H.R. 3188 — Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2025

This section amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.) to (1) strike outdated references to the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior and insert "of the Interior" in specified places; (2) authorize in new section 6(e) civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation for unpermitted incidental take of migratory birds (or existing penalties under section 6(a) for reckless or grossly negligent conduct) and civil actions for violations or noncompliance with authorizations; and (3) add new section 14 establishing a permit program—including regulations and general permits—for incidental take, requiring continued enforcement of Director’s Order No. 225 (published October 5, 2021) until industry-specific regulations are issued, authorizing fees for program administration and conservation of affected birds or birds of conservation concern (i.e., under 16 U.S.C. 2912), creating the Migratory Bird Recovery Fund for such fees, penalties, appropriations, and donations, authorizing $10 million annually, requiring five-year reports to designated congressional committees on bird conservation status, activity impacts, and program progress, and directing a research program on population monitoring, stressors, mitigation opportunities, and measures. This section also adds section 15 defining "Secretary" as the Secretary of the Interior acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director and "institution of higher education." This section further makes a conforming amendment to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4406(b)) to reference only subsections (a) through (d) of MBTA section 6.