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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 3, 2025
Manatee Protection Act of 2025
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to include the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in the endangered species list and give the species protections provided to endangered species.
People & committees
Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] · R–FL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 11, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-01-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Manatee Protection Act of 2025 would require the West Indian manatee to be treated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. It would also require the Secretary of the Interior to include the species on the endangered species list.
This Act may be cited as the Manatee Protection Act of 2025.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the species known as the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) shall be treated as an endangered species for purposes of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior shall include the species known as the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in the endangered species list published under section 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(c)).
Section 2(a) would make endangered-species treatment mandatory for the West Indian manatee under the Endangered Species Act, even if another provision of law would otherwise conflict.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the species known as the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) shall be treated as an endangered species for purposes of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Section 2(b) would require the Secretary of the Interior to add the West Indian manatee to the endangered species list published under section 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act. This duty would also apply despite conflicting provisions of law.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior shall include the species known as the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in the endangered species list published under section 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(c)).
The supplied actions snapshot, updated August 11, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources on January 3, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-11T08:05:30Z. 2025-01-03: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. 2025-01-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-01-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provisions or policy changes attached to appropriations were identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark disclosures and committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No narrow carve-outs, special exemptions, or preferential treatment beyond the proposal's intended coverage were identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 11, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI