Attachment B - 7 USC 2204a

Attachment B
7 U.S.C. 2204 (a)

Page 1301

TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE
CODIFICATION

Section was formerly classified to section 512 of Title
5 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title
5, Government Organization and Employees, by Pub. L.
89–554, § 1, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 378.
TRANSFER

OF

FUNCTIONS

Functions of all officers, agencies, and employees of
Department of Agriculture transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg.
Plan No. 2, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633,
set out as a note under section 2201 of this title.
ORDER

OF

SUCCESSION

For order of succession during any period when both
Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture are unable to perform functions and duties of office of Secretary, see Ex. Ord. No. 13542, May 13, 2010, 75 F.R. 27921,
set out as a note under section 3345 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

§ 2203. Seal
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and
directed to procure a proper seal, with such suitable inscriptions and devices as he may approve,
to be known as the official seal of the Department of Agriculture, and to be kept and used to
verify official documents, under such rules and
regulations as he may prescribe.
(Aug. 8, 1894, ch. 238, 28 Stat. 272.)
CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 513 of Title
5 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title
5, Government Organization and Employees, by Pub. L.
89–554, § 1, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 378.

§ 2204. General duties of Secretary; advisory
functions; research and development
(a) The Secretary of Agriculture shall procure
and preserve all information concerning agriculture, rural development, aquaculture, and
human nutrition which he can obtain by means
of books and correspondence, and by practical
and scientific experiments, accurate records of
which experiments shall be kept in his office, by
the collection of statistics, and by any other appropriate means within his power; he shall collect new and valuable seeds and plants; shall
test, by cultivation, the value of such of them as
may require such tests; shall propagate such as
may be worthy of propagation; and shall distribute them among agriculturists; and he shall advise the President, other members of his Cabinet, and the Congress on policies and programs
designed to improve the quality of life for people
living in the rural and nonmetropolitan regions
of the Nation.
(b) The Secretary is authorized to initiate or
expand research and development efforts related
to solution of problems of rural water supply,
rural sewage and solid waste management, rural
housing, rural industrialization, and technology
appropriate to small- and moderate-sized family
farming operations, and any other problem that
the Secretary may determine has an effect upon
the economic development or the quality of life
in rural areas.
(R.S. § 526; Feb. 9, 1889, ch. 122, §§ 1, 4, 25 Stat. 659;
Pub. L. 92–419, title VI, § 603(b), Aug. 30, 1972, 86
Stat. 675; Pub. L. 94–273, § 7(4), Apr. 21, 1976, 90

§ 2204

Stat. 378; Pub. L. 95–113, title XV, § 1502(b), Sept.
29, 1977, 91 Stat. 1021; Pub. L. 96–355, § 5, Sept. 24,
1980, 94 Stat. 1174.)
CODIFICATION
R.S. § 526 derived from act May 15, 1862, ch. 72, § 3, 12
Stat. 387.
Section was formerly classified to section 514 of Title
5 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title
5, Government Organization and Employees, by Pub. L.
89–554, § 1, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 378.
AMENDMENTS
1980—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–355 inserted provisions
relating to technology appropriate to small- and moderate-sized family farming operations, and struck out
provisions relating to the national rural development
program and goals, and accompanying annual report.
1977—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–113 inserted references to
aquaculture and human nutrition.
1976—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–273 substituted ‘‘December’’ for ‘‘September’’.
1972—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 92–419, § 603(b)(1)–(3), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), provided for
information concerning rural development, and prescribed advisory functions of the Secretary, respectively.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 92–419, § 603(b)(4), added subsec.
(b).
CHANGE

OF

NAME

Secretary of Agriculture substituted for Commissioner of Agriculture in text pursuant to sections 1 and
4 of act Feb. 9, 1889, which are classified to section 2202
of this title. See, also, section 2205 of this title.
EFFECTIVE D ATE

OF

1980 AMENDMENT

Amendment by Pub. L. 96–355 effective Oct. 1, 1980,
see section 10 of Pub. L. 96–355, set out as an Effective
Date note under section 2204b of this title.
EFFECTIVE D ATE

OF

1977 AMENDMENT

Amendment by Pub. L. 95–113 effective Oct. 1, 1977,
see section 1901 of Pub. L. 95–113, set out as a note
under section 1307 of this title.
TRANSFER

OF

FUNCTIONS

Functions of all officers, agencies, and employees of
Department of Agriculture transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg.
Plan No. 2, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633,
set out as a note under section 2201 of this title.
Functions of Secretary of Agriculture administered
through Bureau of Biological Survey relating to conservation of wildlife, game, and migratory birds transferred to Secretary of the Interior by 1939 Reorg. Plan
No. II, § 4(f), eff. July 1, 1939, 4 F.R. 2731, 53 Stat. 1433,
set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Delegation of authority to Secretary with respect to
nation’s food program during war emergency, see Ex.
Ord. No. 9280, set out as a note under section 452 of this
title.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FUNCTIONS
For assignment of certain emergency preparedness
functions to Secretary of Agriculture, see Parts 1, 2,
and 3 of Ex. Ord. No. 12656, Nov. 18, 1988, 53 F.R. 47491,
set out as a note under section 5195 of Title 42, The
Public Health and Welfare.
REPORT

ON

GEOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS
AND RANCHERS

Pub. L. 107–171, title X, § 10906, May 13, 2002, 116 Stat.
538, provided that:
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF G EOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED
FARMER OR RANCHER.—In this section, the term ‘geo