text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Seeds for the Future Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. PUBLIC CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT.
  
      Section 2 of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research 
  Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157) is amended--
              (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
              ``(3) Definitions.--In this section:
                      ``(A) Conventional breeding.--The term 
                  `conventional breeding' means the development of new 
                  varieties of an organism through controlled mating and 
                  selection without the use of transgenic methods.
                      ``(B) Cultivar.--The term `cultivar' means a 
                  variety of a species of plant that has been 
                  intentionally selected for use in cultivation because 
                  of the improved characteristics of that variety of the 
                  species.
                      ``(C) Public cultivar.--The term `public cultivar' 
                  means a cultivar that is the commercially available 
                  uniform end product of a publicly funded breeding 
                  program that has been sufficiently tested to 
                  demonstrate improved characteristics and stable 
                  performance.''; and
              (2) by adding at the end the following:
      ``(l) Public Cultivar Development Funding.--
              ``(1) In general.--Of the amount of grants made under 
          subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary of Agriculture (referred 
          to in this subsection as the `Secretary') shall ensure that not 
          less than $50,000,000 for each fiscal year is used for 
          competitive research grants that support the development of 
          public cultivars.
              ``(2) Priority.--In making grants under paragraph (1), the 
          Secretary shall give priority to high-potential research 
          projects that lead to the release of public cultivars.
              ``(3) Grants.--The Secretary shall ensure that the terms 
          and renewal process for any competitive grants made under 
          subsection (b) in accordance with paragraph (1) facilitate the 
          development and commercialization of public cultivars through 
          long-term grants not less than 5 years in length.
              ``(4) Report.--Not later than October 1 of each year, the 
          Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that provides 
          information on all public cultivar and breeding research funded 
          by the Department of Agriculture, including--
                      ``(A) a list of public cultivars and varieties of 
                  public cultivars developed and released in a 
                  commercially available form;
                      ``(B) areas of high priority research;
                      ``(C) identified research gaps relating to public 
                  cultivar development; and
                      ``(D) an assessment of the state of 
                  commercialization for cultivars that have been 
                  developed.''.
  
  SEC. 3. PUBLIC CULTIVAR RESEARCH COORDINATION.
  
      (a) In General.--Section 251 of the Department of Agriculture 
  Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971) is amended--
              (1) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following:
              ``(6) Public cultivar research activities coordinator.--
                      ``(A) In general.--The Under Secretary shall 
                  appoint a coordinator within the Research, Education, 
                  and Extension Office that reports to the Under 
                  Secretary to coordinate research activities at the 
                  Department relating to the breeding of public cultivars 
                  (as defined in paragraph (3) of section 2(a) of the 
                  Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act 
                  (7 U.S.C. 3157(a))).
                      ``(B) Duties of coordinator.--The coordinator 
                  appointed under subparagraph (A) shall--
                              ``(i) coordinate plant breeding research 
                          activities funded by the Department relating to 
                          the development of public cultivars;
                              ``(ii)(I) carry out ongoing analysis and 
                          track activities for any Federal research 
                          funding supporting plant breeding (including 
                          any public cultivars developed with Federal 
                          funds); and
                              ``(II) ensure that the analysis and 
                          activities are made available to the public not 
                          later than 60 days after the last day of each 
                          fiscal year;
                              ``(iii) develop a strategic plan that 
                          establishes targets for public cultivar 
                          research investments across the Department to 
                          ensure that a diverse range of crop needs are 
                          being met in a timely and transparent manner;
                              ``(iv) convene a working group in order to 
                          carry out the coordination functions described 
                          in this subparagraph comprised of individuals 
                          who are responsible for the management, 
                          administration, or analysis of public breeding 
                          programs within the Department from--
                                      ``(I) the National Institute of 
                                  Food and Agriculture;
                                      ``(II) the Agricultural Research 
                                  Service; and
                                      ``(III) the Economic Research 
                                  Service;
                              ``(v) in order to maximize delivery of 
                          public cultivars, promote collaboration among--
                                      ``(I) the coordinator;
                                      ``(II) the working group convened 
                                  under clause (iv);
                                      ``(III) the advisory council 
                                  established under section 1634 of the 
                                  Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 
                                  Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5843);
                                      ``(IV) genetic resource 
                                  conservation centers;
                                      ``(V) land-grant colleges and 
                                  universities (as defined in section 
                                  1404 of the National Agricultural 
                                  Research, Extension, and Teaching 
                                  Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));
                                      ``(VI) Hispanic-serving 
                                  institutions (as defined in section 
                                  502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
                                  1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)));
                                      ``(VII) Native American-serving 
                                  nontribal institutions (as defined in 
                                  section 371(c) of the Higher Education 
                                  Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(c)));
                                      ``(VIII) nongovernmental 
                                  organizations with interest or 
                                  expertise in public breeding; and
                                      ``(IX) public and private plant 
                                  breeders;
                              ``(vi) convene regular stakeholder 
                          listening sessions to provide input on national 
                          and regional priorities for public cultivar 
                          breeding research activities across the 
                          Department; and
                              ``(vii) evaluate and make recommendations 
                          to the Under Secretary on training and resource 
                          needs to meet future breeding challenges.''; 
                          and
              (2) in subsection (f)(1)(D)(i), by striking ``(7 U.S.C. 
          450i(b))'' and inserting ``(7 U.S.C. 3157(b))''.
      (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 296(b)(6)(B) of the Department 
  of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)(6)(B)) is 
  amended by striking ``Office; and'' and inserting ``Office (including 
  the public cultivar research activities coordinator under subsection 
  (e)(6) of that section); and''.
target: Seeds for the Future Act  This bill amends the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure that at least $50 million of USDA grant funding is used each year for competitive research grants that support the development of public cultivars.  A "cultivar" is a variety of plant that has been intentionally selected for use in cultivation because of its improved characteristics. A "public cultivar" is the commercially available uniform end product of a publicly funded breeding program that has been sufficiently tested to demonstrate improved characteristics and stable performance.  The bill also amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish a public cultivar research activities coordinator within USDA to coordinate research activities relating to the breeding of public cultivars. 
feat_title: Seeds for the Future Act