African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015

To amend the African Elephant Conservation Act to conserve elephants while appropriately regulating ivory in the United States. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015 2. Limited exemption for certain African elephant ivory Section 2203 of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4223 (1) in the section heading by striking acts. acts. (a) In general ; (2) in subsection (a) (as so designated), by inserting subsection (b) and in (3) by adding at the end the following: (b) Exemption Nothing in this Act or subsection (a) or (d) of section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1538 (1) any raw ivory or worked ivory— (A) imported solely to become part of a permanent collection of a museum, return to a lending museum, or display in a museum; or (B) exported solely— (i) to display in a foreign museum; or (ii) to return to a foreign person who lent the ivory to a museum in the United States; (2) any raw ivory or worked ivory that was lawfully importable into the United States on February 24, 2014, regardless of the date on which the ivory was acquired; or (3) any worked ivory that was previously lawfully possessed in the United States. . 3. Treatment of elephant ivory Section 2203 of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4223 (c) Treatment of elephant ivory Nothing in this Act or the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 16 U.S.C. 4201 et seq. (1) prohibits, or authorizes prohibiting, the purchase, possession, sale, delivery, receipt, shipment, export or import, or transportation of African elephant ivory, or any product or antique containing African elephant ivory, that has been lawfully imported or crafted in the United States; or (2) authorizes using any means of determining for purposes of this Act or the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. . 4. Sport-hunted elephant trophies Section 2203 of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4223 (d) Sport-Hunted elephant trophies Nothing in this Act or subsection (a) or (d) of section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1538 (e) Relationship to the Convention Nothing in this section modifies or repeals— (1) the duties of the Secretary to implement CITES and the appendices of CITES; or (2) section 8A or 9(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1537a . 5. Placement of United States Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer in each African elephant range country Part I of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4211 et seq. 2105. Placement of United States Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer in each African elephant range country (a) In general The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of State, may station in each African country that has a significant population of African elephants one United States Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer in the primary United States diplomatic or consular post. (b) Duties A United States Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer stationed in an African elephant range country under subsection (a) shall— (1) assist local wildlife rangers in the protection of African elephants; and (2) facilitate the apprehension of individuals who illegally kill, or assist the illegal killing of, African elephants. . 6. Certification for purposes of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967 Section 2202 of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4222 (g) Certification If the Secretary determines that a country, directly or indirectly, is a significant transit or destination point for illegal ivory trade, the Secretary shall certify that fact to the President with respect to the country for purposes of section 8(a) of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967 ( 22 U.S.C. 1978(a) . 7. African Elephant Conservation Act financial assistance priority and reauthorization (a) Financial assistance priority Section 2101 of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4211 (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following: (e) Priority The Secretary shall, in providing financial assistance under this section, give priority to projects designed to facilitate the acquisition of equipment and training of wildlife officials in ivory producing countries to be used in anti-poaching efforts. . (b) Reauthorization Section 2306(a) of the African Elephant Conservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 4245(a) 2007 through 2012 2016 through 2020

Summary: African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015 This bill revises and reauthorizes the African Elephant Conservation Act through FY2020. Raw or worked ivory may be imported or exported under that Act and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 if: (1) the ivory is for a museum; (2) the ivory was lawfully importable into the United States on February 24, 2014, regardless of when it was acquired; or (3) the worked ivory was previously lawfully possessed in the United States. This bill authorizes: (1) commerce in African elephant ivory or in products containing African elephant ivory that have been lawfully imported or crafted in the United States; and (2) the importation of a sport-hunted African elephant trophy if the trophy was taken from certain elephants populations that at the time were not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may have become so unless trade was closely controlled. Interior may station one U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer in each African country that has a significant population of African elephants to assist local wildlife rangers in protecting the elephants and facilitating the apprehension of individuals who illegally kill them or assist in killing them. The President may embargo any products from a country if it is a significant transit or destination point for illegal ivory trade. In providing financial assistance under the African Elephant Conservation Act, Interior must prioritize projects for facilitating the acquisition of equipment and training to wildlife officials in ivory-producing countries to be used in anti-poaching efforts.