[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4219 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4219
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the National
Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program.
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 Wildlife Refuge System
Invasive Species Strike Team Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INVASIVE SPECIES STRIKE TEAM
PROGRAM.
(a) National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team
Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a program to
identify and respond to priority invasive species threats
within or adjacent to National Wildlife Refuge System lands and
waters in coordination with partners, to be known as the
``National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team
Program''.
(2) Requirements.--In carrying out the Program, the
Secretary shall--
(A) establish at least 1 invasive species strike
team within each region of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service trained in early detection and rapid
response for multiple invasive species taxa to--
(i) conserve, manage, and, where
appropriate, restore, habitat conditions that
help native biological communities flourish
within or adjacent to National Wildlife Refuge
System lands and waters;
(ii) conduct appropriate prevention, early
detection, rapid response, and management of
invasive species;
(iii) use integrated pest management
techniques and tools;
(iv) conduct inreach and outreach,
including trainings and table-top exercises,
including on the use of the Incident Command
System, as part of their planning and
operations; and
(v) use risk assessments, research,
innovations, management outcomes, monitoring,
and evaluation to improve the effectiveness of
detection and response activities;
(B) engage in partnerships and collaborations
with--
(i) Federal, State, Tribal, and local
governments;
(ii) nongovernmental institutions;
(iii) nonprofit organizations; and
(iv) private individuals and entities to
advance mutual priorities and promote
efficiency and cost-savings;
(C) collaborate in the development of a set of
consistent taxonomy standards and work with others to
implement such standards among each database of the
Department of the Interior;
(D) utilize national and regional standardized
reporting platforms, such as--
(i) the National Agricultural Pest
Information System;
(ii) the National Data Repository of the
National Plant Diagnostic Network;
(iii) the Early Detection and Distribution
Mapping System;
(iv) the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species
Database of the United States Geological
Survey;
(v) iMapInvasives; and
(vi) State databases; and
(E) ensure that both identification of and response
to priority invasive species threats on lands and
waters adjacent to the National Wildlife Refuge System
are carried out only at the request of the owner of
such lands or waters.
(3) Provision of assistance.--In carrying out the Program,
the Secretary may--
(A) conduct outreach as appropriate to Federal,
State, local, and Tribal governments and institutions,
as well as private individuals and organizations, to
address the management of invasive species within or
adjacent to National Wildlife Refuge System lands and
waters, including providing or entering into, upon
request--
(i) financial assistance, including direct
expenditures;
(ii) technical assistance;
(iii) contracts; or
(iv) grants or cooperative agreements; and
(B) upon the request of an entity described in
subparagraph (A) and as appropriate, enter into an
agreement to provide the expertise and use of an
Invasive Species Strike Team established under
paragraph (2) to respond to existing or newly detected
invasive species.
(4) Coordination of management actions.--The Secretary
shall encourage the National Wildlife Refuge System to
coordinate the invasive species management actions of each
Invasive Species Strike Team with adjacent landowners and the
State or Tribal agencies within the State or Tribal lands on
which Invasive Species Strike Team activities may occur.
(5) Report.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on
Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and make
available to the public on the website of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, a report regarding
the Program 2 years after the date of the enactment of
this section and 5 years after the date of the
enactment of this section.
(B) Contents of report.--Each report submitted
under subparagraph (A) shall include--
(i) a summary of the work of each Invasive
Species Strike Team to address priority
invasive species within the National Wildlife
Refuge System; and
(ii) progress made by the Program toward
the prevention, detection, control, or
eradication of each priority invasive species.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $10,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2027 through 2033.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Early detection.--The term ``early detection'' means a
process of surveying for, reporting, and verifying the presence
of an invasive species before the founding population of such
invasive species becomes established or spreads so widely that
eradication is no longer feasible.
(2) Eradication.--The term ``eradication'' means the
removal or destruction of an entire population of specific
invasive species, or removal of a group of invasive species at
a pre-defined geographic scale, confirmed through species-
specific post-treatment monitoring with no or little chance of
reinvasion.
(3) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive species'' means,
with respect to a given ecosystem, a non-native organism the
introduction of which causes or is likely to cause--
(A) economic or environmental harm; or
(B) harm to human, animal, or plant health.
(4) Prevention.--The term ``prevention'' means actions,
such as outreach, education, or inspection stations, associated
with stopping invasive species from being introduced or
spreading into a new location or ecosystem through various
pathways.
(5) Priority invasive species.--The term ``priority
invasive species'' means an invasive species that is a major
concern and necessary to map, monitor, and manage based on the
following factors:
(A) Potential impact on other native species.
(B) Ability to alter habitats.
(C) Ability to harm human health.
(D) Severity of economic impact.
(6) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National
Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program
authorized under subsection (a)(1).
(7) Rapid response.--The term ``rapid response'' means a
process that is employed to eradicate or contain the founding
or incipient population of an invasive species from a specific
location.
(8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service.
(9) State.--The term ``State'' means--
(A) each of the several States;
(B) the District of Columbia; and
(C) each territory and possession of the United
States.
Passed the House of Representatives September 14, 2026.
Attest:
Clerk.
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4219
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the National
Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Program.