[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S861-S862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Warnock):
S. 507. A bill to enhance the participation of precision agriculture
in the United States, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 507
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 ``Promoting Precision
Agriculture Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advanced wireless communications technology.--The term
``advanced wireless communications technology'' means
advanced technology that contributes to mobile (5G or beyond)
networks, next-generation Wi-Fi networks, or other future
networks using other technologies, regardless of whether the
network is operating on an exclusive licensed, shared
licensed, or unlicensed frequency band.
(2) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence'' has the meaning given the term in section
238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232; 10 U.S.C. note
prec. 4061).
(3) Foreign adversary.--The term ``foreign adversary''
means any foreign government or foreign nongovernment person
engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of
conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the
United States, or security and safety of United States
persons.
(4) Precision agriculture.--The term ``precision
agriculture'' means managing, tracking, or reducing crop or
livestock production inputs, including seed, feed,
fertilizer, chemicals, water, time, and such other inputs as
the Secretary determines to be appropriate, at a heightened
level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve
efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental
quality.
(5) Precision agriculture equipment.--The term ``precision
agriculture equipment'' means any equipment or technology
that directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved
efficiency of, inputs used in crop or livestock production,
including--
(A) global positioning system-based or geospatial mapping;
(B) satellite or aerial imagery;
(C) yield monitors;
(D) soil mapping;
(E) sensors for gathering data on crop, soil, and livestock
conditions;
(F) Internet of Things and technology that relies on edge
and cloud computing;
(G) data management software and advanced analytics;
(H) network connectivity products and solutions, including
public and private wireless networks;
(I) global positioning system guidance, auto-steer systems,
autonomous fleeting, and other machine-to-machine operations;
(J) variable rate technology for applying inputs, such as
section control; and
(K) any other technology that leads to a reduction in, or
improves efficiency of, crop and livestock production inputs,
which may include--
(i) seed;
(ii) feed;
(iii) fertilizer;
(iv) chemicals;
(v) water;
(vi) time;
(vii) fuel;
(viii) emissions; and
(ix) such other inputs as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(7) Trusted.--The term ``trusted'' means, with respect to a
provider of advanced communications service or a supplier of
communications equipment or service, that the Secretary has
determined that the provider or supplier is not owned by,
controlled by, or subject to the influence of, a foreign
adversary.
(8) Voluntary consensus standards development
organization.--The term ``voluntary consensus standards
development organization'' means an organization that
develops standards in a process that meets the principles for
the development of voluntary consensus standards (as defined
in the document of the Office of Management and Budget
entitled ``Federal Participation in the Development and Use
of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment
Activities'' (OMB Circular A-119)).
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to enhance the participation of precision agriculture
in the United States; and
(2) to promote United States leadership in voluntary
consensus standards development organizations that set
standards for precision agriculture.
SEC. 4. INTERCONNECTIVITY STANDARDS FOR PRECISION
AGRICULTURE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology and the Federal Communications Commission, shall--
(1) develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led
interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices
for precision agriculture that will promote economies of
scale and ease the burden of the adoption of precision
agriculture; and
(2) in carrying out paragraph (1)--
(A) coordinate with relevant public and trusted private
sector stakeholders and other relevant industry
organizations, including voluntary consensus standards
development organizations; and
(B) consult with sector-specific agencies, other
appropriate agencies, and State and local governments.
(b) Considerations.--The Secretary, in carrying out
subsection (a), shall, in consultation with the Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the
Federal Communications Commission, consider--
(1) the evolving demands of precision agriculture;
(2) the connectivity needs of precision agriculture
equipment;
(3) the cybersecurity challenges facing precision
agriculture, including cybersecurity threats for agriculture
producers and agriculture supply chains;
(4) the impact of advanced wireless communications
technology on precision agriculture; and
(5) the impact of artificial intelligence on precision
agriculture.
SEC. 5. GAO ASSESSMENT OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE STANDARDS.
(a) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the Secretary
develops standards under section
[[Page S862]]
4, and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 years,
the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a
study that assesses those standards, including the extent to
which those standards, as applicable--
(1) are voluntary;
(2) were developed in coordination with relevant industry
organizations, including voluntary consensus standards
development organizations; and
(3) have successfully encouraged the adoption of precision
agriculture.
(b) Report.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology and the Committee on Agriculture of the
House of Representatives a report that summarizes the
findings of each study conducted under subsection (a).
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Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Risch, Ms. Lummis, Mr.
Cramer, Mr. Crapo, and Mrs. Fischer):
S. 530. A bill to repeal a rule of the Bureau of Land Management
relating to conservation and landscape health; to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 530
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 ``Western Economic Security
Today Act of 2025'' or the ``WEST Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. REPEAL OF BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT RULE.
The final rule based on the proposed rule of the Bureau of
Land Management entitled ``Conservation and Landscape
Health'' (88 Fed. Reg. 19583 (April 3, 2023)) shall have no
force or effect.
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