Directs the President to establish an interagency process for all relevant executive branch agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of State, AID, the Department of Commerce, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to coordinate efforts and to generate support for the acceptance of agricultural biotechnology. Urges U.S. policies to stress the prominence of science as the foundation for regulatory decision-making and work aggressively in international fora such as the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, including its CODEX Alimentarius, and the United Nations, to advocate for science-based decision- making.
Urges AID and the Department of Agriculture to ensure that all food and grain products that meet U.S. health and safety requirements are acceptable to foreign countries under relevant food aid programs.
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should work with U.S. embassies abroad to develop bilateral support from foreign governments for the approval of science-based trading regimes in multilateral forums and organizations.
[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2106 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2106
A bill to increase internationally the exchange and availability of
information regarding biotechnology and to coordinate a Federal
strategy in order to advance the benefits of biotechnology,
particularly in agriculture.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 24, 2000
Mr. Ashcroft introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
A bill to increase internationally the exchange and availability of
information regarding biotechnology and to coordinate a Federal
strategy in order to advance the benefits of biotechnology,
particularly in agriculture.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Advancing the Global Opportunities
for Biotechnology in Agriculture Act of 2000''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Biotechnology in the agricultural sector holds the
prospect for substantial benefits to mankind in a number of
critical areas.
(2) Enhanced crop yields resulting from the use of
agricultural biotechnology will help in feeding a growing world
population, especially in developing countries.
(3) Healthier bio-engineered foods will assist in combating
diseases specific to the developing world that arise from
vitamin and other nutritional deficiencies.
(4) Pest and disease resistant crops developed through
biotechnology will preserve and improve the environment by
reducing the need for herbicides and pesticides.
(5) Greater agricultural yields will preserve the
environment by minimizing the need for additional farmland to
feed and clothe the world's growing population.
(6) Ensuring that these benefits, the underlying scientific
information, and the regulatory framework for managing this
technology are shared globally is imperative and should be an
integral part of United States foreign assistance programs.
SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--Of the funds appropriated to carry out sections
103 through 106, and chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 for fiscal years 2001-2002, $6,000,000 is authorized to be
appropriated to the Agency for International Development for programs
and projects designed to educate government officials in developing
countries regarding the use of biotechnology in the agricultural sector
and the regulatory procedures used by the United States with respect to
agricultural products using biotechnology. The programs and activities
shall encourage acceptance by those countries of products approved
under the United States regulatory system or, in the case of countries
who choose to establish a national regulatory system based on science,
to encourage adoption of domestic approval processes based on objective
scientific principles. The programs and activities shall include the
following:
(1) Technical exchange program for foreign officials.--The
Agency for International Development shall carry out a
technical exchange program that brings to the United States
appropriate foreign officials for the purpose of educating them
about the scientific process underlying biotechnology and the
regulatory approval system employed in the United States for
biotechnology products, and to seek answers to any questions
they or their citizens may have regarding the safety of
biotechnology, particularly in agricultural products.
(2) Technical exchange program for united states
biotechnology experts.--The Agency for International
Development shall carry out a technical exchange program that
sends United States experts in the field of biotechnology in
the agriculture sector to foreign capitals to provide
information on the scientific process underlying biotechnology,
the regulatory approval system employed in the United States to
approve agricultural products produced with biotechnology, and
to respond to any questions the officials in foreign countries
or their citizens may have regarding the safety of
biotechnology, particularly in the agriculture sector.
SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERTISE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE AGENCY FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
In order to carry out the programs and activities in section ____,
the Agency for International Development shall establish a group of
experts within the agency to carry out these programs. To maximize its
effectiveness, this group should draw on the expertise, as appropriate,
of regulatory officials in the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Food and Drug Administration, and the United States Department of
Agriculture, as well as appropriate officials from the Department of
State.
SEC. 5. COORDINATED FEDERAL STRATEGY.
(a) Coordination.--The President shall establish an interagency
process for all relevant executive branch agencies, including the
United States Department of Agriculture, the Office of the United
States Trade Representative, the Department of State, the Agency for
International Development, the Department of Commerce, the Food and
Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to
coordinate efforts and to generate support for the acceptance of
agricultural biotechnology. United States policies must stress the
prominence of science as the foundation for regulatory decision-making
and work aggressively in international fora such as the World Trade
Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, the World Health Organization, including its CODEX
Alimentarius, and the United Nations, to advocate for science-based
decision making.
(b) Standards for Food Aid.--The Agency for International
Development and the United States Department of Agriculture should work
to ensure that all food and grain products that meet United States
health and safety requirements are acceptable to foreign countries
under relevant food aid programs.
SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the Sense of the Congress that the Secretary of State should
work with United States embassies abroad to develop bilateral support
from foreign governments for the approval of science-based trading
regimes in multilateral forums and organizations.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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