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