H.R. 8401

Summary

H.R. 8401, to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes, was introduced in the House on Apr 21, 2026 by Rep. Nicholas Begich (R). It was referred to Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, and last saw action on Jun 3, 2026: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Record

Text

H.R. 8401 has no co-sponsors and has not gone to a roll call.

119 HR 8401 IH: To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes.
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-04-21
 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  2d Session  H. R. 8401  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   April 21, 2026   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 the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes.
1.
Transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters taken for subsistence purposes
Section 102 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 ( 16 U.S.C. 1372 ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(g)
Sea otter pelts and products
Nothing in this Act prohibits—
(1)
the transport, purchase, sale of, or any offer to purchase or sell, any pelt of an otter from the Southcentral or Southeast Alaska stock of northern sea otters that is taken for subsistence purposes in accordance with section 101(b)(1); or
(2)
the transport, purchase, sale, export of, or any offer to purchase, sell or export, any handicraft, garment, or art that is produced from the pelt of the Southcentral or Southeast Alaska stock of northern sea otters that is taken for subsistence purposes in accordance with section 101(b)(1), regardless of whether the handicraft, garment, or art—
(A)
is traditional or contemporary; or
(B)
is or is not altered significantly.
 .

Tracker

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

To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes.

Sponsors

Rep. Nicholas Begich (R) sponsors H.R. 8401 alone.

Nicholas Begich

Rep. · R–AK · Sponsor

Show 1 of 1 row

PreviousNext

Committees

H.R. 8401 went before 2 committees: Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee and Natural Resources.

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

Hearings By (subcommittee) · Jun 3, 2026 · 24 Bills

Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Referred To · Apr 21, 2026 · 395 Bills

Actions

H.R. 8401 has taken 4 actions since Apr 21, 2026, the latest on Jun 3, 2026.

Votes

H.R. 8401 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 8401 goes by 2 titles.

• To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes. — Display Title
• To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, and sale of pelts of, and handicrafts, garments, and art produced from, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska northern sea otters that are taken for subsistence purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 8401 under Animals, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 4 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 8401’s is Animals.

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 8401 carries 4 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Alaska to Supply chain.

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 8401, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. BEGICH:H.R. 8401.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 1, Section 8, Clause 3 (the Commerce Clause), whichgrants Congress the authority to regulate commerce withforeign nations, among the several States, and with IndianTribes. This legislation amends the Marine Mammal ProtectionAct of 1972 to regulate the transport, purchase, sale, andexport of certain sea otter pelts and products, activitiesthat constitute interstate, tribal, and foreign commerce.Article 1, 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 the regulation of wildlife-related commerce andsubsistence uses under federal law.[Page H3046]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com