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 spe-
cies 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. 
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 ‘‘Cecil the Lion Endan-
gered and Threatened Species Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF TAKING OR IMPORTING ANY EN-
DANGERED OR THREATENED SPECIES AS A 
TROPHY. 
(a) PROHIBITION OF TAKING OR IMPORTING ANY 
TROPHY.—Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1538) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(h) TROPHIES.—It is unlawful for any person sub-
ject to the jurisdiction of the United States— 
‘‘(1) to take as a trophy within the United 
States or the territorial sea of the United States any 
species of fish or wildlife listed under section 4; or 
‘‘(2) to import into the United States any tro-
phy of any species of fish or wildlife listed under sec-
tion 4.’’. 
(b) PROHIBITION OF PERMITS FOR TROPHIES.—Sec-
tion 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1539(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Sec-
retary may permit’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as other-
wise provided in this subsection, the Secretary may 
permit’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary may not permit— 
‘‘(i) taking as a trophy any species of fish or 
wildlife listed under section 4; or 
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‘‘(ii) importing into the United States any tro-
phy of any species of fish or wildlife listed under sec-
tion 4 and taken after the date of the enactment of 
the Cecil the Lion Endangered and Threatened Spe-
cies Act of 2015. 
‘‘(B) Any person seeking to import such a trophy 
shall submit to the customs officer concerned at the time 
of entry of the trophy such documentation as the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Sec-
retary of the Interior, shall by regulation require as being 
necessary to establish that the trophy was taken before 
the date of the enactment of the Cecil the Lion Endan-
gered and Threatened Species Act of 2015.’’. 
(c) ANTIQUES.—Section 10(h)(1) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1539(h)(1)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘Sections 4(d), 9(a), and 9(c) do not apply’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Sections 4(d), 9(a), 9(c), and 9(h)(2) do 
not apply’’. 
(d) DEFINITION.—Section 3 of the Endangered Spe-
cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1532) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (21) as para-
graph (22); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (20) the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(21) The term ‘trophy’ means any fish or wild-
life taken for sport or procurement of a souvenir.’’. 
Æ 
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