RESEARCH FACILITIES ACT
Public Law 88–74, as amended
77 Stat. 90, as amended
RESEARCH FACILITIES ACT
74
119–21
Statute Compilation
United States House of Representatives
Office of the Legislative Counsel
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
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Research Facilities Act
10294
88
1963-07-22
RESEARCH FACILITIES ACT
[Public Law 88–74, Approved on July 22, 1963, 77 Stat. 90]
[As Amended Through P.L. 119–21, Enacted July 4, 2025]
[Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of Public Law 88–74. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/]
[Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]

TABLE OF CONTENTS1
^1
This table of contents is not part of the Act but is included for user convenience.
Sec. 1.
Short title.
Sec. 2.
Definitions.
Sec. 3.
Review process.
Sec. 4.
Competitive grant program.
Sec. 5.
Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.
Sec. 6.
Authorization of appropriations.

AN ACT
To assist the States to provide additional facilities for research at the State agricultural experimental stations.
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 “Research Facilities Act”.
SEC. 2.
[7 U.S.C. 390]

DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1)

Agricultural research facility.—
The term “agricultural research facility” means a proposed facility for research in food and agricultural sciences for which Federal funds are requested by an entity eligible to receive funds under a capacity and infrastructure program (as defined in section 251(f)(1)(C) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971(f)(1)(C))) to assist in the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of the facility.
(2)

Congressional agriculture committees.—
The term “congressional agriculture committees” means the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
(3)

Food and agricultural sciences.—
The term “food and agricultural sciences” has the meaning given that term in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103).
(4)

Secretary.—
The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.
SEC. 3.
[7 U.S.C. 390a]

REVIEW PROCESS.
(a)

Submission to Secretary.—
Each proposal for an agricultural research facility shall be submitted to the Secretary for review. The Secretary shall review the proposals in the order in which the proposals are received.
(b)

Application Process.—
In consultation with the congressional agriculture committees, the Secretary shall establish an application process for the submission of proposals for agricultural research facilities.
(c)

Criteria for Approval.—
(1)

Determination by secretary.—
With respect to each proposal for an agricultural research facility submitted under subsection (a), the Secretary shall determine whether the proposal meets the criteria set forth in paragraph (2).
(2)

Criteria.—
A proposal for an agricultural research facility shall meet the following criteria:
(A)

Non-federal share.—
The proposal shall certify the availability of at least a 50 percent non-Federal share of the cost of the facility. The non-Federal share shall be paid in cash and may include funding from private sources or from units of State or local government.
(B)

Nonduplication of facilities.—
The proposal shall demonstrate how the agricultural research facility would be complementary to, and not duplicative of, facilities of colleges, universities, and nonprofit institutions, and facilities of the Agricultural Research Service, within the State and region.
(C)

National research priorities.—
The proposal shall demonstrate how the agricultural research facility would serve—
(i)
1 or more of the national research policies and priorities set forth in section 1402 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3101); and
(ii)
national or multistate needs.
(D)

Long-term support.—
The proposal shall demonstrate that the recipient entity has the ability and commitment to support the long-term, ongoing operating and maintenance costs of—
(i)
the agricultural research facility after the facility is completed; and
(ii)
each program to be based at the facility.
(d)

Evaluation of Proposals.—
Not later than 90 days after receiving a proposal under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
(1)
evaluate and assess the merits of the proposal, including the extent to which the proposal meets the criteria set forth in subsection (c); and
(2)
report to the congressional agriculture committees on the results of the evaluation and assessment.
(e)

National or Multistate Needs Served by ARS Facilities.—
The Secretary shall ensure that each research activity conducted by a facility of the Agricultural Research Service serves a national or multistate need.
SEC. 4.
[7 U.S.C. 390b]

COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.
The Secretary shall establish a program to make competitive grants to assist in the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of agricultural research facilities.
SEC. 5.
[7 U.S.C. 390c]

APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER 10 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE.
Chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code, and title XVIII of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2281 et seq.) shall not apply to a panel or board created solely for the purpose of reviewing applications or proposals submitted under this Act.
SEC. 6.
[7 U.S.C. 390d]

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a)

In General.—
Subject to subsections (b), (c), and (d), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 1996 through 2023 for the study, plan, design, structure, and related costs of agricultural research facilities under this Act. Funds appropriated pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be available until expended.
(b)

Allowable Administrative Costs.—
Not more than 3 percent of the funds made available for any project for an agricultural research facility shall be available for administration of the project.
(c)

Maximum Amount.—
Not more than 25 percent of the funds made available pursuant to subsections (a) and (e) for any fiscal year shall be used for any single agricultural research facility project.
(d)

Project Limitation.—
An entity eligible to receive funds under this Act may receive funds for only one project at a time.
(e)

Mandatory Funding.—
Subject to subsections (b), (c), and (d), of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry out the competitive grant program under section 4 $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.