The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND ANTI-TRAFFICKING ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E107-E108 on Jan. 30, 2019.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND ANTI-TRAFFICKING ACT
______
HON. JOHN GARAMENDI
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I reintroduce the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act with Congressman Don Young (R-
AK), the Dean of the House.
I thank Congressman Young (R-AK) for his support as my co-lead and original cosponsor on this important legislation, as well as our former colleague Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), who sponsored this legislation in the previous Congress.
Around the world, poachers, traffickers, and transnational criminal organizations responsible for human rights abuses are driving iconic wildlife to extinction. The Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act advances American leadership in tackling this global crisis. Our bipartisan bill would strengthen federal enforcement against the global trade in illegal wildlife and seafood products, while also providing dedicated funding for conservation efforts, at no expense to taxpayers.
Specifically, our bill would make serious wildlife trafficking violations predicate offenses under federal racketeering and anti-
organized crime laws (RICO and Travel Acts). The bill would also engage whistleblowers, through monetary incentives, in providing actionable intelligence needed to bring down global wildlife trafficking rings. Under our bill, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be authorized to station law enforcement officials and agency personnel abroad in high-intensity wildlife trafficking areas, as embeds in American embassies and consulates.
Any penalties, fines, forfeitures, and restitution paid to the U.S. government for criminal violations of the federal organized crime, racketeering, and money laundering statutes for wildlife trafficking offenses would support conservation efforts. This provides dedicated funding for in-country conservation efforts for highly trafficked and endangered wildlife species, at no expense to taxpayers under our bill.
Lastly, our bill includes provisions to crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by foreign vessels or fraudulent seafood imports into the United States. According to the U.S. State Department, IUU fishing often goes hand-in-hand with transnational organized crime, human trafficking and forced labor, and weapons and drug trafficking. American fishermen should never be expected to compete against fraudulent seafood imports harvested with slave labor, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
Madam Speaker, again I thank Congressman Young (R-AK) for his partnership as the original cosponsor on this important, bipartisan bill. I urge all Members to join us in cosponsoring the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act.
____________________
