H.R. 1998: Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-05-15 · Animals · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-05-15 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [R-CA-25] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act

Plain summary

Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce, breeding, or possessing any prohibited wildlife species (current law prohibits importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing such a species in interstate or foreign commerce). Includes among exemptions to such prohibition the breeding transportation, or possession of such species by authorized persons. Defines "breeding" as facilitating the propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent the propagation or reproduction, of a prohibited wildlife species or other animal. Removes from the list of persons authorized to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase, breed, or possess such species a person that is licensed or registered, and inspected, by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) or any other federal agency with respect to such species. Includes in such list: an institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or certified related facilities that coordinate with an AZA Species Survival Plan for breeding of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; a wildlife sanctuary that cares for such species, is a tax exempt corporation, does not commercially trade in or propagate such species, does not allow direct contact between the public and animals, and does not allow the transportation and display of such species off-site; a person that is in possession of animals of such species that were born before the date of this Act's enactment and that are registered with APHIS within 180 days after such regulations are promulgated; and a traveling circus that regularly travels in interstate commerce to conduct performances featuring live prohibited wildlife species and multiple trained human entertainers, that does not allow members of the public to be in direct contact with or unsafe proximity to a prohibited wildlife species of any age, and that, during the three years preceding this Act's enactment, has not been determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to have violated the Animal Welfare Act by reason of jeopardizing the health and well-being of a prohibited wildlife species. Establishes civil and criminal penalties and forfeiture requirements for violations of this Act.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [R-CA-25] · 118 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

William R. Keating (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Joe Courtney (D-CT), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), André Carson (D-IN), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), James A. Himes (D-CT) and 58 more.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr1998.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr1998 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113