[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5246-S5247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5764. Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. 
Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the 
bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1276. ENDING GLOBAL WILDLIFE POACHING AND TRAFFICKING.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking 
     Reauthorization and Improvements Act of 2022''.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States Government should continue to work 
     with international partners, including nations, 
     nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector, to 
     identify long-standing and emerging areas of concern in 
     wildlife poaching and trafficking related to global supply 
     and demand; and
       (2) the activities and required reporting of the 
     Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, established 
     by Executive Order 13648 (78 Fed. Reg. 40621), and modified 
     by sections 201 and 301 of the Eliminate, Neutralize, and 
     Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 7621 and 
     7631) should be reauthorized to minimize the disruption of 
     the work of such Task Force.
       (c) Definitions.--Section 2 of the Eliminate, Neutralize, 
     and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 7601) 
     is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``involving local 
     communities'' after ``approach to conservation'';
       (2) by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows:
       ``(4) Country of concern.--The term `country of concern' 
     means a foreign country specially designated by the Secretary 
     of State pursuant to section 201(b) as a major source of 
     wildlife trafficking products or their derivatives, a major 
     transit point of wildlife trafficking products or their 
     derivatives, or a major consumer of wildlife trafficking 
     products, in which--
       ``(A) the government has actively engaged in, or knowingly 
     profited from, the trafficking of protected species; or
       ``(B) the government facilitates such trafficking through 
     conduct that may include a

[[Page S5247]]

     persistent failure to make serious and sustained efforts to 
     prevent and prosecute such trafficking.''; and
       (3) in paragraph (11), by striking ``section 201'' and 
     inserting ``section 301''.
       (d) Framework for Interagency Response and Reporting.--
       (1) Reauthorization of report on major wildlife trafficking 
     countries.--Section 201 of the Eliminate, Neutralize, and 
     Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 7621) is 
     amended--
       (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``annually thereafter'' 
     and inserting ``biennially thereafter by June 1 of each year 
     in which a report is required''; and
       (B) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
       ``(c) Designation.--A country may be designated as a 
     country of concern under subsection (b) regardless of such 
     country's status as a focus country.
       ``(d) Procedure for Removing Countries From List.--In the 
     first report required under this section submitted after the 
     date of the enactment of the Eliminate, Neutralize, and 
     Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Reauthorization and Improvements 
     Act of 2022, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, 
     shall publish, in the Federal Register, a procedure for 
     removing from the list in the biennial report any country of 
     concern that no longer meets the definition of country of 
     concern under section 2(4).
       ``(e) Sunset.--This section shall cease to have force or 
     effect on September 30, 2028.''.
       (2) Presidential task force on wildlife trafficking 
     responsibilities.--Section 301(a) of the Eliminate, 
     Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 
     U.S.C. 7631(a)) is amended--
       (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (9); and
       (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
       ``(5) pursue programs and develop a strategy--
       ``(A) to expand the role of technology for anti-poaching 
     and anti-trafficking efforts, in partnership with the private 
     sector, foreign governments, academia, and nongovernmental 
     organizations (including technology companies and the 
     transportation and logistics sectors); and
       ``(B) to enable local governments to develop and use such 
     technologies;
       ``(6) consider programs and initiatives that address the 
     expansion of the illegal wildlife trade to digital platforms, 
     including the use of digital currency and payment platforms 
     for transactions by collaborating with the private sector, 
     academia, and nongovernmental organizations, including social 
     media, e-commerce, and search engine companies, as 
     appropriate;
       ``(7)(A) implement interventions to address the drivers of 
     poaching, trafficking, and demand for illegal wildlife and 
     wildlife products in focus countries and countries of 
     concern;
       ``(B) set benchmarks for measuring the effectiveness of 
     such interventions; and
       ``(C) consider alignment and coordination with indicators 
     developed by the Task Force;
       ``(8) consider additional opportunities to increase 
     coordination between law enforcement and financial 
     institutions to identify trafficking activity; and''.
       (3) Presidential task force on wildlife trafficking 
     strategic review.--Section 301 of the Eliminate, Neutralize, 
     and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 
     7631), as amended by paragraph (2), is further amended--
       (A) in subsection (d)--
       (i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
     ``annually'' and inserting ``biennially'';
       (ii) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (iii) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (iv) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(6) an analysis of the indicators developed by the Task 
     Force, and recommended by the Government Accountability 
     Office, to track and measure inputs, outputs, law enforcement 
     outcomes, and the market for wildlife products for each focus 
     country listed in the report, including baseline measures, as 
     appropriate, for each indicator in each focus country to 
     determine the effectiveness and appropriateness of such 
     indicators to assess progress and whether additional or 
     separate indicators, or adjustments to indicators, may be 
     necessary for focus countries.''; and
       (B) in subsection (e), by striking ``5 years after'' and 
     all that follows and inserting ``on September 30, 2028''.
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