← Back to Bills
H.R. 211House117th Congress (2021-2023)In Committee

Big Cat Public Safety Act

Sponsored by Tom McClintockRep. Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Introduced January 5, 2021

AI-Generated Summary

Updated February 7, 2026 at 9:10 PM UTC

The Big Cat Public Safety Act amends the Lacey Act to tighten rules on big‑cat (and other prohibited wildlife) ownership, breeding, import, export, sale and possession. It makes these activities illegal except for licensed exhibitors, certain educational or veterinary entities, non‑commercial sanctuaries, transporters, and owners of animals that existed before the law who register them and agree not to breed or trade them. The bill adds civil and criminal penalties and requires new regulations to enforce the rules.

Key Provisions

  • Defines “breed” as any act that facilitates or fails to prevent propagation of a prohibited species.
  • Prohibits importing, exporting, selling, acquiring, breeding, or possessing prohibited wildlife species, with exemptions for licensed public exhibitors, state colleges/universities, state‑licensed veterinarians, non‑commercial sanctuaries, transporters, and owners of pre‑existing animals who register them within 180 days and cease breeding or trading.
  • Adds civil penalties and creates a criminal penalty of up to $20,000 fine and five years imprisonment for knowingly violating the new prohibition.
  • Expands forfeiture rules to include animals that are bred or possessed, not just imported or exported.
  • Requires the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with other agencies, to issue regulations needed to implement the new exemption and enforcement provisions.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

2 earlier actions
HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

February 18, 2021

View full timeline
HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 5, 2021

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Natural Resources Committee

January 5, 2021

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

February 18, 2021

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode
Latest
Raw Text PDF XML
Introduced in HouseIssued January 5, 2021

I

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 211

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 5, 2021

Mr. McClintock introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to clarify provisions enacted by the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, to further the conservation of certain wildlife species, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

2.

Definitions

(a)

In general

Section 2 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating subsections (a) through (k) as subsections (b) through (l), respectively; and

(2)

by inserting before subsection (b) (as so redesignated) the following:

(a)

Breed

The term breed means to facilitate propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or to fail to prevent propagation or reproduction.

.

(b)

Conforming amendments

(1)

Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act

Section 349(a)(3) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1997(a)(3)) is amended by striking section 2(a) and inserting section 2(b).

(2)

Lacey Act Amendments of 1981

Section 7(c) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3376(c)) is amended by striking section 2(f)(2)(A) and inserting section 2(g)(2)(A).

3.

Prohibitions

Section 3 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3372) is amended—

(1)

in subsection (a)—

(A)

in paragraph (2)—

(i)

in subparagraph (A), by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting ; or;

(ii)

in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking ; or and inserting a semicolon; and

(iii)

by striking subparagraph (C); and

(B)

in paragraph (4), by striking (1) through (3) and inserting (1) through (3) or subsection (e); and

(2)

by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:

(e)

Captive wildlife offense

(1)

In general

It is unlawful for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce, or in a manner substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or to breed or possess, any prohibited wildlife species.

(2)

Limitation on application

Paragraph (1) does not apply to—

(A)

an entity exhibiting animals to the public under a Class C license from the Department of Agriculture, or a Federal facility registered with the Department of Agriculture that exhibits animals, if such entity or facility holds such license or registration in good standing;

(B)

a State college, university, or agency, or a State-licensed veterinarian;

(C)

a wildlife sanctuary that cares for prohibited wildlife species, and—

(i)

is a corporation that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and described in sections 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of such Code;

(ii)

does not commercially trade in any prohibited wildlife species, including offspring, parts, and byproducts of such animals; and

(iii)

does not breed any prohibited wildlife species;

(D)

has custody of any prohibited wildlife species solely for the purpose of expeditiously transporting the prohibited wildlife species to a person described in this paragraph with respect to the species; or

(E)

an entity or individual that is in possession of any prohibited wildlife species that was born before the date of the enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, and—

(i)

not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the such Act, the entity or individual registers each individual animal of each prohibited wildlife species possessed by the entity or individual with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and

(ii)

does not breed, acquire, or sell any prohibited wildlife species after the date of the enactment of such Act.

.

4.

Penalties

(a)

Civil penalties

Section 4(a)(1) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3373(a)(1)) is amended—

(1)

by inserting (e), after (d),; and

(2)

by inserting , (e), after subsection (d).

(b)

Criminal penalties

Section 4(d) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3373(d)) is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting (e), after (d),;

(2)

in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting (e), after (d),;

(3)

in paragraph (2), by inserting (e), after (d),; and

(4)

by adding at the end the following:

(4)

Any person who knowingly violates subsection (e) of section 3 shall be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. Each violation shall be a separate offense and the offense is deemed to have been committed in the district where the violation first occurred, and in any district in which the defendant may have taken or been in possession of the prohibited wildlife species.

.

5.

Forfeiture of prohibited wildlife species

Section 5(a)(1) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3374(a)(1)) is amended by inserting bred, possessed, before imported, exported,.

6.

Administration

Section 7(a) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3376(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(3)

The Secretary shall, in consultation with other relevant Federal and State agencies, promulgate any regulations necessary to implement section 3(e).

.

7.

Determination of budgetary effects

The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.