# 119-hr-4108: Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act

119-hr-4108, Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-09-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4108
- As of: 2026-09-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4108
- Congress: 119
- Title: Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-06-24
- Sponsor: Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 14
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-17

## Summary

**This bill would create a nationwide ban on body‑gripping traps within the National Wildlife Refuge System.** It would include narrow exceptions for federal invasive‑species and endangered‑species work, Alaska refuges, and tribal subsistence, and it would establish penalties, forfeiture, and implementation rules. - Wildlife and visitors: Would remove kill and leghold style traps from refuges, lowering the risk of injury to non‑target animals and people. - Federal agencies: Would still be allowed to use body‑gripping traps to control invasive species or protect threatened or endangered species only after trying and documenting nonlethal alternatives at agency headquarters. - Federally recognized tribes: Would be allowed to possess or use body‑gripping traps for subsistence purposes. - Alaska refuges: Would be exempt from the prohibition for the National Wildlife Refuge System in Alaska. - Enforcement and penalties: Would authorize civil fines up to $500 for each trap possessed and for each use, up to 180 days imprisonment, annual adjustment of fines by the CPI‑U, forfeiture of traps and any captured wildlife including pelts, and payment of court costs by violators. - Implementation timing: Would direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue necessary regulations within 120 days after enactment and make the ban effective 120 days after enactment.

## Cosponsors (14)

- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (D-NY), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] (D-MD), 2025-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-08-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2025-08-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- 120-day rulemaking, enforcement not delayed: benefit, low. If enacted, the Interior Department would have 120 days to issue rules to carry out the ban. The ban would still be enforceable even if the Department missed that deadline.
- Ban on body-gripping traps in refuges: cost, low. If enacted, you could not possess or use a body‑gripping trap on National Wildlife Refuge System land, starting 120 days after enactment. Body‑gripping traps include steel‑jaw, padded leghold, kill‑type, and snare traps; cage/box and suitcase‑type live beaver traps are not banned. Federal agencies…
- Fines would rise with inflation: cost, low. If enacted, the maximum civil fine would be adjusted each year for inflation using the CPI‑U. The cap would equal the prior maximum times 1 plus the CPI percent change. The base cap is up to $500 per trap possessed and per use, before the annual update. Adjustments would begin after enactment.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-4108 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4108)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4108 (as of 2026-09-17).