II 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1887 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 17, 2016 
Received 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Comptroller General of the United States 
to assess a study on the alternatives for the disposition 
of Plum Island Animal Disease Center, 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. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Federal Government has owned Plum 
Island, New York, since 1899. 
(2) Since 1954, the Plum Island Animal Dis-
ease Center has conducted unrivaled scientific re-
search on a variety of infectious animal-borne dis-
eases, including foot-and-mouth disease, resulting, 
most recently, in the development of a new cell line 
that rapidly and reliably detects this highly debili-
tating disease of livestock. 
(3) Over 62 years, the Center has had a strong, 
proven record of safety. 
(4) $23,200,000 in Federal dollars have been 
spent on upgrades to, and the maintenance of, the 
Center since January 2012. 
(5) In addition to the Center, Plum Island con-
tains cultural, historical, ecological, and natural re-
sources of regional and national significance. 
(6) Plum Island is situated where the Long Is-
land Sound and Peconic Bay meet, both of which 
are estuaries that are part of the National Estuary 
Program and are environmentally and economically 
significant to the region. 
(7) The Federal Government has invested hun-
dreds of millions of Federal dollars over the last two 
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decades to make long-term improvements with re-
spect to the conservation and management needs of 
Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay. 
(8) The Department of Homeland Security has 
undertaken a study to consider alternatives for the 
final disposition of Plum Island, including an anal-
ysis of— 
(A) conservation of the island’s resources; 
(B) any remediation responsibilities; 
(C) the need for any legislative changes; 
(D) cost; and 
(E) any revenues from the alternatives. 
SEC. 2. REPORT REQUIRED ON STUDY BY DEPARTMENT OF 
HOMELAND SECURITY ON CLEAN UP AND AL-
TERNATIVE USES OF PLUM ISLAND. 
(a) ASSESSMENT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.— 
(1) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—The Comptroller 
General of the United States shall conduct an as-
sessment of the study by the Department of Home-
land Security on the options for the disposition of 
Plum Island referred to in section 1(8). Such assess-
ment shall include a determination of whether the 
methodologies used by the Department in conducting 
such study adequately support the Department’s 
findings with respect to the following: 
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(A) The possible alternative uses for Plum 
Island, including the transfer of ownership to 
another Federal agency, a State or local govern-
ment, a nonprofit organization, or a combina-
tion thereof for the purpose of education, re-
search, or conservation. 
(B) The possible issues and implications, if 
any, of pursuing such alternative uses for Plum 
Island. 
(C) The potential cost to be incurred for 
expenses related to the transition, cleanup, and 
hazard mitigation of Plum Island by a recipient 
of such property. 
(2) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 
days after the date on which the Department of 
Homeland Security completes the study referred to 
in section 1(8), the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to Congress a report con-
taining the following: 
(A) The results of the assessment de-
scribed under paragraph (1). 
(B) A description of the Secretary of 
Homeland Security’s coordination with the Ad-
ministrator of General Services, the Secretary 
of the Interior, and the Administrator of the 
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