1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Bear Protection Act of 2023 . 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) all 8 extant species of bear—Asian black bear, brown bear, polar bear, American black bear, spectacled bear, giant panda, sun bear, and sloth bear—are listed in appendix I or II of CITES; (2) article XIV of CITES provides that Parties to CITES may adopt stricter domestic measures regarding the conditions for the trade, taking, possession, or transport of species listed in appendix I or II, and the Parties to CITES adopted a resolution in 1997 (Conf. 10.8) urging the Parties to take immediate action to demonstrably reduce the illegal trade in bear parts; (3) in Asia, thousands of bears are cruelly confined in small cages to be milked for their bile, and bear populations in Asia have declined significantly in recent years as a result of habitat loss and poaching driven by a strong demand for bear viscera for use in traditional medicines and cosmetics; (4) Federal and State undercover operations have revealed that American bears have been poached for their viscera; (5) while most American black bear populations are generally stable or increasing, commercial trade could stimulate poaching and threaten certain populations if the demand for bear viscera increases; and (6) prohibitions against the importation into and exportation from the United States, as well as prohibitions against the interstate trade, of bear viscera and bear viscera products will assist in ensuring that the United States does not contribute to the decline of any bear population as a result of the commercial trade in bear viscera. 3. Purposes The purpose of this Act is to ensure the long-term viability of the 8 extant bear species by— (1) prohibiting interstate and international trade in bear viscera and bear viscera products; (2) encouraging bilateral and multilateral efforts to eliminate such trade