Summary

Creates a USDA fund, run by APHIS, to support research and mitigation efforts against the invasive spotted wing drosophila that damage fruit crops. The measure authorizes $6.5 million annually for five years to make grants and cooperative agreements for research, monitoring, and control activities. The USDA Administrator for APHIS will establish the fund, set eligibility rules, select recipients, and oversee funded projects; funding is authorized for the fiscal year of enactment and each of the four succeeding fiscal years.

• Creates an APHIS‑administered fund to support research and mitigation for spotted wing drosophila.
• Authorizes $6.5 million per year for five years (total authorization up to $32.5 million), subject to appropriation.
• Grants and cooperative agreements may be awarded to eligible recipients for research, monitoring, and control activities.
• Adds a new provision to the Plant Protection Act to establish the program and APHIS oversight.
• Targets damage to soft and stone fruit crops such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, plums, and cherries.
• Leaves eligibility criteria, application process, and project priorities to APHIS to define and administer.
• Does not change tax laws, impose new mandates on states, or include emergency spending language.
• Funded activities aim to reduce crop losses and economic harm from an invasive pest, but appropriation of funds is not guaranteed by authorization alone.