RAWR Act

116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1590 AN ACT To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize rewards for thwarting wildlife traf- ficking linked to transnational organized crime, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 2 † S 1590 ES SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rescuing Animals 2 With Rewards Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘RAWR Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 5 (1) Wildlife trafficking is a major transnational 6 crime that is estimated to generate over 7 $10,000,000,000 a year in illegal profits and which 8 is increasingly perpetrated by organized, sophisti- 9 cated criminal enterprises, including known terrorist 10 organizations. 11 (2) Wildlife trafficking not only threatens en- 12 dangered species worldwide, but also jeopardizes 13 local security, spreads disease, undermines rule of 14 law, fuels corruption, and damages economic devel- 15 opment. 16 (3) Combating wildlife trafficking requires a co- 17 ordinated and sustained approach at the global, re- 18 gional, national, and local levels. 19 (4) Congress stated in the Eliminate, Neu- 20 tralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 21 (Public Law 114–231) that it is the policy of the 22 United States to take immediate actions to stop the 23 illegal global trade in wildlife and wildlife products 24 and associated transnational organized crime. 25 3 † S 1590 ES (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 1 gress that the Department of State’s rewards program is 2 a powerful tool in combating sophisticated international 3 crime and that the Department of State and Federal law 4 enforcement should work in concert to offer rewards that 5 target wildlife traffickers. 6 SEC. 3. WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING PREVENTION REWARDS 7 PROGRAM. 8 Subparagraph (B) of section 36(k)(5) of the State 9 Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 10 2708(k)(5)) is amended by inserting ‘‘wildlife trafficking 11 (as defined by section 2(12) of the Eliminate, Neutralize, 12 and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 13 7601(12); Public Law 114–231)) and’’ after ‘‘includes’’. 14 Passed the Senate October 22, 2019. Attest: Secretary. 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1590 AN ACT To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize rewards for thwarting wildlife trafficking linked to transnational orga- nized crime, and for other purposes.