[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3822 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3822

 To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to direct the Secretary of 
      Agriculture to establish an electronic nationwide livestock 
             identification system, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 24, 2004

 Ms. McCollum introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to direct the Secretary of 
      Agriculture to establish an electronic nationwide livestock 
             identification system, 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 Livestock Identification 
Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONWIDE LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM; REVIEW OF USDA 
              RESPONSES TO OUTBREAKS OF DISEASE IN LIVESTOCK.

    Section 10411 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8310) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:
    ``(f) Nationwide Livestock Identification System.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall establish an 
        electronic nationwide livestock identification system for the 
        identification of individual animals to enhance the speed and 
        accuracy of the response of the Department of Agriculture to 
        outbreaks of disease in livestock.
            ``(2) Capabilities.--The livestock identification system 
        shall be capable of tracing, within 48 hours, an individual 
        animal from birth to slaughter.
            ``(3) Use of existing technology.--The Secretary may use 
        technology developed by private entities before the date of 
        enactment of this subsection to operate the livestock 
        identification system.
            ``(4) Financial assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
        financial assistance to producers to assist the producers in 
        complying with the livestock identification system.
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal year 2005 to 
        carry out this subsection $50,000,000, of which $25,000,000 
        shall be available to carry out paragraph (4).
    ``(g) Review of Responses to Outbreaks of Disease.--The Secretary 
may appoint an international panel of scientific experts to provide an 
objective review of a response by the Department of Agriculture to an 
outbreak of disease in livestock and identify areas for improvements in 
such responses.''.
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