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H.R. 6251

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 6251, 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, was introduced in the House on Nov 21, 2025 by Rep. Nicholas Begich (R) with 2 co-sponsors. It last saw action on Jul 15, 2026: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.

Record

Text

H.R. 6251 has 2 co-sponsors.

hb6251/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 6251 IH: 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.
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-11-21
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 6251  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.
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.
 .

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-11-21
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

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.

Sponsors

Rep. Nicholas Begich (R) sponsors H.R. 6251, and 2 members have co-sponsored it.

Committees

H.R. 6251 went before 2 committees: Natural Resources and Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee.

Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Markup By · Jul 15, 2026 · 395 Bills
Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Discharged from · Jul 15, 2026 · 24 Bills

Actions

H.R. 6251 has taken 7 actions since Nov 21, 2025, the latest on Jul 15, 2026.

ChamberAction
Jul 15, 2026
House
Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries DischargedWater, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Jul 15, 2026
House
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session HeldNatural Resources Committee
Jul 15, 2026
House
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.Natural Resources Committee
Apr 16, 2026
House
Subcommittee Hearings HeldWater, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Apr 9, 2026
House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

Votes

H.R. 6251 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 6251 goes by 2 titles.

  • 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. — Display 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. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

1 client hired 1 firm and 6 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 6251 in 1 quarterly filing, 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Animals, Budget/Appropriations, Disaster Planning/Emergencies, Energy/Nuclear, Environment/Superfund, Homeland Security, Immigration, Natural Resources.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE—District of Columbia11—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE11—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
CASSIE FERRI111
CHRISTOPHER WESTFALL111
DANIEL MOSS111
MARY BEETHAM111
ROBERT DEWEY111
TAYLOR RUSH111

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFEDEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE2026 first_quarter$100K1st Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 6251 under Animals, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 7 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 6251’s is Animals.

hr6251/policy-areas.txt
AnimalsAgriculture and FoodArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 6251 carries 7 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Animal protection and human-animal relationships to Trade restrictions.

hr6251/subjects.txt
Animal protection and human-animal relationshipsCanadaEndangered and threatened speciesHunting and fishingLicensing and registrationsNorth AmericaTrade restrictions

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 6251, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 197 (Friday, November 21, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. BEGICH:H.R. 6251.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following provisions of the Constitution of the UnitedStates:Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 (the Commerce Clause), whichgrants Congress the authority to regulate commerce withforeign nations. The bill amends the Marine Mammal ProtectionAct to govern the importation of certain polar bear partsfrom Canada, an activity squarely within foreign commerce.Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (the Necessary and ProperClause), which authorizes Congress to make all laws necessaryand proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers,including regulation of wildlife importation and permittingunder federal law.[Page H4896]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com