ProTECT Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7795 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7795

To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit the taking for 
a trophy of any endangered or threatened species of fish or wildlife in 
  the United States and the importation of endangered and threatened 
    species trophies into the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 22, 2024

Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Norton, Ms. 
Lee of California, Mr. Gottheimer, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Soto, 
   Mr. Payne, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Raskin, and Mrs. Dingell) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit the taking for 
a trophy of any endangered or threatened species of fish or wildlife in 
  the United States and the importation of endangered and threatened 
    species trophies into the United States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prohibiting Threatened and 
Endangered Creature Trophies Act of 2024'' or the ``ProTECT Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Trophy hunting of imperiled species undermines efforts 
        to conserve wildlife populations because trophy hunters 
        routinely target the biggest, strongest males, and removing 
        those individuals from the population can decrease genetic 
        variation, decrease reproduction, alter social structures, 
        increase infanticide, and cause unnatural evolutionary impacts.
            (2) When trophy hunting of imperiled species is sanctioned, 
        poaching activity increases, further threatening the survival 
        of wildlife populations.
            (3) Legal trade in wildlife parts and products can provide 
        cover for markets for illegal trade in wildlife products, which 
        is worth up to $20,000,000,000 annually and run by professional 
        criminal networks linked to other transnational organized 
        criminal activities, including trafficking in narcotics, 
        weapons, and humans.
            (4) While the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
        1531 et seq.) currently prohibits the take and import of 
        species listed under that Act as endangered species, it does 
        not automatically extend those protections to species listed as 
        threatened species.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITIONS REGARDING TAKING AND IMPORTING OF ENDANGERED 
              SPECIES AND THREATENED SPECIES TROPHIES.

    (a) Prohibition of Taking or Importing.--Section 9 of the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1538) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(h) Trophies.--It is unlawful for any person subject to the 
jurisdiction of the United States--
            ``(1) to take for a trophy within the United States or the 
        territorial sea of the United States any species of fish or 
        wildlife listed under section 4 as a threatened species; or
            ``(2) to import into the United States any trophy of any 
        species of fish or wildlife listed under section 4 as a 
        threatened species.''.
    (b) Prohibition of Permits.--Section 10(a) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1539(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``The Secretary may 
        permit'' and inserting ``Except as otherwise provided in this 
        subsection, the Secretary may permit''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3) The Secretary may not permit or otherwise allow--
            ``(A) taking for a trophy any species of fish or wildlife 
        listed under section 4; or
            ``(B) importing into the United States any trophy of any 
        species of fish or wildlife listed under section 4, 
        notwithstanding section 9(b).''.
    (c) Antiques.--Section 10(h)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1539(h)(1)) is amended by striking ``Sections 4(d), 
9(a), and 9(c) do not apply'' and inserting ``Sections 4(d), 9(a), 
9(c), and 9(h)(2) do not apply''.
    (d) Definition.--Section 3 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(16 U.S.C. 1532) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (21) as paragraph (22); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (20) the following:
            ``(21) The term `trophy' means a whole dead animal, or a 
        readily recognizable part or derivative of an animal, that--
                    ``(A) is raw, processed, or manufactured; and
                    ``(B) was obtained under a hunting license or other 
                authorization issued by any State, foreign government, 
                or private landowner.''.
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