The Lacey Act of 1900 is a conservation law in the United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.
[1] Introduced into Congress by Representative John F. Lacey, an Iowa Republican, the Act was signed into law by President William McKinley on May 25, 1900.
[1] It also authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to regulate the introduction of wild birds and mammals to places where they have never existed before, known as injurious wildlife species (18 U.S.C.
[7] For example, the non-discriminate killing of birds by plume hunters in search of the snowy egret contributed to the extinction of the Carolina parakeet.
[3] The Act also makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant in violation of the laws of the United States, a state, a Native American tribe, or any foreign law that protects plants.
House Speaker John Boehner cited the Gibson Guitar controversy in his response to a speech by President Barack Obama.
[16][18][19][20] In August 2012, Gibson entered into a criminal enforcement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, admitting to violating the Lacey Act.