S. 1823 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, May 20, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryLivestock farmers get relief from black vultures
Black vultures are federally protected birds, so normally farmers need special permits to deal with them. This bill would let livestock producers and their employees take direct action against black vultures they believe will harm their animals—including capturing, dispersing, or killing the birds. They'd have to report what they do each year to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but they wouldn't need advance permission like they do now.
How it affects you
If you raise livestock, this could mean less paperwork and faster action when black vultures threaten your animals. You could respond to the problem without waiting for a permit, as long as you report your actions afterward. For everyone else, this mainly affects how farmers manage wildlife on their land.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, May 20, 2025)
Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025
This bill allows livestock producers and their employees to take certain actions against black vultures to protect livestock. (Black vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.)
Specifically, livestock producers and their employees may (1) take (i.e., capture, kill, or disperse, or transport the carcass of) a black vulture that they reasonably believe will cause death, injury, or destruction to livestock; or (2) in the course of taking or attempting to take the black vulture, cause injury to the bird. However, they may not take or attempt to take a black vulture through the use of poison.
Livestock producers and their employees must submit an annual report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on black vultures taken under this bill. The FWS must develop a reporting form and make this reporting form available on its website.
Currently, the FWS has a permit process under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the taking of black vultures.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1823
A BILL
Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) · Introduced May 20, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action May 20, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.”