HB0395 Summary

• Renames the "Ivory Ban Act" to the "Animal Parts and Products Ban Act" and expands the definition of prohibited items to include parts and products from 20 endangered animal species including cheetahs, giraffes, great apes, jaguars, leopards, lions, pangolins, rhinoceroses, tigers, and whales.

• Prohibits importing with intent to sell, selling, purchasing, bartering, or possessing with intent to sell any animal parts or products from listed endangered species, with exceptions for federal license holders, government employees performing law enforcement duties, and items authorized by the Department of Natural Resources.

• Establishes exemptions for antiques less than 100 years old where the animal part is less than 20% by volume and not the primary source of value, and for pre-1975 musical instruments where the animal part comprises less than 20% by volume with proper documentation.

• Allows transfer of animal parts or products to legal beneficiaries as part of inheritance or estate distribution.

• Sets penalties of a business offense with fines of at least $1,000 or twice the item's value for first offenses, and Class A misdemeanor charges with fines of at least $5,000 or twice the item's value for subsequent offenses, with seized items transferred to the Department of Natural Resources for destruction or donation.