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Committee adopts amendment clarifying foreign‑party restrictions for research contracts in SB 317
Summary
An amendment to Senate Bill 317 clarified that the prohibited activities would include classified research and agricultural research under contract, addressing concerns raised by agricultural stakeholders; the committee passed the measure.
Senate Bill 317 received a committee amendment clarifying its language related to prohibited activities involving specified foreign parties and research contracting. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill.
Sen. Blake Johnson, R., said the amendment “adds cosponsors and also gives some clarity from the discussion from the last presentation,” and that the revised text would explicitly identify two categories of covered conduct: (1) classified research and (2) agricultural research conducted under contract. “Those are the changes and with discussion, hopefully gives clarity and ... comfort to our agriculture community,” Johnson said.
Committee members and the sponsor agreed the amendment narrows the earlier draft and addresses stakeholder concerns that routine field testing of agricultural products, which is not performed under contract, should not be swept in by the statutory language.
The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill by voice vote.
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