Saving NEMO Act of 2025 | ChamberLight

IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS

House BillHR 2176Civil actions and liabilityWildlife conservation and habitat protection

Saving NEMO Act of 2025

INTRO MAR 18· LAST ACTION MAR 18

READING

14MIN

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Passed Senate

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Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

Voters should care about this bill because healthy coral reefs are vital for ocean ecosystems, supporting a quarter of all marine life, protecting coastlines, and providing economic benefits through tourism and fisheries. Many marine reef species, including corals and tropical fish, are threatened by overcollection for the aquarium trade, habitat destruction, and climate change. If this bill becomes law, it would provide new protections for vulnerable reef species by making it illegal to take them from U.S. waters or engage in their international trade unless specific conditions are met, particularly regarding sustainable practices and avoiding destructive collection. Without such a law, these species could continue to decline, further damaging delicate reef ecosystems and potentially impacting related industries and coastal communities.

KEY PROVISIONS

4AI-extracted

PROVISION 01

The Secretary of the Interior, with input from the Secretary of Commerce, will designate certain marine reef species as 'covered species' if they are already internationally recognized as vulnerable or if their collection/trade poses a substantial risk to their survival or the reef ecosystem.

This establishes which specific animals and corals will be protected under the new law, focusing on those most at risk.

PROVISION 02

It will be illegal to catch 'covered species' in U.S. waters or to import/export them into or out of the United States, or to possess/sell them if illegally obtained.

This directly prohibits activities that could harm these vulnerable species, aiming to reduce overcollection and illegal trade.

PROVISION 03

Exceptions are provided for 'covered species' that are taken under scientific management plans, come from certified breeding/aquaculture programs, or are used for scientific/educational purposes, but these exceptions do not apply if destructive collection practices were used.

This allows for legitimate activities while ensuring that even permitted collection adheres to responsible and non-destructive methods.

PROVISION 04

Violations of these prohibitions can result in significant civil penalties (up to $25,000 per violation), criminal fines, imprisonment (up to 2 years for businesses or false statements), and potential bans on importing/exporting.

These penalties are designed to deter illegal activities and ensure compliance with the new protections.

SPONSORSHIP

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ACTION TIMELINE

2 EVENTS

MAR 18

Introduced in House

INTROREFERRAL

MAR 18

Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

INTROREFERRAL

BILL INFO

TypeHouse Bill

NumberHR 2176

Congress119th

StatusIn Committee

IntroducedMar 18, 2025

Last actionMar 18, 2025

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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED MAR 18, 2025

House BillHR 2176Civil actions and liabilityWildlife conservation and habitat protection

Saving NEMO Act of 2025

INTRODUCED MAR 18, 2025· LAST ACTION MAR 18, 2025

PASSAGE CHANCES

—%

READING

14 min

COSPONSORS

COMPLEXITY

Moderate

Call my reps

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

STEP 2 OF 8

Introduced

In Committee

Reported

Passed House

Passed Senate

Conference

To President

Became Law

Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed House
Passed Senate
Conference
To President
Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

KEY PROVISIONS

AI-extracted

high

This establishes which specific animals and corals will be protected under the new law, focusing on those most at risk.

high

It will be illegal to catch 'covered species' in U.S. waters or to import/export them into or out of the United States, or to possess/sell them if illegally obtained.

This directly prohibits activities that could harm these vulnerable species, aiming to reduce overcollection and illegal trade.

med

This allows for legitimate activities while ensuring that even permitted collection adheres to responsible and non-destructive methods.

high

These penalties are designed to deter illegal activities and ensure compliance with the new protections.

DEADLINES & DATES

AI-extracted

An AI model extracted this from the bill’s official record and can make mistakes. Check the official text ↗ (opens in new tab)

90 days after the effective date of inclusion of such species in CITES Appendix II

Secretary of the Interior must find that take, import, and export of a newly CITES Appendix II listed species do not represent a substantial risk of harm to its sustainability and ecosystem, otherwise it becomes a covered species.

PENALTIES & ENFORCEMENT

AI-extracted

An AI model extracted this from the bill’s official record and can make mistakes. Check the official text ↗ (opens in new tab)

TYPE	AMOUNT	WHO
civil	Up to $25,000 for each violation	Any person responsible for a violation of the prohibitions
criminal	Fine (in accordance with Title 18, U.S. Code), imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both	Any person that knowingly violates the prohibitions
criminal	Fine (in accordance with Title 18, U.S. Code), imprisonment for not more than 2 years, or both	Any person engaged in business as an importer or exporter of a covered coral reef species that knowingly violates the prohibitions
criminal	Fine (in accordance with Title 18, U.S. Code), imprisonment for not more than 2 years, or both	Any person that knowingly makes, causes to be made, or submits any false material statement or representation in a certification regarding destructive collection practices
administrative	Prohibition from importing or exporting any covered coral reef species	Any person that knowingly makes false statements in certifications

GLOSSARY

AI-written

CITES Appendix II: A list of species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that are not necessarily threatened with extinction now, but could become so if trade is not carefully controlled. Trade in these species requires permits.
Take: To harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. In this bill, it specifically refers to catching marine reef species within U.S. waters.
Incidental Take Permit: An authorization issued by a federal agency that allows for the accidental or unintentional taking (e.g., catching or harming) of a protected species, provided it occurs during an otherwise lawful activity and a plan is in place to minimize and mitigate the impact.
Destructive Collection Practice: Methods of collecting marine organisms that cause significant damage to the coral reef habitat or to non-target species, such as using poisons (e.g., cyanide) or explosives.
Marine reef species: Any animal or plant species that naturally lives in or is part of a coral reef ecosystem in the ocean.

ACTION TIMELINE

2 EVENTS

MAR 18, 25

Introduced in House

INTROREFERRAL

MAR 18, 25

INTROREFERRAL

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Ways and Means CommitteeReferred

Mar 18, 2025

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Saving NEMO Act of 2025

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

WHAT THE BILL DOES

KEY PROVISIONS

SPONSORSHIP

ACTION TIMELINE

BILL INFO

READER REACTIONS

Discussion

Saving NEMO Act of 2025

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

WHAT THE BILL DOES

KEY PROVISIONS

DEADLINES & DATES

PENALTIES & ENFORCEMENT

GLOSSARY

ACTION TIMELINE

SPONSORS

READER REACTIONS

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