Title: Securing our Agriculture and Food Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Securing our Agriculture and Food Act
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a program to coordinate DHS efforts relating to defending the food, agriculture, and veterinary systems of the United States against terrorism and other high-consequence events that pose a high risk to homeland security.
Such program shall:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 500 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 500

   To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make the Assistant 
   Secretary of Homeland Security for Health Affairs responsible for 
coordinating the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security related 
to food, agriculture, and veterinary defense against terrorism, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 2, 2017

 Mr. Roberts (for himself and Mrs. McCaskill) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                   Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make the Assistant 
   Secretary of Homeland Security for Health Affairs responsible for 
coordinating the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security related 
to food, agriculture, and veterinary defense against terrorism, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Securing our Agriculture and Food 
Act''.

SEC. 2. COORDINATION OF FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND VETERINARY DEFENSE 
              AGAINST TERRORISM.

    (a) In General.--Title V of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 
amended by inserting after section 527 (6 U.S.C. 321p) the following:

``SEC. 528. COORDINATION OF DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY EFFORTS 
              RELATED TO FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND VETERINARY DEFENSE 
              AGAINST TERRORISM.

    ``(a) Program Required.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs, shall carry out a program to 
coordinate the efforts of the Department relating to defending the 
food, agriculture, and veterinary systems of the United States against 
terrorism and other high-consequence events that pose a high risk to 
homeland security.
    ``(b) Program Elements.--The coordination program required by 
subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following:
            ``(1) Providing oversight and management of the 
        responsibilities of the Department under Homeland Security 
        Presidential Directive 9--Defense of United States Agriculture 
        and Food.
            ``(2) Providing oversight and integration of the activities 
        of the Department relating to veterinary public health, food 
        defense, and agricultural security.
            ``(3) Leading the policy initiatives of the Department 
        relating to food, animal, and agricultural incidents, and the 
        impact of such incidents on animal and public health.
            ``(4) Leading the policy initiatives of the Department 
        relating to overall domestic preparedness for and collective 
        response to agricultural terrorism.
            ``(5) Coordinating with other components of the Department, 
        including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as appropriate, 
        on activities relating to food and agriculture security and 
        screening procedures for domestic and imported products.
            ``(6) Coordinating with appropriate Federal departments and 
        agencies.
            ``(7) Other activities as determined necessary by the 
        Secretary.
    ``(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to alter or supersede the authority of the Secretary of 
Agriculture relating to food and agriculture.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended--
            (1) by striking the items relating to sections 523, 524, 
        525, 526, and 527; and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 522 the 
        following:

``Sec. 523. Guidance and recommendations.
``Sec. 524. Voluntary private sector preparedness accreditation and 
                            certification program.
``Sec. 525. Acceptance of gifts.
``Sec. 526. Integrated public alert and warning system modernization.
``Sec. 527. National planning and education.
``Sec. 528. Coordination of Department of Homeland Security efforts 
                            related to food, agriculture, and 
                            veterinary defense against terrorism.''.
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