H.R. 2293 · 119th Congress
Cormorant Relief Act of 2025
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Passed the House without a recorded vote. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, which don't record how each member voted. Its text can still change before it becomes law.
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EzellSponsor3 cosponsors · 1 D, 2 R
3 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
- House Introduced Mar 24, 2025
- House Passed Dec 9, 2025
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue the depredation order for double-crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities in certain states. (The previous order was vacated in 2016 by court order.)
What it does: CRS summary · Reported to House · Sep 15, 2025
Cormorant Relief Act of 2025
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue the depredation order for double-crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities in certain states. (The previous order was vacated in 2016 by court order.)
Depredation orders allow for the taking (i.e., capturing, killing, dispersing, or transport of the carcass) of a specified species without a permit, generally to reduce damage caused by the species or to protect interests like health or property. Reissuing this order authorizes landowners, operators, tenants, and employees of entities engaged in aquaculture to take double-crested cormorants that are causing or threatening harm at aquaculture facilities and state and federal fish hatcheries.
Interior must reissue the depredation order with updates, including an expansion of (1) the number of states covered by the order, and (2) the entities to whom the order applies (i.e., private lake and pond managers who are licensed by the state).
Under the bill, Interior must renew the depredation order every five years.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Cormorant Relief Act of 2025
Latest action (Dec 10, 2025): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Policy area: Animals · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 24, 2025
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
- House Introduced Mar 24, 2025
- House Passed Dec 9, 2025
No recorded floor vote found.