National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Act of 2019

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Act of 2019

This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to act through the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to provide integrated research, development, and response capabilities to defend U.S. agriculture and food against bio- and agro-terrorism threats.

Specifically, the bill requires USDA to use the facility to implement research and development objectives to (1) develop veterinary countermeasures for emerging foreign animal diseases and animal transboundary diseases; (2) provide advanced test, diagnostic, and evaluation capability for threat detection, vulnerability assessment, and veterinary countermeasure assessment for animal and zoonotic diseases; and (3) assist with the development, and address vulnerability assessments, of the agriculture and food sectors.

USDA must also evaluate the work of the facility and publish an unclassified strategic research plan for the facility based on risk and threat assessment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2695 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2695

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for the defense of 
 United States agriculture and food through the National Bio and Agro-
               Defense Facility, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 24, 2019

  Mr. Roberts (for himself and Ms. Stabenow) introduced the following 
      bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for the defense of 
 United States agriculture and food through the National Bio and Agro-
               Defense Facility, 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 ``National Bio and Agro-Defense 
Facility Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Animal.--The term ``animal'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 10403 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 
        U.S.C. 8302).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (3) Transboundary disease.--The term ``transboundary 
        disease'' has the meaning given the term in section 12203(a) of 
        the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 8914(a)).
            (4) Veterinary countermeasure.--The term ``veterinary 
        countermeasure'' has the meaning given the term in section 
        10403 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8302).

SEC. 3. NATIONAL BIO AND AGRO-DEFENSE FACILITY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out the relevant 
responsibilities of the Secretary under Homeland Security Presidential 
Directive 9 (relating to the defense of United States agriculture and 
food) and the national biodefense strategy developed under section 1086 
of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (6 
U.S.C. 104) by acting, as appropriate, through the National Bio and 
Agro-Defense Facility as a national security laboratory asset of the 
national biodefense enterprise to provide integrated research, 
development, and test and evaluation infrastructure for defending 
against bio- and agro-terrorism threats.
    (b) Duties.--Pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall use 
the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility--
            (1) to integrate agricultural, zoonotic disease, and public 
        health research;
            (2) to address threats from human pathogens, high-
        consequence zoonotic disease agents, emerging foreign animal 
        diseases, and animal transboundary diseases;
            (3) to address biological incidence threats;
            (4) to provide training; and
            (5) to coordinate, partner, and share data and information 
        with the Secretary of Homeland Security, including the support 
        of the production of biological material threat assessments.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    Pursuant to section 3, the Secretary shall carry out research and 
development objectives--
            (1) to develop veterinary countermeasures for emerging 
        foreign animal diseases and animal transboundary diseases;
            (2) to provide advance test, diagnostic, and evaluation 
        capability for threat detection, vulnerability assessment, and 
        veterinary countermeasure assessment for animal and zoonotic 
        diseases; and
            (3) for such other purposes as the Secretary determines to 
        be appropriate.

SEC. 5. EVALUATION.

    Pursuant to section 4, not less frequently than biennially, the 
Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and 
the heads of other relevant agencies, shall evaluate and update the 
strategic research plan for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility 
based on risk and threat assessments.

SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF DATA.

    (a) Congressional Report.--Every 6 months until the date described 
in subsection (b), the Secretary and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, as appropriate, shall submit to the Committees on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture 
and Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report 
describing--
            (1) progress under each phase described in the memorandum 
        of agreement entitled ``Memorandum of Agreement Between the 
        U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing and Regulatory 
        Programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research, 
        Education, and Economics, and the Department of Homeland 
        Security Science and Technology Directorate'' and dated June 
        20, 2019, that is not completed as of the date of enactment of 
        this Act; and
            (2) the operations and mission, including coordination, 
        under any successor memorandum of agreement, or similar joint 
        agreement or understanding, between the Department of 
        Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security, or other 
        relevant agencies, that documents the biodefense mission of the 
        National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.
    (b) Termination.--The reporting requirement under subsection (a) 
shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date on which the 
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility attains full operating 
capability.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the date of 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. EFFECT.

    (a) In General.--Nothing in this Act requires the Secretary to have 
administrative jurisdiction over the National Bio and Agro-Defense 
Facility.
    (b) Transfer of Jurisdiction.--If administrative jurisdiction over 
the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is transferred from the 
Secretary to another Federal agency, any reference in this Act (other 
than section 6) to the Secretary shall be deemed to be a reference to 
the head of that Federal agency.

SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    Except for section 6, this Act shall take effect on the date on 
which all phases in the memorandum of agreement described in section 
6(a)(1) are completed.
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