“A bill to assist Indian Tribes in protecting Native American seeds, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines terms for purposes of the Act as follows: (1) Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); (2) Native American seed means a seed of traditional or cultural significance to an Indian Tribe; and (3) Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
This section directs the Secretary, not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, to work with Indian Tribes (1) to determine which seeds are Native American seeds and (2) to support (A) tribal efforts to protect Native American seeds, (B) Native American seed banks and related facilities, and (C) traditional agriculture systems of Indian Tribes that nurture and harvest Native American seeds. It prohibits the Secretary from disclosing any information provided by an Indian Tribe for purposes of this section if identified by the tribe as culturally sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential, notwithstanding any other provision of law. No additional funds are authorized to carry out this section, which is subject to the availability of appropriations.