[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2293 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2293

To require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue certain regulations 
  relating to the taking of double-crested cormorants at aquaculture 
                              facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 2025

Mr. Ezell (for himself, Mr. Guest, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. 
Kelly of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue certain regulations 
  relating to the taking of double-crested cormorants at aquaculture 
                              facilities.

    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 ``Cormorant Relief Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. REGULATIONS RELATING TO TAKING OF DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS AT 
              AQUACULTURE FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall reissue the original 
depredation order in accordance with subsection (b).
    (b) Requirements.--The depredation order reissued under subsection 
(a) shall be the same as the original depredation order, except that 
the depredation order reissued under subsection (a)--
            (1) shall apply to each of the States of California, 
        Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, 
        Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 
        addition to and in the same manner as each of the States to 
        which the original depredation order applied; and
            (2) shall apply to lake managers and pond managers in 
        addition to and in the same manner as each of the entities to 
        which the original depredation order applied.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Lake manager.--The term ``lake manager'' means a person 
        that is licensed by a State regulatory agency to manage a 
        private lake.
            (2) Original depredation order.--The term ``original 
        depredation order'' means the depredation order for double-
        crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities contained in 
        section 21.47 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
        effect on January 1, 2016).
            (3) Pond manager.--The term ``pond manager'' means a person 
        that is licensed by a State regulatory agency to manage a 
        private pond.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
        States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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