IB 

Union Calendar No. 408 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2026 

[Report No. 117–567] 

To assist in the conservation of highly endangered amphibian species in 

foreign countries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 18, 2021 

Mr. JEFFRIES (for himself, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. 

HUFFMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

NOVEMBER 16, 2022 

Additional sponsors: Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, and Ms. NORTON

NOVEMBER 16, 2022 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 18, 2021] 


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A BILL 

To assist in the conservation of highly endangered amphibian 

species in foreign countries, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Global Amphibian Pro5 tection Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) CONVENTION.—The term ‘‘Convention’’ 

9 means the Convention on International Trade in En10 dangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (27 UST 

11 1087; TIAS 8249). 

12 (2) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘‘conservation’’ 

13 means the protection and restoration of species and 

14 the habitat of such species. 

15 (3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Highly 

16 Endangered Amphibians Conservation Fund estab17 lished by section 4. 

18 (4) HIGHLY ENDANGERED AMPHIBIAN SPE19 CIES.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘highly endan21 gered amphibian species’’ means— 

22 (i) any amphibian species categorized 

23 on the International Union for Conserva24 tion of Nature Red List of Threatened SpeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:03 Nov 17, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2026.RH H2026

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1 cies as Endangered, Critically Endangered, 

2 or Extinct in the Wild; and 

3 (ii) any other amphibian species cat4 egorized on the International Union for 

5 Conservation of Nature Red List of Threat6 ened Species as Data Deficient or under a 

7 threat category lower than Endangered if 

8 the Secretary determines that— 

9 (I) the most recent International 

10 Union for Conservation of Nature Red 

11 List assessment indicates that the pop12 ulation is decreasing; or 

13 (II) such species is facing new or 

14 emerging threats. 

15 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘highly endan16 gered amphibian species’’ includes— 

17 (i) live specimens, at all lifecycle 

18 stages, of species described in subparagraph 

19 (A); 

20 (ii) dead specimens, or parts or prod21 ucts thereof, of such species. 

22 (5) MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION

23 FUND.—The term ‘‘Multinational Species Conserva24 tion Fund’’ means the fund established under the 

25 heading ‘‘multinational species conservation fund’’ in 


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1 title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 

2 Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 4246). 

3 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of the Interior. 

5 SEC. 3. HIGHLY ENDANGERED AMPHIBIAN SPECIES ASSIST6 ANCE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—In consultation with other Federal 

8 officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund to 

9 carry out a competitive grant program to provide financial 

10 assistance for the conservation of highly endangered am11 phibian species. 

12 (b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 

13 (1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—A proposal for a 

14 grant under subsection (a) may be submitted to the 

15 Secretary by— 

16 (A) any wildlife management authority of a 

17 foreign country that has within its boundaries 

18 natural habitat of a highly endangered amphib19 ian species if the activities of the authority di20 rectly or indirectly benefit that species’ conserva21 tion; or 

22 (B) any other person or group with the 

23 demonstrated expertise and capacity required for 

24 the conservation of a highly endangered amphib25 ian species. 


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1 (2) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—A project proposal 

2 shall include— 

3 (A) evidence of support for the project by 

4 appropriate governmental entities of the country 

5 in which the project will be conducted, if the Sec6 retary determines that such support is required 

7 for the success of the project; 

8 (B) evidence of sensitivity to local historic 

9 and cultural resources and compliance with ap10 plicable laws; 

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

12 consent by indigenous peoples and local commu13 nities in the areas the project will be conducted, 

14 if the Secretary, based on the nature of the 

15 project, determines that such consent is required 

16 for the success of the project; 

17 (D) information regarding the source and 

18 amount of matching funding available for the 

19 project; and 

20 (E) any other information that the Sec21 retary determines to be appropriate. 

22 (c) EVALUATION AND APPROVAL.— 

23 (1) GOALS.—The Secretary may approve a pro24 posal under this section if the project will— 


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1 (A) help recover and sustain viable popu2 lations in the wild of a highly endangered am3 phibian species with a range that is, in whole or 

4 in part, outside of the United States; 

5 (B) enhance compliance with provisions of 

6 the Convention and laws of the United States or 

7 a foreign country related to the conservation of 

8 a highly endangered amphibian species; or 

9 (C) develop sound scientific information on 

10 that species’ habitat, population numbers and 

11 trends, reproduction, mortality, and other 

12 threats to survival. 

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

14 proposal under this section if the proposal would 

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

16 through— 

17 (A) protection, restoration, and manage18 ment of habitat; 

19 (B) in situ research and monitoring of pop20 ulations, habitats, annual reproduction, and spe21 cies population trends; 

22 (C) development, implementation, and im23 provement of national and regional management 

24 plans for a highly endangered amphibian species 

25 and the habitat of such species; 


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1 (D) enforcement and implementation of the 

2 Convention or the law of a foreign country to— 

3 (i) protect and manage a highly en4 dangered amphibian species or the habitat 

5 of such species; 

6 (ii) prevent illegal or unsustainable re7 moval of a highly endangered amphibian 

8 species from the wild; or 

9 (iii) prevent illegal trade of a highly 

10 endangered amphibian species; 

11 (E) training and capacity building for local 

12 law enforcement officials in the interdiction and 

13 prevention of the illegal killing, removal from the 

14 wild, or trade of a highly endangered amphibian 

15 species; 

16 (F) an initiative to resolve a conflict be17 tween humans and a highly endangered amphib18 ian species; 

19 (G) research and implementation of projects 

20 to address disease and threats to the health of a 

21 highly endangered amphibian species; 

22 (H) community outreach and education on 

23 conservation of a highly endangered amphibian 

24 species and the habitat of such species; or 


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1 (I) strengthening the ability of local com2 munities to implement a conservation program. 

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

4 to approving any proposal under this section, consult 

5 with each of the following with respect to such pro6 posal: 

7 (A) The Government of each country in 

8 which such proposal will be carried out. 

9 (B) Any other Federal agency the Secretary 

10 determines is appropriate. 

11 (4) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION.—In deter12 mining whether to approve a proposal, the Secretary 

13 shall give preference to a proposal that— 

14 (A) is designed to ensure effective, long-term 

15 conservation of highly endangered amphibian 

16 species and their habitats; and 

17 (B) has matching funds available. 

18 (5) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall, within 180 

19 days of receiving a proposal under this section, ap20 prove or disapprove of the proposal and provide writ21 ten notification of such approval or disapproval to— 

22 (A) the person who submitted such proposal; 

23 (B) any Federal agency the Secretary deter24 mines 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 section 

6 to submit periodic reports including such information 

7 as the Secretary may require in order to evaluate the 

8 progress and success of each grant issued under this 

9 section. 

10 (2) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—Reports 

11 under paragraph (1), and any other documents relat12 ing to projects for which financial assistance is pro13 vided under this Act except for documents that the 

14 Secretary determines to be confidential in nature, 

15 shall be made available to the public. 

16 (e) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING.— 

17 Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— 

18 (1) may not be used for captive breeding of high19 ly endangered amphibian species other than for cap20 tive breeding designed for release into the wild; and 

21 (2) may be used for captive breeding of a species 

22 for release into the wild only if no other conservation 

23 method for the species is biologically or technically 

24 feasible. 


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1 SEC. 4. HIGHLY ENDANGERED AMPHIBIAN SPECIES CON2 SERVATION FUND. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the Mul4 tinational Species Conservation Fund a separate account 

5 to be known as the ‘‘Highly Endangered Amphibian Species 

6 Conservation Fund’’, consisting of— 

7 (1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 

8 Treasury for deposit into the Fund under subsections 

9 (d) and (e); 

10 (2) amounts appropriated to the Fund under 

11 section 5; 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 out 

20 section 3. 

21 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the 

22 amounts in the account available for each fiscal year, 

23 the Secretary may expend not more than 3 percent, 

24 or up to $150,000, whichever is greater, to pay the 

25 administrative expenses necessary to carry out this 

26 Act. 


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1 (c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 

3 shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, in the 

4 judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, required to 

5 meet current withdrawals. Investments may be made 

6 only in interest-bearing obligations of the United 

7 States. 

8 (2) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the pur9 pose of investments under paragraph (1), obligations 

10 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 the 

18 proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obliga19 tions held in the Fund shall be credited to and form 

20 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 of 


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1 the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of estimates 

2 made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

3 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall be 

4 made in amounts subsequently transferred to the ex5 tent prior estimates were in excess of or less than the 

6 amounts required to be transferred. 

7 (e) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.—The Sec8 retary may accept and use donations to provide assistance 

9 under section 3. Amounts received by the Secretary in the 

10 form of donations shall be transferred to the Secretary of 

11 the Treasury for deposit in the Fund. The Secretary may 

12 reject a gift under this section when the rejection is in the 

13 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 2022 through 2027. 

17 SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

18 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

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

20 submit to Congress a report on the results and effectiveness 

21 of the program carried out under this Act. 


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Union Calendar No. 408 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2026 

[Report No. 117–567] 

A BILL 

To assist in the conservation of highly endangered 

other purposes. amphibian species in foreign countries, and for 

NOVEMBER 16, 2022 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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