119-s1825

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1825 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1825

To amend the Research Facilities Act to address deferred maintenance at 
 agricultural research facilities, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 21, 2025

 Ms. Hirono (for herself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
 Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Research Facilities Act to address deferred maintenance at 
 agricultural research facilities, 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 ``Augmenting Research and Educational 
Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act'' or 
the ``AG RESEARCH Act''.

SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES.

    (a) 

=== Findings ===
-Congress finds that--

    (1) agriculture and related industries--
        (A) contributed $1,530,000,000,000 to the gross 
 domestic product of the United States (5.6 percent of 
 the total gross domestic product of the United States) 
 in 2023; and
        (B) provided 22,000,000 jobs domestically (10.4 
 percent of total employment in the United States) in 
 2022;

    (2) the National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides 
 more than $1,700,000,000 in research funding each year to 
 schools of agriculture;

    (3) a study published in 2015 found that deferred 
 maintenance needs at 91 schools of agriculture across the 
 United States totaled $8,400,000,000, with a total replacement 
 cost of $29,000,000,000;

    (4) a study published in 2021 found that deferred 
 maintenance needs at schools of agriculture across the United 
 States had increased to $11,500,000,000, with a total 
 replacement cost of $38,100,000,000; and

    (5) infrastructure investments must be made at schools of 
 agriculture to ensure that United States agricultural research 
 remains globally competitive.

    (b) Evaluation of Proposals.--

Section 3
            (d) of the Research 
Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390a
            (d) ) is amended--

    (1) by redesignating paragraphs

    (1) and

    (2) as paragraphs

    (2) and

    (3) , respectively; and

    (2) by inserting before paragraph

    (2) (as so redesignated) 
 the following:
 ``

    (1) review the proposal in consultation with 
 representatives of National Institute of Food and Agriculture 
 peer review panels;''.
            (c) Grants for Agricultural Research Facilities.--

Section 4 of the 
Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390b) is amended to read as follows:

``

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FACILITIES.

 ``

    (a) 

=== Purpose ===
-The purpose of this section is to assist 
agricultural research facilities in efforts to alter or repair those 
facilities or equipment of the facilities necessary for conducting 
agricultural research.
 ``

    (b) Grant Program.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish in the 
 National Institute of Food and Agriculture a competitive grant 
 program to provide to agricultural research facilities the 
 Federal share of the cost of the construction, alteration, 
 acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of--
 ``
        (A) the agricultural research facilities; or
 ``
        (B) equipment of the agricultural research 
 facilities necessary for conducting agricultural 
 research.
 ``

    (2) Secretarial waiver.--Notwithstanding 

section 3
            (c) (2)
        (A) , the Secretary may provide that the Federal share 
 described in paragraph

    (1) is up to 100 percent of the costs 
 described in that paragraph on a case-by-case basis, as the 
 Secretary determines to be appropriate.
 ``
            (c) Requirements.--
 ``

    (1) Amount; terms and conditions.--Grants awarded under 
 this section shall be in such amounts and under such terms and 
 conditions as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry 
 out the purpose of this section.
 ``

    (2) Equitable distribution.--To the maximum extent 
 practicable, grants shall be awarded under this section to 
 ensure--
 ``
        (A) an equitable geographic distribution of 
 funds;
 ``
        (B) an equitable distribution of funds to diverse 
 institutions;
 ``
            (C) an equitable distribution of funds to 
 institutions with diverse areas of study within 
 agricultural science; and
 ``
            (D) an equitable distribution of funds to 
 agricultural research facilities of various sizes.
 ``

    (3) Limitation.--Not greater than 20 percent of amounts 
 made available to carry out this section shall be awarded to 
 projects in any 1 State.
 ``

    (4) Administration.--In carrying out this section, the 
 Secretary shall establish procedures for--
 ``
        (A) the submission of proposals for competitive 
 grants; and
 ``
        (B) in consultation with representatives of 
 National Institute of Food and Agriculture peer review 
 panels, the review and selection of proposals submitted 
 under subparagraph
        (A) .''.
            (d) Funding.--

Section 6 of the Research Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 
390d) is amended--

    (1) by striking the section designation and heading and all 
 that follows through the end of subsection

    (a) and inserting 
 the following:

``

SEC. 6. FUNDING AND LIMITATIONS ON USE OF FUNDS.

 ``

    (a) Funding.--
 ``

    (1) Mandatory funding.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--Subject to subsections

    (b) through
            (d) , but notwithstanding any other provision of 
 law, on October 1, 2025, and on each October 1 
 thereafter through October 1, 2029, out of any funds in 
 the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary 
 of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary to 
 carry out 

section 4 $1,000,000,000, to remain available 
 until expended.
 ``
        (B) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall 
 be entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to 
 carry out 

section 4 the funds transferred under 
 paragraph

    (1) , without further appropriation.
 ``

    (2) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to 
 amounts made available under paragraph

    (1) , subject to 
 subsections

    (b) through
            (d) , there are authorized to be 
 appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary for 
 each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, to remain available 
 until expended, for the study, plan, design, structure, and 
 related costs of agricultural research facilities under this 
 Act.''; and

    (2) in subsection

    (b) , by inserting ``Federal'' before 
 ``administration''.
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