[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8401 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8401

    To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the 
 transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, 
 and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea 
            otters that are taken for subsistence purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2026

  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 the 
 transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, 
 and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea 
            otters that are taken for subsistence purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. TRANSPORT, PURCHASE, AND SALE OF PELTS OF, AND HANDICRAFTS, 
              GARMENTS, AND ART PRODUCED FROM SOUTHCENTRAL AND 
              SOUTHEAST ALASKA NORTHERN SEA OTTERS TAKEN FOR 
              SUBSISTENCE PURPOSES.

    Section 102 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
1372) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Sea Otter Pelts and Products.--Nothing in this Act 
prohibits--
            ``(1) the transport, purchase, sale of, or any offer to 
        purchase or sell, any pelt of an otter from the Southcentral or 
        Southeast Alaska stock of northern sea otters that is taken for 
        subsistence purposes in accordance with section 101(b)(1); or
            ``(2) the transport, purchase, sale, export of, or any 
        offer to purchase, sell or export, any handicraft, garment, or 
        art that is produced from the pelt of the Southcentral or 
        Southeast Alaska stock of northern sea otters that is taken for 
        subsistence purposes in accordance with section 101(b)(1), 
        regardless of whether the handicraft, garment, or art--
                    ``(A) is traditional or contemporary; or
                    ``(B) is or is not altered significantly.''.
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