I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6021 
To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to clarify the treatment of authentic 
Alaska Native articles of handicraft containing nonedible migratory bird 
parts, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 12, 2025 
Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to clarify the 
treatment of authentic Alaska Native articles of handi-
craft containing nonedible migratory bird parts, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Archie Cavanaugh Mi-
gratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to clarify the treatment 
of authentic Alaska Native articles of handicraft (as de-
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fined in subsection (c)(1) of section 2 of the Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703)) under— 
(1) the Convention between the United States 
and Great Britain for the Protection of Migratory 
Birds, signed at Washington August 16, 1916 (39 
Stat. 1702; USTS 628); 
(2) the Convention between the United States 
and Mexico for the Protection of Migratory Birds 
and Game Mammals, signed at Mexico City Feb-
ruary 7, 1936 (50 Stat. 1311; USTS 912); 
(3) the Convention between the United States 
and Japan for the Protection of Migratory Birds 
and Birds in Danger of Extinction and Their Envi-
ronment, signed at Tokyo March 4, 1974 (TIAS 
7990); and 
(4) the Convention between the United States 
and the Soviet Union Concerning the Conservation 
of Migratory Birds and Their Environment, signed 
at Moscow November 19, 1976 (TIAS 9073). 
SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION FOR ALASKA NATIVE ARTICLES 
CONTAINING MIGRATORY BIRD PARTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2 of the Migratory Bird 
Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
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‘‘(c) CLARIFICATION FOR AUTHENTIC ALASKA NA-
TIVE ARTICLES OF HANDICRAFT.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) ALASKA NATIVE.—The term ‘Alaska 
Native’ means a member of any Indian Tribe 
(as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-De-
termination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304)) that is based in the State of 
Alaska, as verified through issuance of— 
‘‘(i) a Tribal enrollment card; 
‘‘(ii) a Certificate of Degree of Indian 
Blood (commonly known as a ‘CDIB’) by 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs; or 
‘‘(iii) a permit under the Silver Hand 
program of the Alaska State Council on 
the Arts. 
‘‘(B) AUTHENTIC ALASKA NATIVE ARTICLE 
OF HANDICRAFT.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘authen-
tic Alaska Native article of handicraft’ 
means any item that is— 
‘‘(I) composed, wholly or in a sig-
nificant respect, of natural materials 
that were found, foraged, or gifted; 
and 
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‘‘(II) produced, decorated, or 
fashioned in significant part— 
‘‘(aa) by an Alaska Native; 
‘‘(bb) in the exercise of tra-
ditional Alaska Native handi-
crafts; and 
‘‘(cc) without the use of any 
mass copying device. 
‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘authen-
tic Alaska Native article of handicraft’ in-
cludes— 
‘‘(I) any weaving, carving, stitch-
ing, sewing, lacing, beading, drawing, 
or painting that meets the criteria de-
scribed in clause (i); and 
‘‘(II) any item, including cloth-
ing, described in subclause (I) that 
combines the techniques described in 
that subclause. 
‘‘(2) CLARIFICATION FOR CERTAIN AUTHENTIC 
ALASKA NATIVE ARTICLES OF HANDICRAFT.—Sub-
ject to paragraph (3) and notwithstanding any other 
provision of this Act, nothing in this Act prohibits 
the possession, offering for sale, sale, offering to 
barter, barter, offering to purchase, purchase, deliv-
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ery for shipment, shipment, causing to be shipped or 
delivered for transportation, transport, causing to be 
transported, carrying, causing to be carried, or re-
ceiving for shipment, transportation, or carriage of 
any authentic Alaska Native article of handicraft on 
the basis that the authentic Alaska Native article of 
handicraft contains a nonedible migratory bird part. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—This subsection does not 
apply to an authentic Alaska Native article of handi-
craft containing a part of a migratory bird that was 
taken in a wasteful or illegal manner.’’. 
(b) ADMINISTRATION.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act— 
(1) the Secretary of State shall work with the 
Secretary of the Interior to enter into appropriate 
bilateral procedures, as necessary, with countries 
that are parties to the treaties described in para-
graphs (1) through (4) of section 2 to clarify the 
treatment of authentic Alaska Native articles of 
handicraft (as defined in subsection (c)(1) of section 
2 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 
703)) containing nonedible migratory bird parts 
from the species of migratory birds listed in those 
treaties in accordance with the amendments made by 
subsection (a); and 
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(2) the Secretary of the Interior shall modify 
any regulations implementing the Migratory Bird 
Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), as appropriate, 
to implement the amendments made by this Act. 
(c) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 2(a) of the 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703) is amended 
by inserting a comma after ‘‘March 4, 1972’’. 
Æ 
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