To authorize livestock producers and their employees to take crested caracaras in order to prevent the death of or injury or destruction to livestock, and for other purposes.

Bill: 118-hr-4939
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11]
Introduced: 2023-07-26
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2023-07-26
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-07-26
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill allows livestock producers and their employees to take certain actions against crested caracaras to protect livestock. (Crested caracaras&nbsp;are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.)</p><p>Specifically, livestock producers and their employees may (1) take (i.e., capture, kill, disperse, or transport) a crested caracara that they reasonably believe will cause death, injury, or destruction to livestock; or (2) in the course of taking or attempting to take the crested caracara, cause injury to the bird.</p><p>Livestock producers and their employees must submit an annual report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on crested caracaras taken under this bill. The FWS must make this reporting form available on its website.</p><p>Currently, the FWS has a special permit process under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the taking of&nbsp;crested caracaras.&nbsp;</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4939 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 26, 2023 Mr. Pfluger (for himself and Mr. Cuellar ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To authorize livestock producers and their employees to take crested caracaras in order to prevent the death of or injury or destruction to livestock, and for other purposes.

1. Authorization for livestock producers and their employees to take certain crested caracaras (a) In general Notwithstanding any provision of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ( 16 U.S.C. 703 et seq. ), a covered person may— (1) take or attempt to take a crested caracara that is causing, or that the covered person has a reasonable belief will cause, the death of or injury or destruction to livestock; or (2) in the course of taking or attempting to take a crested caracara described in paragraph (1), cause injury to such crested caracara. (b) Reporting requirements Not later than January 31 of each year, a covered person that takes a crested caracara pursuant to subsection (a) in the preceding 12-month period shall complete and submit to the appropriate United States Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office (as determined by the geographic jurisdictions described in section 2.2 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation) an annual report using the form developed under subsection (c). (c) Issuance of form Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service shall make available on the website of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service such reporting form as the Director determines appropriate for the purposes of taking reports under subsection (b). Such form may not be more onerous to complete than similar forms for permitted take under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ( 16 U.S.C. 703 et seq. ) required as of the date of the enactment of this section. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Crested caracara The term crested caracara means a bird of the species Caracara cheriway. (2) Covered person The term covered person means— (A) a livestock producer; or (B) an employee of a livestock producer when such employee is actively engaged in livestock production. (3) Livestock The term livestock has the meaning given such term in section 602 of the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 ( 7 U.S.C. 1471 ). (4) Livestock producer The term livestock producer has the meaning given such term in section 602 of the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 ( 7 U.S.C. 1471 ). (5) Take The term take means to capture, kill, disperse, or transport.