[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4963 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4963
To support Federal, State, and Tribal coordination and management
efforts relating to wildlife disease and zoonotic disease surveillance
and ongoing and potential wildlife disease and zoonotic disease
outbreaks, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 1, 2024
Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Klobuchar)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support Federal, State, and Tribal coordination and management
efforts relating to wildlife disease and zoonotic disease surveillance
and ongoing and potential wildlife disease and zoonotic disease
outbreaks, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wildlife-Agriculture Disease
Prevention Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) zoonotic diseases are a significant threat to human
populations, livestock, domestic animals, and wildlife, which
is evidenced by the fact that--
(A) more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious
diseases in human populations originated in animals;
and
(B) 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious
diseases in human populations originate from animals;
(2) zoonotic diseases are capable of transmitting between
wildlife, livestock, domestic animals, and human populations;
(3) the majority of recent emerging infectious diseases
have originated in wildlife;
(4) zoonotic disease spillover events are occurring more
frequently;
(5) many wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases, such as
highly pathogenic avian influenza, are highly transmissible and
have spilled over to livestock and domestic animals;
(6) chronic wasting disease is transmissible between wild
and captive deer and elk;
(7) bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis spilled over from
cattle to wildlife;
(8) outbreaks of wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases
have significant adverse effects on the United States economy,
with the 2022 avian flu outbreak resulting in economic costs of
$3,000,000,000;
(9) outbreaks of wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases
pose a significant public health threat and may lead to a
public health emergency;
(10) the Department of Agriculture, Department of the
Interior, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention play
distinct but complementary roles in the prevention, detection,
control, and response to wildlife diseases and zoonotic
diseases;
(11) State fish and wildlife agencies exercise primary
statutory authority over the management of fish and wildlife as
public trust resources within their borders;
(12) the Department of Agriculture is primarily responsible
for safeguarding the health of livestock, developing and
conducting monitoring and surveillance for livestock diseases,
and preventing the spread of diseases that pose a threat to the
agricultural industry;
(13) the Department of the Interior has a responsibility to
develop monitoring and surveillance techniques for highly
pathogenic avian influenza and other emerging wildlife
diseases, including diseases with zoonotic potential;
(14) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the
leading public health agency responsible for--
(A) monitoring and responding to human health
threats posed by wildlife diseases and zoonotic
diseases; and
(B) conducting surveillance and research and
providing guidance to prevent and control the spread of
wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases to and among
humans;
(15) increased coordination and collaboration between
Federal, State, and Tribal agencies with respect to wildlife
disease and zoonotic disease efforts is necessary to adequately
monitor and respond to ongoing and potential wildlife disease
and zoonotic disease outbreaks;
(16) establishing a Agriculture-Wildlife Disease
Coordinator as an intermediary between the Department of
Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention would facilitate
communication, information sharing, and coordinated efforts to
prevent, detect, and respond to wildlife disease and zoonotic
disease outbreaks; and
(17) the coordinated efforts described in paragraph (16)
are essential to protect public health, wildlife populations,
and agricultural interests from the impacts of wildlife
diseases and zoonotic diseases.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Agriculture-wildlife disease coordinator.--The term
``Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator'' means the
individual appointed to the position established by section
4(a).
(2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(3) Livestock.--The term ``livestock'' has the meaning
given the term in section 10403 of the Animal Health Protection
Act (7 U.S.C. 8302).
(4) Wildlife disease.--The term ``wildlife disease'' means
any infectious disease originating in wildlife that can be
transmitted, directly or indirectly, from an infected animal,
host or vector, inanimate source, or any other source to non-
human animals, including wildlife, livestock, and domestic
animals.
(5) Zoonotic disease.--
(A) In general.--The term ``zoonotic disease''
means any disease that is naturally transmissible
between animals and humans.
(B) Inclusion.--The term ``zoonotic disease''
includes a wildlife disease.
SEC. 4. AGRICULTURE-WILDLIFE DISEASE COORDINATOR.
(a) Establishment.--There is established within the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service a position, to be known as the ``Agriculture-
Wildlife Disease Coordinator'', to be jointly appointed by the Director
of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to serve as a liaison
between the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of
Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal, State, and Tribal
agencies, as determined necessary by the Director of the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
(b) Qualification.--The Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator
shall have expertise in wildlife health, agricultural animal veterinary
science, epidemiology, or another related field.
(c) Duties.--The Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator shall--
(1) establish relationships with relevant Federal, State,
and Tribal agencies to carry out the purposes of this Act;
(2) facilitate information sharing about existing and
emerging wildlife disease, including disease in livestock and
domestic animals, and zoonotic disease outbreaks between
States, including State departments of agriculture,
environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public
health and State animal health officials, Indian Tribes, the
National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the National
Wildlife Health Center of the United States Geological Survey,
the Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and other
relevant Federal agencies, as determined by the Director of the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator
of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service;
(3) assist States and Indian Tribes in accessing resources,
including applying for funding, to work on wildlife disease
issues, including diseases--
(A) with potential to transmit between wildlife and
livestock or domestic animals; and
(B) with zoonotic potential;
(4) coordinate--
(A) between States, including State departments of
agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and
wildlife, and public health and State animal health
officials, and Federal agencies; and
(B) with other relevant entities engaged in
wildlife disease and zoonotic disease testing,
monitoring, surveillance, and management activities,
including entities convened by the Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies;
(5) develop and share best management practices relating to
wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases prepared by the
Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
State and Tribal agencies between those Federal agencies and
State and Tribal agencies, including State departments of
agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife,
and public health and State animal health officials; and
(6) submit to Congress a report on recommendations for
improving interagency coordination and additional resources
necessary to address and prevent wildlife disease and zoonotic
disease outbreaks.
(d) Best Management Practices.--Best management practices developed
and shared under subsection (c)(5) may include voluntary guidance
relating to the humane dispatch of animals in the field, surveillance
and monitoring techniques, biosecurity and biosafety measures, public
education, and other information, as determined necessary by the
Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for
fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter.
<all>