At Brookfield Zoo Monday, Arroyo said he proposed the bill after learning that two companies in Illinois are allegedly selling lion meat.
"We want to protect our lions," Arroyo said. "We want to hurry up and tell the federal government to put them on the endangered list so people won't be consuming the lion...I've always known the lion to be an animal for the zoo and the jungle, not to be consumed."
Under the so-called Lion Meat Act, it is illegal to slaughter a lion or to possess, breed or buy or sell the animals for the purpose of killing them for meat.
The bill could go before the General Assembly this week.
