Community College Agriculture Advancement Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5468 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5468

 To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 to authorize capacity building grants for community
          college agriculture and natural resources programs.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2025

Mr. Kelly of Mississippi (for himself and Mr. Carbajal) introduced the
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 to authorize capacity building grants for community
          college agriculture and natural resources programs.

    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 ``Community College Agriculture
Advancement Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE AGRICULTURE AND
              NATURAL RESOURCES PROGRAMS.

    Subtitle K of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 1473I. CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
              AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a junior or community college supporting
                agriculture advancement; and
                    ``(B) a consortium or alliance of 2-year public
                colleges supporting agriculture advancement.
            ``(2) Junior or community college.--The term `junior or
        community college' has the meaning given the term in section
        312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058).
    ``(b) Competitive Grants.--The Secretary shall make competitive
grants to eligible entities to assist the eligible entities in
maintaining and expanding the capacity of the eligible entities to
conduct workforce training, education, research, and outreach
activities relating to--
            ``(1) agriculture; and
            ``(2) other similar disciplines.
    ``(c) Priority.--In making grants under subsection (b), the
Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity coordinating with a
local agriculture industry operator to provide experiential training
and other opportunities for students.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
subsection (b) may use the funds made available through the grant to
expand and maintain the capacity of the eligible entity--
            ``(1) to successfully compete for funds from Federal grants
        and other sources to carry out educational, research, and
        outreach activities that address priority concerns of national,
        regional, State, and local interest;
            ``(2) to offer educational programming on agricultural
        industry jobs, including farm business management-related
        subjects, such as accounting, paralegal studies, and finance;
            ``(3) to disseminate information relating to the priority
        concerns described in paragraph (1) to interested members of
        the agriculture and other relevant communities and to the
        public;
            ``(4) to encourage members of those communities to
        participate in priority education, research, and outreach
        activities through providing matching funding from sources
        other than funds received through the grant; and
            ``(5) through--
                    ``(A) the purchase or other acquisition of
                equipment and other infrastructure (not including the
                alteration, repair, renovation, or construction of
                buildings);
                    ``(B) the professional growth and development of
                faculty; and
                    ``(C) the development of apprenticeships and other
                work-based learning opportunities.
    ``(e) Centers of Agriculture Advancement.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity may submit to the
        Secretary an application for designation and funding as a
        center of excellence for agriculture advancement.
            ``(2) Use of funds.--A center of excellence for agriculture
        advancement designated under paragraph (1) shall use funding
        received as a result of that designation--
                    ``(A) to demonstrate best practices relating to
                agriculture; and
                    ``(B) to provide leadership in capacity building at
                a regional or national level.
    ``(f) Evaluation and Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date
of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) conduct an evaluation of activities carried out under
        this section; and
            ``(2) submit a report describing the evaluation conducted
        under paragraph (1) to--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
                Representatives;
                    ``(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
                Forestry of the Senate;
                    ``(C) the Committee on Appropriations of the House
                of Representatives; and
                    ``(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the
                Senate.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2031.''.
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