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Big Cat Public Safety Act

Public Law 117-243 · H.R. 263 · 117th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Dec 20, 2022 · Animals

Sponsor: Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-5)

Cosponsors (258): Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 278 yea, 134 nay278–134
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Big Cat Public Safety Act

This act revises requirements governing the trade of big cats (i.e., species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species) under the Lacey Act to limit the possession, breeding, and exhibition of big cats. The Lacey Act prohibits any person from importing, exporting, buying, selling, transporting, receiving, or acquiring big cats across state lines or the U.S. border. However, some exemptions are provided for certain entities, such as universities and wildlife sanctuaries.

(Sec. 3) The act expands the Lacey Act prohibitions to include a prohibition on possessing or breeding big cats. Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. Owners of big cats that were born before this act's enactment may keep their big cats, but the owners must register them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The act modifies the list of entities that are exempt from prohibitions to export, buy, sell, transport, receive, acquire, possess, or breed big cats. The modified list includes exemptions for entities or facilities exhibiting animals to the public if they (1) hold a Class C license in good standing under the Animal Welfare Act, and (2) do not allow individuals to come into direct physical contact with big cats. However, direct contact is allowed if the individual is a trained professional, a veterinarian, or directly supporting conservation programs that do not involve commercial activities and meet other specified restrictions.

(Sec. 4) A person who knowingly violates the act must be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for no more than five years, or both. The act considers each violation to be a separate offense. The offense must be deemed to have been committed not only in the district where the violation first occurred, but also in any district in which the defendant may have taken or been in possession of the prohibited wildlife species.

(Sec. 5) The act extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed; thus, big cats bred or possessed in violation of the act are subject to forfeiture.

(Sec. 6) The Department of the Interior must issue regulations to implement this act.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 117th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 278 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

278 yea134 nay18 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(215)

Republicans who voted yea(63)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 862 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 211Related bill

    Big Cat Public Safety Act

  • H.Res. 1256Procedurally-relatedRelated bill

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 263) to amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to clarify provisions enacted by the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, to further the conservation of certain wildlife species, and…

  • S. 1210Related bill

    Big Cat Public Safety Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Dec 20, 2022Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-243.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 16, 2022FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 7, 2022FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 6, 2022FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  6. Aug 1, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  7. Jul 29, 2022FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 278 - 134 (Roll no. 415).House roll call 415
  9. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  10. Jul 28, 2022FloorFloor · POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 263, the Chair put the question on passage of the bill and by voice vote, announced the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Westerman demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announc…
  11. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House resumed with debate on H.R. 263.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 263.
  13. FloorFloor · Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 263 and H.R. 4040. Resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill. H. Res. 517 is considered adopted.
  14. FloorFloor · Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1256.
  15. Jul 26, 2022FloorFloor · Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1256 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 263 and H.R. 4040. Resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill. H. Res. 517 is considered adopted.
  16. Jul 22, 2022CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 334.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 117-428.
  18. Jun 15, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 17.
  19. Jun 8, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  20. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Discharged.
  21. May 12, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  23. Feb 18, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
  24. Jan 11, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • H.Amdt. 309HouseRules Committee· offered Jul 28, 2022Agreed to

    Jul 28, 2022: On agreeing to the Rules amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.