I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10219 

To assist in the conservation of critically endangered species in foreign 

countries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 

Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. GARAMENDI, 

Ms. SCANLON, Mr. BEYER, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. 

STANSBURY, and Mr. CARBAJAL) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To assist in the conservation of critically endangered species 

in foreign countries, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Critically Endangered 

5 Animals Conservation Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act— 

8 (1) the term ‘‘Convention’’ means the Conven9 tion on International Trade in Endangered Species 


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1 of Wild Fauna and Flora (27 UST 1087; TIAS 

2 8249); 

3 (2) the term ‘‘conservation’’ means the protec4 tion and restoration of species and the habitat of 

5 such species; 

6 (3) the term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Critically En7 dangered Animals Conservation Fund established by 

8 section 5; 

9 (4) the term ‘‘critically endangered species’’— 

10 (A) means— 

11 (i) any animal species categorized on 

12 the International Union Conservation of 

13 Nature Red List of Threatened Species as 

14 either Endangered or Critically Endan15 gered; and 

16 (ii) any other animals species cat17 egorized on the International Union Con18 servation of Nature Red List of Threat19 ened Species as Data Deficient or under a 

20 threat category lower than Endangered if 

21 the Secretary determines that— 

22 (I) the most recent International 

23 Union Conservation of Nature Red 

24 List assessment indicates that the 

25 population is decreasing; or 


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1 (II) such species is facing new or 

2 emerging threats; and 

3 (B) includes— 

4 (i) any part, product, egg, offspring or 

5 live specimen of a species described in sub6 paragraph (A); and 

7 (ii) a carcass of such a species; 

8 (5) the term ‘‘Multinational Species Conserva9 tion Fund’’ means the fund established under the 

10 heading ‘‘multinational species conservation fund’’ in 

11 title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 

12 Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 

13 4246); and 

14 (6) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

15 of the Interior. 

16 SEC. 3. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMALS CONSERVA17 TION ASSISTANCE. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—In consultation with other Fed19 eral officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund 

20 to carry out a competitive grant program to provide finan21 cial assistance for the conservation of critically endangered 

22 species. 

23 (b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 

24 (1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—A proposal for a grant 

2 under subsection (a) may be submitted to the 

3 Secretary by— 

4 (i) any wildlife management authority 

5 of a foreign country that has within its 

6 boundaries natural habitat of the critically 

7 endangered species if the activities of the 

8 authority directly or indirectly benefit that 

9 species’ conservation; or 

10 (ii) any other person or group with 

11 the demonstrated expertise and capacity 

12 required for the conservation of a critically 

13 endangered species. 

14 (B) INELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—Any such 

15 wildlife management authority or other person 

16 or group that receives funding for a particular 

17 critically endangered species from any multi18 national species conservation fund to which the 

19 United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a 

20 party is not eligible for a grant under this Act 

21 with respect to a such species. 

22 (2) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—A project proposal 

23 shall include— 

24 (A) evidence of support for the project by 

25 appropriate governmental entities of the counVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:32 Nov 26, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10219.IH H10219

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1 try in which the project will be conducted, if the 

2 Secretary determines that such support is re3 quired for the success of the project; 

4 (B) evidence of sensitivity to local historic 

5 and cultural resources and compliance with ap6 plicable laws; 

7 (C) evidence of free, prior, and informed 

8 consent by indigenous peoples and local commu9 nities in the areas the project will be conducted, 

10 if the Secretary, based on the nature of the 

11 project, determines that such consent is re12 quired for the success of the project; 

13 (D) information regarding the source and 

14 amount of matching funding available for the 

15 project; and 

16 (E) any other information that the Sec17 retary determines to be appropriate. 

18 (c) EVALUATION AND APPROVAL.— 

19 (1) GOALS.—The Secretary may approve a pro20 posal under this section if the project will— 

21 (A) help recover and sustain viable popu22 lations in the wild of a critically endangered 

23 species with a range that is, in whole or in part, 

24 outside of the United States; 


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1 (B) enhance compliance with provisions of 

2 the Convention and laws of the United States 

3 or a foreign country related to the conservation 

4 of a critically endangered species; or 

5 (C) develop sound scientific information on 

6 that species’ habitat, population numbers and 

7 trends, reproduction, mortality, and other 

8 threats to survival. 

9 (2) METHODS.—The Secretary may approve a 

10 proposal under this section if the proposal would 

11 achieve one of the goals set forth in paragraph (1) 

12 through— 

13 (A) protection, restoration, and manage14 ment of habitat; 

15 (B) in situ research and monitoring of 

16 populations, habitats, annual reproduction, and 

17 species population trends; 

18 (C) development, implementation, and im19 provement of national and regional manage20 ment plans for a critically endangered species 

21 and the habitat of such species; 

22 (D) enforcement and implementation of 

23 the Convention or the law of a foreign country 

24 to— 


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1 (i) protect and manage a critically en2 dangered species or the habitat of such 

3 species; 

4 (ii) prevent illegal or unsustainable re5 moval of a critically endangered species 

6 from the wild, including as marine bycatch; 

7 or 

8 (iii) prevent illegal trade of a critically 

9 endangered species; 

10 (E) training and capacity building for local 

11 law enforcement officials in the interdiction and 

12 prevention of the illegal killing, removal from 

13 the wild, or trade of a critically endangered spe14 cies; 

15 (F) an initiative to resolve a conflict be16 tween humans and a critically endangered spe17 cies; 

18 (G) research and implementation of 

19 projects to address disease and threats to the 

20 health of a critically endangered species; 

21 (H) community outreach and education on 

22 conservation of a critically endangered species 

23 and the habitat of such species; or 

24 (I) strengthening the ability of local com25 munities to implement a conservation program. 


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1 (3) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall, prior 

2 to approving any proposal under this section, consult 

3 with each of the following with respect to such pro4 posal: 

5 (A) The Government of each country in 

6 which such proposal will be carried out. 

7 (B) Any other Federal agency the Sec8 retary determines is appropriate. 

9 (4) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION.—In deter10 mining whether to approve a proposal, the Secretary 

11 shall give preference to a proposal that— 

12 (A) is designed to ensure effective, long13 term conservation of critically endangered spe14 cies and their habitats; and 

15 (B) has matching funds available. 

16 (5) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall, within 

17 180 days of receiving a proposal under this section, 

18 approve or disapprove of the proposal and provide 

19 written notification of such approval or disapproval 

20 to— 

21 (A) the person who submitted such pro22 posal; 

23 (B) any Federal agency the Secretary de24 termines appropriate; and 


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1 (C) the foreign country in which such pro2 posal would be carried out. 

3 (d) PROJECT REPORTING.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require 

5 each person that receives assistance under this sec6 tion to submit periodic reports including such infor7 mation as the Secretary may require in order to 

8 evaluate the progress and success of each grant 

9 issued under this section. 

10 (2) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—Reports 

11 under paragraph (1), and any other documents re12 lating to projects for which financial assistance is 

13 provided under this Act except for documents that 

14 the Secretary determines to be confidential in na15 ture, shall be made available to the public. 

16 (e) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREED17 ING.—Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— 

18 (1) may not be used for captive breeding of 

19 critically endangered species other than for captive 

20 breeding designed for release into the wild; and 

21 (2) may be used for captive breeding of a spe22 cies for release into the wild only if no other con23 servation method for the species is biologically or 

24 technically feasible. 


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1 SEC. 4. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMALS CONSERVA2 TION FUND. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

4 Multinational Species Conservation Fund a separate ac5 count to be known as the ‘‘Critically Endangered Animals 

6 Conservation Fund’’, consisting of— 

7 (1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 

8 Treasury for deposit into the Fund under subsection 

9 (e); 

10 (2) amounts appropriated to the Fund under 

11 section 6; and 

12 (3) any interest earned on investment of 

13 amounts in the Fund under subsection (c). 

14 (b) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), at 

16 the request of the Secretary, the Secretary of the 

17 Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec18 retary, without further appropriation, such amounts 

19 as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry 

20 out section 3. 

21 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the 

22 amounts in the account available for each fiscal 

23 year, the Secretary may expend not more than 5 

24 percent, or up to $150,000, whichever is greater, to 

25 pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry 

26 out this Act. 


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1 (c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas3 ury shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, 

4 in the judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, 

5 required to meet current withdrawals. Investments 

6 may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of 

7 the United States. 

8 (2) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the 

9 purpose of investments under paragraph (1), obliga10 tions may be acquired— 

11 (A) on original issue at the issue price; or 

12 (B) by purchase of outstanding obligations 

13 at market price. 

14 (3) SALE OF OBLIGATIONS.—Any obligation ac15 quired by the Fund may be sold by the Secretary of 

16 the Treasury at market price. 

17 (4) CREDITS TO FUND.—The interest on, and 

18 the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any ob19 ligations held in the Fund shall be credited to and 

20 form a part of the Fund. 

21 (d) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts required to be 

23 transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 

24 transferred at least monthly from the general fund 


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1 of the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of esti2 mates made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

3 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall 

4 be made in amounts subsequently transferred to the 

5 extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than 

6 the amounts required to be transferred. 

7 (e) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.—The 

8 Secretary may accept and use donations to provide assist9 ance under section 4. Amounts received by the Secretary 

10 in the form of donations shall be transferred to the Sec11 retary of the Treasury for deposit in the Fund. The Sec12 retary may reject a gift under this section when the rejec13 tion is in the interest of the Government. 

14 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 

16 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030. 

17 SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

18 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

19 of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary 

20 shall submit to Congress a report on the results and effec21 tiveness of the program carried out under this Act. 

Æ 


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