Sponsors (12)
Requires USDA and Interior to coordinate surveillance, response, and eradication of New World screwworm on specified Federal lands and deliver annual reports until regional quarantine is certified.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a memorandum of understanding or other interagency agreement, to carry out, and coordinate on, activities to prevent, control, and eradicate New World screwworm in wildlife and non-livestock species of animals on certain Federal lands, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 10, 2026 by Ronny Jackson · Last progress February 10, 2026
The bill strengthens surveillance and eradication measures to protect livestock, farmers, and the food supply, but does so at the cost of added administrative burdens and the risk of localized business disruptions from quarantines and prolonged reporting requirements.
Farmers and rural communities: reduce the threat to livestock and the domestic food supply by requiring eradication protocols and risk- and science-based measures that let non-infected animals and non-contaminated areas continue business, minimizing unnecessary economic disruption.
State and local wildlife and livestock health officers: receive coordinated surveillance and faster outbreak response, improving early detection and containment of screwworm infestations and reducing public- and animal-health risks.
State governments (and Congress): gain transparency and accountability through required annual joint reports on surveillance, infestations, and response actions, supporting better-informed policy and oversight until the pest is quarantined.
Ranchers and land users in affected areas: could face quarantines or other eradication-related restrictions that interrupt business operations and impose direct containment costs.
USDA and Interior staff and state partners: will incur added coordination and reporting burdens that require staff time and resources and could divert funds or capacity from other programs.
Federal and state governments: face potentially prolonged compliance and oversight obligations because annual reporting continues until a certification tied to quarantine in Panama, extending costs and administrative duties even if domestic risk falls.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to sign an interagency agreement within 180 days to coordinate prevention, surveillance, control, and eradication of New World screwworm on specified Federal lands. The agreement must set joint surveillance and eradication protocols, coordinate with State wildlife and livestock health officers for outbreak response and notifications, and develop risk-based approaches to protect wildlife, domestic animals, and continuity of business. Directs the two Secretaries to deliver a joint report to designated House and Senate committees within one year and annually thereafter until the Secretary of Agriculture certifies the pest is quarantined south of the Darién Gap; reports must describe coordination activities, surveillance progress, infestations and federal responses, and recommendations for improvements.