I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4341 

To assist in the conservation of critically endangered species in foreign 

countries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 

Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mr. BUCHANAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. KING of New York, Ms. WILD, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. BEYER, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. 

COHEN, and Mr. HASTINGS) 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 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

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

9 means the Convention on International Trade in EnVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Sep 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4341.IH H4341

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1 dangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (27 UST 

2 1087; TIAS 8249). 

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

4 means the protection and restoration of species and 

5 the habitat of such species. 

6 (3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Criti7 cally Endangered Animals Conservation Fund estab8 lished by section 5. 

9 (4) CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘critically en11 dangered species’’ means— 

12 (i) any animal species categorized on 

13 the International Union Conservation of 

14 Nature Red List of Threatened Species as 

15 either Endangered or Critically Endan16 gered; and 

17 (ii) any other animals species cat18 egorized on the International Union Con19 servation of Nature Red List of Threat20 ened Species as Data Deficient or under a 

21 threat category lower than Endangered if 

22 the Secretary determines that— 

23 (I) the most recent International 

24 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. 

5 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘critically en6 dangered species’’ includes— 

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

8 live specimen of a species described in sub9 paragraph (A); and 

10 (ii) a carcass of such a species. 

11 (5) MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION

12 FUND.—The term ‘‘Multinational Species Conserva13 tion Fund’’ means the fund established under the 

14 heading ‘‘multinational species conservation fund’’ in 

15 title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 

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

17 4246). 

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

19 the Secretary of the Interior. 

20 SEC. 3. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMALS CONSERVA21 TION ASSISTANCE. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—In consultation with other Fed23 eral officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund 

24 to carry out a competitive grant program to provide finanVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Sep 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4341.IH H4341

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1 cial assistance for the conservation of critically endangered 

2 species. 

3 (b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 

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

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

6 Secretary by— 

7 (A) any wildlife management authority of 

8 a foreign country that has within its boundaries 

9 natural habitat of the critically endangered spe10 cies if the activities of the authority directly or 

11 indirectly benefit that species’ conservation; or 

12 (B) any other person or group with the 

13 demonstrated expertise and capacity required 

14 for the conservation of a critically endangered 

15 species. 

16 (2) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—A project proposal 

17 shall include— 

18 (A) evidence of support for the project by 

19 appropriate governmental entities of the coun20 try in which the project will be conducted, if the 

21 Secretary determines that such support is re22 quired for the success of the project; 

23 (B) evidence of sensitivity to local historic 

24 and cultural resources and compliance with ap25 plicable laws; 


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

2 consent by indigenous peoples and local commu3 nities in the areas the project will be conducted, 

4 if the Secretary, based on the nature of the 

5 project, determines that such consent is re6 quired for the success of the project; 

7 (D) information regarding the source and 

8 amount of matching funding available for the 

9 project; and 

10 (E) any other information that the Sec11 retary determines to be appropriate. 

12 (c) EVALUATION AND APPROVAL.— 

13 (1) GOALS.—The Secretary may approve a pro14 posal under this section if the project will— 

15 (A) help recover and sustain viable popu16 lations in the wild of a critically endangered 

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

18 outside of the United States; 

19 (B) enhance compliance with provisions of 

20 the Convention and laws of the United States 

21 or a foreign country related to the conservation 

22 of a critically endangered species; or 

23 (C) develop sound scientific information on 

24 that species’ habitat, population numbers and 


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1 trends, reproduction, mortality, and other 

2 threats to survival. 

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

4 proposal under this section if the proposal would 

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

6 through— 

7 (A) protection, restoration, and manage8 ment of habitat; 

9 (B) in situ research and monitoring of 

10 populations, habitats, annual reproduction, and 

11 species population trends; 

12 (C) development, implementation, and im13 provement of national and regional manage14 ment plans for a critically endangered species 

15 and the habitat of such species; 

16 (D) enforcement and implementation of 

17 the Convention or the law of a foreign country 

18 to— 

19 (i) protect and manage a critically en20 dangered species or the habitat of such 

21 species; 

22 (ii) prevent illegal or unsustainable re23 moval of a critically endangered species 

24 from the wild, including as marine bycatch; 

25 or 


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1 (iii) prevent illegal trade of a critically 

2 endangered species; 

3 (E) training and capacity building for local 

4 law enforcement officials in the interdiction and 

5 prevention of the illegal killing, removal from 

6 the wild, or trade of a critically endangered spe7 cies; 

8 (F) an initiative to resolve a conflict be9 tween humans and a critically endangered spe10 cies; 

11 (G) research and implementation of 

12 projects to address disease and threats to the 

13 health of a critically endangered species; 

14 (H) community outreach and education on 

15 conservation of a critically endangered species 

16 and the habitat of such species; or 

17 (I) strengthening the ability of local com18 munities to implement a conservation program. 

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

20 to approving any proposal under this section, consult 

21 with each of the following with respect to such pro22 posal: 

23 (A) The Government of each country in 

24 which such proposal will be carried out. 


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1 (B) Any other Federal agency the Sec2 retary determines is appropriate. 

3 (4) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION.—In deter4 mining whether to approve a proposal, the Secretary 

5 shall give preference to a proposal that— 

6 (A) is designed to ensure effective, long7 term conservation of critically endangered spe8 cies and their habitats; and 

9 (B) has matching funds available. 

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

11 180 days of receiving a proposal under this section, 

12 approve or disapprove of the proposal and provide 

13 written notification of such approval or disapproval 

14 to— 

15 (A) the person who submitted such pro16 posal; 

17 (B) any Federal agency the Secretary de18 termines appropriate; and 

19 (C) the foreign country in which such pro20 posal would be carried out. 

21 (d) PROJECT REPORTING.— 

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

23 each person that receives assistance under this sec24 tion to submit periodic reports including such infor25 mation as the Secretary may require in order to 


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1 evaluate the progress and success of each grant 

2 issued under this section. 

3 (2) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—Reports 

4 under paragraph (1), and any other documents re5 lating to projects for which financial assistance is 

6 provided under this Act except for documents that 

7 the Secretary determines to be confidential in na8 ture, shall be made available to the public. 

9 (e) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREED10 ING.—Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— 

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

12 critically endangered species other than for captive 

13 breeding designed for release into the wild; and 

14 (2) may be used for captive breeding of a spe15 cies for release into the wild only if no other con16 servation method for the species is biologically or 

17 technically feasible. 

18 SEC. 4. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMALS CONSERVA19 TION FUND. 

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

21 Multinational Species Conservation Fund a separate ac22 count to be known as the ‘‘Critically Endangered Animals 

23 Conservation Fund’’, consisting of— 


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1 (1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 

2 Treasury for deposit into the Fund under subsection 

3 (e); 

4 (2) amounts appropriated to the Fund under 

5 section 6; and 

6 (3) any interest earned on investment of 

7 amounts in the Fund under subsection (c). 

8 (b) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 

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

10 the request of the Secretary, the Secretary of the 

11 Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec12 retary, without further appropriation, such amounts 

13 as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry 

14 out section 4. 

15 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the 

16 amounts in the account available for each fiscal 

17 year, the Secretary may expend not more than 3 

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

19 pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry 

20 out this Act. 

21 (c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas23 ury shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, 

24 in the judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, 

25 required to meet current withdrawals. Investments 


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1 may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of 

2 the United States. 

3 (2) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the 

4 purpose of investments under paragraph (1), obliga5 tions may be acquired— 

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

7 (B) by purchase of outstanding obligations 

8 at market price. 

9 (3) SALE OF OBLIGATIONS.—Any obligation ac10 quired by the Fund may be sold by the Secretary of 

11 the Treasury at market price. 

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

13 the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any ob14 ligations held in the Fund shall be credited to and 

15 form a part of the Fund. 

16 (d) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 

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

18 transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 

19 transferred at least monthly from the general fund 

20 of the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of esti21 mates made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

22 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall 

23 be made in amounts subsequently transferred to the 

24 extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than 

25 the amounts required to be transferred. 


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

2 Secretary may accept and use donations to provide assist3 ance under section 4. Amounts received by the Secretary 

4 in the form of donations shall be transferred to the Sec5 retary of the Treasury for deposit in the Fund. The Sec6 retary may reject a gift under this section when the rejec7 tion is in the interest of the Government. 

8 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 

10 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2025. 

11 SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

12 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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

14 shall submit to Congress a report on the results and effec15 tiveness of the program carried out under this Act. 

Æ 


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