The "Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Clarification Act" aims to clarify how authentic Alaska Native handicrafts containing nonedible migratory bird parts are treated under the Migratory Bird Treaty between the US and Japan. The bill requires the Secretaries of State and the Interior to develop bilateral procedures with the relevant foreign country regarding the sale of these handicrafts. This legislation directly impacts the trade and sale of authentic Alaska Native handicrafts containing nonedible migratory bird parts under the treaty.
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.
