(a) Establishment
The Secretary shall establish a communication center within the Department to—
(1) collect and disseminate information and prepare for an agricultural disease emergency, agroterrorist act, or other threat to agricultural biosecurity; and
(2) coordinate activities described in paragraph (1) among agencies and offices within the Department.
(b) Relation to existing DHS communication systems
(1) Consistency and coordination
The communication center established under subsection (a) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, share and coordinate the dissemination of timely information with the Department of Homeland Security and other communication systems of appropriate Federal departments and agencies.
(2) Avoiding redundancies
Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to impede, conflict with, or duplicate the communications activities performed by the Secretary of Homeland Security under any provision of law.
(c) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section—
(1) such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2013; and
(2) $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023.
Codification
Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 115–334 substituted "2023" for "2018".
2014—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 113–79 amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012."
Effective Date
Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of this title.
Definition of "Secretary"
"Secretary" as meaning the Secretary of Agriculture, see section 8701 of this title.