[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1099 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1099
To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to provide certain exemptions
relating to the taking of migratory game birds.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 26, 2015
Mr. Crawford (for himself, Mr. Hill, Mr. Westerman, and Mr. Womack)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to provide certain exemptions
relating to the taking of migratory game birds.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Hunter and Farmer Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. BAITING OF MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS.
Section 3 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 704) is
amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
``(b) Prohibition of Baiting.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Baited area.--
``(i) In general.--The term `baited area'
means--
``(I) any area on which salt,
grain, or other feed has been placed,
exposed, deposited, distributed, or
scattered, if the salt, grain, or feed
could lure or attract migratory game
birds; and
``(II) in the case of waterfowl,
cranes (family Gruidae), and coots
(family Rallidae), a standing,
unharvested crop that has been
manipulated through activities such as
mowing, discing, or rolling, unless the
activities are normal agricultural
practices.
``(ii) Exclusions.--An area shall not be
considered to be a `baited area' if the area--
``(I) has been treated with a
normal agricultural practice;
``(II) has standing crops that have
not been manipulated; or
``(III) has standing crops that
have been or are flooded.
``(B) Baiting.--The term `baiting' means the direct
or indirect placing, exposing, depositing,
distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or other
feed that could lure or attract migratory game birds
to, on, or over any areas on which a hunter is
attempting to take migratory game birds.
``(C) Migratory game bird.--The term `migratory
game bird' means migratory bird species--
``(i) that are within the taxonomic
families of Anatidae, Columbidae, Gruidae,
Rallidae, and Scolopacidae; and
``(ii) for which open seasons are
prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.
``(D) Normal agricultural practice.--
``(i) In general.--The term `normal
agricultural practice' means any practice in 1
annual growing season that--
``(I) is carried out in order to
produce a marketable crop, including
planting, harvest, postharvest, or soil
conservation practices; and
``(II) is recommended for the
successful harvest of a given crop by
the applicable State office of the
Cooperative Extension System of the
Department of Agriculture, in
consultation with, and if requested,
the concurrence of, the head of the
applicable State department of fish and
wildlife.
``(ii) Inclusions.--
``(I) In general.--Subject to
subclause (II), the term `normal
agricultural practice' includes the
destruction of a crop in accordance
with practices required by the Federal
Crop Insurance Corporation for
agricultural producers to obtain crop
insurance under the Federal Crop
Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.)
on land on which a crop during the
current or immediately preceding crop
year was not harvestable due to a
natural disaster (including any
hurricane, storm, tornado, flood, high
water, wind-driven water, tidal wave,
tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption,
landslide, mudslide, drought, fire,
snowstorm, or other catastrophe that is
declared a major disaster by the
President in accordance with section
401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5170)).
``(II) Limitations.--The term
`normal agricultural practice' only
includes a crop described in subclause
(I) that has been destroyed or
manipulated through activities that
include (but are not limited to)
mowing, discing, or rolling if the
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
certifies that flooding was not an
acceptable method of destruction to
obtain crop insurance under the Federal
Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et
seq.).
``(E) Waterfowl.--The term `waterfowl' means native
species of the family Anatidae.
``(2) Prohibition.--It shall be unlawful for any person--
``(A) to take any migratory game bird by baiting or
on or over any baited area, if the person knows or
reasonably should know that the area is a baited area;
or
``(B) to place or direct the placement of bait on
or adjacent to an area for the purpose of causing,
inducing, or allowing any person to take or attempt to
take any migratory game bird by baiting or on or over
the baited area.
``(3) Regulations.--The Secretary of the Interior may
promulgate regulations to implement this subsection.
``(4) Reports.--Annually, the Secretary of Agriculture
shall submit to the Secretary of the Interior a report that
describes any changes to normal agricultural practices across
the range of crops grown by agricultural producers in each
region of the United States in which the recommendations are
provided to agricultural producers.''.
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