Wildlife-Agriculture Disease Prevention Act of 2024

Bill: 118-s-4963
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2024-08-01
Policy area: Animals
Latest action: action_date: 2024-08-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4963 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 1, 2024 Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Luján , Ms. Smith , and Ms. Klobuchar ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To support Federal, State, and Tribal coordination and management efforts relating to wildlife disease and zoonotic disease surveillance and ongoing and potential wildlife disease and zoonotic disease outbreaks, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Wildlife-Agriculture Disease Prevention Act of 2024 . 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) zoonotic diseases are a significant threat to human populations, livestock, domestic animals, and wildlife, which is evidenced by the fact that— (A) more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in human populations originated in animals; and (B) 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in human populations originate from animals; (2) zoonotic diseases are capable of transmitting between wildlife, livestock, domestic animals, and human populations; (3) the majority of recent emerging infectious diseases have originated in wildlife; (4) zoonotic disease spillover events are occurring more frequently; (5) many wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, are highly transmissible and have spilled over to livestock and domestic animals; (6) chronic wasting disease is transmissible between wild and captive deer and elk; (7) bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis spilled over from cattle to wildlife; (8) outbreaks of wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases have significant adverse effects on the United States economy, with the 2022 avian flu outbreak resulting in economic costs of $3,000,000,000; (9) outbreaks of wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases pose a significant public health threat and may lead to a public health emergency; (10) the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention play distinct but complementary roles in the prevention, detection, control, and response to wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases; (11) State fish and wildlife agencies exercise primary statutory authority over the management of fish and wildlife as public trust resources within their borders; (12) the Department of Agriculture is primarily responsible for safeguarding the health of livestock, developing and conducting monitoring and surveillance for livestock diseases, and preventing the spread of diseases that pose a threat to the agricultural industry; (13) the Department of the Interior has a responsibility to develop monitoring and surveillance techniques for highly pathogenic avian influenza and other emerging wildlife diseases, including diseases with zoonotic potential; (14) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the leading public health agency responsible for— (A) monitoring and responding to human health threats posed by wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases; and (B) conducting surveillance and research and providing guidance to prevent and control the spread of wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases to and among humans; (15) increased coordination and collaboration between Federal, State, and Tribal agencies with respect to wildlife disease and zoonotic disease efforts is necessary to adequately monitor and respond to ongoing and potential wildlife disease and zoonotic disease outbreaks; (16) establishing a Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator as an intermediary between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would facilitate communication, information sharing, and coordinated efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to wildlife disease and zoonotic disease outbreaks; and (17) the coordinated efforts described in paragraph (16) are essential to protect public health, wildlife populations, and agricultural interests from the impacts of wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator The term Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator means the individual appointed to the position established by section 4(a). (2) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 ). (3) Livestock The term livestock has the meaning given the term in section 10403 of the Animal Health Protection Act ( 7 U.S.C. 8302 ). (4) Wildlife disease The term wildlife disease means any infectious disease originating in wildlife that can be transmitted, directly or indirectly, from an infected animal, host or vector, inanimate source, or any other source to non-human animals, including wildlife, livestock, and domestic animals. (5) Zoonotic disease (A) In general The term zoonotic disease means any disease that is naturally transmissible between animals and humans. (B) Inclusion The term zoonotic disease includes a wildlife disease. 4. Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator (a) Establishment There is established within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service a position, to be known as the Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator , to be jointly appointed by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to serve as a liaison between the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal, State, and Tribal agencies, as determined necessary by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. (b) Qualification The Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator shall have expertise in wildlife health, agricultural animal veterinary science, epidemiology, or another related field. (c) Duties The Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator shall— (1) establish relationships with relevant Federal, State, and Tribal agencies to carry out the purposes of this Act; (2) facilitate information sharing about existing and emerging wildlife disease, including disease in livestock and domestic animals, and zoonotic disease outbreaks between States, including State departments of agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public health and State animal health officials, Indian Tribes, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the National Wildlife Health Center of the United States Geological Survey, the Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal agencies, as determined by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; (3) assist States and Indian Tribes in accessing resources, including applying for funding, to work on wildlife disease issues, including diseases— (A) with potential to transmit between wildlife and livestock or domestic animals; and (B) with zoonotic potential; (4) coordinate— (A) between States, including State departments of agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public health and State animal health officials, and Federal agencies; and (B) with other relevant entities engaged in wildlife disease and zoonotic disease testing, monitoring, surveillance, and management activities, including entities convened by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; (5) develop and share best management practices relating to wildlife diseases and zoonotic diseases prepared by the Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and State and Tribal agencies between those Federal agencies and State and Tribal agencies, including State departments of agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public health and State animal health officials; and (6) submit to Congress a report on recommendations for improving interagency coordination and additional resources necessary to address and prevent wildlife disease and zoonotic disease outbreaks. (d) Best management practices Best management practices developed and shared under subsection (c)(5) may include voluntary guidance relating to the humane dispatch of animals in the field, surveillance and monitoring techniques, biosecurity and biosafety measures, public education, and other information, as determined necessary by the Agriculture-Wildlife Disease Coordinator. (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter.