IB 

Union Calendar No. 457 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5179 

[Report No. 116–559, Part I] 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal Wildlife Corridors, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 19, 2019 

Mr. GALLEGO (for himself, Ms. HAALAND, and Mr. LUJA ́N) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 

and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

OCTOBER 9, 2020 

Additional sponsor: Mrs. NAPOLITANO

OCTOBER 9, 2020 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 

OCTOBER 9, 2020 

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal 

Wildlife Corridors, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tribal Wildlife Cor5 ridors Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) CONNECTIVITY.—The term ‘‘connectivity’’ 

9 means the degree to which the landscape or seascape 

10 facilitates native species movement. 

11 (2) CORRIDOR.—The term ‘‘corridor’’ means a 

12 distinct component of a landscape or seascape 

13 that— 

14 (A) provides habitat or ecological connec15 tivity; and 

16 (B) allows for fish, wildlife, or plant move17 ment. 

18 (3) INDIAN LAND.—The term ‘‘Indian land’’ 

19 means land of an Indian tribe, or an Indian indi20 vidual, that is— 

21 (A) held in trust by the United States; or 

22 (B) subject to a restriction against alien23 ation imposed by the United States. 

24 (4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

25 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 


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1 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

2 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

3 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di5 rector of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv6 ice, in consultation with the Bureau of Indian Af7 fairs. 

8 (6) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDOR.—The term 

9 ‘‘Tribal Wildlife Corridor’’ means a corridor estab10 lished by the Secretary under section 3(a). 

11 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

13 (1) NOMINATIONS.—An Indian tribe may nomi14 nate a corridor within Indian land of the Indian 

15 tribe as a Tribal Wildlife Corridor by submitting to 

16 the Secretary an application at such time, in such 

17 manner, and containing such information as the Sec18 retary may require. 

19 (2) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 90 days 

20 after the date on which the Secretary receives an ap21 plication under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

22 determine whether the nominated Tribal Wildlife 

23 Corridor described in the application meets the cri24 teria established under subsection (b). 


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1 (3) PUBLICATION.—On approval of an applica2 tion under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall pub3 lish in the Federal Register a notice of the establish4 ment of the Tribal Wildlife Corridor, which shall in5 clude a map and legal description of the land des6 ignated as a Tribal Wildlife Corridor. 

7 (b) CRITERIA.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 540 days 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec10 retary shall establish criteria for determining wheth11 er a corridor nominated by an Indian tribe under 

12 subsection (a)(1) qualifies as a Tribal Wildlife Cor13 ridor. 

14 (2) INCLUSIONS.—The criteria established 

15 under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, 

16 the following: 

17 (A) The restoration of historical habitat 

18 for the purposes of facilitating connectivity. 

19 (B) The management of land for the pur20 poses of facilitating connectivity. 

21 (C) The management of land to prevent 

22 the imposition of barriers that may hinder cur23 rent or future connectivity. 

24 (c) REMOVAL.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An Indian tribe may elect to 

2 remove the designation of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor 

3 on the Indian land of the Indian tribe by notifying 

4 the Secretary. 

5 (2) EFFECT OF REMOVAL.—An Indian tribe 

6 that elects to remove a designation under paragraph 

7 (1) may not receive assistance under section 5 or 6. 

8 SEC. 4. COORDINATION OF LAND USE PLANS. 

9 Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Manage10 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (b)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘Indian tribes by’’ and in13 serting the following: ‘‘Indian tribes— 

14 ‘‘(1) by’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

16 striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

17 and’’; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(2) for the purposes of determining whether 

20 the land use plans for land in the National Forest 

21 System would provide additional connectivity to ben22 efit the purposes of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor estab23 lished under section 3(a) of the Tribal Wildlife Cor24 ridors Act of 2019.’’; and 

25 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(g) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.—On the estab2 lishment of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor under section 3(a) 

3 of the Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019, the Secretary 

4 shall conduct a meaningful consultation with the Indian 

5 tribe that administers the Tribal Wildlife Corridor to de6 termine whether, through the revision of one or more ex7 isting land use plans, the Tribal Wildlife Corridor can— 

8 ‘‘(1) be expanded into public lands; or 

9 ‘‘(2) otherwise benefit connectivity (as defined 

10 in section 2 of that Act) between public lands and 

11 the Tribal Wildlife Corridor.’’. 

12 SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

13 The Secretary shall provide to Indian tribes technical 

14 assistance relating to the establishment, management, and 

15 expansion of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor, including assist16 ance with accessing wildlife data and working with private 

17 landowners to access Federal and State programs to im18 prove wildlife habitat and connectivity on non-Federal 

19 land. 

20 SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE. 

21 (a) CONSERVATION PROGRAMS PRIORITY.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—In evaluating applications 

23 under conservation programs described in paragraph 

24 (2), the Secretary of Agriculture may give priority to 

25 an application for a project that would enhance 


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1 connectivity through the expansion of a Tribal Wild2 life Corridor. 

3 (2) PROGRAMS DESCRIBED.—The conservation 

4 programs referred to in paragraph (1) are any of the 

5 following conservation programs administered by the 

6 Secretary of Agriculture: 

7 (A) The conservation reserve program es8 tablished under subchapter B of chapter 1 of 

9 subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act 

10 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.). 

11 (B) The environmental quality incentives 

12 program established under subchapter A of 

13 chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food 

14 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et 

15 seq.). 

16 (C) The conservation stewardship program 

17 established under subchapter B of chapter 4 of 

18 subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act 

19 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–21 et seq.). 

20 (D) The agricultural conservation ease21 ment program established under subtitle H of 

22 title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 

23 U.S.C. 3865 et seq.). 

24 (b) WILDLIFE MOVEMENTS GRANT PROGRAM.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

2 a Tribal Wildlife Corridor grant program to encour3 age wildlife movement in accordance with this Act. 

4 (2) GRANTS.—Beginning not later than 3 years 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary shall make grants under the program estab7 lished under paragraph (1) to one or more Indian 

8 tribes to increase connectivity through Tribal Wild9 life Corridors. 

10 SEC. 7. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 

11 Nothing in this Act authorizes or affects the use of 

12 private property or Indian land. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 457 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5179 

[Report No. 116–559, Part I] 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish 

Tribal Wildlife Corridors, and for other purposes. 

OCTOBER 9, 2020 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 

OCTOBER 9, 2020 

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the 

Union and ordered to be printed Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS