HR388-119

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program Enhancement Act.

2. Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program review and report Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall offer to enter into a contract with a covered institution under which the covered institution shall conduct a review of the Program. The review conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include an evaluation of— the effectiveness of the Program with respect to preventing and reducing the spread of tick-borne illnesses in cattle; with respect to cattle producers— the benefits of the Program; and the burden of compliance with the Program; the treatment protocols developed and implemented under the Program; and the Federal and State funds allocated to support the Program for the most recent fiscal year, including the funds allocated to each research project associated with the Program. Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary of Agriculture and a covered institution enter into a contract pursuant to subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes— the results of the review conducted pursuant to subsection (a); and recommendations for improvements to the Program, including recommendations for reducing the burden of compliance with the Program with respect to cattle producers. In this section: The term covered institution means— a land-grant college or university; or a non-land-grant college of agriculture. The term land-grant college or university means an institution from among the land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)). The term non-land-grant college of agriculture has the meaning given such term in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103). The term Program means the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture in coordination with the Texas Animal Health Commission.