Title: PAW Against Trafficking Act
Policy area: Animals

Summary:
Protecting All Wildlife Against Trafficking Act or the PAW Against Trafficking Act
This bill sets forth requirements to provide warnings to travelers about wildlife trafficking (e.g., poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife) in foreign countries and reestablishes the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking.
Specifically, the bill makes permanent the requirement for the Department of State to identify certain countries that are major sources, transit points, or consumers of wildlife trafficking products. Additionally, the State Department, on any State Department website or web-based application providing country-specific information for international travel, must ensure that such countries are clearly identified with a warning label along with a warning that international law or U.S. law may prohibit the export, import, purchase, sale, possession, or transport of products produced from endangered or threatened wildlife.
In addition, the bill revises the duties of the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking. Among other duties, the task force must assess how consumption of illegally tracked wildlife in the United States may be driving illegal wildlife trafficking in such countries. The task force must also identify potential strategies to reduce domestic consumption of illegally trafficked wildlife products.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6043 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6043

  To reduce illegal wildlife trafficking and importation by extending 
 State Department reporting on foreign wildlife trafficking activity, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 2, 2020

 Mr. Lipinski introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To reduce illegal wildlife trafficking and importation by extending 
 State Department reporting on foreign wildlife trafficking activity, 
                        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 ``Protecting All Wildlife Against 
Trafficking Act'' or the ``PAW Against Trafficking Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Wildlife and plants, and endangered species in 
        particular, are threatened by illegal trafficking activities 
        around the world.
            (2) Preserving endangered wildlife is critical to 
        maintaining a diverse global ecosystem.
            (3) Illegal wildlife trafficking magnifies the harm to our 
        environment caused by pollution, deforestation, and other human 
        activity.
            (4) The State Department can play a critical role in 
        increasing awareness by travelers about illegal wildlife 
        trafficking activity, and can in turn reduce illicit 
        importation of endangered, threatened, or otherwise illegal 
        wildlife products.
            (5) Reporting on wildlife trafficking by the State 
        Department, and strategy and coordination activities by the 
        Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking should be 
        extended to ensure that the United States remains a leader on 
        wildlife conservation into the future.

SEC. 3. PERMANENT EXTENSION OF ANNUAL STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTING ON 
              INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING AND INCREASING PUBLIC 
              AWARENESS OF SUCH REPORTING.

    (a) Section 201 of the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife 
Trafficking Act (16 U.S.C. 7621) is amended by--
            (1) striking subsection (c); and
            (2) inserting at the end the following:
    ``(c) Website.--On any State Department website or web-based 
application providing country-specific information for international 
travel, the Secretary of State shall ensure that any country listed as 
a focus country or a country of concern in the most recent publication 
of the annual report required by section 201 of the Eliminate, 
Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act (16 U.S.C. 7621) is 
clearly identified with a color-highlighted warning label.
    ``(d) Warning Label.--Any focus country or country of concern label 
displayed pursuant to subsection (c) shall be accompanied by a warning 
that international law or U.S. law may prohibit the export, import, 
purchase, sale, possession, or transport of products produced from 
endangered or threatened wildlife. The Secretary of State shall 
determine the appropriate nature of the warning to be displayed 
pursuant to this subsection.''.

SEC. 4. REMOVING TERMINATION OF AUTHORIZATION FOR PRESIDENTIAL TASK 
              FORCE ON WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING AND REQUIRING ADDITIONAL 
              ITEM FOR STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT.

    Section 301 of the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife 
Trafficking Act (16 U.S.C. 7631) is amended by--
            (1) striking subsection (e);
            (2) inserting the following after paragraph (3) of 
        subsection (d):
            ``(4) an assessment on how consumption of illegally tracked 
        wildlife in the United States may be driving illegal wildlife 
        trafficking in focus countries, and potential strategies to 
        reduce domestic consumption of illegally trafficked wildlife 
        products''; and
            (3) redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) of subsection (d) 
        as paragraphs (5) and (6).
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