Bill
HJM 4
Urges federal action to delist lower-48 grizzlies under ESA and return state management, while reviewing ESA policies and regulations.
Note on source material
- The title you provided ("Urging Congress to extend benefits to units deployed under 10 U.S.C. 12304b") does not match the text and documents you attached. The documents and bill text supplied are for House Joint Memorial No. 4 (Idaho, 2025) concerning the federal Endangered Species Act and the delisting/management of grizzly bears. The summary below reflects the actual bill text and related documents provided.
Overview
- Type: House Joint Memorial (non‑binding), HJM 4 (Idaho, 2025)
- Purpose: Urges federal action to remove grizzly bears in the lower 48 states from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing and to return primary management authority to the states; also requests a review of the ESA, its regulations, and agency policies.
- Sponsors/Committees: Introduced by Idaho Resources and Conservation Committee; reported favorably by the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee (8–1).
- Fiscal note: Authors state no fiscal impact on state funds.
Key provisions and requests
- Calls on the President, Congress, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and congressional delegations from Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming to:
- Delist the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the lower 48 states and return full management authority to the states.
- Review the ESA, its implementing regulations, and agency policies for effectiveness and legality (reference to Supreme Court decision Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo).
- Asserts (as findings in the memorial) that:
- Grizzly populations and range have substantially increased since the species’ 1975 listing;
- State wildlife agencies have successfully conserved and managed grizzlies and are best positioned to manage ongoing conservation and conflict mitigation;
- USFWS’s January 15, 2025 proposal to define a new large Distinct Population Segment (DPS) is described in the memorial as “moving goalposts” that prolong ESA restrictions and encroach on unoccupied recovery areas.
- Directs the Chief Clerk of the Idaho House to transmit copies of the memorial to the listed federal entities and congressional delegations.
Who would be affected
- Primary targets of the memorial: federal entities (President, Congress, DOI, USDA, USFWS) and federal congressional delegations of the four states named.
- Stakeholders implicated by the memorial’s requests: state wildlife agencies in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming; local communities, livestock owners, private landowners; conservation organizations; and the general public in areas with grizzly presence.
- Legal effect: The memorial is non‑binding and does not itself change ESA status or regulatory authority; it expresses the state legislature’s position and requests federal action.
Fiscal and legal notes
- The memorial claims no state General Fund or federal fiscal impact.
- As a memorial, it does not have force of law; any delisting or change to ESA implementation requires federal administrative or legislative action.
Procedural / timeline highlights
- Introduced: February 4, 2025.
- Committee action: Favorable committee report adopted (Energy, Environment & Natural Resources).
- Legislative action: Read and adopted in the Idaho Legislature; memorial was enrolled, signed, and transmitted (delivered to the Secretary of State March 17, 2025).
- Final status in documents: shows transmission to federal recipients; separate entries indicate “action postponed indefinitely” and “in committee upon adjournment” in late June 2025 — these entries may reflect later procedural steps or records reconciliation. The memorial’s practical effect is sending the Legislature’s formal request to the named federal entities.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
