I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5064 

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish an interagency task force to examine animal disease 

transmission, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 13, 2019 

Mr. HAGEDORN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 

of Homeland Security to establish an interagency task 

force to examine animal disease transmission, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Animal Disease Sur5 veillance and Detection Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) It is in the national security interest of the 

2 United States to prevent foreign animal diseases, 

3 such as the deadly African swine fever, from enter4 ing our borders, devastating the agricultural econ5 omy, and impacting the animal protein and grain 

6 producers, which may occur through contaminated 

7 meat products and livestock feeds entering United 

8 States ports of entry. 

9 (2) To prevent foreign animal diseases from en10 tering United States borders, the Secretary of Agri11 culture and the Secretary of Homeland Security 

12 need to maximize interagency coordination to inspect 

13 all international shipments and travel via airplane 

14 and/or ship from countries identified by the World 

15 Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and/or Food 

16 and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

17 (3) Adequate resources should be provided by 

18 the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of 

19 Homeland Security to conduct inspections at the 

20 ports of entry for incoming raw food products, raw 

21 processed, and finished meat products, or goods 

22 used in agriculture, including livestock feeds and 

23 feed ingredients. 


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1 SEC. 3. INCREASING SURVEILLANCE OF AND INSPECTIONS 

2 FOR ANIMAL DISEASE TRANSMISSION. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE

4 TO INCREASE SURVEILLANCE OF AND INSPECTIONS FOR

5 ANIMAL DISEASE TRANSMISSION.—The Secretary of Ag6 riculture, acting through the Under Secretary of Mar7 keting and Regulatory Programs (in this Act referred to 

8 as the ‘‘Under Secretary’’), and the Secretary of Home9 land Security, acting through the Commissioner of U.S. 

10 Customs and Border Protection (in this Act referred to 

11 as the ‘‘Commissioner’’), shall establish an interagency 

12 task force to provide recommendations— 

13 (1) for inspection requirements for flights and 

14 shipments arriving in the United States from af15 fected countries for contaminated processed or raw 

16 food products, raw processed, and finished meat 

17 products, or goods used in agriculture, including 

18 livestock feeds and feed ingredients; 

19 (2) to enhance detection protocols of African 

20 swine fever in case of outbreak; and 

21 (3) to report quarterly on the number of 

22 stopped shipments, what was contained in the ship23 ment, intended use of products in the shipments, 

24 and what was the origin and end location of stopped 

25 shipments. 


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1 (b) ADDITIONAL U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PRO2 TECTION PERSONNEL AT PORTS OF ENTRY.— 

3 (1) AGRICULTURE SPECIALISTS.—The Commis4 sioner shall, each fiscal year, hire, train, and assign 

5 not fewer than 240 new agriculture specialists above 

6 the attrition level for the immediately preceding fis7 cal year until the total number of agriculture spe8 cialists equals and sustains the requirements identi9 fied each year in the Agriculture Resource Allocation 

10 Model. 

11 (2) MISSION AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT

12 STAFF.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner 

14 shall hire, train, and assign support staff to 

15 support agriculture specialists. 

16 (B) AGRICULTURE TECHNICIANS.—The 

17 Commissioner shall, each fiscal year, hire, train, 

18 and assign not fewer than 200 new agriculture 

19 technicians until the total number of agriculture 

20 technicians equals and sustains the require21 ments identified each year in the Mission and 

22 Operational Support Resource Allocation Model. 

23 (3) AGRICULTURE CANINE TEAMS.—The Com24 missioner shall hire, train, and assign not fewer than 


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1 20 new agriculture canine teams for each of fiscal 

2 years 2021 through 2022. 

3 (4) TRAFFIC FORECASTS.—In calculating the 

4 number of agriculture specialists needed at each port 

5 of entry, the Commissioner shall— 

6 (A) rely on data collected by U.S. Customs 

7 and Border Protection personnel at each such 

8 port of entry with respect to inspections and 

9 other related activities, including data with re10 spect to African swine fever; 

11 (B) rely on data collected by U.S. Depart12 ment of Agriculture office of Smuggling Inter13 diction and Trade Compliance; and 

14 (C) consider volume from seasonal surges, 

15 other projected changes in commercial and pas16 senger volumes, the most current commercial 

17 forecasts, and other relevant information. 

18 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

19 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, 

20 acting through the Under Secretary and the Secretary of 

21 Homeland Security, acting through the Commissioner, 

22 shall jointly submit to Congress a report on the following: 

23 (1) The efforts of the interagency task force es24 tablished under subsection (a) to increase detection 

25 and prevention activities with respect to African 


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1 swine fever, including the number of flights and 

2 shipments inspected. 

3 (2) The enhancement of detection capabilities 

4 described under subsection (a)(1). 

5 (3) The number of new U.S. Customs and Bor6 der Protection personnel hired pursuant to sub7 section (b). 

8 (4) Educational plans to inform the public on 

9 affected countries, current testing protocols, and 

10 food safety issues of the disease. 

11 (5) Current regulatory overlaps that help or 

12 deter detection and prevention of the disease. 

13 (6) Overview of importing/exporting countries 

14 sanitary and phytosanitary measures that pose a 

15 high risk of transmitting this disease. 

16 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

17 (1) U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

18 AGRICULTURE SPECIALISTS.—There is authorized to 

19 be appropriated to carry out subsection (b)(1)— 

20 (A) $36,100,000 for fiscal year 2021; and 

21 (B) $40,500,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

22 (2) U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

23 AGRICULTURE TECHNICIAN.—There is authorized to 

24 be appropriated to carry out subsection (b)(2)— 

25 (A) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; and 


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1 (B) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

2 (3) U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

3 AGRICULTURE CANINE TEAMS.—There is authorized 

4 to be appropriated to carry out subsection (b)(3)— 

5 (A) $7,400,000 for fiscal year 2021; and 

6 (B) $12,200,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

7 (4) TRAINING.—There is authorized to be ap8 propriated for training costs associated with new 

9 personnel and canine teams hired pursuant to para10 graphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (b) 

11 $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021, 2022, 

12 and 2023. 

13 (e) AFFECTED COUNTRY DEFINED.—In this section, 

14 the term ‘‘affected country’’ means a country identified 

15 by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and/ 

16 or Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as having 

17 an outbreak of African swine fever. 

Æ 


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