[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1255 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1255

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 2, 2025

 Mr. Cotton (for himself, Mr. Tuberville, Mrs. Britt, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, 
and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue certain regulations 
  relating to the taking of double-crested cormorants at aquaculture 
                  facilities, 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 ``Cormorant Relief Act of 2025''.

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

    (a) 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.
    (b) Reissuance Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall reissue the original 
depredation order in accordance with subsection (c).
    (c) Requirements.--The depredation order reissued under subsection 
(b) shall be the same as the original depredation order, except that 
the depredation order reissued under that subsection shall apply--
            (1) 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) 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.
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