[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14-S15]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Graham):
  S. 27. A bill to make wildlife trafficking a predicate offense under 
racketeering and money laundering statutes and the Travel Act, to 
provide for the use for conservation purposes of amounts from civil 
penalties, fines, forfeitures, and restitution under such statutes 
based on such violations, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Wildlife 
Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015, which I authored along with my 
colleague Senator Lindsey Graham.
  This bill will allow the Federal Government to crack down on poachers 
and transnational criminal organizations involved in the global trade 
in illegal wildlife products.
  Wildlife trafficking has become a global crime that the State 
Department estimates is valued at between $8 to $10 billion annually. 
This ranks it as one of the most lucrative types of organized crime in 
the world, along with drug and human trafficking.
  Besides being a major international crime, wildlife trafficking is a 
morally repugnant practice that threatens some of our world's most 
iconic species with extinction.
  The most disturbing example is that of elephants and rhinoceroses. A 
recent study estimates that over 100,000 elephants were illegally 
poached in Africa from 2010 to 2012. At this rate, the African elephant 
is being killed faster than the species can reproduce, putting it at 
risk of being wiped off the face of the earth.
  Most disturbingly, poachers are slaughtering very young and juvenile 
elephants for their tusks due to the record high demand for ivory in 
places like China and the United States.
  But the illicit ivory trade is not just a threat to African 
elephants; it is also a problem for global security. The State 
Department reports that there is increasing evidence that wildlife 
trafficking is funding armed insurgencies like Al Shabaab and the 
Lord's Resistance Army. The illegal ivory trade fuels corruption and 
violence in Africa.

[[Page S15]]

  The rhinoceros has also been decimated by poaching due to record high 
demand for its horn. Conservation organizations estimate that hundreds 
of rhinoceroses are illegally slaughtered in Africa each year. It is 
deeply concerning that the poaching rate for rhinoceroses in Africa 
appears to be increasing.
  Some populations of rhinoceroses are on the brink of extinction. The 
population of the Sumatran rhinoceros has plummeted by over 50 percent 
in the last two decades due to poaching, and it is estimated that only 
about 100 remain in existence. It is estimated that fewer than 10 
Northern White Rhinoceroses remain alive in the wild.
  The problem is not just confined to elephants and rhinoceroses. 
Tigers, leopards, endangered sea turtles, and many other wildlife 
species are being decimated by poaching.
  At its core, this legislation increases criminal penalties for 
wildlife trafficking crimes. The federal government needs stiffer 
penalties in order to go after organized and high volume traffickers. 
The President asked for this authority in the National Strategy to 
Combat Wildlife Trafficking released last year.
  Specifically, this bill makes violations of the Endangered Species 
Act, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and 
Tiger Conservation Act that involve more than $10,000 of illegal 
wildlife products predicate offenses under the money laundering and 
racketeering statutes and the Travel Act.
  Currently, each of these wildlife laws carries a maximum prison 
sentence of only one year for a violation. Under this bill, wildlife 
trafficking violations can be subject to up to a 20-year prison 
sentence, as well as increased fines and penalties of up to $500,000 
for an offense.
  These new penalties will allow the government to change the equation 
on wildlife crimes. Wildlife trafficking has increased at dramatic 
rates because the crime is high value and low risk due to weak 
penalties across the world. Under the new authorities, the Federal 
Government will have a full range of tools to prosecute the worst 
wildlife trafficking offenders and to put them behind bars with 
significant sentences. The new authorities will also act as a deterrent 
to the criminal organizations currently trafficking illicit wildlife 
products into and through the United States.
  As one of the largest markets for products of illicit poaching in the 
world, the United States has a responsibility to step up and help to 
combat this scourge. With this legislation, the United States will set 
an example for other countries on the need for each country to 
strengthen penalties for wildlife trafficking. It is critical that 
other nations around the world with large markets for illicit wildlife 
products step up to tackle this global problem.
  The Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015 will also allow 
fines, penalties, forfeitures, and restitution recovered through use of 
the bill's new authorities to be transferred to established 
conservation funds at the Departments of the Interior and of Commerce. 
This will enable the Federal Government to use the monetary penalties 
from a wildlife trafficking conviction to benefit the species that was 
harmed. Thus, the bill will both act to punish and deter criminals 
while supporting the conservation of those species that are directly 
harmed by poaching.
  Addressing the issue of wildlife trafficking speaks to our values and 
morals as a Nation. We have a responsibility to help prevent these 
endangered species, which have existed for thousands of years, from 
becoming extinct in our lifetime. It is also clear that Federal law's 
weak penalties for wildlife crimes have been exploited by poachers and 
transnational criminals.
  I therefore ask all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
work with me to enact this legislation this year. The stakes for 
endangered species like elephants, tigers, and rhinoceroses could not 
be higher. If we don't crack down on wildlife trafficking, we will be 
complicit in the slaughter.
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