Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:

Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:

summary

This amendment replaces the bill and is the minority report of the committee. It prohibits the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife from issuing a permit to a person to import or possess an elephant in the State unless the elephant will be placed in a protective environment in which it will have the opportunity to behave as naturally as possible. A person importing or possessing an elephant may not allow the elephant to participate in any exhibition, public showing, presentation, display, exposition, fair, animal act, amusement show, circus, trade show, petting zoo, carnival, parade, race or similar undertaking in which the elephant is required to perform tricks, give rides or participate as accompaniment for the entertainment, amusement or benefit of an audience.

The amendment also provides an exception for elephant importations through January 1, 2020 for a person that imports an elephant to participate in a traveling circus to raise funds for a charity if that traveling circus lawfully operated in the State with an elephant to raise funds for a charity in 2016 and as long as the elephant is not permitted to remain in the State after January 1, 2020 unless it is in a protective environment in which it will have the opportunity to behave as naturally as possible.