I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4219 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the National Wildlife 
Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2025 
Mr. CASE (for himself and Mr. MOYLAN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike 
Team Program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Wildlife Ref-
uge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE 
SPECIES STRIKE TEAM PROGRAM. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to legisla-
tively authorize the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Invasive Species Strike Team Program within the United 
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States Fish and Wildlife Service to eradicate, control, and 
reduce the adverse effects of invasive species on and adja-
cent to National Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters, 
primarily through prevention, biosecurity, early detection, 
and rapid response. 
(b) INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a program to identify and respond to priority 
invasive species threats within and adjacent to Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters in 
coordination with partners, to be known as the ‘‘Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species 
Strike Team Program’’. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the Pro-
gram, the Secretary shall— 
(A) establish at least 1 invasive species 
strike team within each region of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service trained in 
early detection and rapid response for multiple 
invasive species taxa to— 
(i) conserve, manage, and, where ap-
propriate, restore, habitat conditions that 
help native biological communities flourish 
on and adjacent to National Wildlife Ref-
uge System lands and waters; 
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(ii) conduct prevention, early detection 
surveillance, 
eradication, 
containment, 
mapping, monitoring, and active manage-
ment of invasive species; 
(iii) use integrated pest management 
techniques and tools; 
(iv) conduct inreach and outreach, in-
cluding trainings and table-top exercises, 
including on the use of the Incident Com-
mand System, as part of their planning 
and operations; and 
(v) use risk assessments, research, in-
novations, management outcomes, moni-
toring, and evaluation to improve the effec-
tiveness of detection and response activi-
ties; 
(B) engage in partnerships and collabora-
tions with— 
(i) Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
governments; 
(ii) nongovernmental institutions; 
(iii) nonprofit organizations; and 
(iv) private individuals and entities to 
advance mutual priorities and promote effi-
ciency and cost-savings; 
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(C) collaborate in the development of a set 
of consistent taxonomy standards and work 
with others to implement such standards among 
all Department of the Interior databases; and 
(D) utilize national and regional standard-
ized reporting platforms, such as— 
(i) the National Agricultural Pest In-
formation System; 
(ii) the National Data Repository of 
the National Plant Diagnostic Network; 
(iii) the Early Detection and Distribu-
tion Mapping System; 
(iv) the Nonindigenous Aquatic Spe-
cies Database of the United States Geo-
logical Survey; 
(v) iMapInvasives; and 
(vi) State databases. 
(3) PROVISION
OF
ASSISTANCE.—In carrying 
out the Program, the Secretary is authorized to— 
(A) conduct outreach to Federal, State, 
Territorial, local, and Tribal governments, non-
governmental institutions, nonprofit organiza-
tions, and private individuals and entities to ad-
dress the management of property adjacent to 
a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, 
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including providing or entering into, upon re-
quest— 
(i) financial assistance, including di-
rect expenditures; 
(ii) technical assistance; 
(iii) contracts; or 
(iv) grants or cooperative agreements; 
and 
(B) upon the request of another Federal 
department or agency or a State, Tribal, or 
Territorial agency, enter into an agreement 
within the mission and authorities of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service with such de-
partment or agency to provide the expertise and 
use of invasive species strike teams established 
under paragraph (2) to respond to invasive spe-
cies under the jurisdiction of such department 
or agency, or to rapidly respond to a newly de-
tected invasive species. 
(4) COORDINATION
OF
MANAGEMENT
AC-
TIONS.—The Secretary shall encourage the National 
Wildlife Refuge System to coordinate invasive spe-
cies management actions of each Invasive Species 
Strike Team with adjacent landowners and the State 
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agencies within the State of which Invasive Species 
Strike Team activities may occur. 
(5) REPORT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Appropriations and 
the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Appropriations and the Committee on Envi-
ronment and Public Works of the Senate, and 
make available to the public on the website of 
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, a 
report regarding the Program 2 years after en-
actment and 5 years after enactment. 
(B) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each report 
submitted under subparagraph (A) shall in-
clude— 
(i) a summary of each Invasive Spe-
cies Strike Team’s work to address priority 
invasive species within the National Wild-
life Refuge System; and 
(ii) progress made by the Program to-
ward the prevention, detection, control, or 
eradication of each priority invasive spe-
cies. 
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(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
through 2030. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) INVASIVE
SPECIES.—The term ‘‘invasive 
species’’ means, with regard to a particular eco-
system, a non-native organism whose introduction 
causes or is likely to cause economic or environ-
mental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant 
health. 
(2) EARLY DETECTION.—The term ‘‘early de-
tection’’ means a process of surveying for, reporting, 
and verifying the presence of a non-native species 
before the founding population becomes established 
or spreads so widely that eradication is no longer 
feasible. 
(3) PRIORITY
INVASIVE
SPECIES.—The term 
‘‘priority invasive species’’ means an invasive species 
that is a major concern and necessary to map, mon-
itor, and manage based on the following factors: 
(A) Potential impact on other native spe-
cies. 
(B) Ability to alter habitats. 
(C) Ability to harm human health. 
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(D) Severity of economic impact. 
(4) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Spe-
cies Strike Team Program authorized under sub-
section (b)(1). 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, and 
each territory and possession of the United States. 
Æ 
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