S.Amdt. 329

SA 329. Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Warner, Mr.
Brown, and Mr. Kaine) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2020 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in subtitle H of title X, insert
the following:

SEC. 10__. REAFFIRMING THE AUTHORITY OF THE UNDER SECRETARY
OF AGRICULTURE FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND
ECONOMICS.

Subtitle F of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization
Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971) is amended by adding at the end
the following:

``SEC. 252. REAFFIRMING THE AUTHORITY OF THE UNDER SECRETARY.

``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding the authority specified
in Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1953 (67 Stat. 633; 5
U.S.C. App.; 7 U.S.C. 2201 note) or any other provision of
Federal law relating to the authority of the Secretary,
including section 296--
``(1) the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic
Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics
Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture
(and any successor agency to any of those agencies) shall be
within the research, education, and economics mission area of
the Department;
``(2) the authority to administer each of those agencies is
vested in the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and
Economics; and
``(3) the authority to administer those agencies may not be
vested in the head of another agency within the Department.
``(b) Location of Agencies.--The Secretary shall locate the
headquarters of the Economic Research Service and the
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the majority
of the staff of each of those agencies, within the National
Capital Region to ensure maximum coordination and
interaction--
``(1) between those agencies;
``(2) between each of those agencies and the agencies
delivering the food and agricultural programs and services of
the Department; and
``(3) between each of those agencies and other Federal
science agencies (including science agencies of the
Department).''.
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