Description:
Current law requires people to obtain a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to import or export sport-hunted trophies of species listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA defines a sport-hunted trophy as a whole dead animal or a readily recognizable part of an animal. H.R. 2245 would extend that requirement to species listed or proposed to be listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. In those cases, USFWS would be required to determine, after a public notice and comment period, whether the country where the animal was killed provides for adequate conservation and monitoring of that species. Using information from USFWS, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would result in a small increase in the agency’s workload and costs. (In recent years, the agency has spent around $1 million annually to review permit applications.) H.R. 2245 also would require applicants to pay all administrative costs associated with permit processing. USFWS charges a fee of $100 per application; those fees are classified in the federal budget as discretionary offsetting collections. On that basis, we estimate that any additional costs incurred by USFWS under the bill would be offset by increased fees resulting in a negligible net effect on spending subject to appropriation.
