Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act

Mr. Speaker, as the original sponsor of H.R. 5608, the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, I rise in strong support of this legislation, which did pass unanimously out of the Agriculture Committee. I do thank and commend my good friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for being one of the original sponsors of this legislation with me; of course, my dear friend, the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Mr. Scott, for his support and leadership.

Throughout the years, I have been involved in a lot of debates and discussions on the House floor. I don't think I have ever been brought to blushing, and I thank the chairman for his kind introductory remarks and, of course, I thank my dear friend from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) for those remarks.

Mr. Speaker, but to the task at hand, this legislation does authorize $70 million for research and management of

CWD, or chronic wasting disease, through USDA grants. Chronic wasting disease is a contagious neurological disease affecting cervid animals-- deer, elk, moose--and it is 100 percent fatal. And it is caused by misfolded proteins, or prions, as they are known, that ravages the animal's brain.

The legislation also authorizes USDA and State and Tribal agencies to develop educational materials to inform the public on CWD and directs USDA to review its certification program within 18 months.

CWD has been reported in over 25 States and is spreading. It not only is devastating to these animals and their herds but also to the outdoor recreation economy; namely, hunting, that depends on these animals.

Fortunately, the CDC has not found any jump from these animals to humans, and that is one of the reasons why we need further research to ensure that that does not happen. CWD presents one of the greatest threats to deer and other wild cervids in the United States and it has no known cure.

We have been battling this disease in Wisconsin for many years out of concern for the wildlife population and the adverse economic impact that it has, which is substantial. Hunters in Wisconsin have about $2.5 billion yearly economic impact, supports directly or indirectly over 35,000 jobs, and generates billions in salaries and wages.

Last year, 131 out-of-State hunters came into the State of Wisconsin just to participate in the 9-day deer gun hunt season, which always takes place during the week of Thanksgiving. They spent about $3.4 million. Nationwide, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, hunting in America is big business, generating more than $67 billion in economic output and over 1 million jobs.

Now, we can stand here and throw more facts and figures about the economic toll the CWD is having, but as a kid who grew up loving to hunt in Wisconsin with my dad and my brothers--deer hunting, turkey hunting, duck hunting on the Mississippi, now we do most of our deer and turkey hunting on the family farm, a little bit north of La Crosse. It is much more than just economics and jobs and the amount being spent by hunters and the amount of revenue that we raise through the Robinson-Patman Act, which is collected and then reinvested in vital conservation programs throughout the country. It is part of our DNA, our heritage, our culture.

One of the most alluring aspects of the 9-day deer gun hunt season isn't the actual hunt itself, it is deer camp. It is being able to spend some time with your family, brothers, families, cousin, play some poker, razz each other for the weekend. And then that next morning, opening morning, you have over 800,000 hunters flooding the fields and forests of Wisconsin. Sometimes it feels like the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the number of shots going off. I perhaps overstate that, but it is a real communal activity that brings people together and still one of the bonding elements, I think, that transcends the politics and the tribal nature of politics today. So it is important in that regard as well.

We have tried some self-help measures in Wisconsin to try to battle the spread of CWD, from free, clear firing zones, increase prohibition on baiting and feeding deer, to an earn a buck program, where you have to shoot a doe first before you can shoot a buck. All these are wildly unpopular with hunters because they are meant to try to reduce the deer herds and prevent the congregation and the spread of the disease from animal to animal.

That is why, again, I think this research is important. And there has been some good research taking place on prion disease generally in CWD, places like UW-Wisconsin and Washington and other areas. This legislation will enable that type of open-source research and collaboration to take place with increased vigor and focus, which again is long overdue before it spreads even further into more States adversely affecting the wildlife herds and the economy of those States.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is necessary to expand the basic and applied research that we see taking place that can be further enhanced, and also to better detect the spread of this disease, find out better management and containment strategies, and ultimately lead to a cure of the disease.

I do thank the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Jeff Crane, and his team over there, for his support and help with this legislation. They have been terrific to work with, as a former chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus here in Congress.

I thank Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the National Wildlife Federation, the Boone & Crockett National Deer Association, North American Deer Farmers Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Wildlife Management Institute, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers--many people, many groups, many members that have a vested interest in making sure we do this research right.

Mr. Speaker, I think the legislation is self-evident of the need. I encourage my colleagues to support it. And I conclude by thanking Olivia Kirchberg on my office staff who has been instrumental in helping us get the bipartisan, unanimous support for this legislation that it has enjoyed, and we look forward to working with the Senate for its passage there.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the body will forgive me a digression before we talk about chronic wasting disease, which is, as the chairman says, critically important. I do also want to talk about Mr. Kind.

So many Americans believe that every Member of Congress is a kind of villain with scales and fangs and horns, and that they are all just despicable people, or at the very least somebody who belongs to the opposite tribe is a despicable person. I just don't know anybody in Congress who believes that is true of Ron Kind.

I will recount a story about a dinner where I had my two oldest boys with me. One of them was seated next to Mr. Kind. My son stole Mr. Kind's dessert, and rather than erupt in anger or an accusatory finger wag, he handled it with great grace and friendship. My boys remind me still of that evening spent with Mr. Kind.

Mr. Speaker, as he seeks, certainly, a less stressful and perhaps a better and more rewarding future, let us remark on the type of impact that a decent person can still have in these Halls, and this bill before us today is ample evidence of that.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he would consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), one of this body's leading voices in policing, in mining, in infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thought Mr. Kind, Mr. Stauber, and Mr. Scott said it all very well. This is important because chronic

wasting disease can wreak such havoc upon our herds.

I want to start by thanking Chairman Scott for facilitating the timely consideration of this bill, and not just this bill, sir, but also livestock mandatory reporting, the cattle contract library, and Ms. Schrier's forestry bill.

These came together, sir, and I want to thank you for that. I want to recognize Mr. Kind, as well as Mr. Thompson, for the work that they put into this important bipartisan solution.

I also want to express my appreciation for the coalition that Mr. Kind mentioned, such a broad coalition of stakeholders from the farmed and wild deer stakeholder groups and the sportsmen community at large. They provided a tremendous amount of insight so we could get this legislation right, and they were relentless in working with all of us to find common ground to craft this legislation and make sure that it was able to pass out of committee unanimously, and, hopefully, we can get a similar vote off the House floor.

As it has been said, but as it bears repeating, chronic wasting disease is a contagious, neurological disease that affects deer and elk and moose. It is always fatal. Unfortunately, it is not a highly localized disease particular to a particular State or region of the country. CWD has been detected in 27 States. Given the lack of any known cure, I fear that that number of States will only continue to grow.

H.R. 5608 authorizes up $70 million of much-needed appropriations each year with the funding split evenly between CWD research and management efforts, all of this with the hope of one day eradicating this disease altogether.

The funding would support high-priority research to improve CWD detection methods and to continue invaluable research on genetic resistance. It would support the use of the latest and most effective on-the-ground management tools and strategies at the State and Tribal levels.

The bill would also help improve public awareness of the disease by requiring the development and dispersal of educational materials which would be based, obviously, on the latest available science.

Mr. Speaker, I know combatting this devastating disease would be a slow and challenging process, but I think we should all acknowledge that passage of this bill would be a critically important step in that journey and can help us protect those vulnerable deer populations.

I appreciate my colleagues' attention to this matter, and I urge the entire House in casting a resounding ``yes'' vote on the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5608) to support research and state management efforts on chronic wasting disease.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5608. Chronic wasting disease is a devastating illness and has had significant impacts on deer and other cervid populations around our great Nation. And improving management of chronic wasting disease is vital to containing the disease and preventing further spread of the disease.

Currently, there is no cure for the disease, and passage of this bill will also provide important research funding so that scientists can better understand the disease and their transmission.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a real special honor to recognize and say a word about the great sponsor of this bill--two great sponsors, I might add--Mr. Ron Kind, and Ranking Member G.T. Thompson, for their longtime dedication on this important issue. Both of these gentlemen have been working on this bill feverishly for quite some time.

Mr. Speaker, it is also special because of Mr. Ron Kind, one of our stalwart leaders and tremendous contributors to the Congress and this Nation, and most certainly to his great State of Wisconsin. But we all have heard the news that our good friend, Mr. Kind, this will be his last year here with us, and he has dedicated so much of his time to this specific bill. He is a good man and a good friend, and he is also a good friend of my own brother-in-law, Hank Aaron. And he, in Wisconsin, who represents Eau Claire, played a very big role in getting that statue up there for my brother-in-law, Hank Aaron. He sent me a message when the Braves won the World Series. He said: David, Hank is up in heaven smiling now.

I say to my friend: We are going to miss you. Great work here.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), who is the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is indeed a very proud day and a proud moment for us here in the House of Representatives. This bill is going to help our agriculture industry, our deer, and a lot of our other animals.

This chronic wasting disease has been so devastating. Ron Kind has been working on this for several years. He has not just jumped on this, he has dedicated a lot of his time to this, and it is a great monument to him as he leaves his service here in the Congress. Job well done, my friend. Job well done.

Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers. As we are concluding our four bills today, I am so proud of the great work that our House Agriculture Committee has done. We have them all moving over to the Senate, and so our work, again, begins anew as it goes over.

We have good friends over there working. As I mentioned before, we are working with my colleague, Ms. Stabenow from Michigan, who is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee; and as I mentioned before, my friend, Senator Grassley. We are all going to come together and improve these four bills even more so.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Johnson. I want to thank Kim Schrier. I want to thank our entire committee. This has been a great day, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am an avid outdoorsman. In November and December, if I have time, I tend to spend it out in the woods, deer hunting. This is a popular passion among many Pennsylvanians as well as Americans across our great country. Nothing beats those early mornings heading out to the woods in hopes you will return successful.

But our deer are currently threatened by chronic wasting disease. This is a contagious, neurological disease affecting deer, elk, and moose that is always fatal. CWD has been detected in 25 States and was first discovered in Pennsylvania deer nearly 10 years ago.

Working across the aisle, my colleagues and I introduced H.R. 5608, the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, which unanimously passed out of the House Agriculture Committee.

By working closely with stakeholders, we developed a bill to take us one step closer to better understanding the genetic implications of the disease and developing policies best suited to solve the problem.

Specifically, this legislation authorizes $70 million to split evenly between CWD management and research efforts through USDA cooperative agreements.

The research funds are authorized to be spent on testing and detecting CWD in live cervids, noncervids, and the environment. Additionally, these funds are authorized for research of genetic resistance to chronic wasting disease, sustainable cervid harvest management practices, and any additional factors of local CWD emergence.

The management section authorizes funding for State or Tribal wildlife agencies and departments of agriculture based on various funding priorities, including the highest incidences of CWD, areas demonstrating greatest financial commitments to addressing CWD, efforts to develop CWD programs and policies, areas of greatest risk of being introduced to CWD, and areas responding to new outbreaks.

This bill also includes key education provisions in which USDA, State, and Tribal agencies are authorized to develop materials to inform the public on chronic wasting disease.

Last but certainly not least, H.R. 5608 directs USDA reviewal of the herd certification program within 18 months.

Madam Speaker, we need all hands on deck to help combat this disease, maintain a healthy deer population, and protect our beloved elk range-- certainly, our elk range in Pennsylvania, which is near and dear to me. It is imperative we better understand the transmission of, resistance to, and diagnosis of CWD.

I am really pleased that, in December, this House passed H.R. 5608 with strong bipartisan support, marking an important step in that direction. Today, we wait for the Senate to take up this time-sensitive bill. It is my belief our colleagues in the Senate recognize the urgency and the potential negative economic impacts of CWD if it continues to spread at this rate and work toward its passage.

Mr. Speaker, Congressman Kind talked about the deer camps and the stories. I remember the very first time at 16 years old when my father brought me up to the hunting shack with my uncles. It is a special time for those of us who recreate and deer hunt. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation with him, and I thank him and others for their work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation I proudly cosponsored, the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act. CWD threatens Minnesota's legendary whitetail deer herd and, therefore, our hunting way of life up North.

Whitetail season is an annual tradition for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans. Every year, we meet at our respective deer camps, reconnecting with family and old friends. We retell stories from previous years, and maybe embellishing a little bit, as we pass on the traditions and culture to our children.

However, deer harvests were down 8 percent throughout Minnesota this last year due to a myriad of issues. And if deer harvests keep trending downwards, it means fewer stories to share at camp around the fire, fewer deer for new hunters and kids to see and experience. Therefore, our hunting traditions trending down directly correlated with those harvest numbers. And in Minnesota, this trend will only be exasperated by further spread of CWD.

In my district we have CWD hotspots cropping up seemingly every other week. Whether it be in Brainerd, the Bemidji area, or in other corners of the State, these troublesome reports are evidence of CWD creeping across our hunting lands. And that is why this legislation is so important right now. This CWD Research and Management Act authorizes needed funding for State agencies doing crucial on-the-ground work, like our DNR.

Funding from this bill will help drive the research and testing needed to wrap our arms around the problem by letting the experts get in the field and the laboratory. It will also empower our State fish and game industries to partner with grassroots organizations that can reach and educate hunters across the State.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has a statewide reach with a finger on the pulse of their membership. Helping the DNR help them is a true partnership that is necessary to combat the spread of CWD.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge passage of this legislation in both the House and the Senate, and I look forward to it becoming law.