107th Congress

Animal Disease Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Control Act of 2001

P.L. 107-9 (S.700)

Impact of Public Law

Public Law (P.L.) 107-9 mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture submit a final report to Congress on plans by Federal agencies (including the National Institutes of Health and the Agriculture Research Service and Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) to carry out in partnership with the private sector 1) research programs into the causes and mechanisms of transmission of foot and mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, and related disease, and 2) diagnostic tools and preventive and therapeutic agents needed for foot and mouth disease, BSE, variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, and related diseases. In addition, P.L. 107-9 mandates that the final report to Congress contain plans by Federal agencies (including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 1) to monitor the incidence and prevalence of the transmission of foot and mouth disease, BSE, variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, and related diseases in the United States, and 2) to assess the effectiveness of efforts to prevent and control the spread of foot and mouth disease, BSE, variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, and related diseases in the United States.

Legislative History

As part of his introductory remarks in the Congressional Record, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) noted that the purpose of S. 700 is to establish a Federal task force to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, foot and mouth disease, and related livestock diseases within the United States. On the same day Senator Campbell introduced S. 700, he testified at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism that addressed specific measures that should be taken in the United States to prevent BSE or mad cow disease. At the hearing, Senator Campbell said that Congress needed to do everything necessary to protect the livestock industry with careful contingency planning by creating a task force to report back to Congress on efforts and plans undertaken at agencies to prevent the spread of animal diseases and make recommendations for the future.

On April 4, 2001, S. 700 was introduced by Senator Campbell as the Mad Cow and Related Diseases Prevention Act of 2001. On April 5, S. 700 was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar for consideration. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute on the Senate floor, which was agreed to. The amendment changed the name of the bill to the Animal Disease Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Control Act of 2001 but did not substantively change the legislation. After passing the Senate under unanimous consent on April 5, 2001, the measure proceeded to the House for consideration. On May 9, 2001, the House passed S. 700 by voice vote and it was signed into law (P.L. 107-9) on May 24, 2001.