[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2732 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2732

 To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to 
 establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Terra, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 29, 2019

  Mr. Bennet introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to 
 establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Terra, 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 ``ARPA-Terra Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-TERRA.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture 
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6911 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 224B. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-TERRA.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) ARPA-terra.--The term `ARPA-Terra' means the Advanced 
        Research Projects Agency-Terra established by subsection (b).
            ``(2) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
        ARPA-Terra appointed under subsection (d).
            ``(3) Fund.--The term `Fund' means the Agriculture 
        Transformation Acceleration Fund established under subsection 
        (l)(1).
    ``(b) Establishment.--There is established the Advanced Research 
Projects Agency-Terra in the Department--
            ``(1) to overcome the long-term and high-risk technological 
        barriers in the development of agricultural technologies that 
        enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, 
        and resilience to extreme weather and infectious disease; and
            ``(2) to ensure that the United States maintains a 
        technological lead in developing and deploying advanced 
        agricultural technologies that increase economic opportunities 
        for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
    ``(c) Means.--To achieve the goals described in subsection (b), 
ARPA-Terra shall carry out agriculture technology projects that--
            ``(1) identify and promote revolutionary advances in 
        fundamental sciences;
            ``(2) translate scientific discoveries and cutting-edge 
        inventions into technological innovations; and
            ``(3) accelerate transformational technological advances in 
        areas that, due to technical and financial uncertainty, 
        industry is not likely to undertake without Federal assistance.
    ``(d) Director.--
            ``(1) Appointment.--There shall be in the Department a 
        Director of ARPA-Terra, who shall be appointed by the 
        President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
            ``(2) Qualifications.--The Director shall be an individual 
        who, by reason of professional background and experience, is 
        especially qualified to advise the Secretary on, and manage 
        research programs addressing, matters pertaining to long-term 
        and high-risk technological barriers to the development of 
        agricultural technologies.
            ``(3) Relationship to secretary.--The Director shall report 
        to the Secretary.
            ``(4) Relationship to chief scientist.--In carrying out the 
        responsibilities of the Director, the Director shall coordinate 
        with the Chief Scientist to identify relevant scientific 
        priorities and future trends relating to agricultural 
        technologies.
            ``(5) Relationship to other programs.--No other programs 
        within the Department shall report to the Director.
    ``(e) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of the Director shall 
include--
            ``(1) approving all new programs within ARPA-Terra;
            ``(2) developing funding criteria and assessing the success 
        of programs through the establishment of technical milestones;
            ``(3) administering the Fund through awards to institutions 
        of higher education, companies, research foundations, trade and 
        industry research collaborations, or consortia of those 
        entities, which may include land-grant institutions, federally 
        funded research and development centers, research stations, and 
        research laboratories, to achieve the goals described in 
        subsection (b) through targeted acceleration of--
                    ``(A) novel early-stage research with possible 
                technology applications;
                    ``(B) development of techniques, processes, and 
                technologies, and related testing and evaluation;
                    ``(C) research and development of manufacturing 
                processes for novel technologies; and
                    ``(D) coordination with nongovernmental entities 
                for demonstration of technologies and research 
                applications to facilitate technology transfer;
            ``(4) terminating programs carried out under this section 
        that are not achieving the goals of the programs; and
            ``(5) to the maximum extent practicable, ensuring that the 
        Fund supports research that reflects diversity with respect to 
        region, water quantity, and agricultural practice.
    ``(f) Personnel.--
            ``(1) Program managers.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall designate 
                employees to serve as program managers for each of the 
                programs established by the Director pursuant to 
                subsection (e).
                    ``(B) Responsibilities.--A program manager of a 
                program shall be responsible for--
                            ``(i) establishing research and development 
                        goals for the program, including through the 
                        convening of workshops and conferring with 
                        outside experts, and publicizing the goals of 
                        the program to the public and private sectors;
                            ``(ii) soliciting applications for specific 
                        areas of particular promise, especially areas 
                        that the private sector or the Federal 
                        Government are not likely to undertake alone;
                            ``(iii) building research collaborations 
                        for carrying out the program;
                            ``(iv) selecting on the basis of merit, 
                        after soliciting advice under subsection (j) as 
                        appropriate, each of the projects to be 
                        supported under the program after considering--
                                    ``(I) the novelty and scientific 
                                and technical merit of the proposed 
                                projects;
                                    ``(II) the demonstrated 
                                capabilities of the applicants to 
                                successfully carry out the proposed 
                                project;
                                    ``(III) the consideration by the 
                                applicant of future commercial 
                                applications of the project, including 
                                the feasibility of partnering with one 
                                or more commercial entities; and
                                    ``(IV) any other criteria that the 
                                Director determines to be appropriate;
                            ``(v) preparing technologies for an 
                        eventual transfer from lab to market;
                            ``(vi) monitoring the progress of projects 
                        supported under the program; and
                            ``(vii) recommending program restructure or 
                        termination of research partnerships or whole 
                        projects.
                    ``(C) Term.--The term of a program manager--
                            ``(i) shall be 4 years; and
                            ``(ii) may be renewed by the Director.
            ``(2) Hiring and management.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall have the 
                authority--
                            ``(i) to make appointments of scientific, 
                        engineering, and professional personnel without 
                        regard to the civil service laws; and
                            ``(ii) to fix the compensation of personnel 
                        described in clause (i) at a rate to be 
                        determined by the Director.
                    ``(B) Private recruiting firms.--The Secretary or 
                the Director may contract with private recruiting firms 
                for the hiring of qualified technical staff to carry 
                out this section.
                    ``(C) Additional staff.--The Director may use all 
                existing authorities of the Secretary to hire 
                administrative, financial, and clerical staff as 
                necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(g) Reports and Roadmaps.--
            ``(1) Annual report.--As part of the annual budget request 
        submitted to Congress under section 1105 of title 31, United 
        States Code, the Director shall provide to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress a report that describes projects 
        supported by ARPA-Terra during the previous fiscal year.
            ``(2) Strategic vision roadmap.--Not later than October 1, 
        2020, and October 1, 2023, the Director shall provide to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a roadmap that describes the 
        strategic vision that ARPA-Terra will use to guide the choices 
        of ARPA-Terra for future technology investments over the 
        following 3 fiscal years.
    ``(h) Coordination and Nonduplication.--
            ``(1) In general.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
        Director shall ensure that the activities of ARPA-Terra are 
        coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs 
        and laboratories within the Department and other relevant 
        research agencies.
            ``(2) Technology transfer coordinator.--To the extent 
        appropriate, the Director may coordinate technology transfer 
        efforts--
                    ``(A) with the Department; and
                    ``(B) to increase the transfer of technologies to 
                market, with outside entities, including the Foundation 
                for Food and Agricultural Research.
            ``(3) Lessons learned.--In developing ARPA-Terra, the 
        Director shall build on lessons learned from the Agriculture 
        Advanced Research and Development Authority pilot program 
        established under section 1473H of the National Agricultural 
        Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 
        3319k).
    ``(i) Federal Demonstration of Technologies.--The Secretary shall 
make available to purchasing and procurement programs of Federal 
agencies information regarding the potential to demonstrate 
technologies resulting from activities funded through ARPA-Terra.
    ``(j) Advice.--
            ``(1) Advisory committees.--The Director may seek advice on 
        any aspect of ARPA-Terra from--
                    ``(A) an existing Department advisory committee; 
                and
                    ``(B) a new advisory committee organized to support 
                the programs of ARPA-Terra and to provide advice and 
                assistance on--
                            ``(i) specific program tasks, including 
                        transfer from lab to market; or
                            ``(ii) overall direction of ARPA-Terra.
            ``(2) Additional sources of advice.--In carrying out this 
        section, the Director may seek advice and review from--
                    ``(A) the President's Council of Advisors on 
                Science and Technology;
                    ``(B) the Foundation for Food and Agriculture 
                Research;
                    ``(C) the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy;
                    ``(D) the Defense Advanced Research Projects 
                Agency; and
                    ``(E) any professional or scientific organization, 
                or individual agricultural practitioner, with expertise 
                in specific processes or technologies under development 
                by ARPA-Terra.
    ``(k) Existing Authorities.--The authority under this section--
            ``(1) is in addition to existing authorities of the 
        Secretary; and
            ``(2) does not supersede or modify any existing 
        authorities.
    ``(l) Funding.--
            ``(1) Fund.--There is established in the Treasury of the 
        United States a fund, to be known as the `Agriculture 
        Transformation Acceleration Fund', which shall be administered 
        by the Director for the purposes of carrying out this section.
            ``(2) Separate budget and appropriation.--
                    ``(A) Budget request.--The budget request for ARPA-
                Terra shall be separate from the rest of the budget 
                request of the Department.
                    ``(B) Appropriations.--Appropriations to the Fund 
                shall be separate and distinct from the rest of the 
                appropriations for the Department.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) The first section 225 of the Department of Agriculture 
        Reorganization Act of 1994 (relating to Food Access Liaison) (7 
        U.S.C. 6925) is redesignated as section 224A.
            (2) Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture 
        Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by 
        adding at the end the following:
            ``(11) The authority of the Secretary to establish in the 
        Department the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Terra under 
        section 224B.''.
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