§5843 Advisory council

Summary

Creates an advisory council to advise, help, and give recommendations to the Secretary and the Director about the program’s work, policies, and operations. The council must offer advice on things like public cultivar development (including research investments, research gaps, and how federally funded cultivars are commercialized), training and resources for future breeding, federal funding levels for underserved crops and areas, and the plan described in section 5841(d)(6). The council must include ex officio members (the Director; the Assistant Secretary for Science and Education; the Directors of the National Agricultural Library, NIH, and NSF; the Secretary of Energy; the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and other needed federal officers or employees). The Secretary may appoint up to 13 other members: 6 from scientific fields (examples listed in the law), 3 public leaders (examples listed), 4 with expertise in public cultivar and animal breed development, and 4 representing specified land‑grant and Hispanic‑serving institutions. Appointed members serve four‑year terms, the chair (chosen from appointed members) serves two years, vacancies must be filled within 90 days, and a member may stay on until a successor is named. Members are unpaid unless federal employees, but may get travel and per diem like intermittent government workers under sections 5701–5707 of title 5. The council must meet at least twice each fiscal year, will get staff and training from the Director, may prepare reports or comments for the report under section 5842, and is not subject to section 1013(a) of title 5.