Bill would let U.S. hunters import pre-2008 polar bear trophies from Canada
In markupH.R. 6251Latest action
Sponsor: Nicholas J. Begich III · Representative · AK
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Official title: 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.
119th Congress
Topics: Environment & energy
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
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HR 6251 lets Americans import polar bear trophies from legal Canadian hunts completed before two specific cutoff dates in 1997 and 2008.
60-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
HR 6251 amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow the U.S. government to issue import permits for polar bear trophies from hunts that took place in Canada before February 18, 1997, or before May 15, 2008, if the bear came from a Canadian population already approved for trophy imports at that time. The bill waives several normal legal requirements that would otherwise block permit approval and directs the Secretary of the Interior to process these permits quickly. It does not change rules for future hunts or future imports.
Who does it affect?
American hunters who legally participated in Canadian polar bear hunts before those two cutoff dates and have been unable to import their trophies are the people directly affected. The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for processing and issuing the permits.
Why does it matter?
Polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the United States in May 2008, which triggered the existing import ban that this bill would partially carve out. Trophies from hunts completed before that protection took effect would be treated differently from those subject to the full ban, but no current wild protections for the species would change.
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Where does it stand?
- IntroducedNov 21, 2025
- House committeeYou are here · Jul 15, 2026
- House vote
- Senate
- The president's desk
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.