Sponsors (15)
The bill expands access and speeds federal support by letting the Agriculture Secretary waive grant matching requirements—helping small researchers and producers but risking reduced leveraged funding and greater potential for inconsistent decisions and weaker oversight.
Scientists, specialty-crop producers, small businesses, and startups gain greater access to Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants because the bill allows matching-fund requirements to be waived, increasing participation, innovation, and competition.
The Secretary of Agriculture can quickly waive match requirements to respond to emergencies or address inequities, enabling faster federal support where it's most needed.
Taxpayers and farmers may see a reduction in overall research resources because waiving matching requirements can lower the amount of nonfederal funding leveraged by the program.
If waiver authority is exercised broadly without clear standards, scientists, small businesses, and other applicants may face uncertainty or perceived unfairness in grant decisions, potentially discouraging participation or creating unequal treatment.
Broad use of waivers could weaken program oversight and accountability, increasing the risk that funds are used inefficiently or duplicatively and imposing costs on taxpayers and state governments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching-funds requirement for Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants awarded on or after enactment.
Official title: To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirement under the specialty crop research initiative, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 29, 2025 by Kim Schrier · Last progress May 29, 2025
Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching-funds requirement for grants under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative for grants awarded on or after the bill's enactment. It amends the statute to make grant eligibility “subject to” the new waiver authority and explicitly adds that waiver authority to the law. The change gives USDA discretion to award SRII grants even when applicants cannot meet the statutory matching-funds requirement, potentially expanding access to research funding for specialty crop growers, researchers, and related organizations.