[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1655 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1655

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain interstate 
                  conduct relating to exotic animals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 8, 2001

   Mr. Biden introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain interstate 
                  conduct relating to exotic animals.

    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 ``Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act 
of 2001''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPORT OR POSSESSION OF EXOTIC ANIMALS FOR PURPOSES OF 
              KILLING OR INJURING THEM.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec.  48. Exotic animals
    ``(a) Prohibition.--Whoever, in or substantially affecting 
interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly transfers, transports, or 
possesses a confined exotic animal, for the purposes of allowing the 
killing or injuring of that animal for entertainment or for the 
collection of a trophy, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not 
more than 1 year, or both.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `confined exotic animal' means a mammal of a 
        species not historically indigenous to the United States, that 
        has been held in captivity for the shorter of--
                    ``(A) the greater part of the life of the animal; 
                or
                    ``(B) a period of 1 year;
        whether or not the defendant knew the length of the captivity; 
        and
            ``(2) the term `captivity' does not include any period 
        during which an animal--
                    ``(A) lives as it would in the wild, surviving 
                primarily by foraging for naturally occurring food, 
                roaming at will over an open area of not less than 
                1,000 acres; and
                    ``(B) has the opportunity to avoid hunters.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 3 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``48. Exotic animals.''.
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