Advancing Automation Research and Development in Agriculture Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4652
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-15T19:06:38Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to reauthorize the specialty crop research initiative through fiscal year 2031 and create a new competitive grant program focused on mechanization and automation for specialty crops.
Key Provisions
- Establishes the Specialty Crop Mechanization and Automation Research and Development Program under a new subsection (j), which awards grants to eligible entities for projects that reduce manual labor needs, improve farmworker safety and conditions, or boost efficiency in production, harvesting, processing, and packaging.
- Grants may support cost-effective technologies, efforts to increase adoption (such as connectivity and training), and activities like prototype development, field testing, and commercialization.
- Requires priority for proposals that include farmworker training or retraining for operating new technologies and explicit plans to share project results with producers and the public.
- Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to waive matching funds requirements for certain grants.
- Reserves at least $30 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 for the new program, with any unobligated funds reallocated to the broader specialty crop research initiative.
- Extends overall funding authority for the initiative through 2031 and makes technical updates to related statutes for consistency.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Redesignates existing subsections (j) and (k) and inserts the new mechanization program as subsection (j).
- Updates cross-references in the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
- Removes prior limitations on additional funding and expands the Secretary’s flexibility in administering matching requirements.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: Increases administrative responsibilities for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in managing competitive grants and reallocating funds.
- On citizens: May benefit specialty crop growers by supporting labor-saving technologies and farmworkers through safety improvements and training opportunities.
- On international relations: Aims to enhance U.S. specialty crop competitiveness without direct effects on trade agreements or foreign policy.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Specialty crop producers and processors.
- Farmworkers and labor organizations.
- Agricultural researchers and universities.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- State and local agricultural extension services.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill operates within Congress’s authority to authorize and fund agricultural research programs under existing statutes. It introduces no apparent constitutional conflicts and focuses on domestic research priorities rather than regulatory mandates.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2026-06-02: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Advancing Automation Research and Development in Agriculture Act — issued 2026-06-02 — PDF (7 pages)