Paleontological Resources Preservation Act

To provide for the protection of paleontological resources on Federal lands, and for other purposes.

5/22/2008--Reported to House amended, Part I. Paleontological Resources Preservation Act -
(Sec. 3) Directs the the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate, to:
(1) manage and protect paleontological resources on federal land, using scientific principles and expertise; and
(2) develop plans for inventorying, monitoring, and deriving the scientific and educational use of such resources.
(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to increase public awareness about such resources.
(Sec. 5) Prohibits a person from collecting a paleontological resource from federal land without a permit issued under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to allow casual collecting of a reasonable amount of common invertebrate and plant paleontological resources for non-commercial personal uses without a permit on certain federal lands. Recognizes as valid permits issued before enactment of this Act. Sets forth criteria by which the Secretary may issue permits for paleontological resources. Requires that any paleontological resource and associated records collected under a permit be deposited in an approved repository. Allows the Secretary to modify, suspend, or revoke a permit under specified circumstances, including if there is a violation of a term or a condition of a permit. Declares that a permit shall be revoked if any person working under the authority of the permit is convicted of a criminal offense under this Act or assessed a civil penalty under this Act.
(Sec. 6) States that the Secretary may enter into agreements with non-federal repositories regarding the curation of paleontological resources, data, and records.
(Sec. 7) Prohibits:
(1) evacuating, removing, or altering a paleontological resource located on federal lands, except in accordance with this Act;
(2) exchanging or receiving a paleontological resource, or selling or purchasing a paleontological resource, if the person knew or should have known such resource was illegally removed from federal lands; or
(3) making or submitting false records, accounts, or identification of any paleontological resource excavated or removed from federal lands. Imposes criminal penalties for violating this Act.
(Sec. 8) Sets forth requirements for the assessment of civil penalties by the Secretary for violations of any prohibitions contained in regulations or permits issued under this Act. Requires any recovered amounts to be available for use:
(1) to protect or restore paleontological resources and sites which were the subject of the action, or to acquire sites with equivalent resources, and to protect, monitor, and study the resources and sites;
(2) to provide educational materials to the public about paleontological resources and sites; and
(3) as a reward.
(Sec. 9) Allows the Secretary to pay a reward from penalties collected under this Act to any person who furnishes information leading to the finding of a civil violation, or the conviction of criminal violation, with respect to which the penalty was paid. Subjects to civil or, as appropriate, criminal forfeiture all paleontological resources with respect to which a violation occurred and all vehicles and equipment that were used in connection with the violation. Allows the Secretary to transfer administration of seized paleontological resources to educational institutions for scientific or educational purposes.
(Sec. 10) Requires that information on the nature and specific location of a paleontological resource that requires a permit under this Act or other federal law be withheld from the public, including under the Freedom of Information Act, except under specified conditions.
(Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to issue such regulations as are appropriate to carry out this Act.

(Sec. 13) Authorizes appropriations.

... morehide bill summarySee Full Bill Text

Sponsor

• Rep. James McGovern [D, MA-3]
• and 7 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. Peter DeFazio [D, OR-4]
  • Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D, NY-22]
  • Rep. Barbara Lee [D, CA-9]
  • Rep. James Moran [D, VA-8]
  • Rep. Rick Renzi [R, AZ-1]
  • Rep. Todd Tiahrt [R, KS-4]
  • Rep. Henry Waxman [D, CA-30]
  close

Committees

• House Judiciary
• 4 more
  • House Agriculture
  • House Agriculture
  • House Natural Resources
  • House Natural Resources
  close

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.554

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

Make a Bill Status Widget (Close help)

OpenCongress widgets allow you to display information about bills and issue areas on your own website or blog. First, select which bill or issue you want to track, then customize the appearance of the panel, and finally paste a simple chunk of HTML into your site. Now your community will have an easy, up-to-date way to track the status of important bills and issues in Congress.

Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
January 18, 2007

Show All Actions (18 actions)Hide Actions

All Bill Actions

• Aug 01, 2008: House Committee on Judiciary Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Sept. 12, 2008.
• Aug 01, 2008: House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Sept. 12, 2008.
• Jul 18, 2008: House Committee on Judiciary Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Aug. 1, 2008.
• Jul 18, 2008: House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Aug. 1, 2008.
• Jun 20, 2008: House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than July 18, 2008.
• Jun 20, 2008: Referred sequentially to the House Committee on the Judiciary for a period ending not later than July 18, 2008 for consideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment as fall within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to clause 1(k), rule X.
• May 22, 2008: House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than June 20, 2008.
• May 22, 2008: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 110-670, Part I.
• Added to calendar on May 14, 2008: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote..
• May 14, 2008: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
• May 14, 2008: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Discharged.
• Apr 17, 2007: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
• Feb 07, 2007: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
• Feb 02, 2007: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
• Jan 18, 2007: Referred to House Agriculture
• Jan 18, 2007: Referred to House Natural Resources
• Jan 18, 2007: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• Introduced on Jan 18, 2007.

---

Related Bills:

• S.320

Related Issue Areas:

• Public lands
• Administrative remedies
• Archives
• Civil liberties
• 36 more
• Consumers
• Criminal justice
• Cultural property
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of the Interior
• Destruction of property
• Environmental protection
• Executive departments
• Fines (Penalties)
• Forfeiture
• Fossils
• Fraud
• Freedom of information
• Government information
• Government property
• Government publicity
• Historic sites
• History
• Humanities
• Informers
• Judicial review
• Labeling
• Land use
• Larceny
• Law
• Licenses
• Museums
• Natural resources
• Nature conservation
• Official secrets
• Paleontology
• Planning
• Public records
• Recidivists
• Research natural areas
• Science policy

Data from the Congressional Research Service

Show More User Statistics... Hide User Statistics

In the News

February 27, 2007 Are Fast Food Lawsuits Likely to Be the Next 'Big Tobacco'?

Ric Keller, R-Fla, in 2005 as HR 554 and on Oct. 19, 2005, was again passed by the House, this time with a vote of 306-120. The White House again issued a ...

Was this article useful? Yes or No

Source: Law.com (subscription), CA

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

See most useful news articles

Blog Coverage

August 07, 2008 Fast Food : No Legal Recourse

HR 554 is an attempt to remove the liability of food providers and silence the legal resource by consumers. The next time you walk into a fast food establishment, see if you can located the “proper- consumption” documentation. ...

Was this article useful? Yes or No

Source: The Poetry Portal Net

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

July 27, 2008 Encyclopaedia: Fast Food No Legal Recourse at www.encyclopaedia.org.ua

th deteriorates as a result shouldn t that establish be held responsible for serving a faulty product HR 554 is an attempt to remove the liability of food providers and silence the legal resource by consumers. ...

Was this article useful? Yes or No

Source: Encyclopaedia: at www.encyclopaedia.org.ua

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

July 12, 2008 Nutrição e Saúde: Fatos sobre Obesidade

109a EU Congresso (2005-2006) HR 554: 109a EU Congresso (2005-2006) HR 554: Responsabilidade Pessoal no Consumo Alimentar Act De 2005 EA Finkelstein, IC Fiebelkorn, G Wang, National despesas médicas Atribuível ao sobrepeso e obesidade: ...

Was this article useful? Yes or No

Source: Motley Health / Saude

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

11 more posts...
See most useful blog posts

Information made available by: