NAIS in Appropriations Bill
3/3/2009
The 2009 omnibus Appropriations bill, HR 1105, passed the House last week; the Senate began consideration of the bill March 2, making appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. The bill includes $14.5 million of funding for NAIS, which is significantly less than the amount requested by the USDA for FY 2009.
Representative Obey (D-WI) included a statement in the Congressional Record about the intended uses of the appropriations for the USDA, including timelines and performance goals for NAIS. This statement does not mandate NAIS because it is not part of the bill itself. But it implies approval of USDA’s Business Plan and pushes USDA to move forward with implementing it, including the use of existing disease control programs and other coercive tactics to implement NAIS.