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HR 6251
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Introduced Nov 21, 2025

Latest action (Jul 15, 2026) Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.

Referred to
Natural Resources Committee
Policy area
Animals
Legislative subjects (7)
Animal protection and human-animal relationshipsCanadaEndangered and threatened speciesHunting and fishingLicensing and registrationsNorth AmericaTrade restrictions

Summary
  • Allows the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for importing polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada if the bear was legally harvested before February 18, 1997.
  • Allows the Secretary to issue permits for importing polar bear trophies from sport hunts in Canada if the bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008, from a polar bear population from which trophies could be imported before that date under existing regulations.
  • Requires the Secretary to issue these permits expeditiously after the applicable 30-day period expires.
  • Exempts these trophy importations from certain restrictions and requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
2 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Nicholas J. Begich’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • NULL $310,813
  • TEAMHEALTH EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS $44,901
  • PETRO 49, INC $18,931
  • ODOM CORP $12,500
  • CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION $9,183

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Nicholas J. Begich → · Outside spending →

Actions (7)
  1. Jul 15, 2026 Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Discharged · house
  2. Jul 15, 2026 Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote. · house
  3. Jul 15, 2026 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
  4. Apr 16, 2026 Subcommittee Hearings Held · house
  5. Apr 9, 2026 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. · house
  6. Nov 21, 2025 Introduced in House
  7. Nov 21, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. · house

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 5342 — Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 5 subjects)
  • S 1071 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 3838 — Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 4754 — Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 1968 — Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 9770 — Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 2882 — Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 8401 — To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes. · Introduced Jun 3, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%
  • S 254 — ARTIST Act · Became Law Jun 12, 2026 · Cong. 119 64%
  • HR 9631 — Bear Poaching Elimination Act · Introduced Jul 9, 2026 · Cong. 119 63%
  • HR 1934 — ProTECT Act of 2025 · Introduced Mar 6, 2025 · Cong. 119 62%
  • HR 5694 — ARTIST Act · Introduced Jun 2, 2026 · Cong. 119 62%
  • HR 7159 — Protecting Local Zoos Act of 2026 · Introduced Feb 4, 2026 · Cong. 119 61%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in House · Nov 21, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Committee action

What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 21, 2025

Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PERMITS FOR IMPORTATION OF POLAR BEAR TROPHIES TAKEN IN SPORT HUNTS IN CANADA.

Section 104(c)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1374(c)(5)(D)) is amended to read as follows:

“(D)(i) The Secretary of the Interior shall, expeditiously after the expiration of the applicable 30-day period under subsection (d)(2), issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits, with the permit application, proof that the polar bear—

“(I) was legally harvested by the person before February 18, 1997; or

“(II) was legally harvested by the person before May 15, 2008, from a polar bear population from which a sport-hunted trophy could be imported before that date in accordance with section 18.30(i) of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations.

“(ii) The Secretary shall issue permits under clause

(i)(I) without regard to subparagraphs (A) and (C)(ii) of this paragraph, subsection (d)(3), and sections 101 and 102.

“(iii) The Secretary shall issue permits under clause

(i)(II) without regard to subparagraph (C)(ii) of this paragraph, subsection (d)(3), and sections 101 and 102.”. <all>

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