RAWR Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 97) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize rewards for thwarting wildlife trafficking linked to transnational organized crime, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 97, Rescuing Animals With Rewards Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and rise in support of H.R. 97.

I would like to begin by thanking Mr. Buchanan and Ms. Titus for introducing this important legislation.

In recent years, Congress has taken a number of important steps to combat wildlife trafficking, but the situation remains dire.

Over the last 10 years, one-third of African elephants have been slaughtered for their tusks--one-third. That is just shocking.

Rhino populations have also been decimated, and many other species are at risk.

Protecting wildlife is the right thing to do, but it also serves American national security interests. Wildlife trafficking feeds corruption, undermines the rule of law, threatens economic prosperity, and drives instability. And it is carried out by many of the same international criminal syndicates engaged in the trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people.

The bipartisan, commonsense legislation before us today provides our government with a tool it can use to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife. Specifically, it authorizes rewards, under the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program, for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those engaged in wildlife trafficking.

This can provide a powerful financial incentive for people to turn in those responsible for this appalling activity.

Where I come from--Bronx, New York--we have the Wildlife Conservation Society doing such wonderful work. It is the Bronx Zoo. They are really doing great work in terms of this. And John Calvelli, a personal friend of mine, is at the forefront of trying to save animals and allowing people to understand what is going on in wildlife trafficking. It is very important, and I commend them for their role.

This authorizes rewards, under the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program, for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those engaged in wildlife trafficking. This can provide a powerful financial incentive for people to turn in those responsible for this appalling activity.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to, once again, urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this good, bipartisan bill to combat wildlife trafficking, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to prioritize the targeting of wildlife traffickers as part of the Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program.

I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Buchanan) for leading this important bill and also Chairman Engel for bringing this bill to the floor.

This legislation would give explicit authority to offer financial rewards for information pertaining to the capture or conviction of high-profile wildlife traffickers around the world. This is a powerful tool for Federal law enforcement to target those who engage in wildlife trafficking.

Illicit wildlife trade is a multibillion-dollar industry. This funds terrorists and criminal networks around the world, destabilizing countries and stripping communities of valuable economic resources.

We know that the criminals that poach and then traffic wildlife products are the same people and networks that traffic weapons, drugs, and people.

Our ability to crack down on illicit funding streams for criminal and terrorist networks is critical to U.S. national security interests in the global war on terrorism.

We must ensure that the State Department and our law enforcement personnel have the tools they need to combat this horrible trade.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.