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HR 1326
Passed House Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act

Introduced Feb 13, 2025

Latest action (Mar 25, 2025) Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Referred to
Energy and Natural Resources Committee Agriculture Committee Science, Space, and Technology Committee
Policy area
Agriculture and Food
Issues
Climate & Energy
Legislative subjects (15)
Advanced technology and technological innovationsAgricultural practices and innovationsAgricultural researchAlternative and renewable resourcesClimate change and greenhouse gasesDepartment of AgricultureDepartment of EnergyEnergy researchEnergy storage, supplies, demandFiresForests, forestry, treesPest managementResearch administration and fundingResearch and developmentWater use and supply

Summary

This bill authorizes the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture to establish joint research and development activities through a memorandum of understanding. The research would use competitive, merit-reviewed processes and could include federal agencies, national laboratories, universities, nonprofits, and industry partners. Focus areas include artificial intelligence for agriculture and energy optimization, sustainable biofuels, agricultural efficiency, grid modernization, wildfire prevention, and carbon storage with agriculture. The Departments may conduct data sharing, develop research infrastructure, and collaborate with other federal agencies, and must report to Congress within two years on achievements and future opportunities. The activities must comply with federal research security standards.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
2 cosponsors

Actions (12)
  1. Mar 25, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. · senate
  2. Mar 24, 2025 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. · house
  3. Mar 24, 2025 On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 372 - 35 (Roll no. 73). (text: CR H1204) · house
  4. Mar 24, 2025 Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 372 - 35 (Roll no. 73). (text: CR H1204)
  5. Mar 24, 2025 Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H1214) · house
  6. Mar 24, 2025 At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. · house
  7. Mar 24, 2025 DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1326. · house
  8. Mar 24, 2025 Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1204-1205) · house
  9. Mar 24, 2025 Mr. Babin moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. · house
  10. Mar 14, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology. · house
  11. Feb 13, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 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. · house
  12. Feb 13, 2025 Introduced in House

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Roll-call votes (1)

How the chamber voted on this bill — the outcome, the tally by party, and every member's recorded position. A factual record.

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 191 — Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 (shares 12 subjects)
  • HR 9770 — Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 (shares 10 subjects)
  • S 2882 — Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026 (shares 8 subjects)
  • HR 5450 — Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026 (shares 8 subjects)
  • HR 4754 — Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 8 subjects)
  • HR 1968 — Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (shares 8 subjects)
  • S 2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 7 subjects)
  • HR 3838 — Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 7 subjects)

Text versions (3)
  • Referred in Senate · Mar 25, 2025
  • Engrossed in House · Mar 24, 2025
  • Introduced in House · Feb 13, 2025

Full text

AN ACT

To provide for Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture joint research and development activities, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act”.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.

(a) In General.—The Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the “Secretaries”) shall carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture mission requirements and priorities.

(b) Memorandum of Understanding.—The Secretaries shall carry out and coordinate the activities under subsection (a) through the establishment of a memorandum of understanding, or other appropriate interagency agreement. Such memorandum or agreement shall require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process, which considers applications from Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate entities.

(c) Coordination.—In carrying out the activities under subsection

(a), the Secretaries may carry out the following:

(1) Conduct collaborative research over a variety of focus areas, such as the following:

(A) Modeling and simulation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data assimilation, large scale data analytics, and predictive analysis in order to optimize algorithms for purposes related to agriculture and energy, such as life cycle analysis of agricultural or energy systems.

(B) Fundamental agricultural, biological, computational, and environmental science and engineering, including advanced crop science, crop protection, breeding, and biological pest control, in collaboration with the program authorized under section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18644).

(C) Integrated natural resources and the energy- water nexus, including in collaboration with the program authorized under section 1010 of the Energy Act of 2020 (enacted as division Z of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (42 U.S.C. 16183)).

(D) Advanced biomass, biobased products, and biofuels, including in collaboration with the activities authorized under section 9008(b) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8108(b)).

(E) Diverse feedstocks for economically and environmentally sustainable fuels, including aviation and naval fuels.

(F) Colocation of agricultural resources and activities and ecosystem services with diverse energy technologies and resources.

(G) Colocation of agricultural resources and activities with carbon storage and utilization technologies.

(H) Invasive species management to further the work done by the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds.

(I) Long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of transformative science and technology solutions in the agriculture and energy sectors, including in collaboration with the program authorized under section 5012 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538).

(J) Grid modernization and grid security.

(K) Rural technology development, including manufacturing, precision agriculture technologies, and mechanization and automation technologies.

(L) Wildfire risks and prevention, including the power sector’s role in fire prevention and mitigation and wildfire impacts on energy infrastructure.

(2) Develop methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information with variable accuracy and scale.

(3) Promote collaboration, open community-based development, and data and information sharing between Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, industry partners, and other appropriate entities by providing reliable access to secure data and information that are in compliance with Federal rules and regulations.

(4) Support research infrastructure and workforce development as the Secretaries determine necessary.

(5) Conduct collaborative research, development, and demonstration of methods and technologies to accomplish the following:

(A) Improve the efficiency of agriculture operations and processing of agricultural products.

(B) Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with such operations and such processing.

(d) Agreements.—In carrying out the activities under subsection

(a), the Secretaries are authorized to—

(1) carry out reimbursable agreements between the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of research and development; and

(2) collaborate with other Federal agencies as appropriate.

(e) Report.—Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, a report detailing the following:

(1) Interagency coordination between each Federal agency involved in the research and development activities carried out under this section.

(2) Potential opportunities to expand the technical capabilities of the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture.

(3) Collaborative research achievements.

(4) Areas of future mutually beneficial successes.

(5) Continuation of coordination activities between the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture.

(f) Research Security.—The activities authorized under this section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle D of title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117-167; 42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.).

Passed the House of Representatives March 24, 2025.

Attest:

Clerk. 119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1326

AN ACT

To provide for Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture joint research and development activities, and for other purposes.

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