H.R. 97 would authorize the Department of State to pay cash for information about wildlife trafficking. The department currently pays cash awards from appropriated funds to deter transnational organized crime. The bill would include wildlife trafficking such as poaching and illegal trade in wildlife as a form of transnational organized crime. However, the department is already using the program to offer rewards for that purpose.
Because the bill is codifying current practice, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 97 would not affect the federal budget.
