To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirement under the specialty crop research initiative, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill amends the Specialty Crop Research Initiative in the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998. Current grant recipients generally must satisfy a matching-funds requirement. The amendment lets the Agriculture Secretary waive that matching requirement for grants awarded on or after enactment. The practical effect is to make specialty crop research funding easier to access for universities, research nonprofits, state agricultural institutions, and producer groups that have strong projects but cannot assemble matching dollars.
Who Benefits and How
Specialty crop researchers benefit because USDA may waive matching funds that otherwise block grant access. Universities with specialty crop programs benefit from more flexible federal research funding. Small specialty crop producers benefit if research projects addressing pests, disease, labor, mechanization, or crop quality become easier to fund. State agricultural research institutions benefit from reduced cost-share pressure on federal grants.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA NIFA grant staff must decide when to waive matching requirements. Federal taxpayers may cover a larger share of specialty crop research costs. Applicants receiving waivers must still justify grant uses and comply with program requirements. Applicants that can provide matches may face more competition from entities that previously could not.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes the Agriculture Secretary to waive Specialty Crop Research Initiative matching funds.
- Applies the waiver authority to grants awarded on or after enactment.
- Expands access to specialty crop research funding for applicants lacking matching dollars.
- Preserves the underlying grant program while changing cost-share flexibility.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes the Agriculture Secretary to waive the matching-funds requirement for Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants awarded on or after enactment.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Research Grants, Specialty Crops
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the Agriculture Secretary to waive the matching-funds requirement for Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants awarded on or after enactment.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Specialty crop researchers
- University agriculture programs
- Small specialty crop producers
- State agricultural research institutions
Identified Costs
- USDA NIFA grant staff
- Federal taxpayers
- Grant applicants
- Matched-fund applicants
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Schrier (for herself, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Newhouse, …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Small specialty crop producers, Specialty crop researchers, State agricultural research institutions
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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