[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3198 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3198
To respond to the vulnerability of the United States agricultural
production and food supply system to international terrorism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 31, 2001
Mr. Putnam of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To respond to the vulnerability of the United States agricultural
production and food supply system to international terrorism.
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 ``Agricultural Terrorism Prevention
and Response Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. ENHANCED SECURITY FOR UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND
FOOD SUPPLY SYSTEM.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The agricultural production sector of the United States
economy accounts for approximately 13 percent of the United
States gross national product.
(2) The strength, importance, and value of the United
States agricultural production and food supply system increases
the possibility that the system could become a target for
international terrorism, particularly a terrorism incident
specifically targeted to key animal or plant commodities used
in the production of food.
(3) Targeted terrorism activities could include the
deliberate introduction of chemical or biological agents that
would be harmful or infectious to crops or livestock and could
disrupt the processing and distribution of food products.
(4) A successful terrorist attack against the United States
agricultural sector involving the release of a contagious agent
against crops or livestock could damage public confidence in
the safety of the United States food supply.
(5) The United States agricultural sector is particularly
susceptible to a foreign crop or livestock disease, against
which domestic animals and plants do not have a natural
resistance. With crops and animals concentrated in fewer
production facilities, and with the frequent transport among
these facilities, a single pathogen introduction could cause
widespread infection.
(6) Terrorism threats to the agricultural production and
food supply system need to receive the same level of priority
as other terrorism threats, and should be treated in a highly
coordinated and integrated manner.
(7) An awareness of the terrorism threat against the United
States agricultural sector has increased within the
intelligence and counterterrorism agencies of the Federal
Government, and efforts must be undertaken to position the
agricultural sector to anticipate and defend against such a
threat.
(8) The internal and external agency structures of the
Department of Agriculture must be strengthened to enable to the
United States agricultural sector to fully realize its
strengths and vulnerabilities in the face of international
terrorism.
(9) The Department of Agriculture is a critical component
of the collaborative infrastructure needed to deal with
terrorism threats to the United States agricultural production
and food supply system.
(b) Interagency Agricultural Terrorism Committee.--(1) The
President shall establish an Interagency Agricultural Terrorism
Committee to coordinate the counterterrorism effort for the protection
of the United States agricultural production and food supply system.
Greater coordination between Federal and State government agencies is
necessary to effectively address potential terrorism threats against
the system. Primary agencies of concern include--
(A) The Department of Agriculture, in particular the Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of
Agriculture.
(B) The United States Customs Service.
(C) The Food and Drug Administration.
(D) State departments of agriculture.
(2) The responsibilities of the Interagency Agricultural Terrorism
Committee shall include--
(A) preparing a plan defining the role of each agency in
safeguarding agricultural production, processing and marketing
systems;
(B) improving domestic crisis planning and management
criteria;
(C) safeguarding critical infrastructures in agricultural
production and food supply system; and
(D) supporting research efforts to enhance counterterrorism
capabilities related to the agricultural production and food
supply system.
(c) Department of Agriculture Cooperation With Other Agencies.--The
Secretary of Agriculture shall continue and strengthen cooperation with
the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, and other
departments and agencies with responsibilities under Presidential
Decision Directive 62 concerning the role of the Department of
Agriculture in counterterrorism programs of the Federal Government. The
Secretary of Agriculture shall engage in active partnership with the
Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Group of the National Security
Council focusing on the role of the Department of Agriculture regarding
food and agricultural protection issues.
(d) Department of Agriculture Counterterrorism Policy Council.--The
Department of Agriculture Counterterrorism Policy Council, established
in 1999 and chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, shall
continue to serve as the Department of Agriculture's senior policy
forum for coordinating and leveraging departmental-wide support
regarding terrorism issues. The Secretary of Agriculture shall appoint
an agricultural liaison on terrorism to report to the Homeland Security
Office and serve as a liaison on all agricultural matters involving
security and agricultural terrorism threats.
(e) Agricultural Industry Involvement.--The Secretary of
Agriculture shall establish an Industry Working Group on Agricultural
Terrorism comprised of agricultural producer, processing, distribution,
and retail organizations to serve in a consultative manner with the
Department of Agriculture to develop measures to counteract terrorist
threats against the agricultural production and food supply system. The
Secretary shall also establish training and information programs for
agricultural producers to counter the threat of pests and disease at
the farm level and to convey counterterrorism information to
agricultural producers.
(f) Increased Surveillance, Detection and Interdiction.--Greater
financial and staff resources should be dedicated at the State and
Federal Government levels for the detection and interdiction of
agricultural terrorism threats. Critical among these priorities are
increasing the number of inspectors and detection devices at ports of
entry for the interception of prohibited and damaging agricultural
products or agriculturally related products.
(g) Diagnostic Facilities.--To improve the capability of Federal
diagnostic facilities to accurately and efficiently identify diseases
and substances that are hazardous to plants and animals used in food
production, the Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a Biosafety
Level 4 facility within the Department of Agriculture at the Plum
Island Diagnostic Laboratory, to create the diagnostic tests and
vaccines needed to protect the United States swine industry from acts
of biological terrorism and disease, such as the Nipah virus. The
Biosafety Level 4 facility shall be designed to prevent contact between
microorganisms and personnel as well as escape into the environment. A
database shall be established to link animal and human disease
information systems.
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