7 USC 3124 - Federal-State partnership and coordination

View all text of Subchapter II [§ 3121 - § 3130]

§ 3124a. Federal-State partnership and coordination

(a) Covered programs; statement of purposesA unique partnership arrangement exists in food and agricultural research, extension, and teaching between the Federal Government and the governments of the several States whereby the States have accepted and have supported, through legislation and appropriations—

(1) research programs under—

(A) the Act of March 2, 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361a et seq.), commonly known as the Hatch Act of 1887;

(B) the Act of October 10, 1962 (16 U.S.C. 582a et seq.), commonly known as the McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962;

(D) subchapter VI of this chapter;

(2) extension programs under subchapter VI of this chapter and the Act of May 8, 1914 (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), commonly known as the Smith-Lever Act;

(3) teaching programs under—

(A) the Act of July 2, 1862 (7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), commonly known as the First Morrill Act;

(B) the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), commonly known as the Second Morrill Act; and

(4) international agricultural programs under title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2220a et seq.).

This partnership in publicly supported agricultural research, extension, and teaching involving the programs of Federal agencies and the programs of the States has played a major role in the outstanding successes achieved in meeting the varied, dispersed, and in many cases, site-specific needs of American agriculture. This partnership must be preserved and enhanced.

(b) Establishment, etc., of cooperative centers

(1) To promote research for purposes of developing agricultural policy alternatives, the Secretary is encouraged—

(A) to designate at least one State cooperative institution to conduct research in an interdisciplinary fashion; and

(B) to report on a regular basis with respect to the effect of emerging technological, economic, sociological, and environmental developments on the structure of agriculture.

(2) Support for this effort should include grants to examine the role of various food production, processing, and distribution systems that may primarily benefit small- and medium-sized family farms, such as diversified farm plans, energy, water, and soil conservation technologies, direct and cooperative marketing, production and processing cooperatives, and rural community resource management.

(d) Designation of State agricultural experiment stations and Agricultural Research Service facilities; pilot projects; additional research

(e) Applicability of chapter 10 of title 5

(1) Public meetings

(2) Exemption

(3) Entities describedThis subsection shall apply to any committee, board, commission, panel, or task force, or similar entity that—

(A) is created for the purpose of cooperative efforts in agricultural research, extension, or teaching; and

(B) consists entirely of—

(i) full-time Federal employees; and

(ii) one or more individuals who are employed by, or are officials of—(I) a State cooperative institution or State cooperative agency; or(II) a public college or university or other postsecondary institution.

(Pub. L. 95–113, title XIV, § 1409A, as added Pub. L. 97–98, title XIV, § 1410(a), Dec. 22, 1981, 95 Stat. 1301; amended Pub. L. 99–198, title XIV, § 1407, Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1545; Pub. L. 101–624, title XVI, § 1601(f)(1)(B), Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3704; Pub. L. 104–127, title VIII, § 803, Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1159; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(33), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4308.)