H.R. 843 — Introduced in House

I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 843 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 10, 2015 Mr. Kline (for himself, Mr. Benishek, Mr. Huizenga of Michigan, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Peterson, and Mr. Duffy) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To prohibit treatment of gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan as endangered species, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Western Great Lakes Wolf Management Act of 2015. 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) State The term State means each of the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. (2) Wolf The term wolf means any species, subspecies, or population segment of Canis lupus. 3. Prohibition on treatment of wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 Any wolf in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan shall not be treated under any status of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), including as an endangered species, a threatened species, an essential experimental population, or a nonessential experimental population. 4. State management authority (a) State management authority Each State shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the management of wolves within the borders of that State. (b) Protection by States Nothing in this Act shall preclude any State from providing protections to wolves equivalent to those protections provided by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). (c) Reimbursement by States Nothing in this Act shall preclude any State from reimbursing the owner of livestock for any loss of livestock that results from depredation by wolves, or that derives from wolves, that were introduced into the wild.