S. 255 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jan 24, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryPermits Alaska Native crafts with migratory bird parts
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act currently restricts the use of migratory bird parts, but this bill creates an exception for authentic Alaska Native handicrafts, clothing, and art that contain nonedible bird parts—as long as the birds weren't taken illegally or wastefully. The bill also directs the State Department and Interior Department to work with other countries to clarify how these crafts are treated under international bird protection treaties.
How it affects you
This change primarily affects Alaska Native artists and craftspeople who traditionally use migratory bird parts like feathers and bones in their work. For them, it clarifies that they can legally possess, sell, and trade these authentic cultural items without running into federal restrictions. Most other Americans won't be directly affected by this change.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 24, 2025)
Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act
This bill states that nothing in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) prohibits possessing, selling, bartering, purchasing, shipping, or transporting any authentic Alaska Native handicraft, clothing, or art on the basis that it contains a nonedible migratory bird part, so long as the bird was not taken in a wasteful or illegal manner. (The MBTA implements four international treaties that the United States entered into with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. The MBTA prohibits the taking of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization.)
The bill directs the Department of State to work with the Department of the Interior to enter into appropriate bilateral procedures with countries that are parties to the treaties under the MBTA to clarify the treatment of Alaska Native handicraft containing nonedible migratory bird parts from the species of migratory birds listed in those treaties. Further, Interior must modify any regulations implementing the MBTA to implement this bill.
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. 255
A BILL
Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act
Sponsor: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) · Introduced Jan 24, 2025 · Native Americans · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 24, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.”