To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Nicholas J. Begich III

Republican · AK · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA-1)· 2026-05-12

Subcommittee Hearings Held

2026-04-16

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would allow hunters to bring polar bear trophies into the United States from sport hunts in Canada that happened before polar bears were officially listed as threatened under environmental protection laws. The change would apply only to bears already killed before the threatened species designation, not future hunts. Hunters and trophy importers would be the main groups affected by this change to current import restrictions.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6251 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6251 To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 21, 2025 Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. PERMITS FOR IMPORTATION OF POLAR BEAR TROPHIES TAKEN IN SPORT HUNTS IN CANADA. Section 104(c)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1374(c)(5)(D)) is amended to read as follows: ``(D)(i) The Secretary of the Interior shall, expeditiously after the expiration of the applicable 30-day period under subsection (d)(2), issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits, with the permit application, proof that the polar bear-- ``(I) was legally harvested by the person before February 18, 1997; or ``(II) was legally harvested by the person before May 15, 2008, from a polar bear population from which a sport-hunted trophy could be imported before that date in accordance with section 18.30(i) of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations. ``(ii) The Secretary shall issue permits under clause (i)(I) without regard to subparagraphs (A) and (C)(ii) of this paragraph, subsection (d)(3), and sections 101 and 102. ``(iii) The Secretary shall issue permits under clause (i)(II) without regard to subparagraph (C)(ii) of this paragraph, subsection (d)(3), and sections 101 and 102.''. <all>

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