I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3448 

To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit the taking of 

any endangered species or threatened species of fish or wildlife in the 

United States as a trophy and the importation of any such trophy 

into the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 

Ms. JACKSON LEE 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 of any endangered species or threatened species of fish or wildlife in the United States as a trophy 

and the importation of any such trophy into the United 

States, 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 ‘‘Cecil the Lion Endan5 gered and Threatened Species Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF TAKING OR IMPORTING ANY EN2 DANGERED OR THREATENED SPECIES AS A 

3 TROPHY. 

4 (a) PROHIBITION OF TAKING OR IMPORTING ANY

5 TROPHY.—Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 

6 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1538) is amended by adding at the end 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(h) TROPHIES.—It is unlawful for any person sub9 ject to the jurisdiction of the United States— 

10 ‘‘(1) to take as a trophy within the United 

11 States or the territorial sea of the United States any 

12 species of fish or wildlife listed under section 4; or 

13 ‘‘(2) to import into the United States any tro14 phy of any species of fish or wildlife listed under sec15 tion 4.’’. 

16 (b) PROHIBITION OF PERMITS FOR TROPHIES.—Sec17 tion 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

18 U.S.C. 1539(a)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Sec20 retary may permit’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as other21 wise provided in this subsection, the Secretary may 

22 permit’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary may not permit— 

25 ‘‘(i) taking as a trophy any species of fish or 

26 wildlife listed under section 4; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) importing into the United States any tro2 phy of any species of fish or wildlife listed under sec3 tion 4 and taken after the date of the enactment of 

4 the Cecil the Lion Endangered and Threatened Spe5 cies Act of 2015. 

6 ‘‘(B) Any person seeking to import such a trophy 

7 shall submit to the customs officer concerned at the time 

8 of entry of the trophy such documentation as the Sec9 retary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Sec10 retary of the Interior, shall by regulation require as being 

11 necessary to establish that the trophy was taken before 

12 the date of the enactment of the Cecil the Lion Endan13 gered and Threatened Species Act of 2015.’’. 

14 (c) ANTIQUES.—Section 10(h)(1) of the Endangered 

15 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1539(h)(1)) is amended 

16 by striking ‘‘Sections 4(d), 9(a), and 9(c) do not apply’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘Sections 4(d), 9(a), 9(c), and 9(h)(2) do 

18 not apply’’. 

19 (d) DEFINITION.—Section 3 of the Endangered Spe20 cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1532) is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating paragraph (21) as para22 graph (22); and 

23 (2) by inserting after paragraph (20) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(21) The term ‘trophy’ means any fish or wild2 life taken for sport or procurement of a souvenir.’’. 

Æ 


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