I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 248 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 10, 2023 Mr. Estes introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exclude certain populations of the lesser prairie chicken from the authority of such Act, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act . 2. Exclusion of certain populations of lesser prairie chicken under Endangered Species Act of 1973 (a) Exclusion of certain populations of lesser prairie chicken Section 4(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1533(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking The Secretary shall by regulation and inserting Except as provided in paragraph (4), the Secretary shall by regulation ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (4) Applicability to lesser prairie chicken The Secretary may not make a determination under this subsection that any population of the lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, or New Mexico is threatened or endangered. . (b) Delisting of certain populations of lesser prairie chicken Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall remove each population of the lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico from the lists of threatened species and endangered species that are published pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ).