Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Advancing Cutting Edge Agriculture Act” or the “ACE Agriculture Act”.
Advancing Cutting Edge Agriculture Act
A BILL
To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to extend and permanently authorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Reauthorization of AGARDA
Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended—
in the section heading, by striking “pilot”;
in subsection (a)(6), by striking “growing,” and inserting “growing (including water conservation technologies and innovation),”;
in subsection (b)—
in paragraph (1), by striking “pilot”;
in paragraph (2)—
by amending subparagraph (B) to read as follows:
“(B) to overcome the long term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of agricultural technologies, research tools, and qualified products and projects that enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, water conservation, the reduction, avoidance, sequestration, or mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and resilience to extreme weather, drought, infectious diseases, plant and animal pathogens, and plant and animal pests;”
in subparagraph (D), by inserting “or economic cost” after “financial uncertainty”;
in paragraph (3)(B)—
in clause (ii), in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking “advise the Chief Scientist on, and”; and
by amending clause (iii) to read as follows:
“(iii) Relationship within the department of agriculture
“(I) Chief scientist—The Director shall report to the Chief Scientist.
“(II) Other programs—No other official who is the head of any other program of the Department of Agriculture shall report to the Director.”
in paragraph (6), by striking “pilot” each place it appears in subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
by amending paragraph (9) to read as follows:
“(9) Personnel matters
“(A) In general—The Director shall establish and maintain within the AGARDA a staff with sufficient qualifications and expertise to enable the AGARDA to carry out the responsibilities of the AGARDA under this section in conjunction with other operations of the Department of Agriculture.
“(B) Use of existing personnel authorities—In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary may appoint highly qualified individuals to scientific or professional positions on the same terms and conditions as provided in subsections (b)(3), (b)(4), (c), (d), (e), and (f) of section 620 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7657).”
in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
“(4) Use of strategic plan—The Secretary shall use the strategic plan developed under paragraph (1) to inform the administration of the AGARDA under this section.”
in subsection (d)—
in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph (C);
in paragraph (3), by striking “$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023” and inserting “$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(4) Other funding—In addition to amounts otherwise made available to carry out this section, the Secretary may use to carry out this section other funds available to the Secretary for any other purpose.
“(5) Clarification—Nothing in paragraph (2) or (4) authorizes the use of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this section.”
by striking subsection (e).