Bear Poaching Elimination Act of 2022
Bill: S.3472 | Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John (R-LA)
Policy area: Animals

Summary:
Bear Poaching Elimination Act of 2022
This bill makes it unlawful for a person to knowingly import, export, sell, purchase, possess, transport, deliver, or receive bear viscera or related products except for limited acts carried out solely to enforce wildlife protection laws.

To conserve global bear populations by prohibiting the importation, 
exportation, and interstate trade of bear viscera and items, products, 
or substances containing, or labeled or advertised as containing, bear 
                    viscera, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bear Poaching Elimination Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) all 8 extant species of bear--Asian black bear, brown 
        bear, polar bear, American black bear, spectacled bear, giant 
        panda, sun bear, and sloth bear--are listed on appendix I or II 
        of CITES;
            (2) Article XIV of CITES provides that Parties to CITES may 
        adopt stricter domestic measures regarding the conditions for 
        trade, taking, possession, or transport of species listed on 
        appendix I or II of CITES, and the Parties to CITES adopted a 
        resolution in 1997 (Conf. 10.8) urging the Parties to take 
        immediate action to demonstrably reduce the illegal trade in 
        bear parts;
            (3) thousands of bears in Asia are cruelly confined in 
        small cages to be milked for their bile, and the wild Asian 
        bear population has declined significantly in recent years as a 
        result of habitat loss and poaching due to a strong demand for 
        bear viscera used in traditional medicines and cosmetics;
            (4) Federal and State undercover operations have revealed 
        that American bears have been poached for their viscera;
            (5) while most American black bear populations are 
        generally stable or increasing, commercial trade could 
        stimulate poaching and threaten certain populations if the 
        demand for bear viscera increases; and
            (6) prohibitions against the importation into the United 
        States and exportation from the United States, as well as 
        prohibitions against the interstate trade, of bear viscera and 
        products containing, or labeled or advertised as containing, 
        bear viscera will assist in ensuring that the United States 
        does not contribute to the decline of any bear population as a 
        result of the commercial trade in bear viscera.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purpose of this Act is to ensure the long-term viability of the 
8 bear species of the world by--
            (1) prohibiting interstate and international trade in bear 
        viscera and products containing, or labeled or advertised as 
        containing, bear viscera;
            (2) encouraging bilateral and multilateral efforts to 
        eliminate that trade; and
            (3) ensuring that adequate Federal legislation exists with 
        respect to domestic trade in bear viscera and products 
        containing, or labeled or advertised as containing, bear 
        viscera.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Bear viscera.--The term ``bear viscera'' means the body 
        fluids or internal organs, including the gallbladder and the 
        contents of the gallbladder, but not including the blood or 
        brains, of a species of bear.
            (2) CITES.--The term ``CITES'' means the Convention on 
        International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and 
        Flora (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249).
            (3) Import.--The term ``import'' means to land on, bring 
        into, or introduce into any place subject to the jurisdiction 
        of the United States, whether or not the landing, bringing, or 
        introduction constitutes an importation within the meaning of 
        the customs laws of the United States.
            (4) Person.--The term ``person'' means--
                    (A) an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, 
                association, or other private entity;
                    (B) an officer, employee, agent, department, or 
                instrumentality of--
                            (i) the Federal Government;
                            (ii) any State, municipality, or political 
                        subdivision of a State; or
                            (iii) any foreign government; and
                    (C) any other entity subject to the jurisdiction of 
                the United States.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (6) State.--The term ``State'' means a State, the District 
        of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin 
        Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, American Samoa, and any other territory, commonwealth, 
        or possession of the United States.
            (7) Transport.--The term ``transport'' means--
                    (A) to move, convey, carry, or ship by any means; 
                and
                    (B) to deliver or receive for the purpose of 
                movement, conveyance, carriage, or shipment.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITED ACTS.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall be 
unlawful for a person to knowingly--
            (1) import into, or export from, the United States bear 
        viscera or any product, item, or substance containing, or 
        labeled or advertised as containing, bear viscera; or
            (2) sell or barter, offer to sell or barter, purchase, 
        possess, transport, deliver, or receive, in interstate or 
        foreign commerce, bear viscera or any product, item, or 
        substance containing, or labeled or advertised as containing, 
        bear viscera.
    (b) Exception for Wildlife Law Enforcement Purposes.--A person 
described in section 4(4)(B) may import into, or export from, the 
United States, or transport between States, bear viscera or any 
product, item, or substance containing, or labeled or advertised as 
containing, bear viscera if the importation, exportation, or 
transportation--
            (1) is solely for purposes of enforcing laws relating to 
        the protection of wildlife; and
            (2) is authorized by a valid permit issued under appendix I 
        or II of CITES, in any case in which such a permit is required 
        under CITES.

SEC. 6. PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Criminal Penalties.--A person that violates section 5 shall be 
fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned not more than 1 
year, or both.
    (b) Civil Penalties.--
            (1) Amount.--A person that violates section 5 may be 
        assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary of not more than 
        $25,000 for each violation.
            (2) Manner of assessment and collection.--A civil penalty 
        under this subsection shall be assessed, and may be collected, 
        in the manner in which a civil penalty under the Endangered 
        Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) may be assessed 
        and collected under section 11(a) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 
        1540(a)).
    (c) Seizure and Forfeiture.--Any bear viscera or any product, item, 
or substance exported, imported, sold, bartered, attempted to be 
exported, imported, sold, or bartered, offered for sale or barter, 
purchased, possessed, transported, delivered, or received in violation 
of this section (including any regulation issued under this section) 
shall be seized and forfeited to the United States.
    (d) Regulations.--After consultation with the Secretary of the 
Treasury and the United States Trade Representative, the Secretary 
shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this 
section.
    (e) Enforcement.--The Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, and 
the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating 
shall enforce this section in the manner in which the Secretaries carry 
out enforcement activities under section 11(e) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1540(e)).
    (f) Use of Penalty Amounts.--Amounts received as penalties, fines, 
or forfeiture of property under this section shall be used in 
accordance with section 6(d) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 
U.S.C. 3375(d)).

SEC. 7. DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING BEAR CONSERVATION AND THE BEAR PARTS 
              TRADE.

    The Secretary shall continue discussions concerning trade in bear 
viscera with the appropriate representatives of Parties to CITES and 
representatives of countries that are not party to CITES that are 
determined by the Secretary and the United States Trade Representative 
to be the leading importers, exporters, or consumers of bear viscera, 
to seek to establish coordinated efforts with those countries to 
protect bears.

SEC. 8. CERTAIN RIGHTS NOT AFFECTED.

    Except as provided in section 5, nothing in this Act affects--
            (1) the regulation by any State of the bear population of 
        that State; or
            (2) the hunting of bears that is lawful under applicable 
        State laws (including regulations).
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