119-hr5703

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5703 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5703

To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act 
of 1998 and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 
to direct the Agricultural Research Service to expand organic research, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 October 6, 2025

Mr. Vindman (for himself and Mr. Lawler) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act 
of 1998 and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 
to direct the Agricultural Research Service to expand organic research, 
 and for other purposes.

 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 ``Organic Science and Research 
Investment Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. COORDINATING AND EXPANDING ORGANIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

 Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
Reform Act of 1998 is amended by inserting before 

section 404 (7 U.S.C. 
7624) the following:

``

SEC. 401. COORDINATING AND EXPANDING ORGANIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

 ``

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:
 ``

    (1) Initiative.--The term `Initiative' means the 
 Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative 
 established under subsection

    (b) .
 ``

    (2) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary, 
 acting through the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and 
 Economics, in consultation with the Office of the Chief 
 Scientist.
 ``

    (b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish, and appoint 
the members of, an initiative, to be known as the `Coordinating and 
Expanding Organic Research Initiative', to coordinate and expand the 
resources that the Agricultural Research Service, the National 
Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Economic Research Service, and 
the National Agricultural Statistics Service dedicate to organic 
agricultural research.
 ``
            (c) Duties.--The Initiative shall carry out the following duties:
 ``

    (1) Coordinating all research conducted by the Secretary 
 that is applicable to organic agricultural producers and 
 transitioning-to-organic agricultural producers.
 ``

    (2) Reviewing and assessing the completed and ongoing 
 organic and transitioning-to-organic agricultural research of 
 the Secretary.
 ``

    (3) Developing iterative strategic plans for future 
 organic and transitioning-to-organic agricultural research of 
 the Secretary.
 ``

    (4) Conducting the surveys and submitting to the 
 Secretary the reports under subsection

    (e)

    (1) .
 ``
            (d) Appointment of Members.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary shall appoint not fewer 
 than 12, and not more than 18, members to the Initiative.
 ``

    (2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for appointment to the 
 Initiative under paragraph

    (1) , an individual shall--
 ``
        (A) be in the competitive service or the Senior 
 Executive Service (as defined in sections 2102 and 
 2101a of title 5, United States Code); and
 ``
        (B) have expertise in organic agriculture from a 
 science, research, or technical assistance division of 
 a Department agency.
 ``

    (3) Representation.--In appointing members to the 
 Initiative, the Secretary shall ensure that--
 ``
        (A) not fewer than \1/4\ of the members are 
 appointed from each of--
 ``
            (i) the Agricultural Research Service; 
 and
 ``
            (ii) the National Institute of Food and 
 Agriculture; and
 ``
        (B) not fewer than 1 member is appointed from 
 each of--
 ``
            (i) the Office of the Chief Scientist;
 ``
            (ii) the National Organic Program of the 
 Agricultural Marketing Service;
 ``
            (iii) the Economic Research Service; and
 ``
            (iv) the National Agricultural Statistics 
 Service.
 ``

    (4) Chair.--The Secretary shall designate a member of the 
 Initiative appointed from the Office of the Chief Scientist to 
 serve as the Chair of the Initiative.
 ``

    (5) Term.--A member of the Initiative--
 ``
        (A) shall serve for a term of 5 years; and
 ``
        (B) may be reappointed to the Initiative.
 ``

    (e) Surveys; Reports.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the 
 establishment of the Initiative, and every 5 years thereafter, 
 in coordination with the roadmap for agricultural research, 
 education, and extension described in 

section 7504 of the Food, 
 Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7614a), the 
 Initiative shall--
 ``
        (A) conduct a survey of all research relating to 
 organic agriculture of the Secretary; and
 ``
        (B) submit to the Secretary a report containing 
 the findings of the survey conducted under subparagraph
        (A) , which shall include sections relating to each of 
 the 4 agencies described in subsection

    (b) .
 ``

    (2) Recommendations.--The Initiative shall include in 
 each report submitted under paragraph

    (1)
        (B) recommendations 
 relating to--
 ``
        (A) expanding the research conducted by the 
 Secretary that--
 ``
            (i) is applicable to agricultural 
 producers that adhere to the requirements under 
 the national organic program established under 
 the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 
 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.); and
 ``
            (ii) would explore the new or enhanced 
 research opportunities that could lead to new 
 discoveries, foster innovation, improve 
 technologies, and promote integrated systems 
 approaches to assist--
 ``
            (I) organic agricultural 
 producers;
 ``
            (II) consumers of organic food 
 products;
 ``
            (III) organic marketing and 
 distribution channels;
 ``
            (IV) transitioning-to-organic 
 agricultural producers, including with 
 respect to barriers to transitioning to 
 organic production and producers who 
 have considered transitioning to 
 organic production but decided not to 
 do so; and
 ``
            (V) the organic food industry;
 ``
        (B) strategies to increase the coordination and 
 effectiveness of projects carried out by the Secretary 
 that are applicable to organic production and that 
 would improve the efficiency, productivity, 
 profitability, and ecosystem services of organic crop 
 and livestock production, including strategies relating 
 to--
 ``
            (i) developing new public plant cultivars 
 and livestock breeds that are regionally 
 adapted and appropriate for organic production;
 ``
            (ii) expanding the applicability and 
 cost-effectiveness of integrated, ecologically 
 based pest, weed, and disease management for 
 crop and livestock systems;
 ``
            (iii) developing integrated organic 
 production systems that--
 ``
            (I) enhance ecosystem services 
 relating to organic crop and livestock 
 production; and
 ``
            (II) optimize agricultural 
 resilience to the impacts of climate 
 change and other stresses, including 
 soil conservation and soil health, 
 biodiversity, water management, carbon 
 sequestration, and greenhouse gas 
 mitigation;
 ``
            (iv) improving the remote sensing and 
 monitoring capabilities for ecosystem services 
 relating to organic crop and livestock 
 production, including soil conservation and 
 soil health, biodiversity, water management, 
 carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas 
 mitigation;
 ``
            (v) developing grazing, pasture, forage, 
 and livestock manure management techniques that 
 are regionally adapted and appropriate for 
 organic production;
 ``
            (vi) enhancing irrigation and water 
 management techniques used in organic crop and 
 livestock production;
 ``
            (vii) enhancing food safety relating to 
 organic crops and livestock products, including 
 guidance on compliance with the Federal Food, 
 Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.);
 ``
            (viii) developing new products and new 
 uses of organic crops and livestock products;
 ``
            (ix) enhancing the quality of organically 
 produced food, including taste, appearance, and 
 nutritional value, after being processed into 
 organic crop and livestock products, through 
 genetic, processing, and related research 
 topics; and
 ``
            (x) other similar, relevant topics, as 
 determined by the Initiative; and
 ``
            (C) the development of data and applied research-
 based information useful to organic and conventional 
 crop producers, associations of those producers, and 
 other interested beneficiaries in evaluating the 
 organic and conventional crops industries from a 
 regional and national perspective.
 ``

    (3) Review of prior report.--The Initiative shall include 
 in each report submitted under paragraph

    (1)
        (B) --
 ``
        (A) a review of the recommendations described in 
 paragraph

    (2) included in the prior report submitted 
 under paragraph

    (1)
        (B) ; and
 ``
        (B) the actions taken by the Secretary to 
 implement those recommendations.
 ``

    (f) Consultation.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--In carrying out this section, the 
 Initiative shall engage in consultation, including with--
 ``
        (A) the National Organic Standards Board; and
 ``
        (B) land-grant colleges and universities.
 ``

    (2) Organic and conventional industries.--In preparing 
 each report under subsection

    (e)

    (1)
        (B) , the Initiative shall 
 consult, on an ongoing basis, with a diverse array of--
 ``
        (A) organic and conventional farmers, ranchers, 
 handlers; and
 ``
        (B) organizations that serve those farmers, 
 ranchers, and handlers.
 ``

    (g) Consideration by Secretary.--In preparing the annual budget 
recommendations for the Department, the Secretary shall take into 
consideration the findings and recommendations contained in the most 
recently submitted report under subsection

    (e)

    (1)
        (B) .
 ``

    (h) Report by Secretary.--In the budget material submitted to 
Congress by the Secretary of Agriculture in connection with the budget 
of the United States Government submitted by the President under 

section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for each fiscal year, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall include a report describing how the 
Secretary addressed each recommendation of the Initiative contained in 
the most recently submitted report under subsection

    (e)

    (1)
        (B) .''.

SEC. 3. ORGANIC RESEARCH AND EXTENSION INITIATIVE.

 

Section 1672B of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 
of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925b) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a) --
        (A) in the matter preceding paragraph

    (1) --
            (i) by striking ``subsection

    (e) '' and 
 inserting ``subsection

    (f) ''; and
            (ii) by striking ``2023'' and inserting 
 ``2030'';
        (B) in paragraph

    (7) , by striking ``and'' at the 
 end;
            (C) in paragraph

    (8) , by striking the period at the 
 end and inserting a semicolon; and
            (D) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (9) facilitating the identification and adoption of 
 traditional ecological knowledge in accordance with subsection

    (e) ;
 ``

    (10) developing cultural practices and other allowable 
 alternatives to substances recommended for removal from the 
 National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances of the 
 National Organic Program of the Agricultural Marketing Service; 
 and
 ``

    (11) identifying how organic agriculture can adapt to and 
 mitigate climate change through reducing greenhouse gas 
 emissions, building landscape resiliency, establishing 
 regenerative agriculture systems, and facilitating other 
 related ecosystem services.'';

    (2) in subsection

    (b) --
        (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Types 
 and Process,'' and inserting ``Term, Types, and 
 Process;'';
        (B) by inserting ``

    (3) '' after ``Paragraphs''; and
            (C) by striking ``(7 U.S.C. 450i)'' and inserting 
 ``(7 U.S.C. 3157

    (b) )'';

    (3) by striking subsection

    (e) and inserting the following:
 ``

    (e) Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge.--Any grants made 
under this section for the purposes of facilitating the identification 
and adoption of indigenous traditional ecological knowledge shall be 
subject to the following requirements:
 ``

    (1) A 1994 Institution (as defined in 

section 532 of the 
 Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 
 301 note; Public Law 103-382)) or an Alaska Native-serving 
 institution or Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as those 
 terms are defined in 

section 317

    (b) of the Higher Education Act 
 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d

    (b) )) shall have the role of project 
 director.
 ``

    (2) The free, prior, and informed consent of any Indian 
 Tribes (as defined in 

section 4 of the Indian Self-
 Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) or 
 Native Hawaiian organizations that possess the applicable 
 indigenous traditional ecological knowledge shall be obtained.
 ``

    (3) Appropriate attribution to the sources of the 
 applicable indigenous traditional ecological knowledge shall be 
 identified.''; and

    (4) in subsection

    (f) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (1) --
            (i) in subparagraph
        (F) , by striking 
 ``and'' at the end;
            (ii) in subparagraph
        (G) , by striking 
 ``2023 and each fiscal year thereafter.'' and 
 inserting ``2023;''; and
            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
        (H) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
 ``
            (I) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2027;
 ``
        (J) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2028;
 ``
        (K) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
 ``
            (L) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2030 and each 
 fiscal year thereafter.''; and
        (B) in paragraph

    (2) , by striking ``2023'' and 
 inserting ``2030''.

SEC. 4. RESEARCHING THE TRANSITION TO ORGANIC.

 Title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 
1990 is amended by inserting after 

section 1673 (7 U.S.C. 5926) the 
following:

``

SEC. 1674. RESEARCHING THE TRANSITION TO ORGANIC.

 ``

    (a) Competitive Specialized Research and Extension Grants 
Authorized.--The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section 
as the `Secretary'), in consultation with the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board, may make 
competitive grants to support research, education, and extension 
activities relating to the transition of nonorganic production systems 
into organic agricultural production systems for the purposes of--
 ``

    (1) overcoming barriers to transitioning to organic 
 agricultural production;
 ``

    (2) documenting and understanding the effects of organic 
 practices on ecosystem services, including soil health and 
 fertility, greenhouse gas mitigation and sequestration, water 
 management, biodiversity-related services, and pest management; 
 and
 ``

    (3) developing improved technologies, methods, models, 
 and metrics to document, describe, and optimize ecosystem 
 services of transitioning agricultural production into organic 
 management.
 ``

    (b) Grant Administration.--Paragraphs

    (4) ,

    (7) ,

    (8) , and

    (11)
        (B) of subsection

    (b) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research 
Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157

    (b) ) shall apply with respect to the making of 
grants under this section.
 ``
            (c) Partnerships Encouraged.--Following the completion of a peer 
review process for grant proposals received under this section, the 
Secretary may provide a priority to the grant proposals, found in the 
peer review process to be scientifically meritorious, that--
 ``

    (1) actively partner with producers or conduct on-farm 
 research; and
 ``

    (2) actively involve--
 ``
        (A) 1890 Institutions (as defined in 

section 2 of 
 the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
 Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601));
 ``
        (B) 1994 Institutions (as defined in 

section 532 
 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 
 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103-382));
 ``
            (C) Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined in 
 

section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
 U.S.C. 1101a)); or
 ``
            (D) Alaska Native-serving institutions or Native 
 Hawaiian-serving institutions (as those terms are 
 defined in 

section 317

    (b) of the Higher Education Act 
 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d

    (b) )).
 ``
            (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
 ``

    (1) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027; 
 and
 ``

    (2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year 
 thereafter.''.

SEC. 5. ORGANIC PRODUCTION AND MARKET DATA INITIATIVES.

 

Section 7407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
(7 U.S.C. 5925c) is amended--

    (1) by redesignating subsection
            (d) as subsection

    (e) ;

    (2) by inserting after subsection
            (c) the following:
 ``
            (d) Economic Impact Analysis of Organic Farming and 
Certification.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
 Administrator of the Economic Research Service (referred to in 
 this subsection as the `Secretary'), shall conduct an economic 
 impact analysis of organic agricultural management conducted in 
 accordance with the national organic program established under 
 the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et 
 seq.).
 ``

    (2) Requirements.--The analysis under paragraph

    (1) shall--
 ``
        (A) take into consideration information about 
 farming and ranching operations of a variety of sizes, 
 with regional differences, and that have a diversity of 
 production practices and methods; and
 ``
        (B) consider the direct and indirect economic 
 impacts of organic agriculture on rural and urban 
 communities, including--
 ``
            (i) the vitality of the local economy;
 ``
            (ii) the labor market;
 ``
            (iii) environmental quality;
 ``
            (iv) social dynamics;
 ``
            (v) land ownership; and
 ``
            (vi) any other information, data, or 
 analysis that the Secretary determines to be 
 necessary to make the analysis comprehensive, 
 accurate, and useful.
 ``

    (3) Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
 enactment of the Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 
 2025, the Secretary shall submit a plan to conduct the analysis 
 under paragraph

    (1) to--
 ``
        (A) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
 Forestry of the Senate; and
 ``
        (B) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
 Representatives.
 ``

    (4) Submission.--Not later than 3 years after the date on 
 which the Secretary submits the plan under paragraph

    (3) , the 
 Secretary shall submit to the committees described in that 
 paragraph a report describing the results of the analysis 
 conducted under paragraph

    (1) .''; and

    (3) in subsection

    (e) (as so redesignated)--
        (A) in paragraph

    (1) --
            (i) in subparagraph
        (A) , by striking 
 ``and'' at the end;
            (ii) in subparagraph
        (B) , by striking the 
 period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (C) $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 
 2025 through 2030.''; and
        (B) in paragraph

    (2) , by striking ``$5,000,000 for 
 each of fiscal years 2008 through 2023'' and inserting 
 ``$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 
 2030''.
 <all>