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Title: Agricultural Research bill
Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill appropriating $2.3 billion for the creation and reformation of federal agriculture programs, research, and education.
Highlights:
- Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish procedures regarding scientific peer review of research grants and scientific peer review of ARS research.
- Instructs the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain a national food and agricultural education information containing information on enrollment, faculty, employment placement, and other similar information.
- Establishes the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems to be used for matching grants regarding food safety, natural resource management, farm profitability, and other multi-state or multi-institutional projects.
- Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to create an agricultural research and development program between the United States and Mexico which should focus on food safety, pest control, and natural resources.
- Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to begin a pilot project to provide grants to encourage innovative and collaborative science and to develop biobased products with commercial potential.
- Reduces the funding of employment and training programs.
- Mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to study crop insurance issues such as improving crop insurance service to agricultural producers and privatizing crop insurance coverage.
- $850 million to existing and certain new agricultural research programs.
- $500 million to the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act.