[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1437 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1437

  To authorize livestock producers and their employees to take black 
     vultures in order to prevent death, injury, or destruction to 
                   livestock, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 8, 2023

  Mr. Rose (for himself and Mr. Soto) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize livestock producers and their employees to take black 
     vultures in order to prevent death, injury, or destruction to 
                   livestock, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Black Vulture Relief Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES TO 
              TAKE CERTAIN BLACK VULTURES.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any provision of the Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), a covered person may--
            (1) take or attempt to take a black vulture that is 
        causing, or that the covered person has a reasonable belief 
        will cause, death, injury, or destruction to livestock; or
            (2) in the course of taking or attempting to take a black 
        vulture described in paragraph (1), cause injury to such black 
        vulture.
    (b) Reporting Requirements.--Not later than January 31 of each 
year, a covered person that takes a black vulture pursuant to 
subsection (a) in the preceding 12-month period shall complete and 
submit to the appropriate United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
Regional Office (as determined by the geographic jurisdictions 
described in section 2.2 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations) an 
annual report using the form developed under subsection (c).
    (c) Issuance of Form.--The Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service shall, not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, make available on the agency website such 
reporting form as the Director determines appropriate for the purposes 
of taking reports under subsection (b). Such form may not be more 
onerous to complete than similar forms for permitted take under the 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.) required as of the 
date of the enactment of this section.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Black vulture.--The term ``black vulture'' means a bird 
        of the species Coragyps atratus.
            (2) Covered person.--The term ``covered person'' means--
                    (A) a livestock producer; or
                    (B) an employee of a livestock producer when such 
                employee is actively engaged in livestock production.
            (3) Livestock.--The term ``livestock'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 602 of the Emergency Livestock Feed 
        Assistance Act of 1988 (7 U.S.C. 1471).
            (4) Livestock producer.--The term ``livestock producer'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 602 of the Emergency 
        Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 (7 U.S.C. 1471).
            (5) Take.--The term ``take'' means to capture, kill, 
        disperse, or transport.
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