The Pope’s in town so Congress isn’t doing much legislating (versus?) this week but they introduced a few relevant bills before they left.

H.R.3521 : Gulf Red Snapper Data Improvement Act
–Establishes a competitive grant program for cooperative research and encourages enhancement of communication between NOAA and stakeholders.
H.R.3526 : CECIL Act
–Amends the Endangered Species Act to include regulations to the import and export of species listed or proposed for listing.
H.R.3556 : To prepare the National Park Service for its Centennial in 2016 and for a second century of protecting our national parks’ natural, historic, and cultural resources for present and future generations, and for other purposes.
–The text isn’t out yet but this will be a giant funding bill for the NPS’s Centennial next year.
S.2032 : National Bison Legacy Act
–Would officially adopt the bison as the national mammal of the U.S.
S.2047 : A bill to terminate the independent third-party program for sectors of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery unless the program is fully funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and for other purposes.
–I received a long, political explanation from a friend that’s not worth repeating here. Let’s just say that politicians, fisheries, and NOAA are having some communication issues.

H.R.3562 : To prohibit the pay of Members of Congress during periods in which a Government shutdown is in effect, and for other purposes.
-This is unrelated to science/conservation; however, important nonetheless.