§3122. Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences
(a) Establishment
The Secretary shall establish within the Department of Agriculture a committee to be known as the Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences which shall remain in existence until September 30, 1995.
(b) Membership
The Joint Council shall be composed of not less than 21 representatives of organizations or agencies which conduct or assist in conducting programs of research, extension, or teaching in the food and agricultural sciences, including the following:
(1) Six representatives from State cooperative institutions, including at least one from institutions eligible to receive funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including Tuskegee University.
(2) Four representatives from agencies within the Department of Agriculture which have significant research, extension, and teaching responsibilities.
(3) One representative from public colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out food and agricultural research, extension, or teaching.
(4) One representative from colleges and universities conducting research related to the food and agricultural sciences.
(5) Three representatives from private organizations or corporations conducting research in the food and agricultural sciences, including one representative from the food processing industry involved in food technology research.
(6) One representative from among foundations funding research in the food and agricultural sciences.
(7) One representative from among farmers, ranchers, and other producers of domestic agricultural commodities.
(8) One representative from the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(9) Two representatives from other Federal agencies determined by the Secretary to be appropriate.
(10) One representative from the National Academy of Sciences.
(11) To the extent the Joint Council is composed of more than 21 members, representatives of other public and private institutions, producers, and representatives of the public who are interested in and have the potential to contribute to (as determined by the Secretary) the formulation of national policy in the food and agricultural sciences.
(c) Administrative provisions
(1) Terms
Members of the Joint Council shall be appointed for a term of up to three years by the Secretary from nominations made by the organizations and agencies described in subsection (b) of this section. The terms of the members shall be staggered.
(2) Chairperson
The Joint Council shall be jointly chaired by the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for research, extension, and teaching, and a person to be elected from among the non-Federal membership of the Joint Council.
(3) Meetings
The Joint Council shall meet at least once during each three-month period. At least one meeting each year shall be a combined meeting with the Advisory Board. The meetings of the Joint Council shall be publicly announced in advance and shall be open to the public. Appropriate records of the activities of the Joint Council shall be kept and made available to the public on request.
(d) Primary responsibility
The primary responsibility of the Joint Council is to bring about more effective research, extension, and teaching in the food and agricultural sciences in the United States by improving the planning and coordination of publicly and privately supported food and agricultural science activities and by relating Federal budget development and program management to these processes.
(e) Other responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Joint Council shall also include the following:
(1) Provide a forum for the interchange of information among the organizations represented by the members of the Joint Council that will assure improved awareness among these organizations concerning the agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs, results, and directions of each organization.
(2) Analyze and evaluate the economic, environmental, and social impacts of agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs conducted in the United States.
(3) Determine high priority issues and goals for agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs, and submit annual reports identifying such high priority issues and goals to the Secretary and to Congress.
(4) Develop and review the effectiveness of a system, for use by the Secretary, of compiling, maintaining, and disseminating information about each federally supported agricultural research or extension project and, to the maximum extent possible, information about private agricultural research and extension projects conducted by colleges and universities, foundations, contract research groups, businesses, and others. Information about private agricultural research and extension shall not be included in this system unless they are partially or entirely funded by the Federal Government or the organizations sponsoring the projects agree to the inclusions of information about such projects.
(5) Assist the parties in developing, reviewing, and evaluating memoranda of understanding or other documents that detail the terms and conditions between the Secretary and the participants in agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs under this Act and other Acts.
(6) Assist the Secretary in carrying out the responsibilities assigned to the Secretary under this chapter through planning and coordination in the food and agricultural sciences, by using, wherever possible, the existing regional research, extension, and teaching organizations of State cooperative institutions to provide regional planning and coordination, and by the development of recommendations and reports describing current and long-range needs, priorities, and goals in the food and agricultural sciences and means to achieve these goals.
(7) Coordinate with the Secretary in assessing the current status of, and developing a plan for, the effective transfer of new technologies to the farming community.
(8) In consultation with the Users Advisory Board-
(A) provide an annual review and prioritize requests for agricultural related special grants and construction grants;
(B) provide an annual review of the competitive grants made by the Secretary to determine priority research and grant categories and types that best advance the purposes expressed in section 3101 of this title; and
(C) review and make budget recommendations on the research, extension, and teaching budgets for the Agricultural Research Service, the Forest Service, the Economic Research Service, the Extension Service, the National Agricultural Library, the Cooperative State Research Service, and other department agencies.
(f) Reports
(1) Annual report
Not later than June 30 of each year, the Joint Council shall prepare a report specifying its conclusions on-
(A) priorities for food and agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs;
(B) suggested areas of responsibility among Federal, State, and private organizations in carrying out such programs;
(C) the levels of financial and other support needed to carry out such programs;
(D) the progress made toward accomplishing the priorities and associated levels of financial and other support recommended in the annual report issued in the prior year; and
(E) the activities of the Board in meeting its responsibilities under this section.
(2) Five-year plan
Not later than November 30, 1990, the Joint Council shall prepare a report outlining a five-year plan for food and agricultural sciences that reflects the coordinated views of the research, extension, and teaching community. The Joint Council shall update this plan every two years thereafter in reports reflecting the progress being made toward implementing the plan.
(3) Submission of reports
Each report prepared under this subsection shall be submitted to the Secretary. Minority views, if timely submitted, shall be included in each such report.
(Pub. L. 95 113, title XIV, §1407, Sept. 29, 1977,
References in Text
Act of August 30, 1890, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), is act Aug. 30, 1890, ch. 841,
For definition of "this chapter", referred to in subsec. (e)(6), see note set out under section 3102 of this title.
Amendments
1991-Pub. L. 102 237, §407(1), amended directory language of Pub. L. 101 624, §1604(a). See 1990 Amendment note below.
Subsec. (e)(7). Pub. L. 102 237, §402(1), substituted a period for semicolon at end.
1990-Pub. L. 101 624, §1604(a), as amended by Pub. L. 102 237, §407(1), amended section generally, substituting present provisions for provisions which established Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences to expire on Sept. 30, 1990, provided for membership on Council of not fewer than 25 representatives, provided for meetings of Council at least once during each three month period, outlined primary responsibilities of Council, including submission of reports, provided for publicity of meetings and activities, and provided for nonapplicability of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and title XVIII of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 [7 U.S.C. 2281 et seq.].
1985-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99 198, §1405(a), substituted "1990" for "1985".
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99 198, §1405(b), inserted provision that one of the members of the Joint Council shall be appointed by the Secretary from among distinguished persons who are food technologists from accredited or certified departments of food technology.
Subsec. (d)(2)(H). Pub. L. 99 198, §1405(c), added subpar. (H).
1981-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97 98, §1407(a), substituted "that expires September 30, 1985" for "of five years".
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 97 98, §1407(b), inserted provisions authorizing the Joint Council to be composed of not fewer than twenty-five members, expanding the areas from which members be chosen, specifying the term of office of members, and directing the Secretary to appoint specific numbers of members from specified groups.
Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 97 98, §1407(c), substituted provision specifying the primary responsibility of the Joint Council as to bring about more effective research, extension, and teaching in food and agricultural sciences by improving planning and coordination of publicly and privately supported food and agricultural science activities and by relating Federal budget development and program management to these processes for provision directing the primary responsibility of the Joint Council as to foster coordination of the agricultural research, extension, and teaching activities of the Federal Government, the States, colleges and universities, and other public and private institutions and persons involved in the food and agricultural sciences.
Subsec. (d)(2)(E). Pub. L. 97 98, §1407(d), substituted "in the food and agricultural sciences, by using, wherever possible, the existing regional research, extension, and teaching organizations of State cooperative institutions to provide regional planning and coordination" for "efforts in the food and agricultural sciences that utilize an effective system of regional and national planning".
Subsec. (d)(2)(G). Pub. L. 97 98, §1407(e), substituted provision requiring that a report be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture, not later than June 30 of each year, specifying the Joint Council's recommendations on priorities for food and agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs, delineating responsibilities, and specifying levels of financial and other support needed, a report be submitted, not later than Nov. 30 of each year, specifying ongoing research, extension, and teaching programs, accomplishments of these programs, and the future expectations of these programs, and a report submitted, not later than June 30, 1983, outlining a five-year plan for food and agricultural sciences that reflects the coordinated views of the research, extension, and teaching community, with this plan to be updated every two years thereafter, for provision requiring that a statement of recommendations be submitted to the Secretary, not later than Dec. 31 of each year, which was to include the Joint Council's recommendations as to unified national, regional, or interstate agricultural research, extension, or teaching programs to be implemented during the following fiscal year, delineating suggested areas of responsibility between Federal and State agencies, and the overall planning, evaluation, coordination, and support necessary for such programs and a summary of agricultural research, extension, and teaching achievements made during, and the status of ongoing projects as of the end of, the prior fiscal year and requiring that the Secretary submit copies of the statement to the Subcommittee on Food and Renewable Resources of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology, and the Advisory Board.
Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 97 98, §1407(f), added subsecs. (e) and (f).
Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 97 98 effective Dec. 22, 1981, see section 1801 of Pub. L. 97 98, set out as an Effective Date note under section 4301 of this title.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 3125 of this title.