[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 442. Mr. COTTON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in subtitle G of title X, insert 
     the following:

     SEC. 10__. INTELLIGENCE DUTIES OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
                   OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

       Section 221(d) of the Department of Agriculture 
     Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6922(d)) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through (8) as 
     paragraphs (12) through (14), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following:
       ``(6) be responsible for leveraging the capabilities of the 
     intelligence community (as so defined) and National 
     Laboratories intelligence-related research, to ensure that 
     the Secretary is fully informed of threats by foreign actors 
     to the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector;
       ``(7) advise the Secretary on foreign efforts--
       ``(A) to steal knowledge and technology from the food and 
     agriculture critical infrastructure sector; and
       ``(B) to develop or implement biological warfare attacks, 
     cyber or clandestine operations, or other means of sabotaging 
     and disrupting the food and agriculture critical 
     infrastructure sector;
       ``(8) prepare, conduct, and facilitate intelligence 
     briefings for the Secretary and appropriate officials of the 
     Department of Agriculture;
       ``(9) be the Federal Senior Intelligence Coordinator of the 
     Department of Agriculture and operate as the liaison between 
     the Secretary and the intelligence community (as so defined), 
     with the authority to request intelligence collection and 
     analysis on matters relating to the food and agriculture 
     critical infrastructure sector;
       ``(10) collaborate with the intelligence community (as so 
     defined) to downgrade intelligence assessments for broader 
     dissemination within the Department of Agriculture;
       ``(11) facilitate sharing information on foreign activities 
     relating to agriculture, as acquired by the Department of 
     Agriculture with the intelligence community (as so 
     defined);''.
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