[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN COMMERCE AND AGRICULTURAL ACT OF 2013

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                            HON. JANICE HAHN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2013

  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. agricultural sector is a critical 
component of the American economy, generating over $1 trillion in 
annual economic activity. However, this sector remains vulnerable to 
the natural or deliberate introduction of pests and disease. The U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports foreign pests and diseases 
currently cost the American economy tens of billions of dollars 
annually in the form of lower crop values, eradication programs, and 
emergency payments to farmers. Therefore, effective import and entry 
inspections are essential to preventing further economic losses.
  After 9/11, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 transferred federal 
frontline import and entry agriculture inspection responsibilities from 
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within the Department of Homeland 
Security. Intended to enhance coordination at our nation's ports of 
entry by unifying federal customs, immigration, and agriculture 
inspection officers within DHS, this reorganization has actually 
generated several problems relating to the recruitment and retaining of 
agricultural inspection activities, including staffing shortages of CBP 
inspection personnel, coordination challenges between APHIS and CBP, 
and a lack of resources for equipment and supplies.
  Without measures to adequately address these specific shortfalls, CBP 
will be powerless to prevent the increasing economic damage foreign 
pests and diseases are causing to the American economy.
  That is why I am introducing the Safeguarding American Commerce and 
Agriculture Act. This bill will address these issues by establishing an 
Office of Agriculture Inspection within CBP charged with 1) developing 
a comprehensive agriculture specialist career track that ensures 
agriculture specialists are provided the training, experience, and 
assignments necessary for career progression; 2) developing plans to 
ensure agriculture specialists receive the necessary equipment and 
resources to fully and effectively carry out their mission; and 3) 
establishing interagency rotations for CPB and APHIS personnel to 
strengthen critical relationships and promote interagency experience. 
By focusing on effective training and professional development, we can 
recruit and retain agricultural specialists, protect U.S. agriculture 
and commerce, and bolster this very necessary yet vulnerable sector of 
our economy.

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