#aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gbgf ,,an ,,act ,to establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive1 strategic plan to control locust outbreaks in the ,east ,africa region and address future outbreaks in order to avert mass scale food insecurity and potential political destabilization1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,desert ,locust ,control ,act4 #b4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to prioritize efforts to control the ongoing desert locust outbreak in ,east ,africa and other affected regions1 mitigate the impacts on food security1 economic productivity1 and political stability1 improve interagency coordination to prevent future outbreaks1 and promote resilience in affected countries4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development reports that countries in ,east ,africa are currently suffering the worst desert locust outbreak in decades1 which will devour crops and pasture and destroy local livelihoods across the region4 7#b7 ,as of ,june #bjbj1 there were more than #bf million people experiencing acute food insecurity in ,ethiopia1 ,kenya1 ,somalia1 ,south ,sudan1 ,tanzania1 ,uganda1 ,sudan1 and ,djibouti1 and these numbers are projected to increase if the desert locust outbreak is not controlled4 7#c7 ,as the desert locust outbreak continues1 there may be insufficient resources to continue to conduct aerial spraying and without such resources the current outbreak could develop into a plague by the end of #bjbj4 7#d7 ,the desert locust outbreak in ,east ,africa1 particularly in ,kenya1 ,ethiopia1 and ,somalia1 is negatively impacting food security1 local livelihoods and economic productivity1 and may threaten political stability in the region4 7#e7 ,proactive investments now to control the desert locust outbreak could reduce the need for a much larger ,united ,states humanitarian response effort later1 as well as support economic and political stability and build resilience in affected countries4 7#f7 ,in order to optimize the ,united ,states response to the desert locust outbreak1 an interagency working group should be established to develop and implement a comprehensive1 strategic plan to control the desert locust outbreak in ,east ,africa and other affected regions1 mitigate impacts on food security1 economic productivity1 and political stability and prevent future outbreaks4 #d4 ,interagency working group 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,president shall establish an interagency working group to coordinate the ,united ,states response to the ongoing desert locust outbreak in ,east ,africa and other affected regions1 including the development of a comprehensive1 strategic plan to control the outbreak1 mitigate the impacts on food security1 economic productivity1 and political stability1 and prevent future outbreaks4 7b7 ,membership 7#a7 ,in general ,the interagency working group shall be composed of the following3 7,a7 ,two representatives from the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 7,b7 ,one representative from each of the following3 7i7 ,the ,united ,states ,mission to the ,united ,nations ,agencies for ,food and ,agriculture4 7ii7 ,the ,national ,security ,council4 7iii7 ,the ,department of ,state4 7iv7 ,the ,department of ,defense4 7v7 ,the ,department of ,agriculture4 7vi7 ,any other relevant ,federal department or agency4 7#b7 ,chair ,the ,president shall designate one of the representatives from the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 to serve as chair of the interagency working group4 7c7 ,duties ,the interagency working group shall-- 7#a7 assess the scope of the desert locust outbreak in ,east ,africa and other affected regions1 including its impact on food security1 economic productivity1 and political stability in affected countries2 7#b7 assess the impacts of restrictions relating to the coronavirus disease #bjai 7commonly referred to as ,,covid-#ai7 pandemic2 7#c7 monitor the effectiveness of ongoing assistance efforts to control the desert locust outbreak and mitigate its impacts and identify gaps and opportunities for additional support to such programs2 7#d7 review the effectiveness of regional and multilateral efforts to control the desert locust outbreak and the coordination among relevant ,united ,states ,government agencies1 regional governments1 and international organizations1 including the ,world ,food ,programme and the ,united ,nations ,food and ,agriculture ,organization2 and 7#e7 not later than #ij days after the establishment of the interagency working group under subsection 7a71 develop and submit to the ,president and the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive1 strategic plan to control the desert locust outbreak1 including a description of efforts to-- 7,a7 improve coordination among relevant ,united ,states ,government agencies1 regional governments1 and international organizations1 including the ,world ,food ,programme and the ,united ,nations ,food and ,agriculture ,organization2 7,b7 ensure delivery of necessary assets control the desert locust outbreak and humanitarian and development assistance to address and mitigate impacts to food security1 economic productivity1 and political stability2 and 7,c7 to the extent practicable1 prevent and mitigate future desert locust and other1 similar destructive insect outbreaks 7such as ,fall ,armyworm7 in ,africa and other parts of the world1 which require a humanitarian response4 7d7 ,interagency working group support ,the interagency working group shall continue to meet not less than semi-annually to facilitate implementation of the comprehensive1 strategic plan required by subsection 7c77#e74 7e7 ,sunset ,this section shall terminate on the date that is #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 or at such time as there is no longer an upsurge in the desert locust outbreak in ,east ,africa1 whichever occurs earlier4 7f7 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,november #ah1 #bjbj4;,clerk4