[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4421 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4421

 To establish the Office of Biotechnology Policy in the Department of 
                  Agriculture, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2024

Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Young) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the Office of Biotechnology Policy in the Department of 
                  Agriculture, 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 ``Agricultural Biotechnology 
Coordination Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. BIOTECHNOLOGY AT THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

    (a) Prioritization.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall prioritize 
biotechnology at the Department of Agriculture by providing for the 
effective coordination of policies and activities with respect to 
biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and related 
emerging technologies.
    (b) Office of Biotechnology Policy.--Subtitle A of the Department 
of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 224B. OFFICE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
Department the Office of Biotechnology Policy (referred to in this 
section as the `Office').
    ``(b) Director.--The Office shall be headed by a Director (referred 
to in this section as the `Director'), who shall report directly to the 
Secretary or a designee of the Secretary.
    ``(c) Duties of the Office.--The Office shall be responsible for--
            ``(1) the development and coordination of policies, 
        activities, and services of the Department with respect to 
        biotechnology and related topics, including--
                    ``(A) research and development;
                    ``(B) communication, extension, and education;
                    ``(C) regulation and labeling; and
                    ``(D) commercialization, use, and trade;
            ``(2) assisting other offices and agencies of the 
        Department in fulfilling their responsibilities relating to 
        biotechnology under applicable laws; and
            ``(3) carrying out such other duties as are required by law 
        or determined by the Secretary.
    ``(d) Interagency Coordination.--In support of the duties required 
under subsection (c), the Director shall provide leadership to ensure 
coordination of interagency activities with the Environmental 
Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and other Federal 
and State agencies.
    ``(e) Outreach.--In carrying out the duties of the Office under 
this section, the Director shall consult as necessary with 
biotechnology developers, academics, agricultural producers, and other 
entities that may be affected by biotechnology-related activities or 
actions of the Department or other Federal or State agencies.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Subtitle A of the Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by redesignating 
section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) (relating to the Food Access Liaison) as 
section 224A.
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