H.R. 1985 — Promoting Precision Agriculture Act

This section defines eight terms for purposes of the Act: (1) advanced wireless communications technology (i.e., advanced technology contributing to 5G or beyond mobile networks, next-generation Wi-Fi, or other future networks); (2) artificial intelligence (as defined in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019); (3) foreign adversary (i.e., any foreign government or nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to U.S. national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons); (4) precision agriculture (i.e., managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs at heightened spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality); (5) precision agriculture equipment (i.e., equipment or technology contributing to reduced or more efficient use of such inputs, including GPS-based mapping, sensors, IoT, data analytics, variable rate technology, and related items); (6) Secretary (i.e., Secretary of Agriculture); (7) trusted (i.e., with respect to a communications provider or supplier, not owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of a foreign adversary, as determined by the Secretary); and (8) voluntary consensus standards development organization (i.e., an organization developing standards per OMB Circular A-119 principles).

This section sets forth the purposes of the Act: (1) to enhance the participation of precision agriculture in the United States; and (2) to promote U.S. leadership in voluntary consensus standards development organizations that set standards for precision agriculture.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission, to develop not later than two years after enactment voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture to promote economies of scale and ease adoption burdens. In doing so, the Secretary must coordinate with public and private stakeholders—including voluntary consensus standards development organizations—and consult sector-specific agencies, other agencies, and state and local governments, while considering evolving demands, connectivity needs of equipment, cybersecurity challenges for producers and supply chains, advanced wireless communications technology, and artificial intelligence.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States (GAO) to assess precision agriculture standards developed under section 4, not later than one year after their development and every two years thereafter for the following eight years. The assessment must evaluate the extent to which the standards (1) are voluntary; (2) were developed in coordination with relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations; and (3) have successfully encouraged adoption of precision agriculture. GAO must submit a report summarizing the findings of each study to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the House Committee on Agriculture, and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.