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Title 7, AgricultureRelease 119-110

§178b Joint Commission on Research and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials

Title 7 › CHAPTER 8A — RUBBER AND OTHER CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS › SUBCHAPTER II — CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS › § 178b

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a Joint Commission on Research and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials to help the Secretaries carry out this subchapter. The Commission has three staff members picked by the Secretary of Agriculture, three picked by the Secretary of Commerce, and one representative each from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Interior), the National Science Foundation, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and FEMA. The Secretary of Agriculture chooses the Commission’s chairman from the three Agriculture designees. Each member must represent their agency and be involved in research, development, demonstrations, and bringing to market native latex and other critical agricultural materials from native crops. The Secretaries can give the Commission some of their duties and transfer appropriated funds to it, and the Commission may spend those funds to do its work. The Commission must make a plan with goals, schedules, and tasks; set broad policy to carry out the plan; create rules for evaluating and awarding research and demonstration contracts; and review and advise the Secretaries on grants, contracts, and spending. The Secretaries may provide administrative help, including up to five staff from each department, without charge. The Secretaries and the Commission must seek advice from scientists, engineers, and business experts, especially those at land‑grant colleges, state agricultural experiment stations, and firms experienced with rubber and other critical agricultural materials.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §178b

Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment; function
There is established a Joint Commission on Research and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials, hereinafter referred to as the Joint Commission. The function of the Joint Commission shall be to assist the Secretaries in carrying out the purposes of this subchapter.
(b)Membership
The Joint Commission shall consist of the following members: Three individuals designated by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the staff of the Department of Agriculture; three individuals designated by the Secretary of Commerce from among the staff of the Department of Commerce; a representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior; a representative of the National Science Foundation; a representative of the Department of State; a representative of the Department of Defense; and a representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Each of the members of the Joint Commission shall be an individual who, on behalf of the Department or agency which such individual represents, is engaged in the support of research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities involving native latex and the production of other critical agricultural materials from native agricultural crops.
(c)Chairman
The Joint Commission shall be headed by a Chairman who shall be selected by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the three individuals designated by the Secretary as members under subsection (b).
(d)Delegation of responsibilities to Joint Commission; transfer and use of appropriated funds
The Secretaries may delegate to the Joint Commission one or more of their responsibilities under this subchapter, and transfer to the Joint Commission funds appropriated to carry out the purposes of this subchapter as they deem appropriate to achieve the purposes of this subchapter, and the Joint Commission is authorized to carry out such functions and expend such funds to achieve the purposes of the subchapter.
(e)Duties
The Joint Commission shall—
(1)develop a plan establishing goals, timetables, and tasks to be undertaken in carrying out the purposes of this subchapter;
(2)establish broad policy for implementing the plan carrying out the purposes of this subchapter;
(3)establish criteria for evaluating and awarding contracts for research, development, and demonstration projects; and
(4)review and advise the Secretaries with respect to grants, contracts, and other project expenditures.
(f)Administrative support services
The Secretaries are authorized to provide without reimbursement such administrative support services, including the detail of staff personnel not to exceed a total of five persons from each Department, as the Joint Commission may need to carry out its functions.
(g)Advice of scientific, engineering and business communities
To the maximum extent possible, the Secretaries and the Joint Commission shall seek the advice of the scientific, engineering and business communities with respect to the activities carried out under this subchapter. The Secretaries and the Commission shall specifically seek the advice of persons with expertise in appropriate fields of agricultural research in land grant colleges and other universities, in State agricultural experiment stations, and in other appropriate organizations; and, persons with expertise in manufacturing and commerce involving rubber and other critical agricultural materials in private enterprise and other appropriate organizations.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsecs. (g), (h). Pub. L. 104–127 redesignated subsec. (h) as (g), and struck out former subsec. (g) which read as follows: “One year after
November 4, 1978, and each year thereafter, the Joint Commission shall provide to the Congress a report on the implementation of the subchapter. Such report shall (1) recommend specific directions for further research, development, and other work, and (2) recommend funding levels for various elements of the overall project.” 1984—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98–284, § 4(a), substituted “Research and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials” for “Guayule Research and Commercialization”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–284, § 4(b), struck out provision mandating that two of the designees of the Secretary of Commerce be Federal Cochairmen of Regional Commissions engaged in the support of native latex research, development, demonstration, or commercialization activities, inserted provisions for the appointment of a representative of the Department of State, a representative of the Department of Defense, and a representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and inserted provisions that each of the members of the Joint Commission be an individual who, on behalf of the Department or agency which such individual represents, is engaged in the support of research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities involving native latex and the production of other critical agricultural materials from native agricultural crops. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–284, § 4(c), substituted “The Joint Commission shall be headed by a Chairman who shall be selected by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the three individuals designated by the Secretary as members under subsection (b)” for “The Joint Commission shall be headed by a Chairman. The Secretary of Agriculture shall designate one of the two members from his Department to serve as Joint Commission Chairman during the first two-year period following
November 4, 1978, and the Secretary of Commerce shall designate one of the two members from his Department as Joint Commission Chairman during the second two-year period following
November 4, 1978. And the same process of designating Joint Commission Chairmen shall be followed in ensuing years”. Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 98–284, § 4(d), substituted “manufacturing and commerce involving rubber and other critical agricultural materials” for “rubber manufacturing and commerce”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of all functions, personnel, assets, components, authorities, grant programs, and liabilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including the functions of the Under Secretary for Federal Emergency Management relating thereto, to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, see section 315(a)(1) of Title 6, Domestic Security. For

Transfer of Functions

, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including the functions of the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency relating thereto, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see former section 313(1) and section 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 178b

Title 7, Agriculture

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110