[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5381 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5381
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance in support
of nurseries and seed orchards, to establish a grant program in support
of nurseries and seed orchards, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 8, 2023
Ms. Schrier (for herself and Mr. Duarte) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance in support
of nurseries and seed orchards, to establish a grant program in support
of nurseries and seed orchards, 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 ``Reforestation, Nurseries, and
Genetic Resources Support Act of 2023'' or the ``RNGR Support Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. NURSERY AND SEED ORCHARD SUPPORT.
(a) Partnerships, Collaboration, and Other Assistance in Support of
Nurseries and Seed Orchards.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall--
(1) partner with Federal and State agencies, Indian Tribes,
and private nurseries to provide training, technical
assistance, and research to nursery and tree establishment
programs that support natural regeneration, reforestation,
agroforestry, and afforestation;
(2) promote information sharing to improve technical
knowledge and practices and understand demands, climate change
impacts, and other issues as necessary to address all facets of
the reforestation pipeline;
(3) provide technical and financial assistance to
international nursery and tree establishment programs through
the Forest Service International Programs, the Institute of
Pacific Islands Forestry, and the International Institute of
Tropical Forestry;
(4) collaborate with other relevant Federal departments and
agencies, including the Foreign Agricultural Service of the
Department of Agriculture, the United States Agency for
International Development, the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service of the Department of the Interior, and international
organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, to provide technical and financial
assistance related to nurseries and reforestation;
(5) coordinate the efforts of the Department of Agriculture
to--
(A) address the challenges associated with the
reforestation pipeline; and
(B) leverage economic development assistance for
work with private nurseries; and
(6) expand climate-informed reforestation supply chains
through science and research, seed collection and storage, and
nursery infrastructure and operations.
(b) Nursery and Seed Orchard Grants.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
establish a program to provide grants to eligible recipients to
support nurseries and seed orchards.
(2) Eligible projects.--The Secretary may make a grant
under this section to an eligible recipient for a project to do
at least one of the following:
(A) Develop, expand, enhance, or improve nursery
production capacity or other infrastructure to--
(i) improve seed collection and storage;
(ii) increase seedling production, storage,
and distribution; or
(iii) enhance seedling survival and
properly manage tree genetic resources.
(B) Establish or expand a nursery or seed orchard,
including by acquiring equipment for such nursery or
seed orchard.
(C) Develop or implement quality control measures
at nurseries or seed orchards.
(D) Promote workforce development within any facet
of the reforestation pipeline.
(E) Carry out such other activity as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible recipient.--The term ``eligible recipient''
means--
(A) a State forestry agency;
(B) an Indian Tribe; and
(C) a private nursery that has experience growing
high-quality native trees of appropriate genetic
sources in bareroot or container stocktypes specific
for reforestation, restoration, or conservation,
including native plants and seeds that are of cultural
significance to Indian Tribes.
(2) Nursery.--The term ``nursery'' means a tree or native
plant nursery.
(3) Seed orchard.--The term ``seed orchard'' means a tree
or native plant seed orchard.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, and any territory or possession of the United States.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028.
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