SWAT Act of 2023

Subjects: Agriculture and Food

Summary:  <p><b>Spotted Wing Abatement Trust Act of 2023 or the SWAT Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to establish a fund for research relating to, and activities to mitigate the negative effects of, spotted wing drosophila. Spotted wing drosophila is an invasive species from East Asia that has caused significant damage to many valuable fruit crops in the United States, including raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, plums, and cherries.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 322 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 322

To amend the Plant Protection Act to establish a fund for spotted wing 
                  drosophila research and mitigation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2023

   Mr. Peters (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Braun, and Mr. Merkley) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Plant Protection Act to establish a fund for spotted wing 
                  drosophila research and mitigation.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Spotted Wing Abatement Trust Act of 
2023'' or the ``SWAT Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the spotted wing drosophila, an invasive species from 
        East Asia, has caused significant damage to many valuable fruit 
        crops in the United States, including raspberries, 
        blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, plums, and 
        cherries; and
            (2) the Department of Agriculture estimates that spotted 
        wing drosophila account for a combined 20 percent revenue loss 
        across strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and cherry 
        crops, based on reported yield losses due to that species.

SEC. 3. SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA RESEARCH AND MITIGATION.

    Subtitle A of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7711 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 420A. SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA RESEARCH AND MITIGATION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (referred to in this section as the `Administrator') 
shall establish a fund within the Department of Agriculture to fund 
research relating to, and activities to mitigate the negative effects 
of, spotted wing drosophila.
    ``(b) Administration of Fund.--The Administrator shall--
            ``(1) determine eligible recipients to enter into 
        cooperative agreements with, or award grants to, using amounts 
        in the fund established under subsection (a); and
            ``(2) oversee the activities carried out using amounts in 
        that fund.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the fund established under subsection (a) $6,500,000 
for the fiscal year in which the Spotted Wing Abatement Trust Act of 
2023 is enacted and each of the 4 fiscal years thereafter.''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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