I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3479
To provide for the control and eradication of the brown tree snake on 
the island of Guam and the prevention of the introduction of the brown 
tree snake to other areas of the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 7, 2003
Ms. BORDALLO (for herself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, and Mr. CASE) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources, and 
in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the control and eradication of the brown 
tree snake on the island of Guam and the prevention 
of the introduction of the brown tree snake to other 
areas of 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 ‘‘Brown Tree Snake 
Control and Eradication Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) The brown tree snake, an invasive species, 
is believed to have been introduced to the island of 
Guam as a passive stowaway in a military cargo ship 
that moved materiel after World War II. The his-
toric range of the brown tree snake is portions of In-
donesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Aus-
tralia. 
(2) Upon arrival in Guam, the brown tree snake 
encountered an abundant food supply and an ab-
sence of natural predators. 
(3) The brown tree snake’s accidental introduc-
tion to Guam placed the species beyond its historic 
range, triggering a cascade of extinctions and an ec-
ological disaster. The brown tree snake has been the 
principal cause of the destruction of Guam’s native 
bird population and has imposed significant stress 
on Guam’s economic and agricultural interests, 
thereby harming the integrity and environmental 
stability of Guam’s ecosystems and economy. 
(4) The presence of the brown tree snake is a 
documented economic and human health hazard in 
Guam. The brown tree snake occurs in Guam at ex-
tremely high densities. Due to its high abundance 
the brown tree snake has been accidentally trans-
ported from Guam to other sites worldwide through
infested civilian and military vessels and cargo. The 
brown tree snake is a growing threat to the biodiver-
sity, economy, and human health within the Pacific 
region. The brown tree snake poses a direct, signifi-
cant, and growing threat of dispersal to other areas 
outside of its historic range, including the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the State 
of Hawaii, and the mainland of the United States. 
(5) A number of Federal agencies, including the 
Department of the Interior, the Department of Agri-
culture, and the Department of Defense, and the 
governments of Guam, Hawaii, the Northern Mar-
iana Islands, and the Freely Associated States have 
operational, environmental, economic, and human 
health interests in and responsibilities for controlling 
the brown tree snake. 
(6) The present Brown Tree Snake Control 
Committee was established in response to section 
1209 of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Pre-
vention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4728), 
and the multi-agency Memorandum of Agreement on 
Brown Tree Snake Control, originally signed in 
1992 and renewed in 1999, will expire in March 
2004. It is a purpose of this Act to legislatively es-
tablish the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradi-
cation Committee to ensure the ongoing activities 
and enhance the effectiveness of the present Com-
mittee. 
(7) Annual funding for brown tree snake con-
trol and research has come from relatively few Fed-
eral agencies, which have then distributed those 
funds amongst a number of agencies actually con-
ducting the work. While current funding is com-
mendable on the part of these agencies, the absence 
of direct funding through the agencies actually con-
ducting the work has impaired the progress of both 
operational and research efforts by limiting stability 
in staffing and year-to-year program implementa-
tion. It is a purpose of this Act to authorize funding 
for brown tree snake control, interdiction, research, 
and eradication though and by the agencies per-
forming the specific tasks. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BROWN TREE SNAKE.—The term ‘‘brown 
tree snake’’ means the species of the snake Boiga 
irregularis that is an invasive species in Guam and 
a threat to spread elsewhere.
(2) 
COMMITTEE.—The 
term 
‘‘Committee’’ 
means the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradi-
cation Committee established under section 6. 
(3) COMPACT
OF
FREE
ASSOCIATION.—The 
term ‘‘Compact of Free Association’’ means a Com-
pact of Free Association entered into between the 
United States and the government of a Freely Asso-
ciated State. 
(4) FREELY
ASSOCIATED
STATE.—The term 
‘‘Freely Associated State’’ means the Republic of 
Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands. 
(5) INTRODUCTION.—The terms ‘‘introduce’’ 
and ‘‘introduction’’ refer to the expansion of brown 
tree snakes outside of the range where this species 
is endemic. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary con-
cerned’’ means—
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with re-
spect to matters under the jurisdiction of the 
Department of the Interior; and 
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re-
spect to matters under the jurisdiction of the 
Department of Agriculture.
(7) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 
means both the Secretary of the Interior and the 
Secretary of Agriculture. 
(8) TERRITORIAL.—The term ‘‘territorial’’, 
when used to refer to government, means the Gov-
ernment of Guam, the Government of American 
Samoa, or the Government of the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(9) 
UNITED
STATES.—The 
term 
‘‘United 
States’’, when used in the geographic sense, means 
the several States, the District of Colombia, Amer-
ican Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, the 
Freely Associated States, any other possession of the 
United States, and any waters within the jurisdic-
tion of the United States. 
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING FEDERAL OB-
LIGATIONS 
RELATED 
TO 
BROWN 
TREE 
SNAKES 
INTRODUCTION, 
CONTROL, 
AND 
ERADICATION. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that there exists a need for improved and better co-
ordinated control, interdiction, research, and eradication
of the brown tree snake on the part of the United States 
and other interested parties. 
(b) UNITED STATES POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States to fund and support coordinated and con-
certed programs and activities to control, interdict, and 
eradicate the brown tree snake in Guam and to prevent 
the introduction of brown tree snakes to other areas of 
the United States. 
(c) PREVENTING INTRODUCTION.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, to the extent practicable, no 
Federal agency may authorize, fund, or carry out any ac-
tion that would likely cause or promote the introduction 
or spread of the brown tree snake in the United States. 
All Federal agencies must consider brown tree snake inter-
diction issues, to the extent possible, when planning any 
activity that may cause the accidental introduction of 
brown tree snakes to uninfested areas in the United 
States. 
(d) CONTROL AND ERADICATION.—All Federal agen-
cies, to the extent possible, that manage lands where 
brown tree snakes occur shall fund the control and eradi-
cation of this species. 
(e) ACCESS.—All Federal agencies, to the extent pos-
sible, shall facilitate access to Federal, State, and terri-
torial employees, or their designees, who conduct control,