H.R. 6251 · In committee · Animals

To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

What it does

Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for importing polar bear trophies (other than internal organs) from sport hunts in Canada taken before February 18, 1997, without regard to certain regulatory restrictions and ESA sections.
Permits import of polar bear trophies from sport hunts in Canada taken before May 15, 2008, from populations where trophy imports were previously allowed under federal regulation, without regard to certain regulatory restrictions and ESA sections.
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits expeditiously after a 30-day period upon receipt of proof that a polar bear was legally harvested in a sport hunt in Canada before the specified dates.

Jul 15, 2026: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.

Committee: House Natural Resources