Wildlife Disease Emergency Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with governors of potentially affected states, to declare a wildlife disease emergency for any wildlife disease occurring within the United States or, if outside the United States, with the potential to enter the United States.
Defines "wildlife disease emergency" as the occurrence of a non-zoonotic pathological condition in a wildlife population that:
Directs the Secretary, upon making such a declaration, to lead a coordinated response to the emergency.
Directs the Secretary to implement a grant program to provide funding to state wildlife agencies and Indian tribes to address wildlife disease emergencies.
Establishes in the Treasury a Wildlife Disease Emergency Fund.
Allows the Secretary to establish a Wildlife Disease Committee to assist the Secretary in increasing the level of preparedness needed to address emerging wildlife diseases.
Authorizes the Secretary to convene rapid response teams to address any particular wildlife disease emergency.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5156 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5156
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to identify and declare
wildlife disease emergencies and to coordinate rapid response to these
emergencies, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2014
Ms. Shea-Porter (for herself and Mr. DeFazio) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in
addition to the Committees on Agriculture and the Budget, 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 authorize the Secretary of the Interior to identify and declare
wildlife disease emergencies and to coordinate rapid response to these
emergencies, 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 ``Wildlife Disease Emergency Act of
2014''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are to--
(1) authorize the Secretary of the Interior to identify and
declare wildlife disease emergencies;
(2) establish a fund through which the Secretary may
coordinate rapid response to these emergencies; and
(3) prepare for, identify, and address wildlife diseases
adversely affecting wildlife populations and biodiversity
through strategic and coordinated actions between the Federal
agencies and State and local agencies, Indian tribes, and
nongovernmental organizations.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the Wildlife
Disease Committee established under section 6.
(2) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Wildlife Disease
Emergency Fund established by section 5.
(3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the
meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(5) State.--The term ``State'' means any State, the
District of Columbia, and any other possession of the United
States.
(6) Wildlife.--The term ``wildlife'' means any species
native to the United States including nondomesticated mammals,
fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, and arthropods.
(7) Wildlife disease.--The term ``wildlife disease'' means
an infectious or noninfectious, pathological condition
occurring in a susceptible population of wildlife, that is not
zoonotic.
(8) Wildlife disease emergency.--The term ``wildlife
disease emergency'' means the occurrence of a wildlife disease
that--
(A) is infectious and caused by a newly discovered
pathogen or a known infectious wildlife disease that is
expanding its geographic range, the species impacted by
the disease, or other recognized impacts of the
disease;
(B) poses significant threats to the sustainability
of wildlife; or
(C) poses a significant threat to the overall
health of a functioning ecosystem.
SEC. 4. DECLARATION OF WILDLIFE DISEASE EMERGENCY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation
with the Governor of a potentially affected State or States, may
declare within such State or States a wildlife disease emergency for
any wildlife disease that is--
(1) occurring in the United States; or
(2) occurring outside the United States with the potential
to enter the United States.
(b) Considerations.--In making a declaration under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall consider--
(1) the level of threat the wildlife disease poses to
affected wildlife populations, based on the--
(A) relative threat to population levels;
(B) relative strength of the contagion and spread
of the disease;
(C) observed rate of morbidity or mortality of the
disease; and
(D) importance of affected species or ecosystems,
including--
(i) species and habitats identified as
priorities by the Federal Government, a State,
or local government, or a Federal, State, or
local conservation plan; and
(ii) wildlife located on Federal lands;
(2) the sufficiency of resources available in the Fund;
(3) the ability of the Department of the Interior and other
Federal, State, and local agencies, tribal governments, and
other stakeholders to address and coordinate response to the
disease through other authorities;
(4) the request of any State Governor to make such a
declaration; and
(5) the economic consequences of a significant population
decline in the impacted species due to the disease.
(c) Response Coordination.--Upon a declaration of a wildlife
disease emergency by the Secretary, the Secretary shall lead a
coordinated response to the emergency that shall include appropriate
Federal agencies, State and local governments, Indian tribes,
nongovernmental organizations, or other stakeholders.
(d) Grant Program.--The Secretary shall develop and implement a
grant program to provide funding to State wildlife agencies and Indian
tribes to address wildlife disease emergencies.
SEC. 5. WILDLIFE DISEASE EMERGENCY FUND.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a separate account, which shall be known as the
``Wildlife Disease Emergency Fund'' and shall consist of--
(1) such funds as are appropriated to the Secretary for
activities authorized by this Act to address a wildlife disease
emergency; and
(2) any funds received by the Secretary as a donation,
gift, or contribution identified by the person providing the
funds for use to address wildlife disease emergencies.
(b) Prohibition.--Amounts in the Fund may not be made available for
any purpose other than to respond to a wildlife disease emergency
declared under section 4.
(c) Annual Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the end of
each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2013, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate,
the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate,
and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives a report on the operation of the Fund during
the fiscal year.
(2) Contents.--Each report shall include, for the fiscal
year covered by the report, the following:
(A) A statement of the amounts deposited into the
Fund.
(B) A description of the expenditures made from the
Fund, including the purpose of the expenditures.
(C) Recommendations of additional authorities to
fulfill the purpose of the Fund.
(D) A statement of the balance remaining in the
Fund at the end of the fiscal year.
(d) Separate Appropriations Account.--Section 1105(a) of title 31,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(39) a separate appropriations account for the Wildlife
Disease Emergency Fund established under section 5 of the
Wildlife Disease Emergency Act of 2013, which shall include the
estimated amount of deposits into the Fund, and obligations and
outlays from the Fund.''.
SEC. 6. WILDLIFE DISEASE COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary may establish a Wildlife Disease
Committee. The purpose of the Committee shall be to assist the
Secretary in increasing the level of preparedness of the United States
to address emerging wildlife diseases.
(b) Duties.--The Committee shall--
(1) advise the Secretary on risk assessment, preparation,
monitoring, research, and response to wildlife diseases that
may significantly impact the health and sustainability of
wildlife populations; and
(2) draft reports, recommendations, plans, or other
documents to assist the Secretary in carrying out this Act.
(c) Membership.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), members of the
Committee shall be appointed by the Secretary from among
individuals who are qualified by education, training, or
experience in topics such as wildlife health, biology, ecology,
wildlife conservation, and natural resource management.
(2) Inclusions.--The Committee shall include--
(A) qualified individuals who are employed by
Federal agencies;
(B) at least 8 qualified individuals who are
employed by a State fish and wildlife agency, each of
whom shall be employed in a different region of the 8
regions of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
(C) qualified individuals employed by other State
agencies and tribal entities; and
(D) qualified individuals who represent public and
private organizations.
(d) Committee Chair.--The Committee shall be chaired by the
Secretary or a designee of the Secretary.
(e) Staffing and Assistance.--The Secretary shall make available to
the Committee any staff, information, administrative services, or
assistance the Secretary determines is reasonably required to enable
the Committee to carry out its functions.
(f) Renewal.--Notwithstanding the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. App.), the Secretary may renew the Committee beyond the date it
would otherwise terminate under that Act.
SEC. 7. RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS.
The Secretary, in consultation with the Committee as appropriate,
may convene rapid response teams to address any particular wildlife
disease emergency.
SEC. 8. ADMINISTRATION.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to--
(1) limit the Secretary's authority to respond to wildlife
disease events that are not declared wildlife disease
emergencies under this Act;
(2) affect the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility
of the States to manage, control, or regulate fish and resident
wildlife under any State laws and regulations;
(3) grant authority to any public agency to acquire private
property or conservation easements or otherwise infringe any
use of private property; or
(4) limit, repeal, supersede, or modify any provision of
Federal, State, local, or tribal laws and regulations.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit.
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