Title: East Africa Locust Eradication Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
East Africa Locust Eradication Act
This bill establishes an interagency working group to (1) assess the scope of the locust outbreaks in the East Africa region and their impacts on food security and political stability, including in the context of restrictions relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019); (2) review the effectiveness of regional and multilateral efforts to eradicate locust outbreaks; and (3) develop and implement a plan to eradicate locust outbreaks and address future outbreaks.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7276 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7276

 To establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive, 
strategic plan to eradicate 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2020

   Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Ms. Bass) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive, 
strategic plan to eradicate 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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``East Africa Locust Eradication 
Act''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to address proactively 
threats to food security in the East Africa region and elsewhere, as 
well as the concomitant potential for political instability, caused by 
periodic locust outbreaks, and to promote resilience in affected 
countries.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States Agency for International Development 
        reports that the East Africa region is currently suffering the 
        worst locust outbreaks in decades, which will devour crops and 
        pasture across that 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 untold 
        more will be at risk if the locusts are not controlled.
            (3) The World Food Programme reports that there may be 
        insufficient resources to conduct aerial spraying to address 
        the locust outbreaks that are currently devastating the East 
        Africa region, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture 
        Organization warns that the current outbreaks could develop 
        into a plague by the end of 2020 if they are not controlled.
            (4) The locust outbreaks in the Horn of Africa region, 
        particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, represents an 
        unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods, and 
        potentially, by extension, political stability in the region.
            (5) A relatively small investment now to help eradicate the 
        locust outbreaks will obviate or ameliorate the need for a much 
        larger United States emergency food aid effort later, as well 
        as help promote political stability and build resilience.
            (6) In order to optimize a United States response to the 
        locust outbreaks and future outbreaks, it is necessary to 
        establish an interagency working group to develop and implement 
        a comprehensive, strategic plan to eradicate locust outbreaks 
        in the East Africa region and address future outbreaks.

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established an interagency working 
group to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan to eradicate locust 
outbreaks in the East Africa region and address future outbreaks in 
order to avert mass scale food insecurity and potential political 
destabilization.
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The interagency working group shall be 
        composed of--
                    (A) the United States Ambassador to the United 
                Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture;
                    (B) one member who is an officer or employee of the 
                National Security Council, who shall be appointed by 
                the Assistant to the President for National Security 
                Affairs;
                    (C) one member who is an officer or employee of the 
                Department of State, who shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of State;
                    (D) one member who is an officer or employee of the 
                Department of Defense, who shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Defense;
                    (E) one member who is an officer or employee of the 
                Department of Agriculture, who shall be appointed by 
                the Secretary of Agriculture; and
                    (F) two members who are officers or employees of 
                the United States Agency for International Development, 
                who shall be appointed by the Administrator of the 
                Agency.
            (2) Chair.--The President shall designate one member of the 
        interagency working group specified in paragraph (1) to serve 
        as chair of the interagency working group.
    (c) Duties.--The interagency working group shall--
            (1) assess the scope of the locust outbreaks in the East 
        Africa region and its impact on food security and political 
        stability in the region, including in the context of 
        restrictions relating to the coronavirus disease 2019 (commonly 
        referred to as ``COVID-19'') pandemic;
            (2) review the effectiveness of regional and multilateral 
        efforts to eradicate the locust outbreaks in the East Africa 
        region 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
            (3) develop a comprehensive, strategic plan to eradicate 
        locust outbreaks in the East Africa region and address future 
        outbreaks in the region in order to avert mass scale food 
        insecurity and potential political destabilization, including--
                    (A) to more effectively address the outbreaks, 
                including improving--
                            (i) 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
                            (ii) the delivery of necessary assets to 
                        achieve the eradication of the outbreaks or 
                        otherwise mitigate the impact of such outbreaks 
                        to the extent necessary to avoid major food 
                        insecurity; and
                    (B) prevent or mitigate future locust outbreaks in 
                Africa and other parts of the world.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date on which the 
interagency working group is established under subsection (a), the 
interagency working group shall submit to the President a report that 
contains the comprehensive, strategic plan required by subsection 
(c)(3).

SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPREHENSIVE, STRATEGIC PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
comprehensive, strategic plan is submitted to the President as required 
by section 4(d), the President shall designate one member of the 
interagency working group to coordinate implementation of the 
comprehensive, strategic plan.
    (b) 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 section 
4(c)(3).
    (c) Administrative Support.--Upon request of the member of the 
interagency working group designated by the President under subsection 
(a), the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development shall provide necessary and appropriate administrative 
support of the Agency to facilitate implementation of the 
comprehensive, strategic plan required by section 4(c)(3).

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    Not later than 90 days after appointment of the member of the 
interagency working group designated by the President under section 
5(a), the member shall submit to Congress a report on the status of the 
implementation of the comprehensive, strategic plan required by section 
4(c)(3).
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