Amending the Lacey Act
August 2015
The Lacey Act of 1990 was the first US conservation law
which prohibits trade wildlife, plants and plant products that have been obtained illegally or traded in violation of the laws of a foreign nation. The Lacey Act has come under scrutiny again with the reintroduction of the Freedom from Over- Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2015 (FOCUS Act) by U.S. Senator Rand Paul and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. They aim to remove any reference to foreign laws in the Lacey Act and substitute the criminal penalties with civil penalties. For more information on the Lacey Act visit: US Fish and Wildlife Services For more information on the FOCUS Act
visit: https://www.congress.gov/