
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 7USC178b]

 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
      CHAPTER 8A--RUBBER AND OTHER CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS
 
             SUBCHAPTER II--CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS
 
Sec. 178b. Joint Commission on Research and Development of 
        Critical Agricultural Materials
        

(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) 
of this section.

(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.

(Pub. L. 95-592, Sec. 4, Nov. 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 2530; Pub. L. 98-284, 
Sec. 4, May 16, 1984, 98 Stat. 181; Pub. L. 104-127, title VIII, 
Sec. 881(a), Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1175.)


                               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, Sec. 4(a), substituted ``Research 
and Development of Critical Agricultural Materials'' for ``Guayule 
Research and Commercialization''.
    Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98-284, Sec. 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, Sec. 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) of this section'' 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, Sec. 4(d), substituted ``manufacturing 
and commerce involving rubber and other critical agricultural 
materials'' for ``rubber manufacturing and commerce''.
