H.R. 4898

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4898 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.''.
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