I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1079 

To establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan to control locust outbreaks in the East Africa region and 

address future outbreaks in order to avert mass scale food insecurity 

and potential political destabilization, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Ms. BASS) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan to control locust outbreaks in 

the East Africa region and address future outbreaks 

in order to avert mass scale food insecurity and potential 

political destabilization, 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 ‘‘Desert Locust Control 

5 Act’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1079 IH

1 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It is the policy of the United States to prioritize ef3 forts to control the ongoing desert locust outbreak in East 

4 Africa and other affected regions, mitigate the impacts on 

5 food security, economic productivity, and political sta6 bility, improve interagency coordination to prevent future 

7 outbreaks, and promote resilience in affected countries. 

8 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

9 Congress finds the following: 

10 (1) The United States Agency for International 

11 Development reports that countries in East Africa 

12 are currently suffering the worst desert locust out13 break in decades, which will devour crops and pas14 ture and destroy local livelihoods across the region. 

15 (2) As of December 2020, the Food and Agri16 culture Organization reported that there were 42 

17 million people experiencing acute food insecurity in 

18 East Africa, which numbers are projected to in19 crease if the desert locust outbreak is not controlled. 

20 (3) The desert locust outbreak in East Africa, 

21 particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, is neg22 atively impacting food security, local livelihoods and 

23 economic productivity, and may threaten political 

24 stability in the region. 

25 (4) Proactive investments now to control the 

26 desert locust outbreak could reduce the need for a 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1079 IH

1 much larger United States humanitarian response 

2 effort later, as well as support economic and political 

3 stability and build resilience in affected countries. 

4 (5) In order to optimize the United States re5 sponse to the desert locust outbreak, an interagency 

6 working group should be established to develop and 

7 implement a comprehensive, strategic plan to control 

8 the desert locust outbreak in East Africa and other 

9 affected regions, mitigate impacts on food security, 

10 economic productivity, and political stability and 

11 prevent future outbreaks. 

12 SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 

14 an interagency working group to coordinate the United 

15 States response to the ongoing desert locust outbreak in 

16 East Africa and other affected regions, including the de17 velopment of a comprehensive, strategic plan to control the 

18 outbreak, mitigate the impacts on food security, economic 

19 productivity, and political stability, and prevent future 

20 outbreaks. 

21 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The interagency working 

23 group shall be composed of the following: 

24 (A) Two representatives from the United 

25 States Agency for International Development. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1079 IH

1 (B) One representative from each of the 

2 following: 

3 (i) The United States Mission to the 

4 United Nations Agencies for Food and Ag5 riculture. 

6 (ii) The National Security Council. 

7 (iii) The Department of State. 

8 (iv) The Department of Defense. 

9 (v) The Department of Agriculture. 

10 (vi) Any other relevant Federal de11 partment or agency. 

12 (2) CHAIR.—The President shall designate one 

13 of the representatives from the United States Agen14 cy for International Development described in para15 graph (1)(A) to serve as chair of the interagency 

16 working group. 

17 (c) DUTIES.—The interagency working group shall— 

18 (1) assess the scope of the desert locust out19 break in East Africa and other affected regions, in20 cluding its impact on food security, economic pro21 ductivity, and political stability in affected countries; 

22 (2) assess the impacts of restrictions relating to 

23 the coronavirus disease 2019 (commonly referred to 

24 as ‘‘COVID–19’’) pandemic; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1079 IH

1 (3) monitor the effectiveness of ongoing assist2 ance efforts to control the desert locust outbreak 

3 and mitigate its impacts and identify gaps and op4 portunities for additional support to such programs; 

5 (4) review the effectiveness of regional and mul6 tilateral efforts to control the desert locust outbreak 

7 and the coordination among relevant United States 

8 Government agencies, regional governments, and 

9 international organizations, including the World 

10 Food Programme and the United Nations Food and 

11 Agriculture Organization; and 

12 (5) not later than 90 days after the establish13 ment of the interagency working group under sub14 section (a), develop and submit to the President and 

15 the appropriate congressional committees a com16 prehensive, strategic plan to control the desert locust 

17 outbreak, including a description of efforts to— 

18 (A) improve coordination among relevant 

19 United States Government agencies, regional 

20 governments, and international organizations, 

21 including the World Food Programme and the 

22 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organiza23 tion; 

24 (B) ensure delivery of necessary assets 

25 control the desert locust outbreak and humaniVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1079.IH H1079

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1079 IH

1 tarian and development assistance to address 

2 and mitigate impacts to food security, economic 

3 productivity, and political stability; and 

4 (C) to the extent practicable, prevent and 

5 mitigate future desert locust and other, similar 

6 destructive insect outbreaks (such as Fall 

7 Armyworm) in Africa and other parts of the 

8 world, which require a humanitarian response. 

9 (d) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP SUPPORT.—The 

10 interagency working group shall continue to meet not less 

11 than semi-annually to facilitate implementation of the 

12 comprehensive, strategic plan required by subsection 

13 (c)(5). 

14 (e) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate on the 

15 date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of 

16 this Act, or at such time as there is no longer an upsurge 

17 in the desert locust outbreak in East Africa, whichever oc18 curs earlier. 

19 (f) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE20 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres21 sional committees’’ means— 

22 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

23 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep24 resentatives; and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1079 IH

1 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

2 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS