16 U.S.C. § 667h: Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force

The term “cervid” means any species within the family Cervidae. is a transmissible disease of the nervous system resulting in distinctive lesions in the brain; and belongs to the group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which group includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The term “Secretaries” means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey and the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, acting jointly. The Secretaries shall establish within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service a task force, to be known as the “Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force” (referred to in this subsection as the “Task Force”). collaborate with foreign governments to share research, coordinate efforts, and discuss best management practices to reduce, minimize, prevent, or eliminate chronic wasting disease in the United States; the interstate coordination of practices to prevent the new introduction of chronic wasting disease; the prioritization and coordination of the future study of chronic wasting disease, based on evolving research needs; ways to leverage the collective resources of Federal, State, and local agencies, Indian Tribes, and foreign governments, and resources from private, nongovernmental entities, to address chronic wasting disease in the United States and along the borders of the United States; and any other area where containment or management efforts relating to chronic wasting disease may differ across jurisdictions; and develop, from the recommendations developed under subparagraph (B), an action plan that gives States, the Federal Government, Indian Tribes, and the farmed cervid industry specific recommendations to ensure consistent and coordinated management and focused, prioritized research to stop the spread of and mitigate the impacts of chronic wasting disease. 1 representative of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service with experience in chronic wasting disease, to be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this subsection as the “Secretary”); 1 representative of the United States Geological Survey; 1 of whom shall have expertise in cervid health research; and 1 of whom shall have expertise in wildlife management; not more than 1 of whom shall be a representative of the State agency with jurisdiction over wildlife management or wildlife disease in the State; and in the case of a State with a farmed cervid program or economy, not more than 1 of whom shall be a representative of the State agency with jurisdiction over farmed cervid regulation in the State; in the case of each State in which chronic wasting disease among elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, or moose has not been documented, but that has carried out measures to prevent the introduction of chronic wasting disease among those species, not more than 2 representatives, to be nominated by the Governor of the State; not more than 2 representatives from an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization chosen in a process determined, in consultation with Indian Tribes, by the Secretary; and not more than 5 nongovernmental members with relevant expertise appointed, after the date on which the members are first appointed under clauses (i) through (vi), by a majority vote of the State representatives appointed under clause (iv). Nothing in this paragraph requires a State to participate in the Task Force. the Federal representative described in paragraph (3)(A)(i); 1 of the Federal representatives described in paragraph (3)(A)(iii); and 1 State representative appointed under paragraph (3)(A)(iv), to be selected by a majority vote of those State representatives. The members of the Task Force shall be appointed not later than 90 days after December 23, 2024 . The efforts of the Task Force shall not be contingent on the completion of the study required by subsection (c). On appointment of the members of the Task Force, the Co-Chairs of the Task Force shall notify the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Committees on Environment and Public Works and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and Natural Resources and Agriculture of the House of Representatives. shall not affect the power or duty of the Task Force; and shall be filled not later than 30 days after the date of the vacancy. not less frequently than twice each year; and at such time and place, and by such means, as the Co-Chairs of the Task Force determine to be appropriate, which may include the use of remote conference technology. Not later than 1 year after the date on which the members of the Task Force are appointed, the Task Force shall submit to the Secretaries, and the heads of the State agencies with jurisdiction over wildlife disease and farmed cervid regulation of each State with a representative on the Task Force, the interstate action plan developed by the Task Force under paragraph (2)(C). To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretaries, any other applicable Federal agency, and each applicable State may enter into a cooperative agreement to fund necessary actions under the interstate action plan submitted under subparagraph (A). The Secretaries shall make the best effort of the Secretaries to enter into any cooperative agreement under clause (i) not later than 180 days after the date of submission of the interstate action plan under subparagraph (A). Subject to clause (ii), for each fiscal year, the Secretaries may provide funds to carry out an interstate action plan through a cooperative agreement under subparagraph (B) in the amount of funds provided by the applicable States. The amount provided by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service under clause (i) for a fiscal year shall be not greater than $5,000,000. progress on the implementation of actions identified in the interstate action plan submitted under paragraph (8)(A), including the efficacy of funding under the cooperative agreement entered into under paragraph (8)(B); updated resource requirements that are needed to reduce and eliminate chronic wasting disease in the United States; any relevant updates to the recommended best management practices included in the interstate action plan submitted under paragraph (8)(B) to reduce or eliminate chronic wasting disease; new research findings and emerging research needs relating to chronic wasting disease; and any other relevant information. In this subsection, the term “Academy” means the National Academy of Sciences. The Secretaries shall enter into an arrangement with the Academy under which the Academy shall conduct, and submit to the Secretaries a report 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. The arrangement under subparagraph (A) shall provide that the actual expenses incurred by the Academy in conducting the study under subparagraph (A) shall be paid by the Secretaries, subject to the availability of appropriations. to the extent possible, the pathways and mechanisms for the transmission of chronic wasting disease within live cervid populations and cervid products, which may include pathways and mechanisms for transmission from Canada; the infection rates for each pathway and mechanism identified under subclause (I); and the relative frequency of transmission of each pathway and mechanism identified under subclause (I); anthropogenic and environmental factors contributing to new chronic wasting disease emergence events; the development of geographical areas with increased chronic wasting disease prevalence; and the overall geographical patterns of chronic wasting disease distribution; significant gaps in current scientific knowledge regarding the transmission pathways and mechanisms identified under clause (i)(I) and potential prevention, detection, and control methods identified under clause (v); for prioritization the scientific research projects that will address the knowledge gaps identified under clause (iii), based on the likelihood that a project will contribute significantly to the prevention or control of chronic wasting disease; and potential prevention, detection, or control measures, practices, or technologies to be used to mitigate the transmission and spread of chronic wasting disease in wild, captive, and farmed populations of cervids in the United States; assess the effectiveness of the potential prevention, detection, or control measures, practices, or technologies identified under subparagraph (A)(v); and the National Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the National Wildlife Research Center of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the United States Geological Survey; State wildlife and agricultural agencies, in the case of practices, standards, and guidance that 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; and industry or academia, in the case of any published guidance on practices that provide practical, science-based recommendations to cervid producers for minimizing or eliminating the risk of transmission of chronic wasting disease within or between herds. The study under paragraph (2) shall be completed not later than 180 days after the date on which funds are first made available for the study. the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and the United States Geological Survey. the findings of the study; and any conclusions and recommendations that the Secretaries determine to be appropriate. for the period of fiscal years 2021 through 2030, $5,000,000 to the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to carry out administrative activities under subsection (b); for fiscal year 2021, $1,200,000 to the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey, to carry out activities to fund research under subsection (c); and for fiscal year 2021, $1,200,000 to the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to carry out activities to fund research under subsection (c).