[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1563 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1563

To establish a coordinated program of science-based countermeasures to 
           address the threats of agricultural bioterrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 17, 2001

Mrs. Hutchison (for herself, Mr. Miller, and Mrs. Feinstein) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a coordinated program of science-based countermeasures to 
           address the threats of agricultural bioterrorism.

    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 Bioterrorism 
Countermeasures Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the events of September 11, 2001, have heightened 
        awareness of the threat of acts of bioterrorism, including 
        attacks directed at the domestic food supply and underlying 
        agriculture;
            (2) evidence of access to and rudimentary experiments with 
        chemical and biological agents and the reported interest in the 
        operation of cropdusting aircraft point to possible terrorist 
        intent to use biological or chemical weapons;
            (3) an attack of agricultural bioterrorism would pose 
        serious challenges such as--
                    (A) hazards to human health;
                    (B) erosion of public confidence in the safety of 
                the domestic food supply; and
                    (C) damage to the economy;
            (4) it is important to develop short- and long-term 
        strategies and supporting technology to more effectively and 
        efficiently protect the domestic food supply from acts of 
        bioterrorism;
            (5) a program of ongoing research and development is 
        required to reduce the vulnerability of plant and animal 
        agriculture and the food supply; and
            (6) it is critical to bring Federal, academic, and private 
        sector capacities to bear on the threat of agricultural 
        bioterrorism.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to strengthen the research and development capacity of 
        the United States to respond to the threat of agricultural 
        bioterrorism;
            (2) to promote the collaboration between the Federal, 
        academic, and private sectors in addressing agricultural 
        bioterrorism; and
            (3) to strengthen the capacity of regulatory agencies to 
        prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the consequences of a 
        bioterrorist attack.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.

    In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
Agriculture.

SEC. 4. INTRAMURAL AGRICULTURAL BIOTERRORISM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall expand Agricultural Research 
Service programs to protect the domestic food supply by--
            (1) enhancing the capability to respond immediately to the 
        needs of regulatory agencies involved in protecting the food 
        supply;
            (2) cooperating with academic and private sector partners 
        to maximize the impact of research and development;
            (3) strengthening linkages with the intelligence community 
        to better identify research needs and evaluate acquired 
        materials;
            (4) expanding the involvement of the Agricultural Research 
        Service with international organizations dealing with plant and 
        animal disease control; and
            (5) taking other appropriate measures.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $140,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2003 through 2007.

SEC. 5. CONSORTIUM FOR COUNTERMEASURES AGAINST AGRICULTURAL 
              BIOTERRORISM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a Consortium for 
Countermeasures Against Agricultural Bioterrorism to help form stable 
long-term programs of research, development, and evaluation of options 
to enhance the biosecurity of United States agriculture.
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Consortium shall be comprised of 
        institutions of higher education positioned to partner with 
        Federal agencies to address agricultural bioterrorism.
            (2) Designation.--The Secretary shall designate for 
        membership in the Consortium--
                    (A) 3 institutions of higher education that are 
                national centers for countermeasures against 
                agricultural bioterrorism; and
                    (B) not more than 7 additional institutions of 
                higher education with existing programs relating to 
                agricultural bioterrorism.
            (3) National centers.--The national centers shall be 
        selected using the following criteria:
                    (A) Co-location of Department of Agriculture 
                laboratories or training centers on member campuses.
                    (B) Demonstrated expertise in the area of plant and 
                animal diseases.
                    (C) Strong linkages with animal and plant 
                diagnostic laboratories.
                    (D) Close coordination with State cooperative 
                extension programs that work in cooperation with 
                industry, farm and commodity organizations, and 
                regulatory agencies.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2003 through 2007.

SEC. 6. AGRICULTURAL BIOTERRORISM COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall enhance the National Research 
Initiative of the Competitive Grants Program of the Cooperative State 
Research, Education, and Extension Service by awarding grants focused 
on the science and technology needed to protect against and deal with 
acts of bioterrorism directed at the domestic food supply and 
agriculture.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2003 through 2007.

SEC. 7. EXPANSION OF ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE 
              ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall enhance and expand the 
capacity of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service by--
            (1) increasing inspection capacity at international points 
        of origin;
            (2) improving surveillance at ports of entry and customs;
            (3) enhancing methods of protecting against introduction of 
        plant and animal disease organisms by terrorists;
            (4) adopting new strategies and technology for dealing with 
        outbreaks of plant and animal disease arising from acts of 
        terrorism or from unintentional introduction, including--
                    (A) establishing cooperative agreements among 
                Veterinary Services of the Animal and Plant Health 
                Inspection Service, State animal health commissions and 
                regulatory agencies for livestock and poultry health, 
                and private veterinary practitioners to enhance the 
                preparedness and ability of Veterinary Services and the 
                commissions and agencies to respond to outbreaks of 
                such animal diseases; and
                    (B) strengthen the planning and coordination with 
                State and local agencies, including--
                            (i) State animal health commissions and 
                        regulatory agencies for livestock and poultry 
                        health; and
                            (ii) State agriculture departments; and
            (5) strengthening the planning and coordination with 
        relevant State and local agencies, including--
                    (A) State animal health commissions and regulatory 
                agencies for livestock and poultry health; and
                    (B) State agriculture departments; and
            (6) taking other appropriate measures.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $140,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2003 through 2007.

SEC. 8. EXPANSION OF FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION SERVICE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall enhance and expand the 
capacity of the Food Safety Inspection Service by--
            (1) enhancing the ability to inspect and ensure the safety 
        and wholesomeness of meat and poultry products;
            (2) developing new methods for rapid detection and 
        identification of diseases and other hazardous agents;
            (3) applying new technologies to improve ante mortem and 
        post mortem inspection procedures;
            (4) improving the capacity to inspect international meat 
        and poultry products at points of origin and at ports of entry; 
        and
            (5) strengthening collaboration among agencies within the 
        Department of Agriculture and in other parts of Federal and 
        State government through the sharing of information and 
        technology.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $140,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2003 through 2007.
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