I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4795
To provide for a multi-agency cooperative effort to encourage further research
regarding the causes of chronic wasting disease and methods to control
the further spread of the disease in deer and elk herds, to monitor
the incidence of the disease, to support State efforts to control the
disease, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 22, 2002
Mr. MCINNIS (for himself, Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin, and Mr. RYAN of Wis-
consin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
A BILL
To provide for a multi-agency cooperative effort to encourage
further research regarding the causes of chronic wasting
disease and methods to control the further spread of
the disease in deer and elk herds, to monitor the inci-
dence of the disease, to support State efforts to control
the disease, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Chronic Wasting Dis-
ease Support for States Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) CHRONIC
WASTING
DISEASE.—The term
‘‘chronic wasting disease’’ means the animal disease
afflicting deer and elk that—
(A) is a transmissible disease of the nerv-
ous system resulting in distinctive lesions in the
brain; and
(B) belongs to the group of diseases known
as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies,
which group includes scrapie, bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, and Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease.
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance
Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Pursuant to State and Federal law, the
States retain primacy and policy-making authority
with regard to wildlife management, and nothing in
this Act interferes with or otherwise affects the pri-
macy of the States in managing wildlife generally, or
managing, surveying, and monitoring the incidence
of chronic wasting disease.
(2) Chronic wasting disease, the fatal neuro-
logical disease found in cervids, is a fundamental
threat to the health and vibrancy of deer and elk
populations, and the increased occurrence of chronic
wasting disease in regionally diverse locations in re-
cent months necessitates an escalation in research,
surveillance, monitoring, and management activities
focused on containing and managing this lethal dis-
ease.
(3) As the States move to manage existing lev-
els of chronic wasting disease and insulate non-
infected wild and captive cervid populations from the
disease, the Federal Government should endeavor to
provide integrated and holistic financial and tech-
nical support to these States.
(4) Relevant Federal agencies should provide
consistent, coherent, and integrated support struc-
tures and programs for the benefit of State wildlife
and agricultural administrators, as chronic wasting
disease can move freely between captive and wild
cervids across the broad array of Federal, State,
tribal, and local land management jurisdictions.
(5) The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary
of Agriculture, and other affected Federal authori-
ties can provide consistent, coherent, and integrated
support systems under existing legal authorities.
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR ACTIVITIES
SEC. 101. NATIONAL DATABASE REGARDING CHRONIC
WASTING DISEASE.
(a) INFORMATION REPOSITORY.—The Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the United States Geological
Survey and using existing authorities, shall establish and
maintain the official national database for—
(1) surveillance and monitoring data regarding
chronic wasting disease in both wild and captive
cervid populations and other wildlife that is collected
by the Department of the Interior, the Department
of Agriculture, other Federal agencies, foreign gov-
ernments, Indian tribes, and State agencies assisted
under this Act; and
(2) other relevant information regarding chronic
wasting disease received from other sources, includ-
ing cooperation with foreign governments.
(b) INFORMATION SOURCE.—The national database
shall be available as a resource for—
(1) Federal and State agencies, Indian tribes,
and foreign governments attempting to manage and
control chronic wasting disease;
(2) institutions of higher education and other
public or private research entities conducting re-
search regarding chronic wasting disease; and
(3) cooperating international wildlife authori-
ties.
(c) RELATIONSHIP
TO
DEPARTMENT
OF
AGRI-
CULTURE INFORMATION COLLECTION.—The data col-
lected by the Department of Agriculture under title II
shall be placed in the national database.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the
Interior $1,500,000 to establish and maintain the national
database. Funds appropriated pursuant to this authoriza-
tion of appropriations shall remain available until ex-
pended.
SEC. 102. SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING PROGRAM RE-
GARDING PRESENCE OF CHRONIC WASTING
DISEASE IN WILD HERDS OF DEER AND ELK.
(a) PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.—Using existing au-
thorities, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
United States Geological Survey, shall develop a national
surveillance and monitoring program to identify—
(1) the rate of chronic wasting disease infection
in wild herds of deer and elk;
(2) the cause and extent of the spread of the
disease; and
(3) potential reservoirs of infection and vectors
promoting the spread of the disease.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior shall provide financial and technical assistance to
States and Indian tribes to implement the surveillance and
monitoring program for wild herds.
(c) COOPERATION.—In developing the surveillance
and monitoring program for wild herds, the Secretary of
the Interior shall consult and cooperate with State and
tribal agencies responsible for managing and controlling
chronic wasting disease.
(d) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of the Interior,
in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall es-
tablish uniform standards for the collection and assess-
ment of samples and data derived from the surveillance
and monitoring program.
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the
Interior $3,000,000 to establish and support the surveil-
lance and monitoring program. Funds appropriated pursu-
ant to this authorization of appropriations shall remain
available until expended.
SEC. 103. SUPPORT FOR STATE EFFORTS TO MANAGE AND
CONTROL CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE.
(a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the United States Geologi-
cal Survey, shall allocate funds appropriated to carry out
this section directly to the State or tribal agency respon-
sible for wildlife management for a State or Indian tribe
that petitions the Secretary for a portion of such funds
to develop and implement management strategies to ad-
dress chronic wasting disease on lands administered by the
State or Indian tribe.
(b) FUNDING
PRIORITIES.—In determining the
amounts to be allocated to States and Indian tribes under
subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall give pri-
ority to States and Indian tribes based on the following
criteria:
(1) Relative scope of incidence of chronic wast-
ing disease on lands administered by the State or
Indian tribe, with priority given to those States and
Indian tribes with the highest incidence of the dis-
ease.
(2) State or tribal expenditures on chronic
wasting disease management, monitoring, surveil-
lance, and research, with priority given to those
States and Indian tribes that have shown the great-
est financial commitment to managing, monitoring,
surveying, and researching chronic wasting disease.
(3) Comprehensive and integrated State or trib-
al policies and programs focused on chronic wasting
disease management between involved State or tribal
wildlife and agricultural agencies, with priority given
to those States and Indian tribes that have inte-
grated the programs and policies of all involved
agencies related to chronic wasting disease manage-
ment.
(4) Rapid response to new outbreaks of chronic
wasting disease, whether occurring in areas in which
chronic wasting disease is already found or areas
with first infections, with the intent of containing
the disease in any new area of infection.
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the
Interior $10,000,000 to support State and tribal efforts
to manage and control chronic wasting disease. Funds ap-
propriated pursuant to this authorization of appropria-
tions shall remain available until expended.