[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5087 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5087

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report to Congress 
on Department of Agriculture spending related to seafood purchases and 
                    grants, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2023

  Mr. Pallone (for himself, Mrs. Cammack, Ms. Bonamici, and Ms. Blunt 
  Rochester) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report to Congress 
on Department of Agriculture spending related to seafood purchases and 
                    grants, 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 ``Supporting Equity for Aquaculture 
and Seafood Act'' or the ``SEAS Act''.

SEC. 2. REPORT ON USDA SEAFOOD PURCHASES AND GRANTS.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter through fiscal year 2026, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report that includes, with 
respect to the previous fiscal year--
            (1) the total amount of expenditures of the Department of 
        Agriculture on seafood purchases and aquaculture purchases and 
        the value of such expenditures;
            (2) the total amount of expenditures of the Department on 
        seafood and aquaculture promotion and outreach supporting the 
        seafood and aquaculture industries and the value of such 
        expenditures;
            (3) the number of grants made by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture to the seafood and aquaculture industries, and the 
        amount of such grants; and
            (4) the number of grants made by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture to facilitate seafood and aquaculture research, the 
        amount of such grants, and the subject matter of such research.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON USDA SUPPORT FOR AQUACULTURE AND THE SEAFOOD 
              INDUSTRY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to 
Congress a report--
            (1) evaluating the Department of Agriculture's role in 
        supporting aquaculture and the seafood industry;
            (2) evaluating the domestic seafood processing capacity of 
        the United States and the impact of overseas processing on 
        domestic supply chains, aquaculture, and the seafood industry;
            (3) examining the access to the Department of Agriculture's 
        grants and resources aquaculture and seafood producers have, as 
        compared to traditional land-based farmers;
            (4) evaluating the potential environmental benefits of 
        aquaculture, with respect to climate, conservation, and 
        pollution;
            (5) evaluating the potential negative impacts of 
        aquaculture, with respect to pollution, waste, disease, and 
        other repercussions; and
            (6) providing recommendations to support and advance best 
        practice for aquaculture in the United States.
    (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Aquaculture.--The term ``aquaculture'' means the 
        controlled breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, 
        shellfish, sea vegetables and other organisms in freshwater, 
        saltwater, and any other controlled water environments.
            (2) Seafood industry.--The term ``seafood industry'' means 
        shellfish growers, shellfish harvesters, sea vegetable growers, 
        fish farmers, commercial fishermen that harvest shellfish or 
        finfish, and other aquaculture producers.

SEC. 4. USDA INTERNAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle B of the Department of Agriculture 
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6931 et seq.) is amended by 
inserting after section 226B (7 U.S.C. 6934) the following:

``SEC. 226C. AQUACULTURE EDUCATION.

    ``(a) FSA Offices.-- The Secretary shall develop and implement a 
requirement for employees of each regional office of the Farm Service 
Agency with respect to education on aquaculture. Such requirement shall 
include training for all existing and new employees on--
            ``(1) eligibility for aquaculture-related Federal grants 
        and programs;
            ``(2) the role of aquaculture in United States agriculture; 
        and
            ``(3) the support the Department of Agriculture provides to 
        seafood producers and aquaculture.
    ``(b) Memorandum.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue a department-wide 
memorandum that--
            ``(1) affirms the Department of Agriculture's current 
        position that aquaculture plays a vital role in the United 
        States agriculture system; and
            ``(2) reiterates the eligibility of aquaculture and seafood 
        products and producers for programs administered by the 
        Secretary.
    ``(c) Webinars.-- The Secretary shall, beginning not later than 2 
years after the date of the enactment of this section and every 2 years 
thereafter, convene a conference (including a conference held on a 
virtual platform or through webinars) providing for education of 
officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and relevant 
stakeholders on the state of aquaculture in the United States.''.
    (b) Technical Correction.--Effective as if included in the 
enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2018, subtitle A of the Department 
of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is 
amended by redesignating the first section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) 
(relating to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A.

SEC. 5. REGIONAL AQUACULTURE CENTERS.

    (a) Extension.-- Section 1477(a) of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324(a)) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) to carry out subsection (b), $30,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2024 through 2028.''.
    (b) Indirect Costs.--Section 1477 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Indirect Costs.--Of the funds made available under subsection 
(a) to carry out this section for a fiscal year, not more than 15 
percent may be used for expenses related to administering the program 
under this section.''.

SEC. 6. SHELLFISH RESEARCH UNDER AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH 
              INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (b)(2)(B)(i) of the Competitive, 
Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)(B)(i)) 
is amended to read as follows:
                            ``(i)(I) aquaculture; and
                            ``(II) methods of increasing survival rate 
                        and adaptability of shellfish, including 
                        resistance to heat, disease, salinity, and 
                        acidification;''.
    (b) Developing Next Generation Technology for the Seafood and 
Aquaculture Industries.--Title IX of the Food Security and Rural 
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``SEC. 9015. DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SEAFOOD AND 
              AQUACULTURE INDUSTRIES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the heads of 
other relevant Federal agencies, shall make competitive grants to 
eligible entities to develop next generation technology, which may 
include more efficient gear and equipment, to reduce pollution and fuel 
usage in the seafood and aquaculture industries.
    ``(b) Eligible Entity Defined.--The term `eligible entity' includes 
a regional aquaculture center established under section 1475 of the 
National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 
1977 (7 U.S.C. 3322), institution of higher education, federally-funded 
research and development center, and an organization organization 
described in section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and 
exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2028.''.

SEC. 7. GRANT PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--In awarding grants (or other assistance), the 
Secretary shall give the same consideration to aquaculture producers as 
animal agriculture producers. 
    (b) Aquaculture Funding.--The Secretary shall ensure adequate and 
fair funding levels are made available to aquaculture producers through 
grants (or other assistance) under Department of Agriculture programs.
    (c) Animal Agriculture Defined.--The term ``animal agriculture'' 
means the raising, breeding, harvesting, and slaughtering of beef, 
lamb, goat, pork, duck, poultry, and other land-based organisms for 
consumption and the production of animal products, including milk, 
eggs, meat, skins, fibers, bones, feathers, and other byproducts.

SEC. 8. CROP INSURANCE.

    Section 522(c) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 
1522) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(20) Aquaculture products.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Corporation shall carry out 
                research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or 
                more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to 
                carry out research and development, regarding a policy 
                to insure aquaculture products.
                    ``(B) Availability.--The Corporation shall 
                establish a policy to insure aquaculture products for 
                the first reinsurance year that begins after the date 
                of the enactment of this paragraph.''.
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