Title: CECIL Act
Policy area: Animals

Summary:
Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act or the CECIL Act
This bill addresses international wildlife conservation efforts and trophy hunting.
Specifically, this bill restricts (1) the importation or exportation of species that have been proposed to be listed as threatened or endangered species, or (2) the importation of a sport-hunted trophy of a threatened species or endangered species.
In addition, the bill abolishes the International Wildlife Conservation Council of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Finally, the Government Accountability Office must study the effectiveness of trophy hunting in supporting international wildlife conservation efforts.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2245 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2245

  To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit import and 
export of any species listed or proposed to be listed under such Act as 
  a threatened species or endangered species, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2019

 Mr. Grijalva (for himself, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
  Cartwright, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Norton, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. 
Lowenthal, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Napolitano, and Mr. Moulton) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and 
   Ways and Means, 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 amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit import and 
export of any species listed or proposed to be listed under such Act as 
  a threatened species or endangered 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 ``Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the 
Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act'' or the ``CECIL Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO PROHIBITED ACTS.

    Section 9(a)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1538(a)(1)) is amended by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
following:
            ``(A) import into or export from the United States any 
        species listed or proposed to be listed under section 4(c) as a 
        threatened species or endangered species;''.

SEC. 3. IMPORTS OF SPORT-HUNTED TROPHIES.

    Section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1539(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3) Before issuing any permit under this Act authorizing import 
of any sport-hunted trophy of a threatened species or endangered 
species, the Secretary must make a finding after public notice and 
comment pursuant to section 553 of title 5, United States Code, of 
whether the country where the animal was killed adequately provides for 
the conservation and monitoring for that species, including--
            ``(A) a management plan for that species based on the best 
        available science that--
                    ``(i) addresses existing threats to the species; 
                provides a significant conservation benefit to the 
                species;
                    ``(ii) formally coordinates with adjacent countries 
                to protect transboundary populations; and
                    ``(iii) ensures that any take is sustainable and 
                does not contribute to the species' decline in either 
                the short-term or long-term according to current 
                population estimates derived through the use of the 
                best available science;
            ``(B) such management plan is being actively implemented;
            ``(C) the country where the animal was killed demonstrates 
        transparency, accountability, and verifiability in governance 
        to ensure that any benefits of trophy hunting, including 
        revenue from such taking, materially, directly and 
        substantially benefits the conservation of that species; and
            ``(D) hunting of the species in such country enhances the 
        propagation or survival of the species.
    ``(4) Notwithstanding sections 9(b) and 9(c)(2), no permit may be 
issued by the Secretary for the import of a sport-hunted trophy of an 
elephant or lion taken in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, or Zambia.''.

SEC. 4. PERMIT FEES FOR SPORT-HUNTED TROPHY IMPORTS.

    Section 10(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1539(a)(2)) is amended by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
subparagraph (D), and by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 
following:
    ``(C) No permit may be issued by the Secretary under this Act for 
import of a sport-hunted trophy unless the applicant pays to the 
Secretary all administrative costs incurred by the United States that 
are associated with processing the permit application.''.

SEC. 5. TRANSPARENCY OF SPORTS-HUNTED TROPHY IMPORT PERMITS.

    Section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1539(c)) is amended by striking ``which is made under this section'' 
and inserting in its place ``under this Act for an endangered species 
or threatened species''.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION OF INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COUNCIL.

    The International Wildlife Conservation Council of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service is hereby abolished.

SEC. 7. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct and submit to the Congress a report on the results of a 
study of the effectiveness of trophy hunting in supporting 
international wildlife conservation efforts.
    (b) Report.--The report shall--
            (1) include a detailed analysis of how permit fees and 
        other payments from hunters to government entities and hunting 
        guides in host countries are applied to tangible actions 
        supporting the conservation of the target species and other 
        wildlife in such countries;
            (2) identify data gaps and recommend information that 
        hunters and host countries must submit to verify the impacts of 
        trophy hunting on wildlife conservation efforts; and
            (3) recommend actions that the Department of the Interior 
        and the Congress should take to ensure that trophy hunting 
        contributes to conservation.
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