July 15, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 118 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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RESCUING ANIMALS WITH REWARDS ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 118
(House of Representatives - July 15, 2019)
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[Page H5802] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RESCUING ANIMALS WITH REWARDS ACT OF 2019 Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 97) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize rewards for thwarting wildlife trafficking linked to transnational organized crime, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows H.R. 97 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 ``Rescuing Animals With Rewards Act of 2019'' or the ``RAWR Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) Wildlife trafficking is a major transnational crime that is estimated to generate over $10 billion a year in illegal profits and which is increasingly perpetrated by organized, sophisticated criminal enterprises, including known terrorist organizations. (2) Wildlife trafficking not only threatens endangered species worldwide, but also jeopardizes local security, spreads disease, undermines rule of law, fuels corruption, and damages economic development. (3) Combating wildlife trafficking requires a coordinated and sustained approach at the global, regional, national, and local levels. (4) Congress stated in the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 that it is the policy of the United States to take immediate actions to stop the illegal global trade in wildlife and wildlife products and associated transnational organized crime. (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Department of State's rewards program is a powerful tool in combating sophisticated international crime and that the Department of State and Federal law enforcement should work in concert to offer rewards that target wildlife traffickers. SEC. 3. REWARDS FOR JUSTICE. Subparagraph (B) of section 36(k)(5) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708(k)(5)) is amended by inserting ``wildlife trafficking (as defined by section 2(12) of the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 7601(12); Public Law 114-231)) and'' after ``includes''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York. General Leave Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 97, Rescuing Animals With Rewards Act. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and rise in support of H.R. 97. I would like to begin by thanking Mr. Buchanan and Ms. Titus for introducing this important legislation. In recent years, Congress has taken a number of important steps to combat wildlife trafficking, but the situation remains dire. Over the last 10 years, one-third of African elephants have been slaughtered for their tusks--one-third. That is just shocking. Rhino populations have also been decimated, and many other species are at risk. Protecting wildlife is the right thing to do, but it also serves American national security interests. Wildlife trafficking feeds corruption, undermines the rule of law, threatens economic prosperity, and drives instability. And it is carried out by many of the same international criminal syndicates engaged in the trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people. The bipartisan, commonsense legislation before us today provides our government with a tool it can use to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife. Specifically, it authorizes rewards, under the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program, for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those engaged in wildlife trafficking. This can provide a powerful financial incentive for people to turn in those responsible for this appalling activity. Where I come from--Bronx, New York--we have the Wildlife Conservation Society doing such wonderful work. It is the Bronx Zoo. They are really doing great work in terms of this. And John Calvelli, a personal friend of mine, is at the forefront of trying to save animals and allowing people to understand what is going on in wildlife trafficking. It is very important, and I commend them for their role. This authorizes rewards, under the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program, for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those engaged in wildlife trafficking. This can provide a powerful financial incentive for people to turn in those responsible for this appalling activity. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to prioritize the targeting of wildlife traffickers as part of the Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Buchanan) for leading this important bill and also Chairman Engel for bringing this bill to the floor. This legislation would give explicit authority to offer financial rewards for information pertaining to the capture or conviction of high-profile wildlife traffickers around the world. This is a powerful tool for Federal law enforcement to target those who engage in wildlife trafficking. Illicit wildlife trade is a multibillion-dollar industry. This funds terrorists and criminal networks around the world, destabilizing countries and stripping communities of valuable economic resources. We know that the criminals that poach and then traffic wildlife products are the same people and networks that traffic weapons, drugs, and people. Our ability to crack down on illicit funding streams for criminal and terrorist networks is critical to U.S. national security interests in the global war on terrorism. We must ensure that the State Department and our law enforcement personnel have the tools they need to combat this horrible trade. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to, once again, urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this good, bipartisan bill to combat wildlife trafficking, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cox of California). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 97. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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