II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2194 

To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to establish the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for reducing 

human-predator conflict, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 22, 2019 

Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CRAMER, and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to establish the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for reducing human-predator conflict, 

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 ‘‘Promoting Resourceful 

5 and Effective Deterrents Against Threats Or Risks involv6 ing Species Act’’ or the ‘‘PREDATORS Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. THEODORE ROOSEVELT GENIUS PRIZE FOR REDUC2 ING HUMAN-PREDATOR CONFLICT. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7001(d) of the John D. 

4 Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation 

5 Act (16 U.S.C. 742b note; Public Law 116–9) is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in paragraphs (2)(C)(v), (3)(C)(v), 

8 (4)(C)(v), (5)(C)(v), and (6)(C)(v), by striking 

9 ‘‘paragraph (7)(A)’’ each place it appears and in10 serting ‘‘paragraph (8)(A)’’; 

11 (2) in paragraphs (2)(D)(ii), (2)(F)(ii), 

12 (3)(D)(ii), (3)(F)(ii), (4)(D)(ii), (4)(F)(ii), 

13 (5)(D)(ii), (5)(F)(ii), (6)(D)(ii), and (6)(F)(ii) by 

14 striking ‘‘paragraph (7)(B)’’ each place it appears 

15 and inserting ‘‘paragraph (8)(B)’’; 

16 (3) in paragraph (6)(C)(iv), in the matter pre17 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘subparagraph (C)’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘clause (iii)’’; 

19 (4) by redesignating paragraph (7) as para20 graph (8); 

21 (5) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(7) THEODORE ROOSEVELT GENIUS PRIZE

24 FOR REDUCING HUMAN-PREDATOR CONFLICT.— 

25 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(i) BOARD.—The term ‘Board’ 

2 means the Reducing Human-Predator Con3 flict Technology Advisory Board estab4 lished by subparagraph (C)(i). 

5 ‘‘(ii) PRIZE COMPETITION.—The term 

6 ‘prize competition’ means the Theodore 

7 Roosevelt Genius Prize for reducing 

8 human-predator conflict established under 

9 subparagraph (B). 

10 ‘‘(B) AUTHORITY.—Not later than 180 

11 days after the date of enactment of the PRED12 ATORS Act, the Secretary shall establish under 

13 section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 

14 Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719) a 

15 prize competition, to be known as the ‘Theodore 

16 Roosevelt Genius Prize for reducing human17 predator conflict’— 

18 ‘‘(i) to encourage technological innova19 tion with the potential to advance the mis20 sion of the United States Fish and Wildlife 

21 Service with respect to reducing the fre22 quency of human-predator conflict using 

23 nonlethal means; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) to award 1 or more prizes annu25 ally for a technological advancement that 


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1 promotes reducing human-predator conflict 

2 using nonlethal means, which may include 

3 the application and monitoring of tagging 

4 technologies. 

5 ‘‘(C) ADVISORY BOARD.— 

6 ‘‘(i) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is es7 tablished an advisory board, to be known 

8 as the ‘Reducing Human-Predator Conflict 

9 Technology Advisory Board’. 

10 ‘‘(ii) COMPOSITION.—The Board shall 

11 be composed of not fewer than 9 members 

12 appointed by the Secretary, who shall pro13 vide expertise in— 

14 ‘‘(I) predator-human interactions; 

15 ‘‘(II) the habitats of large preda16 tors; 

17 ‘‘(III) biology; 

18 ‘‘(IV) technology development; 

19 ‘‘(V) engineering; 

20 ‘‘(VI) economics; 

21 ‘‘(VII) business development and 

22 management; and 

23 ‘‘(VIII) any other discipline, as 

24 the Secretary determines to be necVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:38 Jul 26, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2194.IS S2194

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1 essary to achieve the purposes of this 

2 paragraph. 

3 ‘‘(iii) DUTIES.—Subject to clause (iv), 

4 with respect to the prize competition, the 

5 Board shall— 

6 ‘‘(I) select a topic; 

7 ‘‘(II) issue a problem statement; 

8 ‘‘(III) advise the Secretary re9 garding any opportunity for techno10 logical innovation to reduce human11 predator conflict using nonlethal 

12 means; and 

13 ‘‘(IV) advise winners of the prize 

14 competition regarding opportunities to 

15 pilot and implement winning tech16 nologies in relevant fields, including in 

17 partnership with conservation organi18 zations, Federal or State agencies, 

19 federally recognized Indian Tribes, 

20 private entities, and research institu21 tions with expertise or interest relat22 ing to reducing human-predator con23 flict using nonlethal means. 

24 ‘‘(iv) CONSULTATION.—In selecting a 

25 topic and issuing a problem statement for 


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1 the prize competition under subclauses (I) 

2 and (II) of clause (iii), respectively, the 

3 Board shall consult widely with Federal 

4 and non-Federal stakeholders, including— 

5 ‘‘(I) 1 or more Federal agencies 

6 with jurisdiction over the management 

7 of native wildlife species at risk due to 

8 conflict with human activities; 

9 ‘‘(II) 1 or more State agencies 

10 with jurisdiction over the management 

11 of native wildlife species at risk due to 

12 conflict with human activities; 

13 ‘‘(III) 1 or more State, regional, 

14 or local wildlife organizations, the 

15 mission of which relates to the man16 agement of native wildlife species at 

17 risk due to conflict with human activi18 ties; and 

19 ‘‘(IV) 1 or more wildlife con20 servation groups, technology compa21 nies, research institutions, institutions 

22 of higher education, industry associa23 tions, or individual stakeholders with 

24 an interest in the management of naVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:38 Jul 26, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2194.IS S2194

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1 tive wildlife species at risk due to con2 flict with human activities. 

3 ‘‘(v) REQUIREMENTS.—The Board 

4 shall comply with all requirements under 

5 paragraph (8)(A). 

6 ‘‘(D) AGREEMENT WITH NATIONAL FISH

7 AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION.— 

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

9 shall offer to enter into an agreement 

10 under which the National Fish and Wild11 life Foundation shall administer the prize 

12 competition. 

13 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—An agreement 

14 entered into under clause (i) shall comply 

15 with all requirements under paragraph 

16 (8)(B). 

17 ‘‘(E) JUDGES.— 

18 ‘‘(i) APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary 

19 shall appoint not fewer than 3 judges who 

20 shall, except as provided in clause (ii), se21 lect the 1 or more annual winners of the 

22 prize competition. 

23 ‘‘(ii) DETERMINATION BY SEC24 RETARY.—The judges appointed under 

25 clause (i) shall not select any annual winVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:38 Jul 26, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2194.IS S2194

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1 ner of the prize competition if the Sec2 retary makes a determination that, in any 

3 fiscal year, none of the technological ad4 vancements entered into the prize competi5 tion merits an award. 

6 ‘‘(F) CONSULTATION WITH NOAA.—The 

7 Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of 

8 Commerce, acting through the Administrator of 

9 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin10 istration, in the case of a cash prize awarded 

11 under the prize competition for a technology 

12 that addresses conflict between marine preda13 tors under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of 

14 Commerce, acting through the Administrator of 

15 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin16 istration, and humans. 

17 ‘‘(G) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

18 than 60 days after the date on which a cash 

19 prize is awarded under this paragraph, the Sec20 retary shall submit to the Committee on Envi21 ronment and Public Works of the Senate and 

22 the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

23 House of Representatives a report on the prize 

24 competition that includes— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a statement by the Board that 

2 describes the activities carried out by the 

3 Board relating to the duties described in 

4 subparagraph (C)(iii); 

5 ‘‘(ii) if the Secretary has entered into 

6 an agreement under subparagraph (D)(i), 

7 a statement by the National Fish and 

8 Wildlife Foundation that describes the ac9 tivities carried out by the National Fish 

10 and Wildlife Foundation relating to the du11 ties described in paragraph (8)(B); and 

12 ‘‘(iii) a statement by 1 or more of the 

13 judges appointed under subparagraph (E) 

14 that explains the basis on which the winner 

15 of the cash prize was selected. 

16 ‘‘(H) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The 

17 Board and all authority provided under this 

18 paragraph shall terminate on December 31, 

19 2023.’’; and 

20 (6) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated)— 

21 (A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter 

22 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘or (6)(C)(i)’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘(6)(C)(i), or (7)(C)(i)’’; and 

24 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 

2 by striking ‘‘or (6)(D)(i)’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘(6)(D)(i), or (7)(D)(i)’’; and 

4 (ii) in clause (i)(VII), by striking 

5 ‘‘and (6)(E)’’ and inserting ‘‘(6)(E), and 

6 (7)(E)’’. 

7 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con8 gress that data collected from the tagging of predators can 

9 inform innovative management of those predators and in10 novative education activities to minimize human-predator 

11 conflict. 

Æ 


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