[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2168 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2168

To support research efforts to understand and control diseases of wheat 
and barley caused by Fusarium graminearum and related fungi in order to 
  ensure sustainable production of wheat and barley in north-central 
  United States and the safety of food products containing wheat and 
                                barley.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 15, 1997

   Ms. Stabenow (for herself, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Barcia, Mr. Barrett of 
  Nebraska, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Dooley of California, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. 
 Hinchey, Mr. Hulshof, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. LaFalce, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, 
Mr. Minge, Mr. Ney, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Oxley, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, 
 Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Regula, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Tiahrt, and 
Mr. Traficant) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To support research efforts to understand and control diseases of wheat 
and barley caused by Fusarium graminearum and related fungi in order to 
  ensure sustainable production of wheat and barley in north-central 
  United States and the safety of food products containing wheat and 
                                barley.

    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 ``Wheat and Barley Protection Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH REGARDING DISEASES OF WHEAT AND BARLEY 
              CAUSED BY FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM.

    (a) Research Grant Authorized.--The Secretary of Agriculture may 
make a grant to a consortium of land-grant colleges and universities to 
enhance the ability of the consortium to carry out a multi-State 
research project aimed at understanding and combating diseases of wheat 
and barley caused by Fusarium graminearum and related fungi (in this 
section referred to as ``wheat scab'').
    (b) Research Components.--Funds provided under this section shall 
be available for the following collaborative, multi-State research 
activities:
            (1) Identification and understanding of the epidemiology of 
        wheat scab and the toxicological properties of vomitoxin, an 
        toxic metabolite commonly occurring in wheat and barley 
        infected with wheat scab.
            (2) Development of crop management strategies to reduce the 
        risk of wheat scab occurrence.
            (3) Development of efficient and accurate methods to 
        monitor wheat and barley for the presence of wheat scab and 
        resulting vomitoxin contamination, post-harvest management 
        techniques for wheat and barley infected with wheat scab, and 
        milling and food processing techniques to render contaminated 
        grain safe.
            (4) Strengthening and expansion of plant-breeding 
        activities to enhance the resistance of wheat and barley to 
        wheat scab, including the establishment of a regional advanced 
        breeding material evaluation nursery and a germplasm 
        introduction and evaluation system.
            (5) Development and deployment of alternative fungicide 
        application systems and formulations to control wheat scab and 
        consideration of other chemical control strategies to assist 
        farmers until new more resistant wheat and barley varieties are 
        available.
    (c) Communications Networks.--Funds provided under this section 
shall be available for efforts to concentrate, integrate, and 
disseminate research, extension, and outreach-orientated information 
regarding wheat scab.
    (d) Management.--To oversee the use of a grant made under this 
section, the Secretary shall establish a committee composed of the 
directors of the agricultural experiment stations in the States in 
which land-grant colleges and universities that are members of the 
consortium are located.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for each of the fiscal years 1998 through 
2002, $5,200,000 to make grants under this section.
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