,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #ffc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,october #cj1       
#bjai,mr4 ,thompson of ,pennsylvania    
7for himself and ,mr4 ,welch7 submitted 
the following resolution2 which was     
referred to the ,committee on           
,agriculture  ,,resolution  ,expressing 
support for the designation of the week 
of ,october #bd1 #bjai1 to ,october #ca1
 #bjai1 as ,bat,week4  ,whereas bats are
 vital to the sustainability of natural 
ecosystems1 national economies1 and     
human health by controlling damaging    
insect pests1 pollinating plants such as
 fruits and vegetables1 and dispersing  
seeds to ensure healthy functioning     
ecosystems1 and research suggests that  
bats save ,american farmers more than #c
 billion in pest control every year2    
,whereas bats have captured the human   
imagination through backyard sightings1 
folklore1 myths1 and legends1 and       
outreach and education about the        
importance of bats are instrumental2    

,whereas bats are present throughout the
 world1 except in extremely cold        
regions1 and are the second-largest     
order of mammals with over #a1cjj       
species2 ,whereas a deadly fungus       
causing white-nose syndrome1 a disease  
that has killed millions of bats in     
,north ,america1 has now spread to #ch  
,states2 ,whereas the disease has been  
confirmed in #ab species of hibernating 
bats in the ,united ,states and is the  
primary cause for the significant       
decline in populations of several bat   
species1 especially the tricolored bat1 
the little brown bat1 and the federally 
threatened northern long-eared bat2     
,whereas the ,department of the         
,interior's participation through the   
,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife     
,service1 ,united ,states ,geological   
,survey1 ,national ,park ,service1 and  
,bureau of ,land ,management1 is leading
 the international response to the      
disease in partnership with more than   
#ajj ,federal and ,state agencies1      

,tribes1 nongovernmental organizations1 
and universities2 ,whereas the ,united  
,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service is 
supporting a ,white-nose ,syndrome      
,challenge for ideas toward solutions   
that can help disarm or weaken          
,pseudogymnoascus destructans1 the      
fungus that causes white-nose syndrome  
disease of hibernating bats2 ,whereas   
the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife 
,service has entered into an agreement  
with the ,national ,fish and ,wildlife  
,foundation to establish a ,bats for the
 ,future ,fund to raise private funds to
 curtail the spread of white-nose       
syndrome and speed the recovery of bat  
populations2 and ,whereas in the past   
decade1 the international response to   
white-nose syndrome has made            
extraordinary progress to understand the
 disease1 slow the spread1 and develop  
treatments that hold promise for        
defeating this epidemic1 and therefore  
it is critical for new public-private   
partnerships to defeat the disease3     

,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house
 of ,representatives-- 7#a7 expresses   
support for the designation of          
,bat,week2  7#b7 encourages the         
observance of ,bat,week with appropriate
 events and activities2  7#c7           
acknowledges the important role bats    
play as pollinators and pest control for
 agriculture2 and  7#d7 has the intent  
to-- 7,a7 continue working to conserve  
bat species and habitat2 and  7,b7 work 
to defeat the disease known as          
white-nose syndrome4