Homeland Security Food and Agriculture Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-572
Sponsor: Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2005-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agriculture in foreign trade
Animal diseases
Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Biological warfare
Commerce
Crime and Law Enforcement
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Employee training
Environmental Protection
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Food safety
Food supply
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Health
Higher education
Imports
International Affairs
International cooperation
Interstate commerce
Labor and Employment
Livestock
Medical education
Minorities
Pest control
Plant diseases
Plant protection
Preventive medicine
Terrorism
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation safety
Treaties
Veterinary medicine

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-09
text: 
Homeland Security Food and Agriculture Act of 2005 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to protect the U.S. agriculture and food supply from agroterrorist acts. 
 
Sets forth related responsibilities for the Secretary and the Undersecretary for Emergency Response and Preparedness.
 
Directs the Office of State and Local Coordination and Preparedness to make grants for State and local animal health care officials' participation in community emergency planning efforts. 

action_date: 2005-09-27
text: 
Homeland Security Food and Agriculture Act of 2005 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out a program to protect the U.S. agriculture and food supply from agroterrorist acts. 
 
States that such program shall provide for: (1) advising and coordinating with federal, state, local, regional, and tribal homeland security officials regarding prevention and preparedness for, and the response to, an agroterrorist act; and (2) executing the Secretary's agriculture security responsibilities described in specified Homeland Security Presidential Directives.
 
Sets forth the Secretary's responsibilities, including: (1) increasing biosecurity communication and coordination among federal, state, local, regional, and tribal emergency response providers and animal health and plant disease specialists; (2) ensuring that such entities execute their respective emergency roles; (3) ensuring that state, local, and tribal officials have adequate access to federal biosecurity information and resources; (4) coordinating with the Secretary of Transportation to develop guidelines on agricultural transportation restrictions in response to an agricultural disease; (5) coordinating with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in considering the potential environmental impact of an agricultural disease response by federal, regional, state, local, and tribal emergency response providers and animal health and plant disease specialists; (6) working with federal agencies (including other elements of the intelligence community and the Department of Agriculture) to improve the ability of employees to identify a biological commodity or product, livestock, or any other good imported from a suspect location; (7) coordinating with the Department of State to provide the President and federal agencies with guidelines for mutual assistance agreements with other countries to provide training for U.S. veterinarians, public health workers, and agriculture specialists in the identification and control of foreign diseases, to provide resources and technical assistance personnel to foreign governments with limited resources, and to participate in a bilateral or multilateral biosecurity training program; (8) cooperating with state, local, and tribal homeland security officials to establish state and regional response plans; and (9) establishing a state and local homeland security task force to identify the best practices for carrying out a regional or state biosecurity program, and to design training for emergency response providers and animal health and plant disease specialists. 
 
Directs the Office of State and Local Coordination and Preparedness to establish a state and local grant program to facilitate the participation of state and local agriculture security experts in community emergency planning efforts. Authorizes FY2006 appropriations for such program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-12-15
text: By Senator Collins from Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs filed written report. Report No. 109-209.
action_date: 2005-12-15
text: By Senator Collins from Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs filed written report. Report No. 109-209.
action_date: 2005-09-27
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 224.
action_date: 2005-09-27
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Collins with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2005-09-27
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Collins with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2005-09-22
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2005-07-29
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9433-9434)
action_date: 2005-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2388-2389)
action_date: 2005-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate