Typeset

Git

S. 3637

ACE Agriculture Act of 2026

Shown here: Introduced in Senate (2026-01-14)

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to reauthorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, and for other purposes.

1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the “Advancing Cutting Edge Agriculture Act of 2026” or the “ACE Agriculture Act of 2026”.

2. Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority

Section 1473H of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3319k) is amended—

(1) in the section heading, by striking “Pilot”;

(2) in subsection (a)(6)(A), by striking “growing,” and inserting “growing (including water conservation technologies and innovation),”;

(3) in subsection (b)—

(A) by striking “pilot program” each place it appears and inserting “program”;

(B) in paragraph (2)—

(i) in subparagraph (B)—

(I) by inserting “the long-term and high-risk technological” before “barriers”; and

(II) by striking “and resilience to extreme weather;” and inserting “water conservation, the reduction, avoidance, sequestration, or mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector, and resilience to extreme weather, drought, infectious diseases, plant and animal pathogens, and plant and animal pests;”; and

(ii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting “or economic cost” before the period at the end;

(C) in paragraph (3)(B)—

(i) in clause (ii), in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking “advise the Chief Scientist on, and”; and

(ii) by striking clause (iii) and inserting the following:

(iii) Relationship within the Department of Agriculture
(I) Chief Scientist
The Director shall work in close collaboration with the Office of 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.

(D) in paragraph (9), by striking the paragraph designation and heading and all that follows through “In carrying out” and inserting the following:

(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

(4) 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) and dated 2022 to inform the administration of the AGARDA under this section.

(5) in subsection (d)—

(A) by redesignating subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) as paragraph (5), indenting appropriately, and moving the paragraph so as to appear after paragraph (3);

(B) 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 2031”;

(C) by inserting after paragraph (3) 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 unobligated funds available to the Secretary for any other purpose.

(D) in paragraph (5) (as redesignated by subparagraph (A)), by striking “this paragraph” and inserting “paragraph (2) or (4)”; and

(6) by striking subsection (e).

Workspace/Typeset/Bill