[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2589 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2589

  To amend the Research Facilities Act and the Agricultural Research, 
    Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to address deferred 
    maintenance at agricultural research facilities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2023

   Ms. Hirono (for herself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. King, Ms. Smith, Mr. 
  Durbin, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
  Welch, and Mr. Lujan) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                                Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Research Facilities Act and the Agricultural Research, 
    Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to address deferred 
    maintenance at agricultural research facilities, 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 ``Augmenting Research and Educational 
Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act'' or 
the ``AG RESEARCH Act''.

SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) in 2019, agriculture and related industries--
                    (A) contributed $1,109,000,000,000 to the gross 
                domestic product of the United States (5.2 percent of 
                the total gross domestic product of the United States); 
                and
                    (B) provided 22,200,000 jobs domestically (10.9 
                percent of total employment in the United States);
            (2) the National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides 
        more than $1,700,000,000 in research funding each year to 
        schools of agriculture;
            (3) a study published in 2015 found that deferred 
        maintenance needs at 91 schools of agriculture across the 
        United States totaled $8,400,000,000, with a total replacement 
        cost of $29,000,000,000;
            (4) a study published in 2021 found that deferred 
        maintenance needs at schools of agriculture across the United 
        States had increased to $11,500,000,000, with a total 
        replacement cost of $38,100,000,000; and
            (5) infrastructure investments must be made at schools of 
        agriculture to ensure that United States agricultural research 
        remains globally competitive.
    (b) Evaluation of Proposals.--Section 3(d) of the Research 
Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390a(d)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as paragraphs 
        (2) and (3), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) 
        the following:
            ``(1) review the proposal in consultation with 
        representatives of National Institute of Food and Agriculture 
        peer review panels;''.
    (c) Grants for Agricultural Research Facilities.--Section 4 of the 
Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390b) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to assist 
agricultural research facilities in efforts to alter or repair those 
facilities or equipment of the facilities necessary for conducting 
agricultural research.
    ``(b) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish in the 
        National Institute of Food and Agriculture a competitive grant 
        program to provide to agricultural research facilities the 
        Federal share of the cost of the construction, alteration, 
        acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of--
                    ``(A) the agricultural research facilities; or
                    ``(B) equipment of the agricultural research 
                facilities necessary for conducting agricultural 
                research.
            ``(2) Secretarial waiver.--Notwithstanding section 
        3(c)(2)(A), the Secretary may provide that the Federal share 
        described in paragraph (1) is up to 100 percent of the costs 
        described in that paragraph on a case-by-case basis, as the 
        Secretary determines to be appropriate.
    ``(c) Requirements.--
            ``(1) Amount; terms and conditions.--Grants awarded under 
        this section shall be in such amounts and under such terms and 
        conditions as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry 
        out the purpose of this section.
            ``(2) Equitable distribution.--To the maximum extent 
        practicable, grants shall be awarded under this section to 
        ensure--
                    ``(A) an equitable geographic distribution of 
                funds;
                    ``(B) an equitable distribution of funds to diverse 
                institutions;
                    ``(C) an equitable distribution of funds to 
                institutions with diverse areas of study within 
                agricultural science; and
                    ``(D) an equitable distribution of funds to 
                agricultural research facilities of various sizes.
            ``(3) Limitation.--Not greater than 20 percent of amounts 
        made available to carry out this section shall be awarded to 
        projects in any 1 State.
            ``(4) Administration.--In carrying out this section, the 
        Secretary shall establish procedures for--
                    ``(A) the submission of proposals for competitive 
                grants; and
                    ``(B) in consultation with representatives of 
                National Institute of Food and Agriculture peer review 
                panels, the review and selection of proposals submitted 
                under subparagraph (A).''.
    (d) Funding.--Section 6 of the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 
390d) is amended--
            (1) by striking the section designation and heading and all 
        that follows through the end of subsection (a) and inserting 
        the following:

``SEC. 6. FUNDING AND LIMITATIONS ON USE OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) Funding.--
            ``(1) Mandatory funding.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subsections (b) 
                through (d), but notwithstanding any other provision of 
                law, on October 1, 2023, and on each October 1 
                thereafter through October 1, 2027, out of any funds in 
                the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary 
                of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary to 
                carry out section 4 $1,000,000,000, to remain available 
                until expended.
                    ``(B) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall 
                be entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to 
                carry out section 4 the funds transferred under 
                paragraph (1), without further appropriation. 
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to 
        amounts made available under paragraph (1), subject to 
        subsections (b) through (d), there is authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary not more than $3,000,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, to remain available 
        until expended, for the study, plan, design, structure, and 
        related costs of agricultural research facilities under this 
        Act.''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by inserting ``Federal'' before 
        ``administration''.

SEC. 3. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTERS.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that the Agricultural Research Service 
Capital Investment Strategy dated April 2012 indicates that research 
facilities of the Agricultural Research Services have more than 
$1,000,000,000 in deferred maintenance.
    (b) Direct Funding for Deferred Maintenance at ARS Research 
Facilities.--Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Education Reform Act of 1998 is amended by inserting before section 404 
(7 U.S.C. 7624) the following:

``SEC. 401. DIRECT FUNDING FOR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AT ARS RESEARCH 
              FACILITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--Using amounts made available under subsection 
(c), the Secretary shall provide direct payments to research facilities 
of the Agricultural Research Service for the purpose of addressing 
deferred maintenance.
    ``(b) Priority.--In providing direct payments under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall give priority to the most critical structures in 
accordance with the Agricultural Research Service Capital Investment 
Strategy dated April 2012.
    ``(c) Funding.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, on October 1, 2023, and on each October 1 thereafter 
        through October 1, 2027, out of any funds in the Treasury not 
        otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
        transfer to the Secretary to carry out this section 
        $200,000,000, to remain available until expended.
            ``(2) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall be 
        entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to carry out 
        this section the funds transferred under paragraph (1), without 
        further appropriation.''.
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