Sec. 4. Wildlife Health Coordinators
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There is established within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service a program, to be known as the Wildlife Health Coordination and Zoonotic Disease Program , to be jointly administered by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to serve as a liaison between the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal, State, and Tribal agencies, as determined necessary by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The purposes of the Program are— to improve coordination among Federal, State, and Tribal partners on wildlife health issues and wildlife diseases, particularly diseases that have zoonotic potential; and to support communication, planning, and capacity building efforts to address emerging and ongoing national, State, and regional wildlife health concerns. There are established in the Program the following positions, to be appointed in accordance with paragraph (2): 1 National Wildlife Health Coordinator. 1 Tribal Wildlife Health Coordinator. 4 Regional Wildlife Health Coordinators.
The Wildlife Health Coordinators shall be appointed in accordance with the following, using amounts made available through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements provided with amounts made available to carry out this section: The position of National Wildlife Health Coordinator described in paragraph (1)(A) shall be appointed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The position of Tribal Wildlife Health Coordinator described in paragraph (1)(B) shall be appointed by the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society.
The 4 positions of Regional Wildlife Health Coordinators described in paragraph (1)(C) shall be appointed by each of— the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; and the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The Regional Wildlife Health Coordinators appointed under paragraph (2)(C) shall— serve 4 distinct regions in the United States, including the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West, which shall be defined as each region represented by the Regional Associations described in clauses
(i)through
(iv)of that paragraph; and collaborate across those regions for unified work. A Wildlife Health Coordinator shall have expertise in wildlife health, veterinary science and medicine, epidemiology, or another related field. A Wildlife Health Coordinator shall— establish relationships with relevant Federal, State, and Tribal agencies to carry out the purposes of this Act; facilitate information sharing about existing and emerging wildlife diseases, including disease threats to livestock and domestic animals, and zoonotic disease outbreaks or emerging disease threats between States, including State departments of agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public health and State animal health officials, Indian Tribes, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the National Wildlife Health Center of the United States Geological Survey, the Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant Federal agencies, as determined by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; assist States and Indian Tribes in accessing resources, including applying for funding, to work on wildlife health and zoonotic disease issues, including diseases— with potential to transmit between wildlife and livestock or domestic animals, especially in areas where wildlife has frequent contact with livestock and domestic animal populations; and with zoonotic potential; coordinate— between States, including State departments of agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public health and State animal health officials, and Federal agencies; and with other relevant entities engaged in wildlife disease and zoonotic disease testing, research, monitoring, surveillance, and management activities, including entities convened by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; develop and share best management practices relating to wildlife health threats and zoonotic diseases prepared by the Department of Agriculture, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and State and Tribal agencies between those Federal agencies and State and Tribal agencies, including State departments of agriculture, environment, natural resources, fish and wildlife, and public health and State animal health officials; and submit to Congress a report on recommendations for improving interagency coordination and additional resources necessary to address and prevent wildlife diseases of concern and zoonotic disease outbreaks, particularly diseases that threaten public health. Best management practices developed and shared under paragraph (5)(E) may include voluntary guidance relating to the humane dispatch of animals in the field, disease surveillance and monitoring techniques, biosecurity and biosafety measures, public education, and other information, as jointly determined necessary by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $900,000 for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter.