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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4898 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4898
To support equity for aquaculture and seafood at the Department of
Agriculture, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 5, 2025
Mr. Pallone (for himself and Mrs. Cammack) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support equity for aquaculture and seafood at the Department of
Agriculture, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Equity
for Aquaculture and Seafood Act'' or the ``SEAS Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Aquaculture defined.
TITLE I--REPORTS ON AQUACULTURE
Sec. 101. Report on Department of Agriculture seafood purchases and
grants.
Sec. 102. Report on Department of Agriculture support for aquaculture
and the seafood industry.
Sec. 103. Seafood industry defined.
TITLE II--PROMOTING EQUITY FOR AQUACULTURE AT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Sec. 201. Promoting equity for aquaculture producers in administration
of Department of Agriculture grant
programs.
Sec. 202. Department of Agriculture internal education requirement.
TITLE III--SUPPORT FOR AQUACULTURE PRODUCERS
Sec. 301. Regional aquaculture centers.
Sec. 302. Shellfish research under Agriculture and Food Research
Initiative.
Sec. 303. Crop insurance policy for aquaculture products.
SEC. 2. AQUACULTURE DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ``aquaculture'' means the controlled
breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, sea vegetables,
and other organisms in freshwater, saltwater, and any other controlled
water environments.
TITLE I--REPORTS ON AQUACULTURE
SEC. 101. REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SEAFOOD PURCHASES AND
GRANTS.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter through fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of
Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report that includes, with
respect to the previous fiscal year--
(1) the total amount of expenditures of the Department of
Agriculture on seafood purchases and aquaculture purchases and
the value of such expenditures;
(2) the total amount of expenditures of the Department on
seafood and aquaculture promotion and outreach supporting the
seafood and aquaculture industries and the value of such
expenditures;
(3) the number of grants made by the Secretary of
Agriculture to the seafood industry and aquaculture industry,
and the amount of such grants; and
(4) the number of grants made by the Secretary of
Agriculture to facilitate seafood and aquaculture research, the
amount of such grants, and the subject matter of such research.
SEC. 102. REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SUPPORT FOR AQUACULTURE
AND THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report--
(1) evaluating the Department of Agriculture's role in
supporting aquaculture and the seafood industry;
(2) evaluating the domestic seafood processing capacity of
the United States and the impact of overseas processing on
domestic supply chains, aquaculture, and the seafood industry;
(3) examining the access to the Department of Agriculture's
grants and resources aquaculture and seafood producers have, as
compared to traditional land-based farmers;
(4) evaluating the potential environmental benefits of
aquaculture, with respect to climate, conservation, and
pollution;
(5) evaluating the potential negative impacts of
aquaculture, with respect to pollution, waste, disease, and
other repercussions; and
(6) providing recommendations to support and advance best
practices for aquaculture in the United States.
SEC. 103. SEAFOOD INDUSTRY DEFINED.
In this title, the term ``seafood industry'' means shellfish
growers, shellfish harvesters, sea vegetable growers, fish farmers,
commercial fishermen that harvest shellfish or finfish, and other
aquaculture producers.
TITLE II--PROMOTING EQUITY FOR AQUACULTURE AT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
SEC. 201. PROMOTING EQUITY FOR AQUACULTURE PRODUCERS IN ADMINISTRATION
OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GRANT PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--In awarding grants (or other assistance) under
programs administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall give the
same consideration to aquaculture producers as animal agriculture
producers.
(b) Aquaculture Funding.--The Secretary shall ensure adequate and
fair funding levels are made available to aquaculture producers through
grants (or other assistance) under Department of Agriculture programs.
(c) Animal Agriculture Defined.--In this section, the term ``animal
agriculture'' means the raising, breeding, harvesting, and slaughtering
of beef, lamb, goat, pork, duck, poultry, and other land-based
organisms for consumption and the production of animal products,
including milk, eggs, meat, skins, fibers, bones, feathers, and other
byproducts.
SEC. 202. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE INTERNAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT.
(a) In General.--Subtitle B of the Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6931 et seq.) is amended by
inserting after section 226B (7 U.S.C. 6934) the following:
``SEC. 226C. AQUACULTURE EDUCATION.
``(a) FSA Offices.--The Secretary shall develop and implement a
requirement for employees of each regional office of the Farm Service
Agency with respect to education on aquaculture. Such requirement shall
include training for all existing and new employees on--
``(1) eligibility for aquaculture-related Federal grants
and programs;
``(2) the role of aquaculture in United States agriculture;
and
``(3) the support the Department of Agriculture provides to
seafood producers and aquaculture.
``(b) Memorandum.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue a department-wide
memorandum that--
``(1) affirms the Department of Agriculture's current
position that aquaculture plays a vital role in the United
States agriculture system; and
``(2) reiterates the eligibility of aquaculture and seafood
products and producers for programs administered by the
Secretary.
``(c) Webinars.--The Secretary shall, beginning not later than 2
years after the date of the enactment of this section and every 2 years
thereafter, convene a conference (including a conference held on a
virtual platform or through webinars) providing for education of
officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture and relevant
stakeholders on the state of aquaculture in the United States.''.
(b) Technical Correction.--Effective as if included in the
enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2018, subtitle A of the Department
of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is
amended by redesignating the first section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925)
(relating to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 296(b)(7) of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)(7)) is amended
by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``or to
develop and implement the requirement relating to aquaculture education
under section 226C''.
TITLE III--SUPPORT FOR AQUACULTURE PRODUCERS
SEC. 301. REGIONAL AQUACULTURE CENTERS.
(a) Extension.--Section 1477(a) of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324(a))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) to carry out section 1475(b), $30,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''.
(b) Indirect Costs.--Section 1477 of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Indirect Costs.--Of the funds made available under subsection
(a) to carry out this section for a fiscal year, not more than 15
percent may be used for expenses related to administering the program
under this section.''.
SEC. 302. SHELLFISH RESEARCH UNDER AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH
INITIATIVE.
(a) In General.--Subsection (b)(2)(B)(i) of the Competitive,
Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)(B)(i))
is amended to read as follows:
``(i)(I) aquaculture; and
``(II) methods of increasing survival rate
and adaptability of shellfish, including
resistance to heat, disease, salinity, and
acidification;''.
(b) Developing Next Generation Technology for the Seafood and
Aquaculture Industries.--Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``SEC. 9015. DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SEAFOOD AND
AQUACULTURE INDUSTRIES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the heads of
other relevant Federal agencies, shall make competitive grants to
eligible entities to develop next generation technology, which may
include more efficient gear and equipment, to reduce pollution and fuel
usage in the seafood and aquaculture industries.
``(b) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible
entity' includes a regional aquaculture center established under
section 1475 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3322), institution of higher
education, federally-funded research and development center, and an
organization organization described in section 501(c)(5) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section
501(a) of such Code.
``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.''.
SEC. 303. CROP INSURANCE POLICY FOR AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS.
Section 522(c) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 (7 U.S.C.
1522(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(20) Aquaculture products.--
``(A) In general.--The Corporation shall carry out
research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or
more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to
carry out research and development, regarding a policy
to insure aquaculture products.
``(B) Availability.--The Corporation shall
establish a policy to insure aquaculture products for
the first reinsurance year that begins after the date
of the enactment of this paragraph.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
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