Bill Summary
The "Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act" (CECIL Act) is a proposed amendment to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This bill aims to strengthen protections for endangered and threatened species by prohibiting the import and export of any species listed or proposed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. This includes prohibiting the import of sport-hunted trophies of these species, unless the Secretary of the Interior certifies that the country where the animal was killed has a management plan in place that is based on the best available science and actively implemented. The bill also requires that the country demonstrates transparency, accountability, and verifiability in their governance to ensure that any benefits from trophy hunting directly benefit the conservation of the species. Additionally, the bill requires that permit fees for importing sport-hunted trophies cover all administrative costs and that the Secretary publishes notice of each permit application for a sport-hunted trophy in the Federal Register. The bill also abolishes the International Wildlife Conservation Council and requires a study by the Government Accountability Office on the effectiveness of trophy hunting in supporting international wildlife conservation efforts.
Possible Impacts
1. Limiting the import and export of threatened or endangered species could potentially limit opportunities for people who rely on the hunting or trade of these species for income or sustenance.
2. The requirement for a management plan based on the best available science and coordination with adjacent countries could affect local communities by potentially restricting their traditional hunting practices or access to natural resources.
3. The termination of the International Wildlife Conservation Council could limit the influence and input of organizations and individuals in the hunting and conservation community, potentially affecting their ability to advocate for their interests and perspectives.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2245 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 563
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2245
[Report No. 116-680, Part I]
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit import and
export of any species listed or proposed to be listed under such Act as
a threatened species or endangered species, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 10, 2019
Mr. Grijalva (for himself, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr.
Cartwright, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Norton, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr.
Lowenthal, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Napolitano, and Mr. Moulton) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and
Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
December 21, 2020
Additional sponsors: Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Kuster of New
Hampshire, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr.
DeFazio, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Malinowski, Ms. Haaland, Mr.
Hastings, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Dean, Mr. Johnson
of Georgia, Ms. Underwood, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Soto, Mrs. Davis of
California, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Castor of
Florida, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr.
Carbajal, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Schiff, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of
New York, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Shalala, Mr. Swalwell of
California, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Judy Chu of
California, Mr. Pascrell, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Crist, Ms. Titus, Ms. Eshoo,
Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Spanberger, Mr. Yarmuth, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Smith of
Washington, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Foster, and Mrs. Luria
December 21, 2020
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with amendments
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
December 21, 2020
Committees on Foreign Affairs and Ways and Means discharged; committed
to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and
ordered to be printed
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April
10, 2019]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit import and
export of any species listed or proposed to be listed under such Act as
a threatened species or endangered species, 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 ``Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the
Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act'' or the ``CECIL Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO PROHIBITED ACTS.
Section 9(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1538(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Except as provided in section 10 of this Act, it is unlawful
for any person to import into or export from the United States any
sport-hunted trophy of a species listed or proposed to be listed under
section 4(c) as a threatened species or endangered species.''.
SEC. 3. IMPORTS OF SPORT-HUNTED TROPHIES.
Section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1539(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Before issuing any permit under this Act authorizing import
of any sport-hunted trophy of a species that is listed or proposed to
be listed as an endangered or threatened species, the Secretary must
make a finding after public notice and comment pursuant to section 553
of title 5, United States Code, of whether the country where the animal
was killed adequately provides for the conservation and monitoring for
that species, including that--
``(A) a management plan for that species based on the best
available science that--
``(i) addresses existing threats to the species;
``(ii) provides a significant conservation benefit
to the species;
``(iii) formally coordinates with adjacent
countries to protect transboundary populations; and
``(iv) ensures that any take is sustainable and
does not contribute to the species' decline in either
the short-term or long-term according to current
population estimates derived through the use of the
best available science;
``(B) such management plan is being actively implemented;
``(C) the country where the animal was killed demonstrates
transparency, accountability, and verifiability in governance
to ensure that any benefits of trophy hunting, including
revenue from such taking, materially, directly and
substantially benefits the conservation of that species;
``(D) hunting of the species in such country enhances the
propagation or survival of the species; and
``(E) the local community in which the trophy hunting
occurs directly and substantially benefits from the hunting of
the species.
``(4) Notwithstanding subsections (b) and (c)(2) of section 9, no
permit may be issued by the Secretary for the import of a sport-hunted
trophy of an elephant or lion taken in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, or
Zambia.''.
SEC. 4. PERMIT FEES FOR SPORT-HUNTED TROPHY IMPORTS.
Section 10(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1539(a)(2)) is amended by redesignating subparagraph (C) as
subparagraph (D), and by inserting after subparagraph (B) the
following:
``(C) No permit may be issued by the Secretary under this Act for
import of a sport-hunted trophy unless the applicant pays to the
Secretary all administrative costs incurred by the United States that
are associated with processing the permit application.''.
SEC. 5. TRANSPARENCY OF SPORTS-HUNTED TROPHY IMPORT PERMITS.
Section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1539(c)) is amended by inserting ``The Secretary shall publish notice
in the Federal Register of each application for an exemption or permit
which is made under this Act for a sport-hunted trophy of a species
that is listed or proposed to be listed as an endangered species or
threatened species.'' after ``section.''
SEC. 6. TERMINATION OF INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COUNCIL.
The International Wildlife Conservation Council of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service is hereby abolished.
SEC. 7. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall conduct and submit to the Congress a report on the results of a
study of the effectiveness of trophy hunting in supporting
international wildlife conservation efforts.
(b) Report.--The report shall--
(1) include a detailed analysis of how permit fees and
other payments from hunters to government entities and hunting
guides in host countries are applied to tangible actions
supporting the conservation of the target species and other
wildlife in such countries;
(2) identify data gaps and recommend information that
hunters and host countries must submit to verify the impacts of
trophy hunting on wildlife conservation efforts; and
(3) recommend actions that the Department of the Interior
and the Congress should take to ensure that trophy hunting
contributes to conservation.
Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to amend the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 to strengthen protections for
endangered and threatened species, as well as species proposed
to be listed, by requiring certification by the Fish and
Wildlife Service that any international trophy hunting of those
species enhances the conservation of the species before any
import of the trophy would be permitted, and for other
purposes.''.
Union Calendar No. 563
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2245
[Report No. 116-680, Part I]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit import and
export of any species listed or proposed to be listed under such Act as
a threatened species or endangered species, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
December 21, 2020
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with amendments
December 21, 2020
Committees on Foreign Affairs and Ways and Means discharged; committed
to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and
ordered to be printed