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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced May 14, 2025 by John Cornyn · Last progress May 14, 2025
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to construct modular facilities that rear sterile New World screwworm flies and to disperse those sterile flies into defined at-risk State areas to prevent or control infestations. The law requires an initial report to Congress within one year and yearly reports after that, and it authorizes $300 million to carry out the program.
Amends the Animal Health Protection Act by inserting a new section 10409B titled “New World screwworm fly rearing facility.”
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment, the Secretary shall begin construction on one or more modular New World screwworm fly rearing facilities in eligible areas. Each facility must rear sterile New World screwworm flies and provide for dispersal of those flies to areas at risk of infestation.
Defines an “eligible area” as an area of a State that the Secretary determines (1) is at risk of New World screwworm fly infestation because of the migratory pattern of confirmed detections, and (2) is suitable for dispersal of sterile New World screwworm flies reared at a rearing facility to additional areas at risk.
Not later than 1 year after enactment, and annually thereafter, the Secretary must submit to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and publish on the Department of Agriculture website, a report that includes (A) an analysis of the current threat to U.S. agriculture from New World screwworm flies, and (B) a description of efforts to combat migration (including construction and operation of the facilities) and the effectiveness of those efforts.
Authorizes $300,000,000 to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section; these funds are to remain available until expended.
Primary impacts will fall on agricultural producers and communities in at-risk areas: farmers and owners/operators of commercial farms (especially livestock producers) should see reduced risk of screwworm outbreaks if the program is effective. The USDA will expand operational responsibilities to build and run modular rearing facilities and manage releases, and State agricultural agencies will likely be partners in identifying eligible areas and coordinating releases. The $300 million authorization supports construction and operations but requires appropriations to be spent; federal budget planners and congressional oversight will be involved. Environmental review, community outreach, and monitoring will be important because releases of sterile insects require careful planning, biosafety protocols, and public acceptance; reviewers or stakeholders could raise concerns about non-target effects, monitoring adequacy, or program transparency. Trade and animal-health regulators could see downstream benefits from reduced outbreak risk, lowering potential trade disruptions tied to livestock pests.
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STOP Screwworms Act
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced in Senate