Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission in Cervidae Study Act
This bill requires the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to contract the National Academy of Sciences to study the predominant pathways and mechanisms of the transmission of chronic wasting disease in wild, captive, and farmed populations of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose populations in the United States.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 837 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 837
To authorize a special resource study on the spread vectors of chronic
wasting disease in Cervidae, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 29, 2019
Mr. Abraham (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Gosar, Mr.
Emmer, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Graves of Louisiana, Mr. Kelly of Mississippi,
Mr. Gianforte, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. King of Iowa, and Mr.
Duffy) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural
Resources, 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 a special resource study on the spread vectors of chronic
wasting disease in Cervidae, 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 Transmission
in Cervidae Study Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Chronic wasting disease continues to spread in wild,
free-ranging cervid herds and in captive cervid herds across
the United States and Canada, and as of December 2018, is in 26
States and three Canadian provinces.
(2) From December 2017 to December 2018 alone, the disease
was detected for the first time in free-ranging cervid herds in
Mississippi, Montana, and Tennessee, and there were new
positive detections of the disease in 13 captive cervid herds
from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin and Quebec, Canada.
(3) Six of such herds are being monitored by the National
Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program of the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and therefore are
considered to be at low-risk for chronic wasting disease.
(4) From June 2017 to September 2018, 10 States, including
Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,
Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, are already
fighting to control the transmission and spread of chronic
wasting disease and found positive detections for the disease
in additional wild, free-ranging cervid herds.
(5) New positive detections in captive cervid herds were
found in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Wisconsin.
(6) There is no known cure for chronic wasting disease, no
reliable live animal test to detect the disease, and only a
post-mortem test that provides some measure of reliable
detection of the disease.
(7) Chronic wasting disease is 100 percent fatal and is
arguably the most important disease threatening North American
cervid resources.
(8) The spread of chronic wasting disease continues to
increasingly and adversely affect the economic well-being of
rural communities, the hunting public, farmed cervid producers,
and State wildlife and agricultural agencies, because the only
known measure for reducing the spread of chronic wasting
disease is the complete depopulation of herds that test
positive for the disease, a drastic measure which comes with
great costs for all.
(9) The long-term environmental persistence of chronic
wasting disease's causative agent means that State wildlife
management agencies, State departments of agriculture, and
private cervid farmers have relatively few options to mitigate
the effects of such disease.
(10) There are ongoing debates about the predominant
transmission pathways that are causing the new detections and
continued spread of chronic wasting disease in cervids across
the United States and Canada.
SEC. 3. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN CERVIDAE RESOURCE
STUDY.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall enter into an
arrangement with the Academy under which the Academy shall
conduct, and submit to the Secretaries a report--
(A) describing the findings of, a special resource
study to identify the predominant pathways and
mechanisms of the transmission of chronic wasting
disease in wild, captive, and farmed populations of
cervids in the United States; and
(B) which may include the potential impacts on the
disease from transmissions from Canada.
(2) Requirements.--The arrangement under paragraph (1)
shall provide that the actual expenses incurred by the Academy
in conducting the study under paragraph (1) shall be paid by
the Secretaries.
(b) Contents of the Study.--Within and between wild, captive, and
farmed cervid populations, the study--
(1) may include, to the extent the United States is
affected on a continental scale, the potential impacts on the
disease from transmissions from Canada; and
(2) shall--
(A) identify--
(i) the pathways and mechanisms for the
transmission of chronic wasting disease in
cervids and cervid products;
(ii) the dosage and infection rates for
each such pathway and mechanism; and
(iii) the relative frequency of each mode
of such transmission;
(B) identify anthropogenic and environmental
factors contributing to new chronic wasting disease
emergence events, the development of geographic areas
with increased chronic wasting disease prevalence, and
overall geographic patterns of chronic wasting disease
distribution;
(C) identify significant gaps in current scientific
knowledge regarding the transmission pathways
identified under subparagraph (A);
(D) identify and prioritize scientific research
projects that will address the knowledge gaps referred
to in subparagraph (C); and
(E) review science-based best practices, standards,
and guidance regarding the management of chronic
wasting disease in wild, captive, and farmed cervid
populations in the United States which have been
developed by--
(i) the National Chronic Wasting Disease
Herd Certification Program of the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service;
(ii) the United States Geological Survey;
and
(iii) State wildlife and agricultural
agencies, which provide practical, science-
based recommendations to State and Federal
agencies for minimizing or eliminating the risk
of transmission of chronic wasting disease in
the United States.
(c) Deadline.--Not later than 6 months after the date on which
funds are first made available for the study under subsection (a), the
Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House
of Representatives, the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the
Senate, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of
the Senate a report that describes--
(1) the findings of the study; and
(2) any conclusions and recommendations that the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
(d) Data Sharing.--The Secretaries shall share with the entity
conducting the study under subsection (a) data and access to databases
on chronic wasting disease under the jurisdiction of--
(1) the Veterinary Services Program of the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service; and
(2) the United States Geological Survey.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Chronic wasting disease.--The term ``chronic wasting
disease'' means the animal disease afflicting deer, elk,
reindeer, 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 group
includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
(2) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through
the Director of the United States Geological Survey.
(3) Academy.--The term ``Academy'' means the National
Academy of Sciences.
(4) Cervid.--The term ``cervid'' means any species within
the family Cervidae.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line