H.R. 2293 — Introduced in House

I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2293 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 24, 2025Mr. 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 A BILL To require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue certain regulations relating to the taking of double-crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Cormorant Relief Act of 2025. 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)— (1) shall apply 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) shall apply 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. (c) 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.