,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gbgf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #ah1 #bjbj,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself and ,ms4 ,bass7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive1 strategic plan to eradicate 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 ,east ,africa ,locust ,eradication ,act4 #b4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to address proactively threats to food security in the ,east ,africa region and elsewhere1 as well as the concomitant potential for political instability1 caused by periodic locust outbreaks1 and to promote resilience in affected countries4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development reports that the ,east ,africa region is currently suffering the worst locust outbreaks in decades1 which will devour crops and pasture across that 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 untold more will be at risk if the locusts are not controlled4 7#c7 ,the ,world ,food ,programme reports that there may be insufficient resources to conduct aerial spraying to address the locust outbreaks that are currently devastating the ,east ,africa region1 and the ,united ,nations ,food and ,agriculture ,organization warns that the current outbreaks could develop into a plague by the end of #bjbj if they are not controlled4 7#d7 ,the locust outbreaks in the ,horn of ,africa region1 particularly in ,kenya1 ,ethiopia1 and ,somalia1 represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods1 and potentially1 by extension1 political stability in the region4 7#e7 ,a relatively small investment now to help eradicate the locust outbreaks will obviate or ameliorate the need for a much larger ,united ,states emergency food aid effort later1 as well as help promote political stability and build resilience4 7#f7 ,in order to optimize a ,united ,states response to the locust outbreaks and future outbreaks1 it is necessary to establish an interagency working group to develop and implement a comprehensive1 strategic plan to eradicate locust outbreaks in the ,east ,africa region and address future outbreaks4 #d4 ,interagency working group 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive1 strategic plan to eradicate locust outbreaks in the ,east ,africa region and address future outbreaks in order to avert mass scale food insecurity and potential political destabilization4 7b7 ,membership 7#a7 ,in general ,the interagency working group shall be composed of-- 7,a7 the ,united ,states ,ambassador to the ,united ,nations ,agencies for ,food and ,agriculture2 7,b7 one member who is an officer or employee of the ,national ,security ,council1 who shall be appointed by the ,assistant to the ,president for ,national ,security ,affairs2 7,c7 one member who is an officer or employee of the ,department of ,state1 who shall be appointed by the ,secretary of ,state2 7,d7 one member who is an officer or employee of the ,department of ,defense1 who shall be appointed by the ,secretary of ,defense2 7,e7 one member who is an officer or employee of the ,department of ,agriculture1 who shall be appointed by the ,secretary of ,agriculture2 and 7,f7 two members who are officers or employees of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 who shall be appointed by the ,administrator of the ,agency4 7#b7 ,chair ,the ,president shall designate one member of the interagency working group specified in paragraph 7#a7 to serve as chair of the interagency working group4 7c7 ,duties ,the interagency working group shall-- 7#a7 assess the scope of the locust outbreaks in the ,east ,africa region and its impact on food security and political stability in the region1 including in the context of restrictions relating to the coronavirus disease #bjai 7commonly referred to as ,,covid-#ai7 pandemic2 7#b7 review the effectiveness of regional and multilateral efforts to eradicate the locust outbreaks in the ,east ,africa region 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#c7 develop a comprehensive1 strategic plan to eradicate locust outbreaks in the ,east ,africa region and address future outbreaks in the region in order to avert mass scale food insecurity and potential political destabilization1 including-- 7,a7 to more effectively address the outbreaks1 including improving-- 7i7 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 7ii7 the delivery of necessary assets to achieve the eradication of the outbreaks or otherwise mitigate the impact of such outbreaks to the extent necessary to avoid major food insecurity2 and 7,b7 prevent or mitigate future locust outbreaks in ,africa and other parts of the world4 7d7 ,report ,not later than #ij days after the date on which the interagency working group is established under subsection 7a71 the interagency working group shall submit to the ,president a report that contains the comprehensive1 strategic plan required by subsection 7c77#c74 #e4 ,implementation of comprehensive1 strategic plan 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #cj days after the date on which the comprehensive1 strategic plan is submitted to the ,president as required by section #d7;d71 the ,president shall designate one member of the interagency working group to coordinate implementation of the comprehensive1 strategic plan4 7b7 ,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 section #d7;c77#c74 7c7 ,administrative support ,upon request of the member of the interagency working group designated by the ,president under subsection 7a71 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development shall provide necessary and appropriate administrative support of the ,agency to facilitate implementation of the comprehensive1 strategic plan required by section #d7;c77#c74 #f4 ,report ,not later than #ij days after appointment of the member of the interagency working group designated by the ,president under section #e7;a71 the member shall submit to ,congress a report on the status of the implementation of the comprehensive1 strategic plan required by section #d7;c77#c74