HR7142-119

What This Bill Does

The ACE Agriculture Act amends section 1473H of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, the authority for the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, or AGARDA. It removes references to the program as a pilot, adds water conservation technologies and innovation to the covered agricultural technologies, and broadens the mission to include export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, water conservation, greenhouse-gas reduction or sequestration, and resilience to extreme weather, drought, infectious diseases, plant and animal pathogens, and pests. It clarifies that the AGARDA Director reports to the USDA Chief Scientist and that no other USDA program head reports to the Director. It requires the Director to maintain qualified staff and lets USDA appoint highly qualified scientific or professional personnel using special authorities. It requires the Secretary to use the AGARDA strategic plan to administer the authority. It raises authorization from $50 million annually for fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to $100 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2032, permits the Secretary to use other available USDA funds, bars Commodity Credit Corporation funds for this purpose, and removes subsection (e).

Who Benefits and How

Agricultural technology researchers, land-grant universities, agriculture startups, conservation technology developers, water-conservation innovators, crop and livestock disease researchers, and farmers facing drought or extreme weather benefit from a larger and more permanent AGARDA mission. USDA Chief Scientist offices and AGARDA leadership benefit from clearer reporting lines, a strategic-plan mandate, special personnel authority, and a six-year $100 million annual authorization. Export-oriented producers benefit if funded technologies improve competitiveness.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the $100 million annual authorization for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 and any other USDA funds shifted to AGARDA. USDA budget staff, the Chief Scientist, AGARDA managers, and scientific hiring officials must administer the expanded mission, strategic plan, staffing structure, and funding limits. Other USDA programs may compete with AGARDA for available funds, though Commodity Credit Corporation funds are expressly unavailable. Applicants must align research proposals with the broadened resilience, sustainability, export, water, and disease-prevention priorities.

Key Provisions

• Removes the pilot framing from AGARDA and makes the program a standing advanced agriculture research authority.
• Expands AGARDA priorities to water conservation, export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, emissions mitigation, and agricultural resilience.
• Clarifies that the AGARDA Director reports to the USDA Chief Scientist.
• Authorizes qualified scientific and professional staffing for AGARDA operations.
• Requires USDA to use the AGARDA strategic plan when administering the authority.
• Authorizes $100 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 and bars use of Commodity Credit Corporation funds.