H.R. 1326 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Mar 24, 2025. Received Mar 25, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryPairs Energy and Agriculture Departments on Research
This bill requires the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture to work together on research projects through a formal partnership agreement. The agencies can pool resources and collaborate with other federal agencies, universities, and nonprofit groups. Their joint research would focus on areas like artificial intelligence, biofuels, electrical grid improvements, rural technology, wildfire prevention, and ways to make farming more efficient while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
How it affects you
This bill doesn't directly change anything for most people, but it aims to speed up the development of new technologies and solutions in energy and agriculture that could eventually benefit farmers, rural communities, and anyone using the electrical grid. The official summary doesn't specify immediate effects on individuals.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 13, 2025)
DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
This bill requires the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities through the establishment of an interagency agreement.
The agencies are authorized to (1) carry out reimbursable agreements in order to maximize research and development effectiveness, and (2) collaborate with other federal agencies. Further, the interagency agreement must require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process, which considers applications from federal agencies, national laboratories, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit institutions.
Research and development activities may include
• collaborative research in a variety of focus areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, biofuels and biobased products, grid modernization and security, rural technology development, and wildfire risks and prevention;
• developing methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information;
• supporting research infrastructure and workforce development; and
• collaborative research and development on ways to improve agriculture operations and processing efficiencies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1326
AN ACT
DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
Sponsor: Rep. Frank D. Lucas (R-OK-3) · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 25, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.”
How Congress voted
Official roll callsHouse · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass · Mar 24, 2025
Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass Passed 372–35
| Party | Yes | No | Didn’t vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 198 | 1 | 14 |
| Republicans | 174 | 34 | 10 |
35 members voted against most of their party: 1 Democrats voted No and 34 Republicans voted No.
Congress votes on whole bills and amendments, not on single sections.
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 3 official versions.