[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3128-S3129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1593. Mr. COTTON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. Schumer to the bill S. 1260, to 
establish a new Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the 
National Science Foundation, to establish a regional technology hub 
program, to require a strategy and report on economic security, 
science, research, innovation, manufacturing, and job creation, to 
establish a critical supply chain resiliency program, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place in title V of division B, insert 
     the following:

[[Page S3129]]

  


     SEC. 25__. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF INTELLIGENCE IN 
                   DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--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 INTELLIGENCE.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the 
     Department an Office of Intelligence. The Office shall be 
     under the National Intelligence Program.
       ``(b) Director.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Office shall be headed by the 
     Director of the Office of Intelligence, who shall be an 
     employee in the Senior Executive Service and who shall be 
     appointed by the Secretary. The Director shall report 
     directly to the Secretary.
       ``(2) Qualifications.--The Secretary shall select an 
     individual to serve as the Director from among individuals 
     who have significant experience serving in the intelligence 
     community.
       ``(3) Staff.--The Director may appoint and fix the 
     compensation of such staff as the Director considers 
     appropriate, except that the Director may not appoint more 
     than 5 full-time equivalent positions at an annual rate of 
     pay equal to or greater than the maximum rate of basic pay 
     for GS-15 of the General Schedule.
       ``(4) Detail of personnel of intelligence community.--Upon 
     the request of the Director, the head of an element of the 
     intelligence community may detail any of the personnel of 
     such element to assist the Office in carrying out its duties. 
     Any personnel detailed to assist the Office shall not be 
     taken into account in determining the number of full-time 
     equivalent positions of the Office under paragraph (3).
       ``(c) Duties.--The Office shall carry out the following 
     duties:
       ``(1) The Office shall be responsible for leveraging the 
     capabilities of the intelligence community and National 
     Laboratories intelligence-related research, to ensure that 
     the Secretary is fully informed of threats by foreign actors 
     to United States agriculture.
       ``(2) The Office shall focus on understanding foreign 
     efforts to--
       ``(A) steal United States agriculture knowledge and 
     technology; and
       ``(B) develop or implement biological warfare attacks, 
     cyber or clandestine operations, or other means of sabotaging 
     and disrupting United States agriculture.
       ``(3) The Office shall prepare, conduct, and facilitate 
     intelligence briefings for the Secretary and appropriate 
     officials of the Department.
       ``(4) The Office shall operate as the liaison between the 
     Secretary and the intelligence community, with the authority 
     to request intelligence collection and analysis on matters 
     related to United States agriculture.
       ``(5) The Office shall collaborate with the intelligence 
     community to downgrade intelligence assessments for broader 
     dissemination within the Department.
       ``(6) The Office shall facilitate sharing information on 
     foreign activities related to agriculture, as acquired by the 
     Department with the intelligence community.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated for the Office $970,000 for fiscal year 
     2022.
       ``(e) Definitions.--In this section, the following 
     definitions apply:
       ``(1) The term `Director' means the Director of the Office 
     of Intelligence appointed under subsection (b).
       ``(2) The terms `intelligence community' and `National 
     Intelligence Program' have the meaning given such terms in 
     section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 
     3003).
       ``(3) The term `Office' means the Office of Intelligence of 
     the Department established under subsection (a).''.
       (2) Conforming amendments.--
       (A) Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture 
     Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by redesignating the 
     first section 225 (relating to Food Access Liaison) (7 U.S.C. 
     6925) as section 224A.
       (B) 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 carry out section 
     224B.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments Relating to Existing Functions 
     and Authorities.--
       (1) Existing functions of office of homeland security of 
     department relating to intelligence on threats to food and 
     agriculture critical infrastructure sector.--
       (A) In general.--Section 221(d) of the Department of 
     Agriculture Reorganization Act (7 U.S.C. 6922(d)) is 
     amended--
       (i) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5); and
       (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through (8) as 
     paragraphs (4) through (6), respectively.
       (B) Transfer of related personnel and assets of office of 
     homeland security.--The functions which the Office of 
     Homeland Security of the Department of Agriculture exercised 
     under paragraphs (4) and (5) of section 221(d) of the 
     Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 
     U.S.C. 6922(d)) before the effective date of this paragraph, 
     together with the funds, assets, and other resources used by 
     the Director of the Office of Homeland Security of the 
     Department of Agriculture to carry out such functions before 
     the effective date of this paragraph, are transferred to the 
     Director of the Office of Intelligence of the Department of 
     Agriculture.
       (2) Carrying out interagency exchange program for defense 
     of food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector.--
     Section 221(e) of the Department of Agriculture 
     Reorganization Act (7 U.S.C. 6922(e)) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(3) Authority of director of office of intelligence and 
     counterintelligence.--The Secretary shall carry out this 
     subsection acting through the Director of the Office of 
     Intelligence of the Department.''.
       (3) Coordinating with intelligence community on potential 
     threats to agriculture.--Section 335(a)(3) of the Public 
     Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response 
     Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3354(a)(3)) is amended by striking 
     ``strengthen coordination'' and inserting ``acting through 
     the Director of the Office of Intelligence in the Department 
     of Agriculture, strengthen coordination''.
       (4) Effective date.--This subsection and the amendments 
     made by this subsection shall take effect upon the 
     appointment of the Director of the Office of Intelligence in 
     the Department of Agriculture under section 224B(b) of the 
     Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (as 
     added by subsection (a)(1)).
                                 ______