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>> [GAVEL] >> CHAIR HANSEN:
THE MEETING OF THE
HOUSE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES FINANCE DIVISION WILL COME
TO ORDER. FOLKS
WILL HAVE A SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS TODAY FROM THE
UNIVERSITY MINNESOTA AND THEN AT THE END OF SESSION WE WILL BE
CONSIDERING HOUSE
FILE 80 WHICH HAS BEEN HEARD
AND REFER THAT TO THE WAYS AND
MEANS COMMITTEE.
I THINK WE HAVE A
QUORUM HERE. IS THERE SOMEONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO MOVE
THE MINUTES?
REPRESENTATIVE SUNDIN >> REPRESENTATIVE SUNDIN: MR. CHAIR I GLADLY MOVE THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING. >> CHAIR HANSEN:
REPRESENTATIVE SUNDIN MOVES THE MINUTES.
ANY DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY; AYE. [CHORUS OF
AYES.] OPPOSED? TO
HAVE IT CONGRATULATIONS ON ADOPTING THE MINUTES. >> [GAVEL] >> CHAIR HANSEN:
''S AFTERNOON WE ARE GOING TO HAVE
A PRESENTATION AT THE
UNIVERSITY MINNESOTA
AND I'M GOING TO ASK THE FOLKS HOLDER QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE'VE A NUMBER
OF PRESENTERS. I'M GOING TO START WITH DEAN TREVOR AM
ES FROM [INAUDIBLE] MEDICINE AND DR.
MARK -- FOR THE
CENTER FROM INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY.
GENTLEMEN; WELCOME TO
THE COMMITTEE. >> TESTIFIER: MR. CHAIR; HANSEN
ANY MEMBERS I AM A [INAUDIBLE]
IT'S MY PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE AND VISIT
WITH YOU. THANK YOU FOR
THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT CHRONIC
WASTING DISEASE. SINCE OUR
LAST DISCUSSION OF OUR MENTAL
POLICY COMMITTEE. SOME OF YOU ARE PRESENT FOR
THAT DISCUSSION WITH SOME OF YOU
WERE NOT. HE WILL TRY TO COVER
IMPORTANT POINTS AVOID
UNNECESSARY REDUNDANCY.
AS I MENTIONED AT THE
LAST HEARING; [INAUDIBLE] WAS CONTACTED
BY A NUMBER OF LEGISLATORS OVER THE LAST ARE REQUESTING OUR INVOLVEMENT IN
A SOLUTION FOR THE CHRONIC WASTING
DISEASE ISSUE. SINCE
OUR PRESENTATION A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WE HAVE MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND DISCUSSED THIS PROPOSAL IN
MORE DETAIL
IN MANY EXCELLENT QUESTIONS
HAVE EMERGED. WE ARE
BROUGHT ADDITIONAL EXPERTISE TODAY TO TRY TO ENTER THOSE QUESTIONS. I'M JOINED BY PROF. MICHAEL -- FROM THE SCHOOL
PUBLIC HEALTH AS
WELL AS PROF. [INAUDIBLE] FROM THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
AND PROFESSOR TO HAVE IT FROM THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
AS WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME; CHRONIC
WASTING DISEASE WITH CWD PRESENT
A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO OUR WILD AND
FARM POPULATION
. IT'S
A PROGRESSIVE FATAL DISEASE THAT AFFECTS THE BRAIN; SPINAL CORD AND MANY OTHER TISSUES OF FARM
AND [INAUDIBLE] DEER ELK
AND MOOSE. IT CAUSES NEUROLOGIC DYSFUNCTION AND SIGNIFICANT
WEIGHT LOSS. LEADING TO
DEATH. CWD
LONGS TO A FAMILY OF
DISEASE CALLED
PRION DISEASES
WERE TRANSMISSIBLE
SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY OTHER
TSES INCLUDE MAD COW
DISEASE; [INAUDIBLE]
MICHELLE JACOB DISEASE IN
HUMANS AND
VARIOUS [INAUDIBLE] OR THE HUMAN FORM OF MAD COW DISEASE. THE
DISEASE CAUSING AGENTS OF CWD THE PROTEINS
[INAUDIBLE] SALIVA
FECES AND URINE FROM INFECTED ANIMALS ARE CONTAINED IN MUSCLE AND OTHER
ORGANS. TODAY; AS WE DISCUSSED LAST SUMMER; THERE'S NO
IMMUNOLOGIC EVIDENCE
OR REPORTED CASES FOR THE RECURRENCE OF CWD IN PEOPLE
AND IT'S
NOT KNOWN IF PEOPLE CAN
GET IN ACTED WITH A CWD PRION BUT THERE'S SOME EXPAND MENTAL STUDIES THAT HAVE SHOWN TRANSMISSION OF CWD PRIONS 2
PRIMATES AND HUMAN CELL LINES WHICH
RAISES CONCERNS. SINCE 1997 THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION
HAS RECOMMENDED THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE DISEASE
CAUSING PRIONS FROM ENTERING THE HUMAN
FOOD CHAIN. AS OF AS OF AUGUST
1; 2018 THERE IS NOW
2026 COUNTIES IN 23 STATES WITH REPORTED CWD IN THE
FREE RANGING
SERVICE. THIS INFORMATION WILL OBVIOUSLY
BE UPDATED AND ALL THE DATA
FROM THE
FALL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS ARE INCLUDED. IN THE LAST 3 YEARS MINNESOTA
DNR IDENTIFIED 35 WILD
DEER OUR CAUSES FOR CWD. MANY COUNTIES
IN WISCONSIN IN
SOUTHER
N WISCONSIN; ARE NOW ENDEMIC WITH LARGE POPULATIONS OF DEER BEING POSITIVE FOR CWD IN THESE
INFECTED COUNTIES IN
WISCONSIN OF ONLY BECOME POSITIVE SINCE EARLY 2000 COULD IN MINNESOTA ARE DNR AND BOARD OF
ANIMAL HEALTH
WORK JOHNNY TO MONITOR AND
CONTROL CWD
[INAUDIBLE]. SO THE FUNDING WE ARE REQUESTING IS TO DEVELOP A
MORE RAPID TEST THAT COULD BE USED
TO
DETECT THE [INAUDIBLE] DISEASE IN
LIVING ANIMALS; HARVESTED DEER; FARM DEER; THAT HAVE DIED OR SLAUGHTERED
AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING CAN WE BELIEVE THIS TYPE OF TESTING IS NEEDED TO ALLOW MORE TIMELY TESTING OF HUNTER
HARVESTED DEAL; MAKING CONSUMPTION OF CHRONIC
WASTING DISEASE POSITIVE DEER
LESS LIKELY.
DR. AUSTER HOME WILL DISCUSS POTENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TO HUMANS AND MORE DETAIL BUT I BELIEVE WE SHOULD DO
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO KEEP THIS AGENT OUT OF THE HUMAN
FOOD CHAIN. THE TEST WE ARE PROPOSING
WILL ALSO ALLOW
THE DNR TO DEAL WITH
CARCASS DISPOSAL IN A MORE TIMELY FASHION AND
ALSO ALLOW ACTIVE MONITORING OF
FARM [INAUDIBLE] PRIOR TO DEATH IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION RISKS AND ENHANCE MONITORING EFFORTS
WILD POPULATIONS. I WOULD LIKE
TO ASK DR. AUSTER HOME
TO MAKE REMARKS ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH RISK OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE
YOU WILL BE
FOLLOWED BY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FACULTY DISCUSSING
THE STATUS OF OUR
CURRENT TESTING AND THE TEST WE ARE PROPOSING
TO DEVELOP
THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FACULTY WILL ALSO
BE JOINED BY THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING FACULTY
WILL DISCUSS THE ENGINEERING ASPECT OF THE TEST WE
ARE PROPOSING. DR. AUSTER ON. >> TESTIFIER: THANK YOU
>> CHAIR HANSEN: DR. AWESOME
>> TESTIFIER: MR. CHAIR; MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE; IT'S A GREAT HONOR TO BE BACK BEFORE YOU AGAIN AND LET
ME SAY THIS WITH SOME REFLECTION THAT I'M HERE TO SHARE
WHAT I AM TODAY 34 YEARS AGO
THIS MONTH I SAT IN THIS
VERY ROOM. VERY
SIMILAR SITUATION TRYING TO OFFER PERSPECTIVE ON HIV OR AT
THAT TIME;
JUST AIDS. IT'S INFECTION AND WHAT A MINE IN TERMS OF
OUR FUTURE. THAT WAS A SOBERING PERSPECTIVE
AND UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T BELIEVE THAT
THIS IS A SIMILAR LEVEL OF CONCERN; I WILL OFFER PERSPECTIVE THEY
WHICH IS NOT ROSY ABOUT THE SITUATION
BEFORE US. TO BEGIN WITH; LET ME JUST
REMIND EVERYONE
AS PROF. AMES HAS INDICATED; THIS IS NOT A NEW SITUATION
. FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED IN 1967 IN YOUR GEAR
IN COLORADO [INAUDIBLE] WAS
ALREADY DISCUSSED. HOWEVER;
THERE'S BEEN SUCH A WIDESPREAD TRANSMISSION REALLY IN THE LAST 8 TO-10 YEARS THAT A CHANGE THE SITUATION IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL
HUMAN EXPOSURE WITH
NO TRANSMISSION AT LEAST 24 POTENTIALLY 26
STATES INTO PROVINCES
IN CANADA. THIS CHANGES THE
ENTIRE PICTURE.SINCE CHRONIC
WASTING DISEASE IS FOUND TO CAUSE INFECTIONS
IN HUMANS;
STILL A NUMBER OF HEALTH AGENCIES HAVE TAKEN THE STANCE
THAT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE CONSUMING CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TYPE OF ANIMAL MEATS.
SINCE 1997
WHO WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SEGMENT OF
THE AGENT
IN PRION DISEASE SHOULD NOT ENTER THE FOOD CHAIN. LIKEWISE; THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION THE UNITED STATES
BOTH CANADA IN CANADA AND
RELEASE [INAUDIBLE]
INCLUDING MINNESOTA SEGMENT PEOPLE SHOULD
NOT CONSUME NATIVE ANIMAL FOUND TO
BE POSITIVE FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CASES BY THESE LIQUIDATIONS; THE ALLIANCE FOR
PUBLI
C WILDLIFE PRODUCES ROUGH ESTIMATES SUGGESTED THAT ANYWHERE FROM 7000
>> TESTIFIER: IF AND 15;000 CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE POSITIVE ANIMALS
HAVE BEEN
CONSUMED ANNUALLY WITH A