I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2430

To amend the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to coordinate and strengthen scientific research and monitoring, and to promote public outreach, 

education, and awareness, of Chronic Wasting Disease affecting freeranging populations of deer and elk, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 11, 2003

Mr. KIND (for himself, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. TERRY, Mr. GILCHREST, 

Mr. GUTKNECHT, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. UDALL of New 

Mexico, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota, Mr. 

REHBERG, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. THOMPSON of California, and Mr. 

FALEOMAVAEGA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Resources, 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 amend the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to coordinate and strengthen scientific research and monitoring, 

and to promote public outreach, education, and awareness, of Chronic Wasting Disease affecting free-ranging 

populations of deer and elk, 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,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chronic Wasting Dis3 ease Research, Monitoring, and Education Enhancement 

4 Act of 2003’’. 

5 SEC. 2. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE RESEARCH AND MONI6 TORING AND PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUT7 REACH. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Fish and Wildlife Coordina9 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.) is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 10. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior, 

13 acting through the Director of the United States Geologi14 cal Survey, shall carry out in accordance with this section 

15 a program to support, conduct, and coordinate programs 

16 to strengthen scientific research and monitoring and pub17 lic education activities to elevate knowledge of Chronic 

18 Wasting Disease in free-ranging populations of deer and 

19 elk. 

20 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program shall 

21 be the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) To initiate and encourage completion of 

23 the relevant goals and action plans specified in the 

24 National Plan. 

25 ‘‘(2) To enhance the scientific understanding of 

26 Chronic Wasting Disease. 
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1 ‘‘(3) To provide technical assistance in support 

2 of State efforts to conduct scientific research, imple3 ment wildlife management strategies, and conduct 

4 and promote comprehensive public education pro5 grams in affected States. 

6 ‘‘(c) RESEARCH AND MONITORING.—

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may sup8 port, promote, and coordinate research on, and long9 term monitoring and surveillance of, Chronic Wast10 ing Disease as it affects deer and elk in States iden11 tified as having the disease present within their bor12 ders, to promote improved understanding of the dis13 ease and support State management of deer and elk. 

14 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Activities 

15 under this subsection may include scientific re16 search, monitoring, surveillance, and disease man17 agement activities identified in the National Plan, 

18 including the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) Research to investigate the biology, 

20 pathogenesis, host ecology, epidemiology, trans21 mission, and environmental persistence of 

22 Chronic Wasting Disease. 

23 ‘‘(B) Development and utilization of an 

24 Internet-based biological data management sys-
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1 tem and integrated information sharing net2 work. 

3 ‘‘(C) Development, testing, and validation 

4 of rapid diagnostic methods. 

5 ‘‘(D) Development of new testing and 

6 screening techniques for Chronic Wasting Dis7 ease, including live animal early detection field 

8 tests. 

9 ‘‘(E) Surveillance programs to track the 

10 prevalence, incidence, and distribution of 

11 Chronic Wasting Disease in wild populations of 

12 deer and elk. 

13 ‘‘(F) Research and development of thera14 peutics and vaccines. 

15 ‘‘(G) Development and implementation of 

16 field sampling methods and comprehensive as17 sessments of deer and elk populations. 

18 ‘‘(3) OTHER ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT NA19 TIONAL PLAN AND SUPPORT STATE ACTIVITIES.—

20 The Secretary may implement other research and 

21 monitoring activities as necessary to implement the 

22 National Plan and to support State activities to 

23 manage and conserve deer and elk. 

24 ‘‘(e) NATIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION STRATEGY.—
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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 

2 and promote a national public education strategy—

3 ‘‘(A) to increase awareness among the 

4 hunting community and the general public of 

5 the distribution of Chronic Wasting Disease; 

6 ‘‘(B) to enhance comprehension of the biol7 ogy, ecology, and epidemiology of the Chronic 

8 Wasting Disease; and 

9 ‘‘(C) to support and communicate State 

10 management activities to control Chronic Wast11 ing Disease in deer and elk populations. 

12 ‘‘(2) GOALS.—The goals of the strategy are the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(A) Increasing public awareness of Fed15 eral, State, and tribal Chronic Wasting Disease 

16 activities. 

17 ‘‘(B) Distilling and disseminating to the 

18 general public scientific and technical informa19 tion concerning Chronic Wasting Disease in an 

20 easily comprehended manner. 

21 ‘‘(C) Providing updates and reviews of ad22 vances in Chronic Wasting Disease control 

23 methods for deer and elk. 

24 ‘‘(D) Development of print, video, and 

25 other interpretive and media materials to imple-
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1 ment the strategy and to communicate accom2 plishments in addressing the problem of Chron3 ic Wasting Disease. 

4 ‘‘(3) TARGETING.—The strategy should target 

5 stakeholder groups in States affected by Chronic 

6 Wasting disease, including consumptive and non7 consumptive users of deer and elk. 

8 ‘‘(f) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—In con9 ducting, supporting, and coordinating activities authorized 

10 under this section, the Secretary shall consult coordinate, 

11 where appropriate, with other Federal, interstate, or re12 gional agencies, State agencies, tribes, local communities, 

13 non-governmental organizations, and colleges and univer14 sities. 

15 ‘‘(g) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 1 

16 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and 

17 annually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Com18 mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and 

19 the Committee on Environment and Public Works in the 

20 Senate on the activities implemented under this section. 

21 ‘‘(h) AVAILABILITY OF RESULTS.—The Secretary 

22 shall make available to the public the results of research 

23 and monitoring conducted, supported, or permitted by the 

24 Secretary under this section. 

25 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 
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1 ‘‘(1) CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE.—The term 

2 ‘Chronic Wasting Disease’ means the transmissible 

3 animal disease that afflicts deer and elk and belongs 

4 to the group of diseases known as transmissible 

5 spongiform encephalopathies. 

6 ‘‘(2) DEER AND ELK.—The term ‘deer and elk’ 

7 means—

8 ‘‘(A) free-ranging populations of deer and 

9 elk residing in proximity of the endemic area 

10 for Chronic Wasting Disease as identified in the 

11 National Plan; and 

12 ‘‘(B) deer and elk residing in States out13 side of that endemic area, where the disease has 

14 been introduced and established in deer and elk 

15 populations. 

16 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL PLAN.—The term ‘National 

17 Plan’ means the plan published jointly by the De18 partment of the Interior and the Department of Ag19 riculture entitled ‘Plan for Assisting States, Federal 

20 Agencies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic Wasting 

21 Disease in Wild and Captive Cervids’, dated June 

22 26, 2002. 

23 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

24 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di25 rector of the United States Geological Survey. 
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1 ‘‘(5) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means the sev2 eral States of the United States, Puerto Rico, Amer3 ican Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the ter4 ritories and possessions of the United States. 

5 ‘‘(h) REPORT.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 

6 submit a report describing activities undertaken to imple7 ment this section to the Committee on Resources of the 

8 House of Representatives and the Committee on Environ9 ment and Public Works of the Senate by not later than 

10 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section and 

11 biennially thereafter. 

12 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To im13 plement this section there are authorized to be appro14 priated to the Secretary the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) RESEARCH AND MONITORING.—For the 

16 implementation of scientific research and monitoring 

17 activities under subsection (d), $15,000,000 for each 

18 of fiscal years 2004 through 2009. 

19 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC EDUCATION.—For the implemen20 tation of public education activities under subsection 

21 (e), $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 

22 through 2009. 
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1 ‘‘(3) ADMINISTRATION.—For the administra2 tion of this section by the Secretary $1,00,000 for 

3 each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009.’’.

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