Sec. 6. Wildlife Disease Emergency Response Program
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/bill/117/hr/9597/ih/section-6·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Director shall establish the Wildlife Disease Emergency Response Program to— provide and coordinate Federal incident command training, operations, and resources specific to wildlife health issues; support emergency containment and research activities in response to wildlife disease emergencies; and establish and provide training to Federal, State, and Tribal agencies on animal welfare best practices during wildlife disease emergency planning and response activities. There is hereby established in the Treasury an account to be known as the Federal Wildlife Disease Emergency Response Fund which shall be available to the Secretary for the purposes described in subsection
(c). The Secretary may declare a wildlife health emergency at the request of a Governor of a State or the head of a Tribal Government. During the period of such an emergency, the Secretary may— use the authorities and the resources granted to the Secretary under Federal law to support State, Tribal, and local wildlife disease emergency management efforts relating to such emergency; coordinate emergency assistance (including voluntary assistance) provided by Federal agencies, private organizations, and State, Tribal, and local governments relating to such emergency; provide technical and advisory assistance to affected State, Tribal, and local governments relating to— wildlife health and safety measures; issuance of warnings of risks or hazards; and providing public information relating to wildlife health and safety; authorize Federal spending from the Federal Wildlife Disease Emergency Response fund established under subsection
(b)to carry out the activities described in this paragraph or distributions of funds from such fund to States and Tribes to carry out such activities. The Federal share of emergency costs for the activities described in paragraph
(1)with respect to 1 emergency may not exceed the lesser of— 80 percent of such costs; or $3,000,000, or such amount as the Secretary determines appropriate if the Secretary determines, in consultation with relevant Federal agencies with responsibilities relating to human health, that there is an immediate risk to human health or that no other source of assistance is available to address such emergency in a timely manner. The term wildlife disease emergency means the occurrence of a wildlife disease that has been identified by an appropriate State agency that— is caused by— a newly discovered pathogen; a known wildlife disease that is expanding its geographic range; or a wildlife disease that is affecting a previously unaffected population of a wildlife species; poses significant threats to the sustainability of wildlife populations; or poses a significant threat to ecosystem function, including ecosystem processes or resilience.