I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1569 

To assist in the conservation of critically endangered species in foreign 

countries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 3, 2021 

Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mr. BUCHANAN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. JONES, Mr. LANGEVIN, 

Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

SIRES, Mr. VAN DREW, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. BEYER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

CASE, Mr. SCHIFF, and Mr. FITZPATRICK) 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 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act— 


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1 (1) the term ‘‘Convention’’ means the Conven2 tion on International Trade in Endangered Species 

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

4 8249); 

5 (2) the term ‘‘conservation’’ means the protec6 tion and restoration of species and the habitat of 

7 such species; 

8 (3) the term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Critically En9 dangered Animals Conservation Fund established by 

10 section 5; 

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

12 (A) means— 

13 (i) any animal species categorized on 

14 the International Union Conservation of 

15 Nature Red List of Threatened Species as 

16 either Endangered or Critically Endan17 gered; and 

18 (ii) any other animals species cat19 egorized on the International Union Con20 servation of Nature Red List of Threat21 ened Species as Data Deficient or under a 

22 threat category lower than Endangered if 

23 the Secretary determines that— 

24 (I) the most recent International 

25 Union Conservation of Nature Red 


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1 List assessment indicates that the 

2 population is decreasing; or 

3 (II) such species is facing new or 

4 emerging threats; and 

5 (B) includes— 

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

7 live specimen of a species described in sub8 paragraph (A); and 

9 (ii) a carcass of such a species; 

10 (5) the term ‘‘Multinational Species Conserva11 tion Fund’’ means the fund established under the 

12 heading ‘‘multinational species conservation fund’’ in 

13 title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 

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

15 4246); and 

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

17 of the Interior. 

18 SEC. 3. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMALS CONSERVA19 TION ASSISTANCE. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—In consultation with other Fed21 eral officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund 

22 to carry out a competitive grant program to provide finan23 cial assistance for the conservation of critically endangered 

24 species. 

25 (b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 


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1 (1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.— 

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

3 under subsection (a) may be submitted to the 

4 Secretary by— 

5 (i) any wildlife management authority 

6 of a foreign country that has within its 

7 boundaries natural habitat of the critically 

8 endangered species if the activities of the 

9 authority directly or indirectly benefit that 

10 species’ conservation; or 

11 (ii) any other person or group with 

12 the demonstrated expertise and capacity 

13 required for the conservation of a critically 

14 endangered species. 

15 (B) INELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—Any such 

16 wildlife management authority or other person 

17 or group that receives funding for a particular 

18 critically endangered species from any multi19 national species conservation fund to which the 

20 United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a 

21 party is not eligible for a grant under this Act 

22 with respect to a such species. 

23 (2) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—A project proposal 

24 shall include— 


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1 (A) evidence of support for the project by 

2 appropriate governmental entities of the coun3 try in which the project will be conducted, if the 

4 Secretary determines that such support is re5 quired for the success of the project; 

6 (B) evidence of sensitivity to local historic 

7 and cultural resources and compliance with ap8 plicable laws; 

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

10 consent by indigenous peoples and local commu11 nities in the areas the project will be conducted, 

12 if the Secretary, based on the nature of the 

13 project, determines that such consent is re14 quired for the success of the project; 

15 (D) information regarding the source and 

16 amount of matching funding available for the 

17 project; and 

18 (E) any other information that the Sec19 retary determines to be appropriate. 

20 (c) EVALUATION AND APPROVAL.— 

21 (1) GOALS.—The Secretary may approve a pro22 posal under this section if the project will— 

23 (A) help recover and sustain viable popu24 lations in the wild of a critically endangered 


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

2 outside of the United States; 

3 (B) enhance compliance with provisions of 

4 the Convention and laws of the United States 

5 or a foreign country related to the conservation 

6 of a critically endangered species; or 

7 (C) develop sound scientific information on 

8 that species’ habitat, population numbers and 

9 trends, reproduction, mortality, and other 

10 threats to survival. 

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

12 proposal under this section if the proposal would 

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

14 through— 

15 (A) protection, restoration, and manage16 ment of habitat; 

17 (B) in situ research and monitoring of 

18 populations, habitats, annual reproduction, and 

19 species population trends; 

20 (C) development, implementation, and im21 provement of national and regional manage22 ment plans for a critically endangered species 

23 and the habitat of such species; 


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1 (D) enforcement and implementation of 

2 the Convention or the law of a foreign country 

3 to— 

4 (i) protect and manage a critically en5 dangered species or the habitat of such 

6 species; 

7 (ii) prevent illegal or unsustainable re8 moval of a critically endangered species 

9 from the wild, including as marine bycatch; 

10 or 

11 (iii) prevent illegal trade of a critically 

12 endangered species; 

13 (E) training and capacity building for local 

14 law enforcement officials in the interdiction and 

15 prevention of the illegal killing, removal from 

16 the wild, or trade of a critically endangered spe17 cies; 

18 (F) an initiative to resolve a conflict be19 tween humans and a critically endangered spe20 cies; 

21 (G) research and implementation of 

22 projects to address disease and threats to the 

23 health of a critically endangered species; 


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1 (H) community outreach and education on 

2 conservation of a critically endangered species 

3 and the habitat of such species; or 

4 (I) strengthening the ability of local com5 munities to implement a conservation program. 

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

7 to approving any proposal under this section, consult 

8 with each of the following with respect to such pro9 posal: 

10 (A) The Government of each country in 

11 which such proposal will be carried out. 

12 (B) Any other Federal agency the Sec13 retary determines is appropriate. 

14 (4) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION.—In deter15 mining whether to approve a proposal, the Secretary 

16 shall give preference to a proposal that— 

17 (A) is designed to ensure effective, long18 term conservation of critically endangered spe19 cies and their habitats; and 

20 (B) has matching funds available. 

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

22 180 days of receiving a proposal under this section, 

23 approve or disapprove of the proposal and provide 

24 written notification of such approval or disapproval 

25 to— 


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1 (A) the person who submitted such pro2 posal; 

3 (B) any Federal agency the Secretary de4 termines appropriate; and 

5 (C) the foreign country in which such pro6 posal would be carried out. 

7 (d) PROJECT REPORTING.— 

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

9 each person that receives assistance under this sec10 tion to submit periodic reports including such infor11 mation as the Secretary may require in order to 

12 evaluate the progress and success of each grant 

13 issued under this section. 

14 (2) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—Reports 

15 under paragraph (1), and any other documents re16 lating to projects for which financial assistance is 

17 provided under this Act except for documents that 

18 the Secretary determines to be confidential in na19 ture, shall be made available to the public. 

20 (e) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREED21 ING.—Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— 

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

23 critically endangered species other than for captive 

24 breeding designed for release into the wild; and 


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1 (2) may be used for captive breeding of a spe2 cies for release into the wild only if no other con3 servation method for the species is biologically or 

4 technically feasible. 

5 SEC. 4. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMALS CONSERVA6 TION FUND. 

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

8 Multinational Species Conservation Fund a separate ac9 count to be known as the ‘‘Critically Endangered Animals 

10 Conservation Fund’’, consisting of— 

11 (1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 

12 Treasury for deposit into the Fund under subsection 

13 (e); 

14 (2) amounts appropriated to the Fund under 

15 section 6; and 

16 (3) any interest earned on investment of 

17 amounts in the Fund under subsection (c). 

18 (b) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 

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

20 the request of the Secretary, the Secretary of the 

21 Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec22 retary, without further appropriation, such amounts 

23 as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry 

24 out section 3. 


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1 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the 

2 amounts in the account available for each fiscal 

3 year, the Secretary may expend not more than 3 

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

5 pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry 

6 out this Act. 

7 (c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas9 ury shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, 

10 in the judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, 

11 required to meet current withdrawals. Investments 

12 may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of 

13 the United States. 

14 (2) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the 

15 purpose of investments under paragraph (1), obliga16 tions may be acquired— 

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

18 (B) by purchase of outstanding obligations 

19 at market price. 

20 (3) SALE OF OBLIGATIONS.—Any obligation ac21 quired by the Fund may be sold by the Secretary of 

22 the Treasury at market price. 

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

24 the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 Apr 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1569.IH H1569

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1 ligations held in the Fund shall be credited to and 

2 form a part of the Fund. 

3 (d) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 

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

5 transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 

6 transferred at least monthly from the general fund 

7 of the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of esti8 mates made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

9 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall 

10 be made in amounts subsequently transferred to the 

11 extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than 

12 the amounts required to be transferred. 

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

14 Secretary may accept and use donations to provide assist15 ance under section 4. Amounts received by the Secretary 

16 in the form of donations shall be transferred to the Sec17 retary of the Treasury for deposit in the Fund. The Sec18 retary may reject a gift under this section when the rejec19 tion is in the interest of the Government. 

20 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 

22 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027. 

23 SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

24 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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


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1 shall submit to Congress a report on the results and effec2 tiveness of the program carried out under this Act. 

Æ 


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