IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7276 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 30, 2020 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
AN ACT 
To establish an interagency working group to develop a com-
prehensive, 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Desert Locust Control 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to prioritize ef-
forts to control the ongoing desert locust outbreak in East 
Africa and other affected regions, mitigate the impacts on 
food security, economic productivity, and political sta-
bility, improve interagency coordination to prevent future 
outbreaks, and promote resilience in affected countries. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States Agency for International 
Development reports that countries in East Africa 
are currently suffering the worst desert locust out-
break in decades, which will devour crops and pas-
ture and destroy local livelihoods across the region. 
(2) As of June 2020, there were more than 26 
million people experiencing acute food insecurity in 
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, 
Uganda, Sudan, and Djibouti, and these numbers 
are projected to increase if the desert locust out-
break is not controlled. 
(3) As the desert locust outbreak continues, 
there may be insufficient resources to continue to 
conduct aerial spraying and without such resources 
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the current outbreak could develop into a plague by 
the end of 2020. 
(4) The desert locust outbreak in East Africa, 
particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, is neg-
atively impacting food security, local livelihoods and 
economic productivity, and may threaten political 
stability in the region. 
(5) Proactive investments now to control the 
desert locust outbreak could reduce the need for a 
much larger United States humanitarian response 
effort later, as well as support economic and political 
stability and build resilience in affected countries. 
(6) In order to optimize the United States re-
sponse to the desert locust outbreak, an interagency 
working group should be established to develop and 
implement a comprehensive, strategic plan to control 
the desert locust outbreak in East Africa and other 
affected regions, mitigate impacts on food security, 
economic productivity, and political stability and 
prevent future outbreaks. 
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 
an interagency working group to coordinate the United 
States response to the ongoing desert locust outbreak in 
East Africa and other affected regions, including the de-
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velopment of a comprehensive, strategic plan to control the 
outbreak, mitigate the impacts on food security, economic 
productivity, and political stability, and prevent future 
outbreaks. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The interagency working 
group shall be composed of the following: 
(A) Two representatives from the United 
States Agency for International Development. 
(B) One representative from each of the 
following: 
(i) The United States Mission to the 
United Nations Agencies for Food and Ag-
riculture. 
(ii) The National Security Council. 
(iii) The Department of State. 
(iv) The Department of Defense. 
(v) The Department of Agriculture. 
(vi) Any other relevant Federal de-
partment or agency. 
(2) CHAIR.—The President shall designate one 
of the representatives from the United States Agen-
cy for International Development described in para-
graph (1)(A) to serve as chair of the interagency 
working group. 
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(c) DUTIES.—The interagency working group shall— 
(1) assess the scope of the desert locust out-
break in East Africa and other affected regions, in-
cluding its impact on food security, economic pro-
ductivity, and political stability in affected countries; 
(2) assess the impacts of restrictions relating to 
the coronavirus disease 2019 (commonly referred to 
as ‘‘COVID–19’’) pandemic; 
(3) monitor the effectiveness of ongoing assist-
ance efforts to control the desert locust outbreak 
and mitigate its impacts and identify gaps and op-
portunities for additional support to such programs; 
(4) review the effectiveness of regional and mul-
tilateral efforts to control the desert locust outbreak 
and the coordination among relevant United States 
Government agencies, regional governments, and 
international organizations, including the World 
Food Programme and the United Nations Food and 
Agriculture Organization; and 
(5) not later than 90 days after the establish-
ment of the interagency working group under sub-
section (a), develop and submit to the President and 
the appropriate congressional committees a com-
prehensive, strategic plan to control the desert locust 
outbreak, including a description of efforts to— 
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(A) improve coordination among relevant 
United States Government agencies, regional 
governments, and international organizations, 
including the World Food Programme and the 
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion; 
(B) ensure delivery of necessary assets 
control the desert locust outbreak and humani-
tarian and development assistance to address 
and mitigate impacts to food security, economic 
productivity, and political stability; and 
(C) to the extent practicable, prevent and 
mitigate future desert locust and other, similar 
destructive insect outbreaks (such as Fall 
Armyworm) in Africa and other parts of the 
world, which require a humanitarian response. 
(d) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP SUPPORT.—The 
interagency working group shall continue to meet not less 
than semi-annually to facilitate implementation of the 
comprehensive, strategic plan required by subsection 
(c)(5). 
(e) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate on the 
date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, or at such time as there is no longer an upsurge 
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in the desert locust outbreak in East Africa, whichever oc-
curs earlier. 
(f) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 
2020. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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