[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1729 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1729

To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exempt certain Alaskan Native 
 articles from prohibitions against sale of items containing nonedible 
             migratory bird parts, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2015

 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

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                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exempt certain Alaskan Native 
 articles from prohibitions against sale of items containing nonedible 
             migratory bird parts, 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. EXEMPTION FROM PROHIBITIONS FOR ALASKAN NATIVE ARTICLES 
              CONTAINING MIGRATORY BIRD PARTS.

    Section 2 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Exemption for Authentic Alaskan Native Articles of Handicraft 
or Clothing.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provisions of 
        this Act, nothing in this Act prohibits possession, offering 
        for sale, sale, offering to barter, barter, offering to 
        purchase, purchase, delivery for shipment, shipment, causing to 
        be shipped, delivered for transportation, transport or causing 
        to be transported, carrying or causing to be carried, or 
        receiving for shipment, transportation, or carriage, any 
        authentic Alaskan Native article of handicraft or clothing on 
        the basis that it contains a nonedible migratory bird part.
            ``(2) Limitation.--This subsection shall not apply with 
        respect to any handicraft or clothing containing any part of a 
        migratory bird that was taken in a wasteful manner.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Alaskan native.--The term `Alaskan Native' 
                means any Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo who resides in 
                Alaska.
                    ``(B) Authentic alaskan native article of 
                handicraft or clothing.--The term `authentic Alaskan 
                Native article of handicraft or clothing'--
                            ``(i) means any item that is--
                                    ``(I) composed wholly or in some 
                                significant respect of natural 
                                materials; and
                                    ``(II) produced, decorated, or 
                                fashioned by an Alaskan Native, in the 
                                exercise of traditional Alaskan Native 
                                handicrafts, without the use of any 
                                pantograph or other mass copying 
                                device; and
                            ``(ii) includes any weaving, carving, 
                        stitching, sewing, lacing, beading, drawing, or 
                        painting described in clause (i), or any 
                        combination thereof.''.
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