Update: S.B. 2040 died in February 2014 when it was not assigned a hearing before the deadline. H.B. 2183 died in March 2014 when it failed to cross over to the Senate before the deadline.
Another bill to ban the trade of ivory, H.B. 493, was introduced in March 2014.
Bill Description:
Prohibits any person, firm, partnership, or corporation from importing, selling, offering to sell, or possessing with intent to sell any ivory product. Ivory is defined as any product containing or advertised as containing raw or worked ivory teeth or tusks from any species of wildlife, including elephants, hippopotamuses, walruses, whales, and narwhals.
[teaserbreak]Exemption: The Department of Land and Natural Resources may issue permits for the sale or possession of ivory if it is for educational or scientific purposes.
The penalty for a first violation is a misdemeanor and for a second violation is a class C felony.
Background:
African elephants are nearing extinction due to the high price of ivory and consumer demand. An average of 96 elephants are slaughtered daily by poachers. The U.S. is the second largest ivory market in the world, after China. Legislation banning the trade in ivory is aimed at reducing the demand for this product. Read more about the horrific ivory trade here.
Read the full text here for the Senate bill and here for the House bill.