[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2008 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  2d Session
                                S. 2008

 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 20, 2004

Mr. Specter (for himself and Mr. Leahy) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 Farm Animal Identification 
and Records 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:
    ``(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) Participation by states.--The States shall provide 
        information for inclusion in, and shall have access to, the 
        livestock identification system.
            ``(4) 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.
            ``(5) Financial assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
        financial assistance to producers to assist the producers in 
        complying with the livestock identification system.
            ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection for fiscal year 
        2004 $50,000,000, of which $25,000,000 shall be available to 
        carry out paragraph (5).
    ``(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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