Title: Chronic Wasting Disease Research Act
Policy area: Animals

Summary:
Chronic Wasting Disease Research Act
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to award grants for research on the transmission of, resistance to, and diagnosis of chronic wasting disease afflicting deer, elk, and moose populations.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2081 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2081

To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to establish a grant program 
    for research on chronic wasting disease, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 4, 2019

   Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Vela, Mr. Joyce of 
Pennsylvania, and Mr. Cuellar) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to establish a grant program 
    for research on chronic wasting disease, 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 ``Chronic Wasting Disease Research 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Animal Health Protection Act is amended by 
inserting after section 10409A (7 U.S.C. 8308a) the following:

``SEC. 10409B. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            ``(1) a focus on research into the transmission of, 
        resistance to, and epidemiology of chronic wasting disease is 
        needed to inform future policies to combat the disease and 
        ensure the health of cervid populations;
            ``(2) because States have diverse policies for addressing 
        chronic wasting disease, the Federal Government should 
        coordinate financial and technical support to States, State 
        departments of agriculture, institutions of higher education, 
        and research centers conducting scientific research on chronic 
        wasting disease;
            ``(3) under current policies, chronic wasting disease 
        remains a systemic threat to cervids; and
            ``(4) scientific advances that lead to the ability to stop 
        transmission of chronic wasting disease are needed to ensure 
        the long-term viability of cervids.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Chronic wasting disease.--The term `chronic wasting 
        disease' means the animal disease afflicting deer, elk, and 
        moose populations that--
                    ``(A) is a transmissible disease of the nervous 
                system resulting in distinctive lesions in the brain; 
                and
                    ``(B) belongs to the group of diseases known as 
                transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which 
                includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and 
                Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a State department of agriculture;
                    ``(B) a Tribal research facility;
                    ``(C) a Tribal department of agriculture;
                    ``(D) an institution of higher education (as 
                defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act (20 
                U.S.C. 1001)); and
                    ``(E) a research center conducting scientific 
                research on chronic wasting disease.
    ``(c) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a 
        program under which the Secretary shall award grants on a 
        competitive basis to eligible entities to conduct research on 
        the transmission of, resistance to, and diagnosis of chronic 
        wasting disease.
            ``(2) Criteria for selection.--In awarding grants under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 
        entities that shall conduct research relating to--
                    ``(A) methods and products--
                            ``(i) to effectively detect infectious 
                        chronic wasting disease prions in live cervids, 
                        the environment, and inorganic surfaces; and
                            ``(ii) to decontaminate those infectious 
                        prions;
                    ``(B) the long-term suppression or eradication of 
                chronic wasting disease; or
                    ``(C) determination markers for genetic resistance 
                to chronic wasting disease and strategies for using 
                genetic resistance to combat the spread of the disease.
            ``(3) Number of grant recipients.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To the maximum extent 
                practicable, subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary 
                shall select not fewer than 5 and not more than 10 
                eligible entities to receive grants under paragraph 
                (1).
                    ``(B) Exception.--The Secretary may award grants 
                under paragraph (1) to fewer than 5 eligible entities 
                if not more than 5 eligible entities have submitted 
                applications for a grant.
            ``(4) Administrative costs by eligible entities.--Not 
        greater than 15 percent of the amount of a grant awarded under 
        paragraph (1) may be used by an eligible entity for 
        administrative costs incurred by the eligible entity in 
        carrying out the research described in that paragraph.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to the Secretary to carry out this section $15,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year thereafter, to remain 
        available until expended.
            ``(2) Administrative costs.--The Secretary may use not 
        greater than 3 percent of the funds made available under 
        paragraph (1) for administrative costs incurred by the 
        Secretary in carrying out this section.
    ``(e) Effect.--Nothing in this section shall interfere with or 
otherwise affect the authority of the Federal Government or States to 
manage wildlife and livestock, including managing, surveying, and 
monitoring the incidence of chronic wasting disease.''.
    (b) Technical Amendment.--Section 10403(8) of the Animal Health 
Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8302(8)) is amended by striking ``(25 U.S.C. 
450b)'' and inserting ``(25 U.S.C. 5304)''.
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