119-hr2293

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

    (RH) ]

<DOC>

 Union Calendar No. 241
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2293

 [Report No. 119-285]

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

 September 15, 2025

 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
 House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
 in italic]
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 
 24, 2025]

_______________________________________________________________________

 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) shall--

    (1) apply to--
        (A) each of the States of California, Colorado, 
 Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, 
 Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin 
 and any other State or territory of the United States 
 the Secretary determines appropriate in addition to and 
 in the same manner as each of the States to which the 
 original depredation order applied; and
        (B) 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;

    (2) incorporate modern terminology;

    (3) simplify the provisions contained in the original 
 depredation order related to compliance with other Federal law;

    (4) modernize the recordkeeping requirements contained in 
 the original depredation order; and

    (5) remove the June 30, 2014, expiration date contained in 
 the original depredation order.
            (c) Renewal.--Not less than once every 5 years after the date on 
which the Secretary reissues the original depredation order under 
subsection

    (a) , the Secretary shall renew the depredation order 
reissued under subsection

    (a) .
            (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act may be construed to 
waive the obligation of the Secretary to comply with the--

    (1) National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
 4321 et seq.); or

    (2) Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.).

    (e) 

=== 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.
 Union Calendar No. 241

119th CONGRESS

 1st Session

 H. R. 2293

 [Report No. 119-285]

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

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

_______________________________________________________________________

 September 15, 2025

 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
 House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed