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 related 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]
[H.R. 1238 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1238

   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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 28, 2017

Mr. Young of Iowa (for himself, Mr. Payne, and Mr. Donovan) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland 
Security, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 (6 
U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:

``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 Department's efforts related 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 
        Department's responsibilities pursuant to Homeland Security 
        Presidential Directive 9-Defense of United States Agriculture 
        and Food.
            ``(2) Providing oversight and integration of the 
        Department's activities related to veterinary public health, 
        food defense, and agricultural security.
            ``(3) Leading the Department's policy initiatives relating 
        to food, animal, and agricultural incidents, and the impact of 
        such incidents on animal and public health.
            ``(4) Leading the Department's policy initiatives relating 
        to overall domestic preparedness for and collective response to 
        agricultural terrorism.
            ``(5) Coordinating with other Department components, 
        including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as appropriate, 
        on activities related 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 may be 
construed as altering or superseding 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 by inserting after the 
item relating to section 527 the following new item:

``Sec. 528. Coordination of Department of Homeland Security efforts 
                            related to food, agriculture, and 
                            veterinary defense against terrorism.''.
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