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Read. Follow. Verify.Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests Act of 2024
Last action · September 3, 2024: Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry.Sponsor: Steve Cohen
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill proposes a federal ban on organized wildlife killing contests held on public lands managed by agencies like the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. It defines these contests as events where participants kill animals for prizes or cash, though it includes specific exceptions for certain types of hunting and official government wildlife control.
If passed, this bill would prohibit organized competitions involving the killing of wildlife for prizes on federal public lands, affecting event organizers, participants, and wildlife management practices across the United States.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Wildlife killing contest organizers
They would be prohibited from holding prize-based killing events on federal public lands.
Public land management agencies
They are required to draft and implement new regulations to enforce the ban within one year.
State and federal wildlife agencies
They retain the authority to conduct lethal control actions on species classified as invasive.
Key Facts
- The bill makes it unlawful to organize, sponsor, conduct, or participate in a wildlife killing contest on federal public land.
- A 'wildlife killing contest' is defined as an event where participants kill wildlife for cash, prizes, or other inducements.
- Public land is defined as land owned by the U.S. and managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, or U.S. Forest Service.
- Exceptions are provided for field trials, contests targeting only ungulates (hoofed mammals) or specific birds (Galliformes/Anatidae), and official lethal control of invasive species.
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- Public land management agencies must issue necessary regulations within one year of the bill's enactment.
- The bill does not preempt or limit state or local laws that are more restrictive than these federal requirements.
- Wildlife is defined as all animal life except for fish, shellfish, and crustaceans.
- The bill cites that 10 states (including California, Colorado, and New York) have already implemented bans on certain wildlife killing contests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill ban all hunting on public land?
What happens if a state already has a stricter law?
Who is responsible for enforcing this?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Federalization of Wildlife Contest Bans
The bill explicitly references the existing bans in 10 states as a justification for establishing a uniform federal standard on public lands.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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