[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2447 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2447

To establish a Federal interagency task force to promote the benefits, 
  safety, and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology to improve 
  human and animal nutrition, increase crop productivity, and improve 
 agricultural sustainability while ensuring the safety of food and the 
                              environment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2003

Mr. Smith of Michigan (for himself, Mr. Paul, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Royce, 
    Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. 
Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Weller, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, 
  Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Bachus, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Hyde, Mr. 
  Bereuter, Ms. Lofgren, and Mr. Hall) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a Federal interagency task force to promote the benefits, 
  safety, and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology to improve 
  human and animal nutrition, increase crop productivity, and improve 
 agricultural sustainability while ensuring the safety of food and the 
                              environment.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE TO PROMOTE THE BENEFITS, 
              SAFETY, AND POTENTIAL USES OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Establishment of Interagency Task Force To Promote Benefits, 
Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology.--There is 
established the ``Federal Interagency Task Force to Promote the 
Benefits, Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology'' 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``task force'') for the 
purpose of improving interagency cooperation and to develop and 
disseminate accurate written scientific information on the benefits, 
safety, and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology.
    (b) Membership.--The members of the task force shall consist of the 
Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, and the 
Director of the National Science Foundation. The Secretary of State 
shall chair the task force. Members of the task force may designate a 
senior official from the appropriate participating Federal agency to 
attend meetings of the task force.
    (c) Objectives of Task Force.--The task force shall coordinate the 
activities of the participating agencies to--
            (1) improve the knowledge of foreign assigned individuals 
        from the participating agencies regarding the safety and 
        potential of biotechnology-derived agricultural products, 
        including regulatory safeguards that assure food and 
        environmental safety;
            (2) expand the dissemination by participating agencies of 
        scientifically-based facts regarding the safety and potential 
        of biotechnology-derived agricultural products;
            (3) improve the ability of the participating agencies to 
        advocate to foreign countries the benefits that agricultural 
        biotechnology can potentially provide for human and animal 
        nutrition, the environment, crop productivity, and agricultural 
        sustainability; and
            (4) achieve a better understanding by foreign countries of 
        the potential benefits of agricultural biotechnology to develop 
        products that can be grown under local soil and climate 
        conditions and better meet the health and nutritional needs of 
        local populations.
    (d) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Submission.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the 
        Secretary of State shall submit to the Congress a report on the 
        activities undertaken by the task force and the participating 
        agencies to promote the benefits, safety, and potential uses of 
        agricultural biotechnology.
            (2) Requirements.--A report submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall include a description of--
                    (A) measures taken to coordinate and communicate, 
                as appropriate, the scientific evidence on the 
                benefits, safety, and potential uses of agricultural 
                biotechnology;
                    (B) progress toward achieving coordination under 
                subsection (c);
                    (C) the success of efforts coordinated under 
                subsection (c);
                    (D) efforts to advance the goals of subsection (c) 
                in developing nations; and
                    (E) recommendations to improve the activities of 
                the participating agencies pertaining to communicating 
                benefits, safety, and potential uses of biotechnology.
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