[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8494-S8495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4806. Ms. SMITH (for herself and Mr. Young) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and 
intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel

[[Page S8495]]

strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

                    TITLE __--EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

     SEC. _01. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Advancing Emergency 
     Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2021''.

     SEC. _02. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The term ``One Health'' reflects the interconnectedness 
     of human health, animal health, and the environment. As 
     technology and population growth facilitates increased 
     interaction of human settlements with wildlife habitats and 
     as international travel and trade increases, the interface 
     between these elements will also continue to rise.
       (2) When zoonotic diseases spill over to humans, there are 
     often enormous health and economic costs. The World Bank 
     estimates that, between 1997 and 2009, the global costs from 
     six zoonotic outbreaks exceeded $80,000,000,000 and the 
     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 
     there are annually 2,500,000,000 cases of zoonotic infections 
     globally, resulting in 2,700,000 deaths.
       (3) There are also immense effects on the agriculture 
     sector. In 2014 and 2015, a high pathogenic avian influenza 
     (HPAI) outbreak in the United States led to the cull of 
     nearly 50,000,000 birds, and imposed up to approximately 
     $3,300,000,000 in losses for poultry and egg farmers, animal 
     feed producers, baked good production, and other related 
     industries.
       (4) Public health preparedness depends on agriculture in a 
     variety of ways. For example, a wide range of vaccines, 
     including those for influenza, yellow fever, rabies, and 
     measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), are primarily cultivated in 
     poultry eggs. Egg shortages resulting from zoonotic disease 
     outbreaks could impose serious risks to vaccine manufacturing 
     efforts.
       (5) It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of 
     potential pathogens likely to be used in bioterrorism or 
     biowarfare are common zoonotic pathogens.
       (6) While existing Federal Government initiatives related 
     to One Health span multiple agencies, including the Centers 
     for Disease Control and Prevention One Health office and the 
     Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
     Services' One Health Coordination Center, additional 
     interagency coordination is necessary to help better prevent, 
     prepare for, and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks.

     SEC. _03. INTERAGENCY ONE HEALTH PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of 
     Agriculture (referred to in this title as the 
     ``Secretaries''), in coordination with the United States 
     Agency for International Development, the Environmental 
     Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the 
     Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and other 
     departments and agencies as appropriate, shall develop, 
     publish, and submit to Congress a national One Health 
     Framework (referred to in this title as the ``framework'') 
     for coordinated Federal Activities under the One Health 
     Program.
       (b) National One Health Framework.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in cooperation with 
     the United States Agency for International Development, the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland 
     Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of 
     Commerce, and other departments and agencies as appropriate, 
     shall develop, publish, and submit to Congress a One Health 
     Framework (referred to in this section as the ``framework'') 
     for coordinated Federal activities under the One Health 
     Program.
       (2) Contents of framework.--The framework described in 
     paragraph (1) shall describe existing efforts and contain 
     recommendations for building upon and complementing the 
     activities of the Department of the Interior, the Centers for 
     Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug 
     Administration, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
     Preparedness and Response, the Department of Agriculture, the 
     United States Agency for International Development, the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of 
     Health, the Department of Homeland Security, and other 
     departments and agencies, as appropriate, and shall--
       (A) assess, identify, and describe, as appropriate, 
     existing activities of Federal agencies and departments under 
     the One Health Program and consider whether all relevant 
     agencies are adequately represented;
       (B) for the 10-year period beginning in the year the 
     framework is submitted, establish specific Federal goals and 
     priorities that most effectively advance--
       (i) scientific understanding of the connections between 
     human, animal, and environmental health;
       (ii) coordination and collaboration between agencies 
     involved in the framework including sharing data and 
     information, engaging in joint fieldwork, and engaging in 
     joint laboratory studies related to One Health;
       (iii) identification of priority zoonotic diseases and 
     priority areas of study;
       (iv) surveillance of priority zoonotic diseases and their 
     transmission between animals and humans;
       (v) prevention of priority zoonotic diseases and their 
     transmission between animals and humans;
       (vi) protocol development to improve joint outbreak 
     response to and recovery from zoonotic disease outbreaks in 
     animals and humans; and
       (vii) workforce development to prevent and respond to 
     zoonotic disease outbreaks in animals and humans;
       (C) describe specific activities required to achieve the 
     goals and priorities described in subparagraph (B), and 
     propose a timeline for achieving these goals;
       (D) identify and expand partnerships, as appropriate, among 
     Federal agencies, States, Indian tribes, academic 
     institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and private 
     entities in order to develop new approaches for reducing 
     hazards to human and animal health and to strengthen 
     understanding of the value of an integrated approach under 
     the One Health Program to addressing public health threats in 
     a manner that prevents duplication;
       (E) identify best practices related to State and local-
     level research coordination, field activities, and disease 
     outbreak preparedness, response, and recovery related to One 
     Health; and
       (F) provide recommendations to Congress regarding 
     additional action or legislation that may be required to 
     assist in establishing the One Health Program.
       (3) Addendum.--Not later than 3 years after the creation of 
     the framework, the Secretaries, in coordination with the 
     agencies described in paragraph (1), shall submit to Congress 
     an addendum to the framework that describes the progress made 
     in advancing the activities described in the framework.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this 
     section, there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
     may be necessary.

     SEC. _04. GAO REPORT.

       Not later than 2 years after the date of the submission of 
     the addendum under section _03(b)(3), the Comptroller General 
     of the United States shall submit to Congress a report that--
       (1) details existing collaborative efforts between the 
     Department of the Interior, the Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the 
     Department of Agriculture, the United States Agency for 
     International Development, the Environmental Protection 
     Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of 
     Homeland Security, and other departments and agencies to 
     prevent and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks in animals 
     and humans; and
       (2) contains an evaluation of the framework and the 
     specific activities requested to achieve the framework.
                                 ______