zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Lesser Prairie Chicken Voluntary Recovery Act of 2015

This bill removes the Department of the Interior's listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and prohibits further treatment of the species as threatened or endangered before January 31, 2020.

Interior must monitor and submit an annual report on progress in the conservation of the lesser prairie chicken under:

 the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, all related Candidate Conservation Agreements (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species), Candidate Conservation Agreements With Assurances (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species with assurances that additional measures will not be imposed if the species becomes listed in the future), conservation programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), state conservation programs, and private conservation efforts. The lesser prairie chicken may not be treated as threatened or endangered beginning on January 31, 2020, unless Interior publishes a determination that conservation efforts under the Range-Wide Plan, agreements, programs, and efforts have not achieved the Plan's conservation goals.

Date: 2015-02-02
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research Endeavors Act or the AWARE Act

This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to apply standards for humane treatment to farm animals at federal research or laboratory animal facilities.

Date: 2015-02-05
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Western Great Lakes Wolf Management Act of 2015 

This bill prohibits any wolf of the species Canis lupus in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan from being treated under any status of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, including as an endangered species, a threatened species, an essential experimental population, or a nonessential experimental population.

Each of those states are given exclusive jurisdiction over the management of those wolves within its borders.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue: (1) the final rule published on December 28, 2011, that removed the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and that removed the designation of critical habitat for that wolf in Minnesota and Michigan; and (2) the final rule published on September 10, 2012, that removed the gray wolf in Wyoming from the list and removed the Yellowstone Experimental Protection Area that was established to facilitate reintroduction of the wolf.

Rules reissued under this Act are not subject to judicial review.

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Marine Disease Emergency Act of 2015

This bill authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare and respond to a marine disease emergency that: (1) is caused by a marine disease or environmental stressor, (2) is likely to threaten the sustainability of a marine species or the health of a marine ecosystem, and (3) is likely to expand in geographic scope. "Marine species" does not include aquacultured animals, marine mammals, or birds. NOAA may take appropriate actions to respond to the emergency, including making grants, entering into contracts, and investigating the cause, treatment, or prevention of the emergency.

Upon declaring an emergency, NOAA must: (1) designate an individual to coordinate the response to the emergency, (2) develop a response plan within 28 days of the declaration, and (3) publish a summary of the plan within 21 days of the declaration.

The emergency terminates when NOAA declares that the emergency no longer exists or 120 days after the declaration was made, whichever occurs first. NOAA may renew a declaration.

The Marine Disease Emergency Working Group is established in NOAA to provide advice on assessing, declaring, and responding to emergencies.

The Marine Disease Emergency Fund is established to respond to emergencies.

NOAA must establish a National Data Repository for Marine Diseases Research and Services to collect, store, and disseminate information on marine diseases and facilitate the development and rapid dissemination of research.

Sea star wasting syndrome is deemed to be a marine disease emergency.

Date: 2015-02-12
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Defending Our Great Lakes Act of 2015

This bill requires federal agencies to take immediate actions to prevent the upstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes basin through the Brandon Road Lock and Dam site. The actions must place a special focus on Asian carp species and other aquatic nuisance species of concern to the Great Lakes referred to in the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Army Corps must implement measures to improve the site to prevent the upstream transfer of Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species swimming through the lock and dam, including by constructing an engineered channel in the approach to the site from the Mississippi River direction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must implement all appropriate measures around the site on the Illinois River to prevent the upstream transfer of swimming and floating aquatic nuisance species, with a focus on Asian carp species.

 Federal entities must take actions for the long-term prevention of the transfer of aquatic nuisance species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins, including through the Chicago Area Waterway System. The Army Corps must design, engineer, and construct flood mitigation and water quality measures on the Chicago Area Waterway System related to preventing such transfer.

Date: 2015-02-26
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2015

This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to provide grants in each of FY2016-FY2020 for programs or projects to increase the resiliency or adaptability of water systems to any ongoing or forecasted changes to the hydrologic conditions of a U.S. region. A water system is a community water system, a treatment works, a decentralized wastewater treatment system for domestic sewage, a groundwater storage and replenishment system, a system for transport and delivery of water for irrigation or conservation, or a natural or engineered system that manages floodwaters.

The EPA must give priority to owners or operators of water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant negative impacts due to changing hydrologic conditions.

The EPA must ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that the list of grant applications funded includes a substantial number that propose to utilize innovative approaches that meet at least one of these goals:

 promote more efficient water use, conservation, reuse, or recycling; use decentralized, low-impact development technologies and nonstructural approaches; reduce stormwater runoff or flooding by protecting or enhancing natural ecosystem functions; modify, upgrade, enhance, or replace existing water system infrastructure in response to changing hydrologic conditions; improve water quality or quantity for agricultural and municipal uses; and provide multiple benefits, including water supply enhancement or demand reduction, water quality protection or improvement, increased flood protection, and ecosystem protection or improvement.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Water resources development
Federal Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention, and Management Act

Directs the Department of the Interior (respecting federal lands administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) (respecting federal lands administered through the U.S. Forest Service) to plan and carry out activities on lands directly managed by the department concerned to control and manage invasive species in order to inhibit or reduce their populations and to effectuate restoration or reclamation efforts.

Requires the department concerned to develop a strategic plan for the implementation of an invasive species program that endeavors to achieve an annual 5% net reduction of invasive species populations on lands managed by that department.

 Requires USDA and Interior to require the use of the least costly options necessary to perform effectively, based on sound scientific data and other commonly used cost-effective benchmarks in the area.

Date: 2015-03-19
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from using any funds to make a determination on the listing of the northern long-eared bat (myotis septentrionalis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Interior proposed in October 2013 to list the northern long-eared bat as endangered.

Date: 2015-03-24
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act 

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to make publicly available on the Internet the best scientific and commercial data available that are the basis for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species.

The departments are prohibited from making the information publicly available when: (1) the public disclosure of the information is prohibited by state law relating to the protection of personal information, and (2) the state makes a request to a department to withhold the information.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Save Our Water Act

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to suspend during droughts the application of the ESA to water releases from water storage facilities by federal and state agencies in a navigable river basin.

The bill prohibits a state from enforcing ESA requirements in an area of the state in which a suspension applies, but does not affect the authority of a state to carry out and enforce its own laws.

The bill does not prohibit any release of water from a water storage facility under the ESA if a relevant authority certifies that such release will not cause harm to the economy and no water conservation measures will be required to be taken by any water users as a result of such release.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2015

This bill provides a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for a vegetation management project by the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service involving removal or treatment of any Pinyon or Juniper tree to conserve or restore the habitat of the greater sage-grouse or mule deer.

Under NEPA a categorical exclusion is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations. Therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.

Date: 2015-04-14
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Pacific Northwest Gray Wolf Management Act of 2015 

This bill prohibits any wolf species, subspecies, or population segment of Canis lupus in Washington, Oregon, and Utah (covered states) from being treated under any status of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, including as an endangered species, a threatened species, an essential experimental population, or a nonessential experimental population.

The covered states shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the management of wolves within their borders.

A covered state may not provide protections to wolves that are greater than the protections that would be provided under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Sage-Grouse Protection and Conservation Act

This bill addresses the management of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

If the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior receives, or has already received, from one of those states a statewide conservation and management plan for the protection and recovery of those sage-grouse species, the appropriate department must take steps during the next six years to: (1) allow for appropriate monitoring and collection of data, and (2) assess the state plan's success.

The appropriate department must: (1) share data with states and assist them in developing and implementing plans; (2) require states that opt to have plans in lieu of federal endangered species plans to monitor and report on relevant data, including population trends; (3) use statewide plans as the basis for all relevant determinations under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; and (4) stay any land use planning activities relating to federal management of sage-grouse species on public land or National Forest System land within those states that have plans.

The appropriate department may extend the provisions of the bill for six more years with the consent of the relevant state.

Interior must fully implement for at least six years Secretarial Order 3336 to prevent and suppress rangeland fire and restore sagebrush landscapes impacted by fire across the Western United States.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act

 Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment.

Makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this Act, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture.

Requires persons found to be in violation of such prohibition to pay all associated court costs.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Common Sense in Species Protection Act of 2015

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce to exclude an area from designation as a critical habitat to conserve an endangered or threatened species if the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of including the area, unless the failure to designate the area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species.

At the time a proposed rule to designate a critical habitat is published, the appropriate department must make available for public comment a draft analysis that: (1) examines the incremental and cumulative economic effects of all actions to protect the species and its habitat upon each state and locality that is affected by the proposed designation; (2) includes consideration of economic effects on possible uses of land and property values, employment, revenues available for state and local governments, and the provision of water, power, or other public services; and (3) assesses those effects on a quantitative and qualitative basis.

The bill applies to any designation of critical habitat on or after August 28, 2013.

Date: 2015-04-29
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act 

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to replace the current standard for awarding court costs, including attorney fees, in citizen suits with the federal judicial code standard for awarding costs to a prevailing party.

Date: 2015-04-29
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Listing Reform Act

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to allow the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to prioritize the consideration of petitions to list a species as endangered or threatened other than in the order in which the petitions are received. The appropriate department may not give general priority to petitions to add species to the list of endangered or threatened species over petitions to remove a species from the list.

The deadline for the appropriate department to decide on whether or not a petition to list or remove a species should be granted is changed from within 12 months to as expeditiously as possible.

The appropriate department is given the authority to preclude the listing of a species as threatened due to the likelihood of significant, cumulative economic effects that would result from such listing or from the likely resulting designation of critical habitat of the species. Once a petition is precluded due to those economic effects, the appropriate department may not reconsider that finding unless the department: (1) determines there is endangerment of extinction of the species; or (2) receives a new petition to add the species to the list that includes an analyses concluding that alternative actions are possible other than those resulting in significant, cumulative economic effects.

Date: 2015-04-30
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Transparency for Lethal Control Act 

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to report annually to Congress on the animals killed under the Wildlife Services program or by a state or local entity acting in cooperation with or on behalf of the program. The report must be made publicly available on the Internet and must include: the number of animals killed, species names, methods used to kill the animals, and reasons for killing the animals.

Date: 2015-05-05
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Wildlife Veterinarians Employment and Training Act or the Wildlife VET Act 

This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to award grants to wildlife or veterinary institutions to create additional clinical and research positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians. Preference must be given to institutions that will create positions in areas of need, including wildlife disease research and training, disease surveillance, ecology and wildlife population management, and conservation and management of the health of endangered, threatened, and sensitive species.

Interior must establish: (1) the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Loan Repayment Program to pay educational loans of eligible individuals for a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine or a graduate degree in veterinary medicine, and (2) the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship Program to award students enrolled in an accredited school or college of veterinary medicine scholarships. Those loans may be repaid and the awards may be given only if the recipient of the loan or the award agrees to serve for at least four consecutive years at a wildlife or veterinary institution as a wildlife or zoological veterinarian.

Interior must also: (1) establish a pilot program to award grants to accredited schools and colleges of veterinary medicine to develop or improve new or existing curricula that specialize in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine, and (2) award grants to eligible wildlife or veterinary institutions to establish or expand training programs that will enhance the ability of a trainee to practice as a wildlife or zoological veterinarian. Those training programs may include externship, internship, fellowship, or residency programs.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on November 16, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act

(Sec. 2) This bill redesignates the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

(Sec. 3) The bill establishes, as a unit of the National Park System, the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial within the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge to commemorate the location of the signing of the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 between the U.S. government and leaders of the Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, and Squaxin Island Indian Tribes.

The Department of the Interior must: (1) establish the boundaries of the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial and to provide for its administration and interpretation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and (2) coordinate with representatives of the Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, and Squaxin Island Indian Tribes in providing for that interpretation.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to delay by 10 years until 2026 the date after which interest from the wildlife conservation and restoration fund is available for apportionment.

Date: 2015-05-14
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to provide to affected states all data that is used as the basis of a determination on whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species before making a determination.

The appropriate Department must use data submitted by a state, tribal, or county government in making such a determination.

Date: 2015-05-15
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee Act 

This bill amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to establish the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, and recreational shooting.

The Advisory Committee must advise the departments on policies or programs related to:

 implementing Executive Order No. 13443: Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation; conserving and restoring wetlands, agricultural lands, grasslands, forest, and rangeland habitats; promoting opportunities for and access to hunting and shooting sports on federal lands; recruiting and retaining new hunters and shooters; increasing public awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation and the benefits of recreational hunting and shooting; and encouraging coordination among the public, the hunting and shooting sports community, wildlife conservation groups, states, tribes, and the federal government. The bill also specifies requirements for membership, meetings, pay and expenses, administrative support, and annual reports to Congress. The Advisory Committee is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The bill abolishes the existing Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, effective on the date of the first meeting of the Advisory Committee established by this bill.

Date: 2015-05-18
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Rare Cats and Canids Act of 2015

This bill establishes a Rare Cats and Canids Conservation Fund as a separate account within the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. The Department of the Interior must use amounts in the fund to provide assistance for the conservation of rare felids and rare canids. Grant amounts may not be used for captive breeding unless it is a part of an accredited reintroduction or restoration program.

Rare felids or rare canids are any population in the family Felidae (cats) or Canidae (dogs), respectively, that are listed in the Red List of Threatened Species Maintained by the World Conservation Union as near-threatened, vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, excluding any population native to the United States or Canada. Tigers are not considered to be rare felids.

 Interior may convene an advisory group of individuals representing organizations actively involved in the conservation of felids and canids.

Date: 2015-06-09
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Accountable Recovery Act 

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to direct the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce as appropriate to make recovery plans for the conservation and survival of a species publicly available at the time of a determination that the species is endangered or threatened. The plans must incorporate objective numerical recovery goals for removal of species from the endangered and threatened species list.

The appropriate department is given 30 days to deny a petition stating that the numerical recovery goal has been achieved for a species. If the department has not acted on a petition at the end of that period, the species is removed from the endangered and threatened species list.

Date: 2015-06-11
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2015

This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to revise the list of permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer, (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements, (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat or owned it for not less than one year, or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Department of Agriculture. The requirements pertaining to sources apply to dogs and cats obtained through sales, donations, or offers. Monetary penalties are established for violations.

Date: 2015-06-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Humane Cosmetics Act

This bill prohibits testing cosmetics on animals, effective on the date that is one year after enactment of this Act. No cosmetic may be sold or transported if the final product or any component was developed or manufactured using animal testing after such date, effective three years after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2015-06-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on April 12, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

National Bison Legacy Act

(Sec. 3) This bill adopts the North American bison as the national mammal of the United States.

Date: 2015-06-25
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Mexican Wolf Transparency and Accountability Act

This bill nullifies: (1) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's determination to list the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as an endangered subspecies under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; and (2) the rule entitled, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revision to the Regulations for the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf."

Date: 2015-06-25
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Captive Primate Safety Act

This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce any live animal of a non-human primate species.

The bill also limits any licensed or registered person from allowing direct contact between any member of the public and a live bear, tiger, lion, jaguar, cougar, African leopard, snow leopard, ape, gibbon, siamang, monkey, or loris.

The Lacey Act prohibition applies to state-licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

Date: 2015-06-25
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Justice Attributed to Wounded Sharks Act or the JAWS Act

Prohibits federal assistance to a country that does not prohibit: (1) shark finning in its territorial waters; and (2) the importation, sale, or possession, of shark fins obtained by shark finning.

Date: 2015-07-07
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: International affairs
The bill revises and reauthorizes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act through FY2020. The cap on the amount that the Department of the Interior may expend from the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund on administrative expenses is increased from 3% to 4%.

Date: 2015-07-07
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Enforcement Transparency Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue and publish on its website guidelines relating to the calculation of civil fines for violating provisions of the Animal Welfare Act regarding the transportation, sale, and handling of certain animals. USDA must update the guidelines on a quarterly basis, provide notice on its website prior to making the updates, and publish the updates in the Federal Register.

Date: 2015-07-21
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior to make available online a searchable database detailing federal expenditures for civil actions brought under the Act containing claims that are based on the actions of Interior, the Forest Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration, or the Southeastern Power Administration. Interior must submit an annual report to Congress including this information.

Date: 2015-07-22
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Wild Horse Oversight Act

 Amends the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to direct the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, upon request, to allow a state or an Indian tribe to assume all management and protection functions under the Act with regard to wild free-roaming horses and burros on land within the boundaries of the state or the tribe.

Date: 2015-07-22
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Sportsmen's Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Enhancement Act

This bill reauthorizes several programs supporting the conservation of wildlife habitat.

The bill amends the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act by extending until July 25, 2022, the Department of the Interior's authority to sell certain public land and use the proceeds from those sales for acquiring land located within or adjacent to federal lands. When prioritizing the acquisition of inholdings (private land that is surrounded by public land) and nonfederal lands with exceptional resources, Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must consider the extent to which an acquisition of land would increase the public availability of resources for, and the public's access to, hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities. The bill also removes from the scope of the Act land that is eligible for sale under specified public land laws.

The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act.

The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.

Interior and USDA must ensure that specified amounts from the Land and Water Conservation Fund are made available each year for securing public access to federal land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes through land transactions.

Date: 2015-07-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2015

This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to require research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers (covered persons) to develop, document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of their animals in the event of an emergency or disaster.

The plan must:

 identify situations that the covered person might experience that would trigger the need to implement the measures identified in the plan; outline tasks to be carried out in response to emergencies or disasters; establish a chain of command and identify the individuals responsible for fulfilling the tasks; and address how response and recovery will be handled in terms of materials, resources, and training needed. Covered persons must review their plan at least annually, train personnel in their roles and responsibilities as outlined in the plan, and provide training when the plan changes.

The bill does not preempt state law that provides equal or greater protection for animals.

Date: 2015-07-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Lionfish Elimination and Prevention Act of 2015 or the LEAP Act of 2015

This bill amends the Lacey Act to prohibit the importation or interstate shipment of the:

 red lionfish of the species Pterois volitans, devil lionfish of the species Pterois miles, Hawaiian turkeyfish of the species Pterois sphex, soldier lionfish of the species Pterois russelii, clearfin lionfish of the species Pterois radiata, lionfish species Pterois paucispinula, frillfin turkeyfish of the species Pterois mombasae, luna lionfish of the species Pterois lunalata, mandritsa of the species Pterois brevipectoralis, spotfin lionfish of the species Pterois antennata, and scorpionfish of the species Pterois andover.

Date: 2015-07-23
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act 

This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore.

The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse.

The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction.

The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.

Date: 2015-07-28
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Sanctuary Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015

 Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to promulgate a final rule revising federal regulations regarding the importation of nonhuman primates (i.e. chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, macaques, and numerous other species) to expand the categories of uses for which nonhuman primates may be imported and distributed to include live nonhuman primates imported into the United States by a certified primate sanctuary for purposes of providing lifetime shelter and care.

Requires such rule to establish a process for the certification of facilities as primate sanctuaries for purposes of the importation, shelter, and care of nonhuman primates.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Cecil the Lion Endangered and Threatened Species Act of 2015

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit: (1) taking endangered or threatened species within the United States or U.S. territorial seas as trophies, or (2) importing such trophies.

Any person seeking to import a fish or wildlife trophy must submit documentation establishing that the trophy was taken before the enactment of this bill.

Date: 2015-09-08
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2015

This bill amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to reauthorize through FY2020 appropriations from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund for various fish, boating, and coastal wetlands restoration programs. The bill also revises amounts allocated from the Fund to various programs, including amounts for programs concerning: (1) coastal wetlands, (2) boating safety, and (3) boating infrastructure. A separate amount is set aside each fiscal year through FY2020 for the Coast Guard's administration of the national recreational boating safety program.

When the President submits a budget for FY2017 and each fiscal year thereafter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must submit an assessment of the administrative services it provides under the Act to states and the sportfishing community.

Date: 2015-09-09
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act or the CECIL Act

This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to apply the Act's prohibitions on importing or exporting species listed as threatened or endangered to species proposed to be listed as well.

The Government Accountability Office must conduct and submit a report on the results of a study of the effectiveness of trophy hunting in supporting international wildlife conservation efforts.

Date: 2015-09-16
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Environmental protection
Big Cat Public Safety Act

This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing any live animal of any prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed.

The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions to include:

 institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; certain facilities that have an active written contract with an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan or Taxon Advisory Group for breeding prohibited wildlife species; persons who do not allow the transportation and display of prohibited wildlife species off-site; current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service within 180 days; and certain traveling circuses that hold Class C licenses under the Animal Welfare Act. Entities exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions must require that current owners and circuses not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species.

Date: 2015-09-17
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Federal Duck Stamp Price Stability Act of 2015

This bill amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act to authorize the Department of the Interior, after notice and public comment, to increase the price of each Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp by up to $10 for a hunting year if the increase is: (1) commensurate with the level of inflation since the last increase, and (2) approved unanimously by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.

An increase in price shall take effect: (1) at least two years after the effective date of the last price increase, and (2) no later than January 1 of the calendar year preceding the hunting year.

Date: 2015-09-29
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act of 2015

This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit taking, importing, or exporting the killer whale (orcinus orca) species, or any product that contains that species, for public display purposes.

The bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit any person from artificially inseminating or breeding that species for exhibition purposes.

Date: 2015-11-16
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Horse Protection Amendments Act of 2015

This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to replace the Designated Qualified Persons program responsible for inspecting horses for soring with a new inspection system. (The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness.)

The Department of Agriculture must establish a single Horse Industry Organization (HIO) in order to establish a formal affiliation with the management of each horse sale, horse exhibition, and horse sale or auction, appoint inspectors to conduct inspections, and otherwise ensure compliance with the Horse Protection Act.

The Commissioners of Agriculture for Tennessee and Kentucky must appoint individuals to the HIO. Those individuals must appoint individuals representing the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.

Date: 2015-11-19
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
United States Fish and Wildlife Service Resource Protection Act 

This bill authorizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to seek compensation from individuals or entities for costs or damages for destroying, causing the loss of, or injuring any living, nonliving, historical, cultural, or archaeological resource on land managed by the USFWS, or for causing the USFWS to carry out actions to prevent, minimize, or abate such destruction, loss, or injury.

Amounts recovered as a result of such destruction, loss, or injury must be made available to USFWS to: (1) reimburse response costs and damage assessments; (2) restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of a resource that was destroyed, lost, or injured; or (3) monitor and study those resources.

Date: 2016-02-12
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Help Extract Animals from Red Tape Act of 2016 or the HEART Act of 2016

This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the general rules that govern civil forfeiture proceedings. Specifically, it adds requirements with respect to the seizure of an animal involved in animal fighting.

Date: 2016-02-25
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Greater Sage Grouse Protection and Recovery Act of 2016

This bill delays findings by the Department of the Interior with respect to the greater sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act until September 30, 2026.

Additionally, Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA)are prohibited from amending any federal resource management plans that affect the greater sage grouse in a state in which the governor has notified Interior or USDA that a state management plan is in place.

Date: 2016-03-15
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals
Finding Innovative Lionfish Elimination Technologies Act of 2016 or the FILET Act of 2016

This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to award competitive grants for colleges and universities to research lionfish and their impact on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico ecosystems.

An educational institution must satisfy specific requirements to be eligible for a grant. Grants awarded must be used to develop innovative technologies that can detect, monitor, and help mitigate the spread of lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Date: 2016-03-17
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act of 2016

This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make it one of the purposes of the Act to extend financial and technical assistance to the states for the promotion of hunting and recreational shooting.

The bill also prescribes a formula for the allocation of funds apportioned to a state that may be used for any activity or project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational shooters.

Amounts apportioned to the states from any taxes on pistols, revolvers, bows, and arrows may be used for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.

The funds apportioned to a state for wildlife restoration management may be used for related public relations.

If a state has not used all of the tax revenues apportioned to it for firearm and bow hunter education and safety program grants, it may use its remaining apportioned funds for the enhancement of hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.

Up to $5 million of the revenues covered into wildlife restoration fund in the Treasury from any tax imposed for a fiscal year on the sale of certain bows, arrows, and archery equipment shall be available to the Department of the Interior exclusively for making hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment grants that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.

Date: 2016-03-21
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Efficient Marine Mammal Protection Act

This bill abolishes the Marine Mammal Commission and transfers to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service its functions, including its duties, obligations, powers, authorities, responsibilities, rights, privileges, activities, or programs.

Date: 2016-05-17
Topic: Environment (Species & Forest)
Subject: Animals