Sponsors (5)
The bill directs multi-year federal funding and coordinated response to protect fruit and berry crops from spotted wing drosophila—helping growers, rural economies, and researchers—while imposing taxpayer costs, administrative burdens, and risks of increased pesticide use and shifting research priorities.
Fruit and berry growers (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, cherry) receive targeted federal research and mitigation funding to protect crops from spotted wing drosophila, reducing losses and stabilizing incomes.
Local and rural communities see fewer crop losses and potentially higher farm incomes as improved pest-control tools and practices developed with grant support are adopted.
Provides predictable multi-year (five-year) federal funding and APHIS-coordinated planning and oversight for a coordinated pest-response, improving government capacity to manage outbreaks.
Nearby communities, farmworkers, and the environment face higher pesticide use and associated health/environmental risks if control efforts rely on expanded chemical interventions.
Growers (and potentially consumers) could face higher costs from regulatory responses or reliance on interventions that increase production expenses.
Taxpayers fund the program at an estimated $32.5 million over five years, increasing federal spending for this targeted pest response.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates an APHIS-administered grant fund to support spotted wing drosophila research and mitigation with $6.5M authorized annually for five years.
Official title: Amend the Plant Protection Act to establish a fund for spotted wing drosophila research and mitigation.
Introduced February 9, 2026 by Gary C. Peters · Last progress February 9, 2026
Creates a new USDA fund, administered by APHIS, to support research and mitigation efforts against the spotted wing drosophila (an invasive insect) that damages many fruit crops. The bill authorizes $6.5 million per year for five years to be awarded through cooperative agreements or grants to eligible recipients working on monitoring, control, and prevention. The new authority is added to the Plant Protection Act and directs the APHIS Administrator to oversee funded activities and programs aimed at reducing crop losses caused by this pest.