[Congressional Bills 105th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 2807 Introduced in House (IH)] 105th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2807 To amend the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 to prohibit the sale, importation, and exportation of products labeled as containing substances derived from rhinoceros or tiger. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 4, 1997 Mr. Saxton (for himself and Mr. Miller of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 to prohibit the sale, importation, and exportation of products labeled as containing substances derived from rhinoceros or tiger. 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 ``Rhino and Tiger Product Labeling Act''. SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON SALE, IMPORTATION, AND EXPORTATION OF PRODUCTS LABELED AS CONTAINING A SUBSTANCE DERIVED FROM RHINOCEROS OR TIGER. (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following: (1) The populations of several magnificent and unique endangered species of rhinoceros and tigers, such as the Indian rhinoceros, the Javan rhinoceros, the African black rhinoceros, and all of the tiger subspecies, continue to decline. (2) Growing demand throughout the world for wildlife and wildlife parts and products has created a market in which commercial exploitation has threatened certain rhinoceros and tiger populations. (3) There are insufficient legal mechanisms enabling the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to forcefully interdict products that are labeled as containing substances derived from rhinoceros or tiger species and prosecute the merchandisers for sale or display of those products. (4) Although approximately 77,000 import and export shipments occur annually in the United States, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is able to maintain only 92 wildlife inspectors at 30 ports of entry, including 13 designated ports, to monitor the shipments. (5) Wildlife inspectors are able to physically inspect only an estimated 5 to 10 percent of all import and export shipments, making the rate of detection of contraband wildlife products extremely low. (b) Prohibition.--The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) is amended by redesignating section 7 as section 8, and by inserting after section 6 the following new section: ``SEC. 7. PROHIBITION RELATING TO LABELING. ``(a) Prohibition.--No person shall sell, import, or export any product labeled as containing any substance derived from any species of rhinoceros or tiger. ``(b) Penalty.--Any person who knowingly violates subsection (a) shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.''. <all>