U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10911 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10911

  To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to establish a U.S. Swine 
 health improvement plan as a voluntary program to be administered by 
  the Secretary of Agriculture in cooperation with the States and the 
 swine industry to prevent the introduction into the United States of, 
and to monitor for, diseases that threaten swine health, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 26, 2026

Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. Finstad, and Mr. Davis of North Carolina) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to establish a U.S. Swine 
 health improvement plan as a voluntary program to be administered by 
  the Secretary of Agriculture in cooperation with the States and the 
 swine industry to prevent the introduction into the United States of, 
and to monitor for, diseases that threaten swine health, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan 
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. U.S. SWINE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN.

    The Animal Health Protection Act is amended by inserting after 
section 10409A (7 U.S.C. 8308a) the following:

``SEC. 10409B. U.S. SWINE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a cooperative 
Federal-State-industry program for preventing and monitoring specific 
swine diseases through the establishment and implementation of 
certification programs that identify, in States participating in such a 
program, covered swine facilities that meet biosecurity, traceability, 
and surveillance standards for African swine fever, classical swine 
fever, and such other swine diseases as the Secretary determines 
appropriate. Such program shall be known as the `U.S. Swine Health 
Improvement Plan' or `US SHIP' and shall expand upon the US Swine 
Health Improvement Plan pilot program established by the swine industry 
for such purpose in 2020.
    ``(b) Program Elements.--The program described in subsection (a) 
shall--
            ``(1) be carried out in accordance with the final rule 
        referred to in subsection (c); and
            ``(2) provide for the establishment of an advisory 
        committee in accordance with chapter 10 of title 5, United 
        States Code--
                    ``(A) to study problems relating to swine health 
                and, as necessary, to make specific recommendations to 
                the Secretary of Agriculture concerning ways in which 
                the Secretary may assist the swine industry in 
                addressing such issues; and
                    ``(B) to make specific recommendations to the 
                Secretary for the administration of the U.S. Swine 
                Health Improvement Plan established under subsection 
                (a).
    ``(c) Final Rule.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, taking into account 
comments received during the comment period noticed in the Federal 
Register on February 28, 2025 (90 Fed. Reg. 10876 et seq.), finalize 
the proposed rule entitled `US Swine Health Improvement Plan' published 
in the Federal Register on December 31, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 107045 et 
seq.).
    ``(d) Covered Swine Facility Defined.--In this section, the term 
`covered swine facility' includes a boar stud facility, a breeding 
herd, a growing pig facility, a farrow-to-feeder facility, a farrow-to-
finish facility, a finishing facility, a small holding facility, a non-
commercial facility, a live animal marketing operation, a slaughtering 
facility, and any other facility the Secretary may determine 
appropriate.
    ``(e) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to 
        amounts otherwise made available, there is authorized to be 
        appropriated to carry out this section $4,500,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to remain available until 
        expended.
            ``(2) Limitation.--The expenses of the advisory committee 
        referred to in subsection (b) shall not be counted toward any 
        general limitation on the expenses of advisory committees, 
        panels, commissions, and task forces of the Department of 
        Agriculture contained in any Act making appropriations for the 
        Department of Agriculture, whether enacted before, on, or after 
        June 23, 1998, unless the appropriation Act specifically--
                    ``(A) refers to this section; and
                    ``(B) includes the advisory committee referred to 
                in subsection (b) within the general limitation.''.
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