To establish a National Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, and for other purposes.

To establish a National Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, 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 `Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force Establishment Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) Chronic Wasting Disease, the fatal neurological disease found in cervids, is a fundamental threat to the health and vibrancy of deer and elk populations, and the increased occurrence of chronic wasting disease in regionally diverse locations in recent years necessitates an escalation in research, surveillance, monitoring, and public education efforts to contain and manage this lethal disease.

(2) The heads of relevant Federal agencies should provide consistent, coherent, and integrated support structures and programs for the benefit of State wildlife and agricultural administrators, as Chronic Wasting Disease can move freely between wild cervids across the broad array of Federal, State, tribal, and local land management jurisdictions.

(3) The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the heads of other affected Federal agencies need to better coordinate the activities of their agencies related to control of Chronic Wasting Disease in wild cervid populations.

(b) PURPOSES- The purposes of this section are the following:

(1) To establish a National Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force to coordinate Federal, State, and tribal activities to address the environmental and economic impacts caused by Chronic Wasting Disease on captive and wild populations of deer and elk.

(2) To implement the plan published jointly by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture entitled `Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Wild and Captive Cervids', dated June 26, 2002.

(3) To enhance Federal, State, and tribal research concerning Chronic Wasting Disease, and to promote the development of new diagnostic, surveillance, monitoring, and screening methods and technologies.

(4) To increase public awareness concerning Chronic Wasting Disease among the sport hunting community and the public at large through the implementation of a national communications strategy.

(c) ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE- The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`SEC. 10. NATIONAL CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TASK FORCE.

`(a) ESTABLISHMENT- There is established the National Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force (in this section referred to as the `Task Force').

`(b) DUTIES- The Task Force shall--

`(1) coordinate activities to implement the National Plan in cooperation with State, regional, local, tribal, college, and university and non-governmental partners;

`(2) plan and host an annual national public conference to review progress made in implementing the National Plan; and

`(3) develop an annual cross-cutting budget to specify sufficient levels of appropriations necessary to implement the National Plan.

`(c) MEMBERSHIP-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The membership of the Task Force shall be as follows:

`(A) The Secretary of the Interior or a designee of the Secretary.

`(B) The Secretary of Agriculture or a designee of the Secretary.

`(C) Up to 15 individuals appointed jointly by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from representatives of

`(D) The chairman and ranking minority members of each of the Committee on Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Agriculture of the United States Senate.

`(2) REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS- The members of the Task Force appointed by the co-chairs under paragraph (1)(C)--

`(A) shall not be officers or employees of the Federal Government;

`(B) shall be representative of the geographic distribution of the disease; and

`(C) shall have outstanding knowledge or expertise of wildlife biology and ecology, veterinary sciences and animal husbandry, wildlife management, diagnostic and testing technology development, communications and media development, or wildlife dependent recreation.

`(3) DEADLINE- The Secretaries shall complete appointment of members under paragraph (1)(C) by note later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section.

`(4) VACANCIES- Any vacancy in the members appointed under paragraph (1)(C)--

`(A) shall not affect the power or duty of the Task Force; and

`(B) shall be expeditiously filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made.

`(d) CO-CHAIRS- The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (or their designees under paragraph (1) (A) and (B)), shall be co-chairs of the Task Force.

`(e) COMPENSATION- The members of the Task Force shall receive no compensation for their service on the Task Force.

`(f) TRAVEL EXPENSES- The members of the Task Force shall be allowed necessary travel expenses in accordance with section 5702 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Task Force.

`(g) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT- Upon the request of the Task Force--

`(1) the co-chairs of the Task Force, acting through their designees, may provide to the Task Force such administrative and technical support as is necessary for the Task Force to carry out its duties under this section, including services relating to budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, personnel, and procurement: and

`(2) the head of any other appropriate Federal agency may provide to the Task Force such advice and assistance, with or without reimbursement, as is appropriate to assist the Task Force in carrying out its duties.

`(h) ANNUAL REPORT- Not later than one year after the completion of appointment of the members of the Task Force, and annually thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to the Congress a report--

`(1) describing the activities and achievements of the Task Force;

`(2) setting forth an annual plan and forecast for activities of the Task Force scheduled for the following year;

`(3) a summary of new developments; and

`(4) a cross-cutting budget to support the activities of the Task Force.

`(i) NATIONAL PLAN DEFINED- In this section the term `National Plan' means the plan published jointly by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture entitled `Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing Chronic Wasting Disease in Wild and Captive Cervids', dated June 26, 2002.'.