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   Bush administration agrees to implement bipartisan Wisconsin delegation CWD proposals

Departments of Agriculture, Interior will use bipartisan bills as blueprint for new comprehensive federal strategy for dealing with Chronic Wasting Disease

WASHINGTON - Bush administration officials told Wisconsin members of Congress the Administration will implement parts of their legislative proposal to combat Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Last month, Wisconsin members of Congress introduced bipartisan legislation in both the House and Senate laying out a new federal framework for more effectively combating Chronic Wasting Disease.

The proposal outlined by the administration follows closely to the legislation introduced on May 23, 2002, by Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, and Representatives Mark Green and Paul Ryan. This legislation is also co-sponsored by Reps. Gerald Kleczka, Tom Barrett, James Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri and Tammy Baldwin.

Every member of the Wisconsin congressional delegation has cosponsored CWD legislation with provisions that will be included in the new federal framework. Many of the members were on hand Wednesday afternoon for a meeting with representatives from a federal CWD working group made up of officials from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Interior (DoI) and representatives from state governments working to deal with the disease. At that meeting, USDA and DoI representatives told members that the agencies plan to put the key provisions of the bipartisan Wisconsin legislation in place without a legislative mandate, speeding the process considerably.

"I am pleased that the Administration has taken a cue from the Wisconsin delegation's legislation and developed a plan to coordinate USDA and the Interior Department's work on chronic wasting disease," Feingold said. "This should make our legislation easy to implement once it passes, and we remain committed to enacting legislation this year to authorize and fund a permanent federal chronic wasting disease program to assist our state and others with this serious problem."

"This is a significant victory for our efforts on the federal level," Green said. "The faster we can move on tackling CWD, the better, and this action today speeds things up quite a bit. Nevertheless, we have to understand that this is only a part of the CWD picture. We need to stay focused on increasing our testing capabilities so we can check as many deer as possible for CWD during the fall hunting season. Our hunters need to know whether the deer they bag is safe to feed their families."

"Coordination between state and federal agencies is imperative in efficiently battling the CWD outbreak, along with ensuring that adequate funding is available to test and implement some solutions. This is a good first step in understanding how to approach this devastating disease," Kohl said.

"It’s great news for Wisconsin that the administration is heeding our call for a federal action plan to help our state fight chronic wasting disease," Ryan said. "As a bow and gun hunter myself, I want to be sure our deer are healthy and that our venison is safe to eat. Deer hunting is an integral part of Wisconsin’s culture and economy, and we need to protect our people and our heritage by dealing effectively with CWD. The steps the Agriculture and Interior Departments plan to take to implement our legislation will help Wisconsin do this."

"As we have seen with the spread of this deadly disease, a rapid, coordinated response is necessary if we are to effectively combat it," Kleczka said. "This plan is a good first step toward that goal by ensuring that federal agencies work together to contain and eradicate it."

"Throughout the CWD crisis, the Wisconsin Congressional delegation has spoken with one voice," Barrett said. "We have urged a broader partnership between the federal government and the State of Wisconsin, and I am pleased that the Administration has taken that approach. The plan outlined today is an important first step in coordinating federal efforts to bring assistance to states like ours that are fighting CWD. This federal commitment should provide a pivotal boost to efforts to prevent CWD, protect Wisconsin's treasured white-tailed herd, and safeguard public health."

"I'm pleased to see that the Bush administration is doing its part to help relieve our situation in Wisconsin," Sensenbrenner said. "The Administration's quick action and commitment to help Wisconsin will be appreciated by state officials who are working hard to resolve a problem that's relatively new to us.  The White House's proactive approach will help our state be better prepared for this year's deer hunting season."

"Chronic Wasting Disease requires a concerted and sustained response," said Rep. Tom Petri.

"Thanks to the efforts of Gov. McCallum and Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, the Administration is moving to help tackle this problem. It’s a big victory for our state, our sportsmen and women, and all those concerned about Wisconsin’s environment. It’s an example of how a spirit of cooperation helps us all."

"This is a modest first step," Baldwin said. "The residents of my Congressional district are dealing with the consequences of CWD every day."

"The Agencies' report lays out an action plan to deal with the Chronic Wasting Disease but fails to tell us how much money it is going to take to implement it," Obey said. "Until we have that information, we will continue to do our best to funds the needs we know are out there."

As written, the Wisconsin CWD proposals set out a unified federal CWD response structure. The structure assigns responsibilities for addressing CWD issues to four federal agencies that will coordinate efforts and work together in a unified manner. The bipartisan bills (HR-4795 and S-2560) would clear up some jurisdictional questions among the agencies with authority to deal with CWD, and provide for more effective handling of the disease, particularly through the use of federal grants to state governments working to fight CWD.

Among the specific responsibilities assigned by the measures are the expansion of federal ability to test for CWD, distribution of federal dollars to help states test for CWD, development of a national database to track and store information about CWD, and acceleration of state and other grants for the study of the disease.

The duties will be handled by the U.S. Geological Survey, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agriculture Research Service, and Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.