,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #fac ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bh1 #bjai ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,animal ,health ,protection ,act to provide chronic wasting disease support for ,states and coordinated response efforts1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,detection1 ,enhanced ,education1 and ,response ,act of #bjai or the ,,deer ,act4 #b4 ,chronic wasting disease support for ,states and coordinated response efforts ,the ,animal ,health ,protection ,act is amended by inserting after section #ajdji;,a 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #hcjh;a7 the following3 #ajdji;,b4 ,chronic wasting disease support for ,states and coordinated response efforts 7a7 ,definition of chronic wasting disease ,in this section1 the term chronic wasting disease means the animal disease afflicting deer1 elk1 and moose populations that-- 7#a7 is a transmissible disease of the nervous system resulting in distinctive lesions in the brain2 and 7#b7 belongs to the group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies1 which includes scrapie1 bovine spongiform encephalopathy1 and ,cruetzfeldt-,jakob disease4 7b7 ,support for ,state efforts ,to manage and control chronic wasting disease 7#a7 ,availability of assistance ,the ,secretary shall allocate funds made available under subsection 7e7 directly to ,state departments of wildlife and ,state departments of agriculture to further develop and implement chronic wasting disease surveillance1 testing1 management1 and response activities4 7#b7 ,funding priorities ,in determining the amounts to be allocated to ,state departments of wildlife and agriculture1 the ,secretary shall give priority to ,states that-- 7,a7 have experienced a recent incidence of chronic wasting disease2 7,b7 have a chronic wasting disease monitoring and surveillance program2 and 7,c7 have a diagnostic laboratory system certified for chronic wasting disease testing4 7c7 ,chronic wasting disease multiagency task force 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish a multiagency task force that shall-- 7,a7 establish a unified response framework to better position the ,department of ,agriculture to respond to the growing threat of chronic wasting disease2 7,b7 provide a single ,federal point of contact for ,federal and ,state entities that work on chronic wasting disease issues2 7,c7 determine funding priorities and allocation of resources2 and 7,d7 disseminate information to the public relating to chronic wasting disease4 7#b7 ,composition ,the multiagency task force established under paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 be led by the ,administrator of the ,animal and ,plant ,health ,inspection ,service2 and 7,b7 include #a or more representatives from each of the following3 7i7 ,the ,agricultural ,research ,service4 7ii7 ,the ,national ,institute of ,food and ,agriculture4 7iii7 ,the ,forest ,service4 7iv7 ,the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service4 7v7 ,state departments of wildlife4 7vi7 ,state departments of agriculture4 7vii7 ,institutions of higher education4 7d7 ,mid-,south ,center of ,excellence in ,wildlife ,diseases 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall award a grant to a land-grant college or university 7as defined in section #adjd of the ,national ,agricultural ,research1 ,extension1 and ,teaching ,policy ,act of #aigg 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cajc77 eligible to receive funds under the ,hatch ,act of #ahhg 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cfa;a et seq47 and the ,smith-,lever ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #cda et seq47 to establish a policy research center to be known as the ,mid-,south ,center of ,excellence in ,wildlife ,diseases4 7#b7 ,criteria ,the ,secretary shall award the grant under paragraph 7#a7 to a land-grant college or university that-- 7,a7 is located in a ,state-- 7i7 in the ,southeast area of the ,agricultural ,research ,service2 and 7ii7 that has confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease in the ,state2 7,b7 has an established whitetail deer research program with significant research history in deer ecology1 movements1 genetics1 and management2 7,c7 has a college of veterinary medicine2 and 7,d7 has technical and scientific expertise relevant to chronic wasting disease through the university extension service and college of veterinary medicine4 7#c7 ,activities ,the ,mid-,south ,center of ,excellence in ,wildlife ,diseases established under paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 have a special research focus on chronic wasting disease in whitetail deer2 7,b7 serve as the lead institution of higher education in collaborating with the multiagency task force established under subsection 7c77#a72 7,c7 establish partnerships with other universities with expertise relevant to chronic wasting disease research2 7,d7 develop an epidemiological research program focused on chronic wasting disease2 7,e7 expand chronic wasting disease surveillance and testing capacity2 and 7,f7 improve current chronic wasting disease ecology1 movements1 transmission1 and management research4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section4 4