To amend the African Elephant Conservation Act to strengthen prohibitions on importation of African elephant ivory.

Amends the African Elephant Conservation Act to make it unlawful to import into the United States any African elephant ivory from any country: (1) which is not a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; (2) which does not have a population of African elephants living in the wild; (3) which is not a part of the African Continent; or (4) for which a moratorium is in effect under such Act. Exempts from such prohibition African elephant trophies legally taken by sport hunting by an importer in a country that has submitted an ivory quota.

 
HR 2415 IH
101st CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 2415
To amend the African Elephant Conservation Act to strengthen prohibitions
on importation of African elephant ivory.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 18, 1989
Mr. FIELDS (for himself and Ms. SCHNEIDER) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
A BILL
To amend the African Elephant Conservation Act to strengthen prohibitions
on importation of African elephant ivory.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
  States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROHIBITION.
  Section 2203 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4223)
  is amended to read as follows:
`SEC. 2203. PROHIBITED ACTS.
  `(a) IN GENERAL- Subject to subsection (b), it is unlawful for any person
  to import into the United States African elephant ivory from any country--
  `(1) which is not a member of the Convention on International Trade in
  Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
  `(2) which does not have a population of African elephants living in
  the wild;
  `(3) which is not a part of the African Continent; or
  `(4) for which a moratorium is in effect under section 2202.
  `(b) EXEMPTION OF SPORT TROPHIES- This section does not prohibit the
  importation into the United States of African elephant trophies that are
  legally taken by sport hunting by the importer or the principal of the
  importer in a country that has submitted an ivory quota.'.
SEC. 2. AFRICAN ELEPHANT IVORY DEFINED.
  Section 2305 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4244)
  is amended--
  (1) in paragraph (12) by striking `; and' and inserting a semicolon;
  (2) in paragraph (13) by striking the period at the end and inserting `;
  and'; and
  (3) by adding at the end the following:
  `(14) the term `African elephant ivory' means any African elephant tusk
  which is raw ivory or worked ivory.'.