Jim Saxton: “I introduced H.R. 1787, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, along with the gentleman from Hawaii and 17 other…”

“I introduced H.R. 1787, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, along with the gentleman from Hawaii and 17 other Members on June 4, 1997. The fundamental purposes of this legislation are twofold: First, to create an Asian elephant conservation fund; and, second, to authorize the Congress to appropriate up to $5 million per year to this fund to finance various conservation projects for each of the next 5 fiscal years. The legislation is modeled after the highly successful African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988 and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994. The new authorization would be separate from those funds appropriated for African elephants or for rhinos or tigers. Under the terms of H.R. 1787, the Secretary of the Interior would carefully evaluate the merits of each proposed conservation project, select those that best enhance the future of the Asian elephant, and give priority to those projects whose sponsors demonstrate the ability to match some portion of the Federal funds. In addition, the bill stipulates the Secretary may accept donations to assist Asian elephants and shall spend no more than 3 percent of the amount appropriated to administer the fund. Unless immediate steps are taken to conserve this magnificent animal, it will surely continue to disappear from much, if not all, of its traditional habitat.”