I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2431

To establish a National Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, 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, Mr. 

FALEOMAVAEGA, Ms. BALDWIN, and Mr. PETRI) 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 establish a National Chronic Wasting Disease Task 

Force, 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 ‘‘Chronic Wasting Dis5 ease Task Force Establishment Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) Chronic Wasting Disease, the fatal neuro2 logical disease found in cervids, is a fundamental 

3 threat to the health and vibrancy of deer and elk 

4 populations, and the increased occurrence of chronic 

5 wasting disease in regionally diverse locations in re6 cent years necessitates an escalation in research, 

7 surveillance, monitoring, and public education efforts 

8 to contain and manage this lethal disease.

9 (2) The heads of relevant Federal agencies 

10 should provide consistent, coherent, and integrated 

11 support structures and programs for the benefit of 

12 State wildlife and agricultural administrators, as 

13 Chronic Wasting Disease can move freely between 

14 wild cervids across the broad array of Federal, 

15 State, tribal, and local land management jurisdic16 tions. 

17 (3) The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary 

18 of Agriculture, and the heads of other affected Fed19 eral agencies need to better coordinate the activities 

20 of their agencies related to control of Chronic Wast21 ing Disease in wild cervid populations.

22 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are the 

23 following: 

24 (1) To establish a National Chronic Wasting 

25 Disease Task Force to coordinate Federal, State, 
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1 and tribal activities to address the environmental 

2 and economic impacts caused by Chronic Wasting 

3 Disease on captive and wild populations of deer and 

4 elk.

5 (2) To implement the plan published jointly by 

6 the Department of the Interior and the Department 

7 of Agriculture entitled ‘‘Plan for Assisting States, 

8 Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic 

9 Wasting Disease in Wild and Captive Cervids’’, 

10 dated June 26, 2002. 

11 (3) To enhance Federal, State, and tribal re12 search concerning Chronic Wasting Disease, and to 

13 promote the development of new diagnostic, surveil14 lance, monitoring, and screening methods and tech15 nologies.

16 (4) To increase public awareness concerning 

17 Chronic Wasting Disease among the sport hunting 

18 community and the public at large through the im19 plementation of a national communications strategy. 

20 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE.—The Fish 

21 and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.) is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 10. NATIONAL CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TASK 

2 FORCE. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na4 tional Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force (in this sec5 tion referred to as the ‘Task Force’). 

6 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall—

7 ‘‘(1) coordinate activities to implement the Na8 tional Plan in cooperation with State, regional, local, 

9 tribal, college, and university and non-governmental 

10 partners; 

11 ‘‘(2) plan and host an annual national public 

12 conference to review progress made in implementing 

13 the National Plan; and 

14 ‘‘(3) develop an annual cross-cutting budget to 

15 specify sufficient levels of appropriations necessary 

16 to implement the National Plan. 

17 ‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP.—

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The membership of the 

19 Task Force shall be as follows: 

20 ‘‘(A) The Secretary of the Interior or a 

21 designee of the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(B) The Secretary of Agriculture or a 

23 designee of the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(C) Up to 15 individuals appointed jointly 

25 by the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec26 retary of Agriculture from representatives of
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1 State agencies, commissions, and boards, re2 gional agencies, tribes, colleges and universities, 

3 and non-governmental organizations. 

4 ‘‘(D) The chairman and ranking minority 

5 members of each of the Committee on Re6 sources and the Committee on Agriculture of 

7 the House of Representatives and the Com8 mittee on Environment and Public Works and 

9 the Committee on Agriculture of the United 

10 States Senate. 

11 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS.—The 

12 members of the Task Force appointed by the co13 chairs under paragraph (1)(C)—

14 ‘‘(A) shall not be officers or employees of 

15 the Federal Government; 

16 ‘‘(B) shall be representative of the geo17 graphic distribution of the disease; and 

18 ‘‘(C) shall have outstanding knowledge or 

19 expertise of wildlife biology and ecology, veteri20 nary sciences and animal husbandry, wildlife 

21 management, diagnostic and testing technology 

22 development, communications and media devel23 opment, or wildlife dependent recreation. 

24 ‘‘(3) DEADLINE.—The Secretaries shall com25 plete appointment of members under paragraph 
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1 (1)(C) by note later than 90 days after the date of 

2 the enactment of this section. 

3 ‘‘(4) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the members 

4 appointed under paragraph (1)(C)—

5 ‘‘(A) shall not affect the power or duty of 

6 the Task Force; and 

7 ‘‘(B) shall be expeditiously filled in the 

8 same manner as the original appointment was 

9 made. 

10 ‘‘(d) CO-CHAIRS.—The Secretary of the Interior and 

11 the Secretary of Agriculture (or their designees under 

12 paragraph (1) (A) and (B)), shall be co-chairs of the Task 

13 Force. 

14 ‘‘(e) COMPENSATION.—The members of the Task 

15 Force shall receive no compensation for their service on 

16 the Task Force. 

17 ‘‘(f) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Task 

18 Force shall be allowed necessary travel expenses in accord19 ance with section 5702 of title 5, United States Code, 

20 while away from their homes or regular places of business 

21 in the performance of services for the Task Force. 

22 ‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—Upon the request 

23 of the Task Force—

24 ‘‘(1) the co-chairs of the Task Force, acting 

25 through their designees, may provide to the Task 
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1 Force such administrative and technical support as 

2 is necessary for the Task Force to carry out its du3 ties under this section, including services relating to 

4 budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, per5 sonnel, and procurement: and 

6 ‘‘(2) the head of any other appropriate Federal 

7 agency may provide to the Task Force such advice 

8 and assistance, with or without reimbursement, as is 

9 appropriate to assist the Task Force in carrying out 

10 its duties. 

11 ‘‘(h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 

12 after the completion of appointment of the members of 

13 the Task Force, and annually thereafter, the Task Force 

14 shall submit to the Congress a report—

15 ‘‘(1) describing the activities and achievements 

16 of the Task Force; 

17 ‘‘(2) setting forth an annual plan and forecast 

18 for activities of the Task Force scheduled for the fol19 lowing year; 

20 ‘‘(3) a summary of new developments; and 

21 ‘‘(4) a cross-cutting budget to support the ac22 tivities of the Task Force. 

23 ‘‘(i) NATIONAL PLAN DEFINED.—In this section the 

24 term ‘National Plan’ means the plan published jointly by 

25 the Department of the Interior and the Department of Ag-
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1 riculture entitled ‘Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agen2 cies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in 

3 Wild and Captive Cervids’, dated June 26, 2002.’’.

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