REXANO OPPOSES  HR 1405 IH

THOMAS The Library of Congress
 

Wildlife GAINS Act (Introduced in House)
HR 1405 IH
110th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1405
To establish a wildlife global animal information network for surveillance internationally to combat the growing threat of emerging diseases that involve wild animals, such as bird flu, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 8, 2007
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. MCHUGH, and Mr. HASTINGS of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL
To establish a wildlife global animal information network for surveillance internationally to combat the growing threat of emerging diseases that involve wild animals, such as bird flu, 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 `Wildlife Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance Act' or `Wildlife GAINS Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--

(1) the ongoing panzootic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 in Asia and Eurasia is a threat to global human health and the global poultry industry;

(2) the HPAI virus is capable of causing massive avian die-offs, and response can easily involve the culling of tens of millions of domestic poultry or domestic waterfowl, resulting in significant economic losses;

(3) the fatality rate due to infection in humans may be 30 to 50 percent or more;

(4) it has long been known that wild birds are a reservoir host for avian influenza viruses worldwide;

(5) the 1918 pandemic, the most lethal of the three pandemics that killed over 40,000,000 people worldwide, was caused by an influenza virus that initially jumped directly from birds to humans and subsequently evolved an ability to transmit from human-to-human;

(6) this precedent for an avian influenza virus to transmit directly from birds to humans, then spread among humans, significantly raises the concern about the current H5N1 influenza strain;

(7) increased surveillance, including on migratory birds, is critical to controlling avian influenza and preparing for other potential emerging infectious diseases;

(8) the capacity to proactively detect the threats could result in significantly improved disease prediction and prevention capabilities;

(9) international wildlife health surveillance does not clearly fall under the jurisdiction of any Federal or international agency;

(10) there is a continued inability to share real-time data across the human, agricultural, wildlife, and veterinary agencies on zoonotic threats;

(11) while surveillance at domestic poultry and domestic waterfowl production facilities and farms is an immediate and on-going monitoring need and is being supported through relevant agencies, surveillance in wild bird populations that may have been exposed to the virus is a critical component to determine the spread of the virus, implement control measures, and protect human, livestock, and wildlife health;

(12) monitoring and surveillance of wild migratory and resident water birds are critically important to identifying all strains of influenza viruses in wild birds as a library of possible genotypes, determining their role in the spread of the virus, and anticipating where outbreaks may occur to enhance preparedness;

(13) improving surveillance of wildlife health around the world would close significant jurisdictional and scientific gaps in current emerging infectious disease preparedness;

(14) other emerging diseases beyond bird flu merit similar attention, in terms of the potential threats to global public health as well as agribiosecurity and biodiversity;

(15) the majority of emerging infectious diseases identified in the past several decades have moved from wildlife to humans, largely due to human incursions into or alterations of wildlife habitats and hunting, consumption, and trade of wildlife species;

(16) the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus moved from chimpanzees to humans via these mechanisms;

(17) many factors contribute to disease emergence and spread from wildlife to domestic animals and humans, including environmental degradation and the handling, consumption, and trade of wildlife and wildlife-derived products;

(18) from avian influenza to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), from bovine tuberculosis to the Ebola virus, and from HIV/AIDS to monkey pox, a long list of zoonotic diseases negatively impacts people's lives and livelihoods and costs the global economy billions of dollars; and

(19) the Government of the United States lacks a comprehensive program to monitor wildlife health around the world, a program that could proactively inform preparedness not just in the case of a potential H5N1 influenza strain pandemic, but also for a broader array of emerging infectious disease threats that often arise at the interface between wildlife, humans, and their domestic animals.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this Act is to establish a Wildlife Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance--

(1) to more rapidly and efficiently detect, verify, and report on the presence of infectious diseases, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, in birds and other wildlife around the world;

(2) to use information on pathogens found during surveillance of wildlife to better delineate potential threats to domestic animals, humans, as well as wildlife itself;

(3) to use information on when and where HPAI and other pathogens of concern are identified in wildlife--

(A) to better guide preparedness in the United States and around the world; and

(B) to carry out a strategic wildlife health surveillance initiative that will provide regions, countries, and specific locations with early warning information that will help target resources toward enhancement of agribiosecurity, surveillance, public health vigilance, and related areas;

(4) to create an open access database within which information on HPAI and other pathogens of interest identified in wild birds and other wildlife can be shared as close to real time as possible;

(5) to protect the health and safety of United States citizens and officials traveling or living abroad; and

(6) to protect the economic interests of the United States and its partners from threats to health, agriculture, and natural resources, including wildlife itself.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) ADMINISTRATOR- The term `Administrator' means the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, acting in partnership with an eligible organization.

(2) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION- The term `eligible organization' means a nongovernmental wildlife conservation organization chartered in the United States with--

(A) extensive global wildlife health experience in tracking disease in wild birds and other wildlife, including free-ranging, captive, and wild bird species;

(B) proven ability in identifying avian influenza, Ebola virus, and other pathogens in wild birds or other wildlife;

(C) experience managing and implementing similar wildlife surveillance activities under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development; and

(D) accredited zoological facilities in the United States.

(3) HPAI- The term `HPAI' means highly pathogenic avian influenza.

(4) WILDLIFE GAINS- The term `Wildlife GAINS' means the Wildlife Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance established under section 5(a).

(5) WILDLIFE GAINS PARTNERS- The term `Wildlife GAINS partners' means the partners of the Wildlife GAINS described in section 5(b).

SEC. 5. WILDLIFE GLOBAL ANIMAL INFORMATION NETWORK FOR SURVEILLANCE.

(a) Establishment- Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall offer to enter into a contract with 1 or more eligible organizations to establish a Wildlife Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance.

(b) Partners- In administering the Wildlife GAINS, the Administrator and the eligible organization shall collaborate with appropriate--

(1) Federal and State agency partners, including--

(A) the Department of Agriculture, acting through--

(i) the Agricultural Research Service; and

(ii) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service;

(B) the Department of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

(C) the Department of Homeland Security;

(D) the Department of Defense;

(E) the Department of the Interior, acting through--

(i) the United States Geological Survey; and

(ii) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and

(F) various State wildlife agencies in the United States;

(2) multilateral agency partners, including--

(A) the Food and Agriculture Organization;

(B) the World Health Organization;

(C) the Office International des Epizooties, the world animal health organization; and

(D) the World Conservation Union;

(3) conservation organizations with expertise in international and domestic wildlife monitoring and surveillance;

(4) accredited colleges of veterinary medicine and medicine; and

(5) other national and international partners, as necessary.

(c) International Surveillance- The eligible organization, in coordination with the United States Agency for International Development, shall manage an international surveillance program under which Federal Wildlife GAINS partners shall, and non-Federal Wildlife GAINS partners are encouraged to--

(1) monitor and test for the presence or arrival of avian influenza and other significant avian pathogens at important bird areas around the world and in marketplaces with intense trade in wild birds;

(2) monitor and test for the presence or arrival of other significant pathogens in free-ranging wildlife and in places with intense trade in wild animals;

(3) use trained professionals to collect samples and other data and send samples to appropriate diagnostic centers;

(4) use the Wildlife GAINS, in partnership with relevant agencies and organizations, for conducting--

(A) disease surveillance activities on migratory birds and other wildlife worldwide;

(B) domestic and international field investigations on migratory birds and other wildlife;

(C) training and capacity-building activities related to the relationships between human health, domestic animal health, and wildlife health; and

(D) research on methods and approaches for detection and enhanced surveillance of HPAI and other pathogens in migratory birds and other wildlife; and

(5) send samples for pathogen identification and testing to certified laboratories that--

(A) meet internationally established methods standards;

(B) are located at--

(i) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

(ii) the Office International des Epizooties, the world animal health organization;

(iii) the Food and Agriculture Organization;

(iv) National Veterinary Services Laboratories of the Department of Agriculture;

(v) the Agricultural Research Service; or

(vi) other relevant specialized laboratories; and

(C) report the findings back to the eligible organization and Wildlife GAINS partners.

(d) Network-

(1) PARTNERS- Federal Wildlife GAINS partners shall, and non-Federal Wildlife GAINS partners are encouraged to, transmit information related to global distribution and characteristics of significant pathogens to the Administrator acting through the eligible organization.

(2) ADMINISTRATION- The Administrator, acting through the eligible organization, shall--

(A) use surveillance reports and other formal and informal sources of information to identify and investigate local disease outbreaks of avian influenza and other infectious diseases involving wildlife, in coordination with Wildlife GAINS partners;

(B) develop a long-term baseline of regional data related to HPAI and pathogens in migratory birds and other wildlife for analysis between and across sites to create a system to identify when and where outbreaks might occur and paths of dispersal;

(C) provide technical assistance for disease prevention and control programs based on scientific understanding of the relationships between wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health;

(D) provide analytical disease findings regularly to the United States Agency for International Development and other Federal Wildlife GAINS partners to prevent or combat human and animal diseases;

(E) conduct other activities as are necessary to support the Wildlife GAINS network and Wildlife GAINS partners; and

(F) coordinate Wildlife GAINS surveillance results at the headquarters of the eligible organization.

(e) Database-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Administrator, acting through the eligible organization, shall manage, map, and make available on a database on the Internet all results and information gathered under this Act.

(2) REQUIREMENTS- The database shall--

(A) provide geographic data on wildlife populations and the movements of the populations and laboratory test results; and

(B) be available for viewing by any Federal agency, foreign country, multilateral institution, organization, or individual.

(f) Training- The Administrator shall request accredited colleges of veterinary medicine and medicine and other Wildlife GAINS partners to train members of the Wildlife GAINS network to--

(1) monitor important wildlife areas around the world; and

(2) test for the presence or arrival of avian influenza and other significant pathogens of zoonotic concern or of concern to domestic or wild animals.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.