Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2021
This bill requires interagency coordination to respond to zoonotic diseases through a One Health Program. A One Health Program recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
Specifically, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Agriculture must develop a framework to coordinate federal activities to reduce hazards to human and animal health under the One Health Program. These departments must work with other federal entities on the framework, including the Department of Commerce.
This framework must establish goals, identify activities necessary to achieve those goals, and recommend legislation or other actions to advance One Health efforts.
Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must evaluate this framework and its implementation.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2061 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2061
To establish an interagency One Health Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 18, 2021
Mr. Schrader (for himself and Mr. Johnson of South Dakota) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Natural
Resources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an interagency One Health Program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Emergency Preparedness
Through One Health Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The term ``One Health'' reflects the interconnectedness
of human health, animal health, and the environment. As
technology and population growth facilitates increased
interaction of human settlements with wildlife habitats and as
international travel and trade increases, the interface between
these elements will also continue to rise.
(2) When zoonotic diseases spillover to humans, there are
often enormous health and economic costs. The World Bank
estimates that, between 1997 and 2009, the global costs from
six zoonotic outbreaks exceeded $80,000,000,000 and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are
annually 2,500,000,000 cases of zoonotic infections globally,
resulting in 2,700,000 deaths.
(3) There are also immense effects on the agriculture
sector. In 2014 and 2015, a high pathogenic avian influenza
(HPAI) outbreak in the United States led to the cull of nearly
50,000,000 birds, and imposed up to approximately
$3,300,000,000 in losses for poultry and egg farmers, animal
feed producers, baked good production, and other related
industries.
(4) Public health preparedness depends on agriculture in a
variety of ways. For example, a wide range of vaccines,
including those for influenza, yellow fever, rabies, and
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), are primarily cultivated in
poultry eggs. Egg shortages resulting from zoonotic disease
outbreaks could impose serious risks to vaccine manufacturing
efforts.
(5) It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of
potential pathogens likely to be used in bioterrorism or
biowarfare are common zoonotic pathogens.
(6) While existing Federal Government initiatives related
to One Health span multiple agencies, including the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention One Health office and the
Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Services' One Health Coordination Center, additional
interagency coordination is necessary to help better prevent,
prepare for, and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks.
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY ONE HEALTH PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Agriculture (referred
to in this Act as the ``Secretaries''), in coordination with the United
States Agency for International Development, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department
of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and other departments and
agencies as appropriate, shall develop, publish, and submit to Congress
a national One Health Framework (referred to in this Act as the
``framework'') for coordinated Federal Activities under the One Health
Program.
(b) National One Health Framework.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in cooperation with the
United States Agency for International Development, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland
Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of
Commerce, and other departments and agencies as appropriate,
shall develop, publish, and submit to Congress a One Health
Framework (referred to in this section as the ``framework'')
for coordinated Federal activities under the One Health
Program.
(2) Contents of framework.--The framework described in
paragraph (1) shall describe existing efforts and contain
recommendations for building upon and complementing the
activities of the Department of the Interior, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug
Administration, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness and Response, the Department of Agriculture, the
United States Agency for International Development, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of
Health, the Department of Homeland Security, and other
departments and agencies, as appropriate, and shall--
(A) assess, identify, and describe, as appropriate,
existing activities of Federal agencies and departments
under the One Health Program and consider whether all
relevant agencies are adequately represented;
(B) for the 10-year period beginning in the year
the framework is submitted, establish specific Federal
goals and priorities that most effectively advance--
(i) scientific understanding of the
connections between human, animal, and
environmental health;
(ii) coordination and collaboration between
agencies involved in the framework including
sharing data and information, engaging in joint
fieldwork, and engaging in joint laboratory
studies related to One Health;
(iii) identification of priority zoonotic
diseases and priority areas of study;
(iv) surveillance of priority zoonotic
diseases and their transmission between animals
and humans;
(v) prevention of priority zoonotic
diseases and their transmission between animals
and humans;
(vi) protocol development to improve joint
outbreak response to and recovery from zoonotic
disease outbreaks in animals and humans; and
(vii) workforce development to prevent and
respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks in
animals and humans;
(C) describe specific activities required to
achieve the goals and priorities described in
subparagraph (B), and propose a timeline for achieving
these goals;
(D) identify and expand partnerships, as
appropriate, among Federal agencies, States, Indian
tribes, academic institutions, nongovernmental
organizations, and private entities in order to develop
new approaches for reducing hazards to human and animal
health and to strengthen understanding of the value of
an integrated approach under the One Health Program to
addressing public health threats in a manner that
prevents duplication;
(E) identify best practices related to State and
local-level research coordination, field activities,
and disease outbreak preparedness, response, and
recovery related to One Health; and
(F) provide recommendations to Congress regarding
additional action or legislation that may be required
to assist in establishing the One Health Program.
(3) Addendum.--Not later than 3 years after the creation of
the framework, the Secretaries, in coordination with the
agencies described in paragraph (1), shall submit to Congress
an addendum to the framework that describes the progress made
in advancing the activities described in the framework.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary.
SEC. 4. GAO REPORT.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the submission of the
addendum under section 3(b)(3), the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to Congress a report that--
(1) details existing collaborative efforts between the
Department of the Interior, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of
Agriculture, the United States Agency for International
Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National
Institutes of Health, the Department of Homeland Security, and
other departments and agencies to prevent and respond to
zoonotic disease outbreaks in animals and humans; and
(2) contains an evaluation of the framework and the
specific activities requested to achieve the framework.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Referred to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States.
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.