Birds

HR 2462: Black Vulture Relief Act

Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025

This bill allows livestock producers and their employees to take certain actions against black vultures to protect livestock. (Black vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.)

Specifically, livestock producers and their employees may (1) take (i.e., capture, kill, or disperse, or transport the carcass of) a black vulture that they reasonably believe will cause death, injury, or destruction to livestock; or (2) in the course of taking or attempting to take the black vulture, cause injury to the bird. However, they may not take or attempt to take a black vulture through the use of poison.

Livestock producers and their employees must submit an annual report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on black vultures taken under this bill. The FWS must develop a reporting form and make this reporting form available on its website.

Currently, the FWS has a permit process under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the taking of black vultures.

Sponsors

John Rose (R) TN

Cosponsors

Darren Soto (D) FL, David Rouzer (R) NC, Mike Bost (R) IL, Mark Messmer (R) IN, Andy Barr (R) KY, Kevin Hern (R) OK, Jason Smith (R) MO, Scott Perry (R) PA, Stephanie Bice (R) OK, Daniel Meuser (R) PA, Lance Gooden (R) TX, Mark Alford (R) MO, Sam Graves (R) MO, Michael Rulli (R) OH

Introduced on
Thursday, March 27th, 2025

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S 255: Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act

Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act

This bill states that nothing in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) prohibits possessing, selling, bartering, purchasing, shipping, or transporting any authentic Alaska Native handicraft, clothing, or art on the basis that it contains a nonedible migratory bird part, so long as the bird was not taken in a wasteful or illegal manner. (The MBTA implements four international treaties that the United States entered into with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. The MBTA prohibits the taking of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization.)

The bill directs the Department of State to work with the Department of the Interior to enter into appropriate bilateral procedures with countries that are parties to the treaties under the MBTA to clarify the treatment of Alaska Native handicraft containing nonedible migratory bird parts from the species of migratory birds listed in those treaties. Further, Interior must modify any regulations implementing the MBTA to implement this bill.

Sponsors

Dan Sullivan (R) AK

Cosponsors

Lisa Murkowski (R) AK

Introduced on
Friday, January 24th, 2025

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