§ 178b. — Joint Commission on Research and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 7USC178b]
TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 8A--RUBBER AND OTHER CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS
SUBCHAPTER II--CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS
Sec. 178b. Joint Commission on Research and Development of
Critical Agricultural Materials
(a) Establishment; function
There is established a Joint Commission on Research and Development
of Critical Agricultural Materials, hereinafter referred to as the Joint
Commission. The function of the Joint Commission shall be to assist the
Secretaries in carrying out the purposes of this subchapter.
(b) Membership
The Joint Commission shall consist of the following members: Three
individuals designated by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the
staff of the Department of Agriculture; three individuals designated by
the Secretary of Commerce from among the staff of the Department of
Commerce; a representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the
Department of the Interior; a representative of the National Science
Foundation; a representative of the Department of State; a
representative of the Department of Defense; and a representative of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. Each of the members of the Joint
Commission shall be an individual who, on behalf of the Department or
agency which such individual represents, is engaged in the support of
research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities
involving native latex and the production of other critical agricultural
materials from native agricultural crops.
(c) Chairman
The Joint Commission shall be headed by a Chairman who shall be
selected by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the three
individuals designated by the Secretary as members under subsection (b)
of this section.
(d) Delegation of responsibilities to Joint Commission; transfer and use
of appropriated funds
The Secretaries may delegate to the Joint Commission one or more of
their responsibilities under this subchapter, and transfer to the Joint
Commission funds appropriated to carry out the purposes of this
subchapter as they deem appropriate to achieve the purposes of this
subchapter, and the Joint Commission is authorized to carry out such
functions and expend such funds to achieve the purposes of the
subchapter.
(e) Duties
The Joint Commission shall--
(1) develop a plan establishing goals, timetables, and tasks to
be undertaken in carrying out the purposes of this subchapter;
(2) establish broad policy for implementing the plan carrying
out the purposes of this subchapter;
(3) establish criteria for evaluating and awarding contracts for
research, development, and demonstration projects; and
(4) review and advise the Secretaries with respect to grants,
contracts, and other project expenditures.
(f) Administrative support services
The Secretaries are authorized to provide without reimbursement such
administrative support services, including the detail of staff personnel
not to exceed a total of five persons from each Department, as the Joint
Commission may need to carry out its functions.
(g) Advice of scientific, engineering and business communities
To the maximum extent possible, the Secretaries and the Joint
Commission shall seek the advice of the scientific, engineering and
business communities with respect to the activities carried out under
this subchapter. The Secretaries and the Commission shall specifically
seek the advice of persons with expertise in appropriate fields of
agricultural research in land grant colleges and other universities, in
State agricultural experiment stations, and in other appropriate
organizations; and, persons with expertise in manufacturing and commerce
involving rubber and other critical agricultural materials in private
enterprise and other appropriate organizations.
(Pub. L. 95-592, Sec. 4, Nov. 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 2530; Pub. L. 98-284,
Sec. 4, May 16, 1984, 98 Stat. 181; Pub. L. 104-127, title VIII,
Sec. 881(a), Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1175.)
Amendments
1996--Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 104-127 redesignated subsec. (h) as
(g), and struck out former subsec. (g) which read as follows: ``One year
after November 4, 1978, and each year thereafter, the Joint Commission
shall provide to the Congress a report on the implementation of the
subchapter. Such report shall (1) recommend specific directions for
further research, development, and other work, and (2) recommend funding
levels for various elements of the overall project.''
1984--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98-284, Sec. 4(a), substituted ``Research
and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials'' for ``Guayule
Research and Commercialization''.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98-284, Sec. 4(b), struck out provision
mandating that two of the designees of the Secretary of Commerce be
Federal Cochairmen of Regional Commissions engaged in the support of
native latex research, development, demonstration, or commercialization
activities, inserted provisions for the appointment of a representative
of the Department of State, a representative of the Department of
Defense, and a representative of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, and inserted provisions that each of the members of the Joint
Commission be an individual who, on behalf of the Department or agency
which such individual represents, is engaged in the support of research,
development, demonstration, and commercialization activities involving
native latex and the production of other critical agricultural materials
from native agricultural crops.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98-284, Sec. 4(c), substituted ``The Joint
Commission shall be headed by a Chairman who shall be selected by the
Secretary of Agriculture from among the three individuals designated by
the Secretary as members under subsection (b) of this section'' for
``The Joint Commission shall be headed by a Chairman. The Secretary of
Agriculture shall designate one of the two members from his Department
to serve as Joint Commission Chairman during the first two-year period
following November 4, 1978, and the Secretary of Commerce shall
designate one of the two members from his Department as Joint Commission
Chairman during the second two-year period following November 4, 1978.
And the same process of designating Joint Commission Chairmen shall be
followed in ensuing years''.
Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 98-284, Sec. 4(d), substituted ``manufacturing
and commerce involving rubber and other critical agricultural
materials'' for ``rubber manufacturing and commerce''.
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, including the functions of the
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency relating thereto, to
the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related
references, see sections 313(1), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6,
Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security
Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note
under section 542 of Title 6.
