I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1405 

To establish a wildlife global animal information network for surveillance 

internationally to combat the growing threat of emerging diseases that 

involve wild animals, such as bird flu, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2007 

Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. 

LANTOS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MEEKS

of New York, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. 

MCHUGH, and Mr. HASTINGS of Florida) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 

to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, and 

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 wildlife global animal information network 

for surveillance internationally to combat the growing 

threat of emerging diseases that involve wild animals, 

such as bird flu, 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 ‘‘Wildlife Global Animal 

3 Information Network for Surveillance Act’’ or ‘‘Wildlife 

4 GAINS Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds that— 

7 (1) the ongoing panzootic of highly pathogenic 

8 avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 in Asia and 

9 Eurasia is a threat to global human health and the 

10 global poultry industry; 

11 (2) the HPAI virus is capable of causing mas12 sive avian die-offs, and response can easily involve 

13 the culling of tens of millions of domestic poultry or 

14 domestic waterfowl, resulting in significant economic 

15 losses; 

16 (3) the fatality rate due to infection in humans 

17 may be 30 to 50 percent or more; 

18 (4) it has long been known that wild birds are 

19 a reservoir host for avian influenza viruses world20 wide; 

21 (5) the 1918 pandemic, the most lethal of the 

22 three pandemics that killed over 40,000,000 people 

23 worldwide, was caused by an influenza virus that ini24 tially jumped directly from birds to humans and sub25 sequently evolved an ability to transmit from 

26 human-to-human; 

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1 (6) this precedent for an avian influenza virus 

2 to transmit directly from birds to humans, then 

3 spread among humans, significantly raises the con4 cern about the current H5N1 influenza strain; 

5 (7) increased surveillance, including on migra6 tory birds, is critical to controlling avian influenza 

7 and preparing for other potential emerging infec8 tious diseases; 

9 (8) the capacity to proactively detect the 

10 threats could result in significantly improved disease 

11 prediction and prevention capabilities; 

12 (9) international wildlife health surveillance 

13 does not clearly fall under the jurisdiction of any 

14 Federal or international agency; 

15 (10) there is a continued inability to share real16 time data across the human, agricultural, wildlife, 

17 and veterinary agencies on zoonotic threats; 

18 (11) while surveillance at domestic poultry and 

19 domestic waterfowl production facilities and farms is 

20 an immediate and on-going monitoring need and is 

21 being supported through relevant agencies, surveil22 lance in wild bird populations that may have been 

23 exposed to the virus is a critical component to deter24 mine the spread of the virus, implement control 

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1 measures, and protect human, livestock, and wildlife 

2 health; 

3 (12) monitoring and surveillance of wild migra4 tory and resident water birds are critically important 

5 to identifying all strains of influenza viruses in wild 

6 birds as a library of possible genotypes, determining 

7 their role in the spread of the virus, and anticipating 

8 where outbreaks may occur to enhance preparedness; 

9 (13) improving surveillance of wildlife health 

10 around the world would close significant jurisdic11 tional and scientific gaps in current emerging infec12 tious disease preparedness; 

13 (14) other emerging diseases beyond bird flu 

14 merit similar attention, in terms of the potential 

15 threats to global public health as well as 

16 agribiosecurity and biodiversity; 

17 (15) the majority of emerging infectious dis18 eases identified in the past several decades have 

19 moved from wildlife to humans, largely due to 

20 human incursions into or alterations of wildlife habi21 tats and hunting, consumption, and trade of wildlife 

22 species; 

23 (16) the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 

24 virus moved from chimpanzees to humans via these 

25 mechanisms; 

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1 (17) many factors contribute to disease emer2 gence and spread from wildlife to domestic animals 

3 and humans, including environmental degradation 

4 and the handling, consumption, and trade of wildlife 

5 and wildlife-derived products; 

6 (18) from avian influenza to the severe acute 

7 respiratory syndrome (SARS), from bovine tuber8 culosis to the Ebola virus, and from HIV/AIDS to 

9 monkey pox, a long list of zoonotic diseases nega10 tively impacts people’s lives and livelihoods and costs 

11 the global economy billions of dollars; and 

12 (19) the Government of the United States lacks 

13 a comprehensive program to monitor wildlife health 

14 around the world, a program that could proactively 

15 inform preparedness not just in the case of a poten16 tial H5N1 influenza strain pandemic, but also for a 

17 broader array of emerging infectious disease threats 

18 that often arise at the interface between wildlife, hu19 mans, and their domestic animals. 

20 SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 

21 The purpose of this Act is to establish a Wildlife 

22 Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance— 

23 (1) to more rapidly and efficiently detect, 

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1 eases, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, in 

2 birds and other wildlife around the world; 

3 (2) to use information on pathogens found dur4 ing surveillance of wildlife to better delineate poten5 tial threats to domestic animals, humans, as well as 

6 wildlife itself; 

7 (3) to use information on when and where 

8 HPAI and other pathogens of concern are identified 

9 in wildlife— 

10 (A) to better guide preparedness in the 

11 United States and around the world; and 

12 (B) to carry out a strategic wildlife health 

13 surveillance initiative that will provide regions, 

14 countries, and specific locations with early 

15 warning information that will help target re16 sources toward enhancement of agribiosecurity, 

17 surveillance, public health vigilance, and related 

18 areas; 

19 (4) to create an open access database within 

20 which information on HPAI and other pathogens of 

21 interest identified in wild birds and other wildlife 

22 can be shared as close to real time as possible; 

23 (5) to protect the health and safety of United 

24 States citizens and officials traveling or living 

25 abroad; and 

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1 (6) to protect the economic interests of the 

2 United States and its partners from threats to 

3 health, agriculture, and natural resources, including 

4 wildlife itself. 

5 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis8 trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 

9 States Agency for International Development, acting 

10 in partnership with an eligible organization. 

11 (2) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘eligi12 ble organization’’ means a nongovernmental wildlife 

13 conservation organization chartered in the United 

14 States with— 

15 (A) extensive global wildlife health experi16 ence in tracking disease in wild birds and other 

17 wildlife, including free-ranging, captive, and 

18 wild bird species; 

19 (B) proven ability in identifying avian in20 fluenza, Ebola virus, and other pathogens in 

21 wild birds or other wildlife; 

22 (C) experience managing and implementing 

23 similar wildlife surveillance activities under the 

24 auspices of the United States Agency for Inter25 national Development; and 

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1 (D) accredited zoological facilities in the 

2 United States. 

3 (3) HPAI.—The term ‘‘HPAI’’ means highly 

4 pathogenic avian influenza. 

5 (4) WILDLIFE GAINS.—The term ‘‘Wildlife 

6 GAINS’’ means the Wildlife Global Animal Informa7 tion Network for Surveillance established under sec8 tion 5(a). 

9 (5) WILDLIFE GAINS PARTNERS.—The term 

10 ‘‘Wildlife GAINS partners’’ means the partners of 

11 the Wildlife GAINS described in section 5(b). 

12 SEC. 5. WILDLIFE GLOBAL ANIMAL INFORMATION NET13 WORK FOR SURVEILLANCE. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

16 offer to enter into a contract with 1 or more eligible orga17 nizations to establish a Wildlife Global Animal Informa18 tion Network for Surveillance. 

19 (b) PARTNERS.—In administering the Wildlife 

20 GAINS, the Administrator and the eligible organization 

21 shall collaborate with appropriate— 

22 (1) Federal and State agency partners, includ23 ing— 

24 (A) the Department of Agriculture, acting 

25 through— 

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1 (i) the Agricultural Research Service; 

2 and 

3 (ii) the Animal and Plant Health In4 spection Service; 

5 (B) the Department of Health and Human 

6 Services, acting through the Centers for Dis7 ease Control and Prevention; 

8 (C) the Department of Homeland Security; 

9 (D) the Department of Defense; 

10 (E) the Department of the Interior, acting 

11 through— 

12 (i) the United States Geological Sur13 vey; and 

14 (ii) the United States Fish and Wild15 life Service; and 

16 (F) various State wildlife agencies in the 

17 United States; 

18 (2) multilateral agency partners, including— 

19 (A) the Food and Agriculture Organiza20 tion; 

21 (B) the World Health Organization; 

22 (C) the Office International des Epizooties, 

23 the world animal health organization; and 

24 (D) the World Conservation Union; 

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1 (3) conservation organizations with expertise in 

2 international and domestic wildlife monitoring and 

3 surveillance; 

4 (4) accredited colleges of veterinary medicine 

5 and medicine; and 

6 (5) other national and international partners, 

7 as necessary. 

8 (c) INTERNATIONAL SURVEILLANCE.—The eligible 

9 organization, in coordination with the United States Agen10 cy for International Development, shall manage an inter11 national surveillance program under which Federal Wild12 life GAINS partners shall, and non-Federal Wildlife 

13 GAINS partners are encouraged to— 

14 (1) monitor and test for the presence or arrival 

15 of avian influenza and other significant avian patho16 gens at important bird areas around the world and 

17 in marketplaces with intense trade in wild birds; 

18 (2) monitor and test for the presence or arrival 

19 of other significant pathogens in free-ranging wild20 life and in places with intense trade in wild animals; 

21 (3) use trained professionals to collect samples 

22 and other data and send samples to appropriate di23 agnostic centers; 

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1 (4) use the Wildlife GAINS, in partnership with 

2 relevant agencies and organizations, for con3 ducting— 

4 (A) disease surveillance activities on migra5 tory birds and other wildlife worldwide; 

6 (B) domestic and international field inves7 tigations on migratory birds and other wildlife; 

8 (C) training and capacity-building activi9 ties related to the relationships between human 

10 health, domestic animal health, and wildlife 

11 health; and 

12 (D) research on methods and approaches 

13 for detection and enhanced surveillance of 

14 HPAI and other pathogens in migratory birds 

15 and other wildlife; and 

16 (5) send samples for pathogen identification 

17 and testing to certified laboratories that— 

18 (A) meet internationally established meth19 ods standards; 

20 (B) are located at— 

21 (i) the Centers for Disease Control 

22 and Prevention; 

23 (ii) the Office International des 

24 Epizooties, the world animal health organi25 zation; 

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1 (iii) the Food and Agriculture Organi2 zation; 

3 (iv) National Veterinary Services Lab4 oratories of the Department of Agriculture; 

5 (v) the Agricultural Research Service; 

6 or 

7 (vi) other relevant specialized labora8 tories; and 

9 (C) report the findings back to the eligible 

10 organization and Wildlife GAINS partners. 

11 (d) NETWORK.— 

12 (1) PARTNERS.—Federal Wildlife GAINS part13 ners shall, and non-Federal Wildlife GAINS part14 ners are encouraged to, transmit information related 

15 to global distribution and characteristics of signifi16 cant pathogens to the Administrator acting through 

17 the eligible organization. 

18 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Administrator, act19 ing through the eligible organization, shall— 

20 (A) use surveillance reports and other for21 mal and informal sources of information to 

22 identify and investigate local disease outbreaks 

23 of avian influenza and other infectious diseases 

24 involving wildlife, in coordination with Wildlife 

25 GAINS partners; 

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1 (B) develop a long-term baseline of re2 gional data related to HPAI and pathogens in 

3 migratory birds and other wildlife for analysis 

4 between and across sites to create a system to 

5 identify when and where outbreaks might occur 

6 and paths of dispersal; 

7 (C) provide technical assistance for disease 

8 prevention and control programs based on sci9 entific understanding of the relationships be10 tween wildlife health, domestic animal health, 

11 and human health; 

12 (D) provide analytical disease findings reg13 ularly to the United States Agency for Inter14 national Development and other Federal Wild15 life GAINS partners to prevent or combat 

16 human and animal diseases; 

17 (E) conduct other activities as are nec18 essary to support the Wildlife GAINS network 

19 and Wildlife GAINS partners; and 

20 (F) coordinate Wildlife GAINS surveillance 

21 results at the headquarters of the eligible orga22 nization. 

23 (e) DATABASE.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting 

25 through the eligible organization, shall manage, 

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1 map, and make available on a database on the Inter2 net all results and information gathered under this 

3 Act. 

4 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The database shall— 

5 (A) provide geographic data on wildlife 

6 populations and the movements of the popu7 lations and laboratory test results; and 

8 (B) be available for viewing by any Federal 

9 agency, foreign country, multilateral institution, 

10 organization, or individual. 

11 (f) TRAINING.—The Administrator shall request ac12 credited colleges of veterinary medicine and medicine and 

13 other Wildlife GAINS partners to train members of the 

14 Wildlife GAINS network to— 

15 (1) monitor important wildlife areas around the 

16 world; and 

17 (2) test for the presence or arrival of avian in18 fluenza and other significant pathogens of zoonotic 

19 concern or of concern to domestic or wild animals. 

20 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

22 this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 

23 2012. 

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