Big Cat Public Safety Act
Bill: H.R.211 | Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom (R-CA)
Policy area: Animals

Summary:
Big Cat Public Safety Act
This bill revises restrictions on the possession, exhibition, or breeding of big cats (i.e., species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). For example, the bill permits wildlife sanctuaries to allow direct contact between the public and big cats.

To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to clarify provisions enacted 
  by the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, to further the conservation of 
           certain wildlife species, 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 ``Big Cat Public Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 2 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 
U.S.C. 3371) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (k) as 
        subsections (b) through (l), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so redesignated) 
        the following:
    ``(a) Breed.--The term `breed' means to facilitate propagation or 
reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or to fail to 
prevent propagation or reproduction.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Consolidated farm and rural development act.--Section 
        349(a)(3) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
        U.S.C. 1997(a)(3)) is amended by striking ``section 2(a)'' and 
        inserting ``section 2(b)''.
            (2) Lacey act amendments of 1981.--Section 7(c) of the 
        Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3376(c)) is amended by 
        striking ``section 2(f)(2)(A)'' and inserting ``section 
        2(g)(2)(A)''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITIONS.

    Section 3 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3372) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking the 
                        semicolon at the end and inserting ``; or'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 
                        ``; or'' and inserting a semicolon; and
                            (iii) by striking subparagraph (C); and
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``(1) through 
                (3)'' and inserting ``(1) through (3) or subsection 
                (e)''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
    ``(e) Captive Wildlife Offense.--
            ``(1) In general.--It is unlawful for any person to import, 
        export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in 
        interstate or foreign commerce, or in a manner substantially 
        affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or to breed or 
        possess, any prohibited wildlife species.
            ``(2) Limitation on application.--Paragraph (1) does not 
        apply to--
                    ``(A) an entity exhibiting animals to the public 
                under a Class C license from the Department of 
                Agriculture, or a Federal facility registered with the 
                Department of Agriculture that exhibits animals, if 
                such entity or facility holds such license or 
                registration in good standing;
                    ``(B) a State college, university, or agency, or a 
                State-licensed veterinarian;
                    ``(C) a wildlife sanctuary that cares for 
                prohibited wildlife species, and--
                            ``(i) is a corporation that is exempt from 
                        taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal 
                        Revenue Code of 1986 and described in sections 
                        501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of such Code;
                            ``(ii) does not commercially trade in any 
                        prohibited wildlife species, including 
                        offspring, parts, and byproducts of such 
                        animals; and
                            ``(iii) does not breed any prohibited 
                        wildlife species;
                    ``(D) has custody of any prohibited wildlife 
                species solely for the purpose of expeditiously 
                transporting the prohibited wildlife species to a 
                person described in this paragraph with respect to the 
                species; or
                    ``(E) an entity or individual that is in possession 
                of any prohibited wildlife species that was born before 
                the date of the enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety 
                Act, and--
                            ``(i) not later than 180 days after the 
                        date of the enactment of the such Act, the 
                        entity or individual registers each individual 
                        animal of each prohibited wildlife species 
                        possessed by the entity or individual with the 
                        United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and
                            ``(ii) does not breed, acquire, or sell any 
                        prohibited wildlife species after the date of 
                        the enactment of such Act.''.

SEC. 4. PENALTIES.

    (a) Civil Penalties.--Section 4(a)(1) of the Lacey Act Amendments 
of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3373(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(e),'' after ``(d),''; and
            (2) by inserting ``, (e),'' after ``subsection (d)''.
    (b) Criminal Penalties.--Section 4(d) of the Lacey Act Amendments 
of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3373(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ``(e),'' after 
        ``(d),'';
            (2) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``(e),'' after 
        ``(d),'';
            (3) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``(e),'' after ``(d),''; 
        and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Any person who knowingly violates subsection (e) of 
        section 3 shall be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned 
        for not more than five years, or both. Each violation shall be 
        a separate offense and the offense is deemed to have been 
        committed in the district where the violation first occurred, 
        and in any district in which the defendant may have taken or 
        been in possession of the prohibited wildlife species.''.

SEC. 5. FORFEITURE OF PROHIBITED WILDLIFE SPECIES.

    Section 5(a)(1) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 
3374(a)(1)) is amended by inserting ``bred, possessed,'' before 
``imported, exported,''.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION.

    Section 7(a) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 
3376(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) The Secretary shall, in consultation with other 
        relevant Federal and State agencies, promulgate any regulations 
        necessary to implement section 3(e).''.

SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
                                 <all>