Agriculture 
Strategic Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Agreement to establish the United States-Israel 
        Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund, 
        signed on October 25, 1977, between the United States 
        Government and the Government of Israel ``to promote and 
        support agricultural research and development activities which 
        are of mutual benefits to the United States and Israel''.
            (2) Since its founding, the BARD Fund has cultivated 
        strategic partnerships between United States and Israeli 
        scientists and has been a benchmark for the establishment of 
        cooperative agreements.
            (3) BARD Fund-sponsored research projects have contributed 
        billions of dollars to both United States and Israeli 
        economies, as determined by independent economic surveys. As 
        the major platform for United States-Israel agricultural 
        research collaboration, the BARD Fund has funded more than 
        1,300 bi-national projects, awarded over $300 million for 
        research and development, and supported other programs such as 
        more than 250 postdoctoral fellows and 50 scientific workshops.
            (4) BARD Fund-sponsored research projects have led to 
        innovative developments, new technologies, and renewed focus in 
        drip irrigation, pesticides, fish farming, livestock, poultry, 
        disease control, and farm equipment.
            (5) The BARD Fund has been successful in research 
        collaboration between United States and Israel without fraud, 
        waste, or abuse for 40 years.
            (6) The Memorandum of Understanding Between the U.S. 
        National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Israel 
        Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund To 
        Promote Scientific Collaboration among U.S. and Israeli 
        Scientists and Engineers, signed on November 22, 2013, promotes 
        collaboration between the United States and Israel. The 2013 
        Memorandum of Understanding was intended to provide a framework 
        whereby Israeli scientists and engineers could receive funding 
        from the BARD Fund and United States scientists and engineers 
        could receive funding from the National Institute for Food and 
        Agriculture.
            (7) It would be in the interest of the United States to 
        expand the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding to include 
        cooperation with private entities and to statutorily authorize 
        the BARD Fund to enhance prospects for its long-term funding.
            (8) In 2014, Congress enacted legislation declaring that 
        Israel is a major strategic partner of the United States and 
        authorized the President to promote cooperation with Israel in 
        multiple fields, including agriculture.
            (9) Joint cooperation can help solve specific challenges, 
        including food safety, food security, food quality, and post-
        harvest issues, as well as maximize production with limited 
        resources, environmental changes, water scarcity, and water 
        management.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES-ISRAEL EXPANDED-BINATIONAL 
              AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUND.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with 
the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, is authorized to establish a 
program for cooperative research and development in agriculture with 
the Government of Israel.
    (b) Existing Authority.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
establish and carry out the program authorized under subsection (a) in 
a manner consistent with the Secretary's authority under section 1458 
of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3291).
    (c) Purpose.--The purpose of the program authorized under 
subsection (a) shall be to establish a framework to enhance the 
collaboration between the United States and Israel in research and 
development activities relating to agriculture, including between 
public and private entities.
    (d) Activities Supported.--Activities that may be supported under 
the program authorized under subsection (a) include--
            (1) activities authorized under the Agreement to establish 
        the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and 
        Development (BARD) Fund; and
            (2) activities authorized under section 1458 of the Food 
        and Agriculture Act of 1977.
    (e) Nongovernmental and Private Entities.--Projects and activities 
under the program authorized under subsection (a) may be carried out by 
nongovernmental and private entities, including through collaboration 
with private universities, research institutions, and corporations if 
such projects and activities support the objectives of the Agreement to 
establish the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and 
Development (BARD) Fund.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of Agriculture such sums as may be necessary to 
        carry out this section.
            (2) Fund; availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
        the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) shall be known as the ``United States-Israel 
                Expanded-Binational Agricultural Research and 
                Development Fund'' or ``E-BARD Fund''; and
                    (B) are authorized to remain available until 
                expended.
            (3) Transfer authority.--The Secretary of Agriculture may 
        transfer amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
        appropriations under paragraph (1) to the heads of other 
        relevant Federal departments and agencies, including the 
        Department of State and the United States Agency for 
        International Development, for purposes of carrying out the 
        program authorized under subsection (a).
    (g) Binational Task Force.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, in coordination 
        with the Secretary of Agriculture, is authorized to seek to 
        establish a binational task force to provide guidance and 
        oversight with respect to the program authorized under 
        subsection (a), including to address matters described in 
        paragraph (2).
            (2) Matters described.--The matters described in this 
        paragraph are the following:
                    (A) Identifying funding priorities and innovative 
                developments in agriculture in evaluating projects 
                under the program.
                    (B) Proposing research competitions among 
                universities and private entities in selecting projects 
                under the program.
            (3) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the task force established under paragraph (1) should be 
        comprised of the following:
                    (A) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                    (B) The Israeli Minister for Agriculture and Rural 
                Development.
                    (C) Members of the board of directors of the BARD 
                Fund.
                    (D) The administrators of the Agriculture Research 
                Service, Economic Research Service, and the National 
                Institute of Food and Agriculture.
                    (E) The chief scientist of the Israeli Ministry of 
                Agriculture and the director of the Agricultural 
                Research Organization--Volcani Center.
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