[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1688 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1688

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 2005

   Mr. Farr (for himself, Mr. Shays, Mr. Leach, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Van 
  Hollen, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. Lee, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. McDermott, Mrs. 
 Capps, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Evans, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Rangel, Mr. 
  Nadler, Mr. Engel, Mr. Honda, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. George 
  Miller of California, and Ms. Solis) introduced the following bill; 
          which was 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 ``Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 
2005''.

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. 49. Exotic animals
    ``(a) Prohibition.--Whoever, in or 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 indigenous to the United States, that has been held 
        in captivity--
                    ``(A) the majority of the animal's life; or
                    ``(B) a period of 1 year; and
            ``(2) the term `captivity' does not include any period 
        during which an animal lives as it would in the wild--
                    ``(A) surviving primarily by foraging for naturally 
                occurring food;
                    ``(B) roaming at will over an open area of not less 
                than 1,000 acres; and
                    ``(C) having the opportunity to avoid hunters.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning 
of chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new item:

``49. Exotic animals.''.
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