Sponsors (6)
The bill strengthens surveillance, reporting, and eradication measures to protect livestock and the domestic food supply from screwworm, while imposing administrative burdens on agencies and the risk of localized quarantines that can disrupt affected producers.
Farmers and rural livestock producers will face a lower risk to animals and the domestic food supply because the bill mandates eradication protocols and science-based continuity measures that reduce the chance of screwworm spread and minimize unnecessary business disruption for non-infected animals and areas.
State and local wildlife and livestock health officers will gain coordinated surveillance and faster outbreak-response capacity, improving early detection and containment of screwworm infestations.
Congress and state oversight bodies will receive transparency and accountability through required annual joint reports on surveillance, infestations, and response actions until quarantine certification, improving information for policymaking.
Ranchers and land users in quarantined or eradication zones may face business interruptions, movement restrictions, and direct containment costs if eradication actions require quarantines or other control measures.
USDA, Interior, and state agencies will incur coordination, reporting, and ongoing compliance burdens (including annual reporting until external certification), which can divert staff time and resources from other programs and prolong federal oversight even after domestic risk declines.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires USDA and Interior to finalize an interagency agreement within 180 days to coordinate surveillance, control, and eradication of New World screwworm on specified Federal lands and report annually until the pest is quarantined south of the Darién Gap.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a formal interagency agreement within 180 days to coordinate prevention, control, and eradication of New World screwworm on specified Federal lands (National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Forest Service). The agencies must develop joint surveillance and eradication protocols, coordinate with State wildlife and livestock health officers on outbreak response and notifications, and create science- and risk-based approaches to allow continuity of business for non-infected animals and areas. The two Secretaries must submit a joint report to specified House and Senate committees within one year and annually thereafter until the Secretary of Agriculture certifies that the pest has been quarantined south of the Darién Gap; reports must describe coordination, surveillance progress, infestations and federal responses, and recommendations for improvements.
Introduced February 10, 2026 by Ronny Jackson · Last progress February 10, 2026