I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4828 

To amend the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act with respect to 

sport fish restoration and recreational boating safety, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 23, 2019 

Mr. CUNNINGHAM (for himself, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT

of Georgia, Mr. VEASEY, and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following 

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

addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 

A BILL 

To amend the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act 

with respect to sport fish restoration and recreational 

boating safety, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Sport Fish Restoration 

5 and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating 

2 Trust Fund (Trust Fund) was established in 1950 

3 to provide dedicated funding for aquatic conserva4 tion and boating safety. 

5 (2) The Trust Fund is a user fee-public benefit 

6 system funded through motorboat fuel tax receipts, 

7 import duties, and excise taxes on small engines, 

8 fishing equipment, and electric motors. 

9 (3) The Trust Fund provides nearly $650 mil10 lion annually for recreational infrastructure projects, 

11 coastal wetlands restoration, and boating safety and 

12 conservation programs in all 50 States. 

13 (4) Since 2010, more than 28,000 acres of 

14 habitats have been restored and improved through15 out coastal wetland ecosystems—which not only 

16 serve a critical role in conservation but provide a sig17 nificant economic impact to coastal communities. 

18 (5) The recreational boating and angling com19 munity, as well as State agencies, recognize the sig20 nificant increase in the use of non-motorized, 

21 human-propelled vessels in recent years. Growth of 

22 the human-propelled vessel community has required 

23 United States Coast Guard and State agencies to 

24 use significant resources to address human-propelled 

25 infrastructure, boating safety, law enforcement, and 


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1 search and rescue needs, all of which is paid for by 

2 the Trust Fund. 

3 SEC. 3. DIVISION OF ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4 of the Dingell-Johnson 

5 Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777c) is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2021’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2024’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

12 ‘‘2021’’ and inserting ‘‘2024’’; and 

13 (ii) by amending subparagraph (B) to 

14 read as follows— 

15 ‘‘(B) AVAILABLE AMOUNTS.—The available 

16 amount referred to in subparagraph (A) is— 

17 ‘‘(i) for fiscal year 2020, $12,671,235; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(ii) for fiscal year 2021 and each fis20 cal year thereafter, the sum of— 

21 ‘‘(I) the available amount for the 

22 preceding fiscal year; and 

23 ‘‘(II) the amount determined by 

24 multiplying— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) the available amount 

2 for the preceding fiscal year; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) the change, relative to 

4 the preceding fiscal year, in the 

5 Consumer Price Index for All 

6 Urban Consumers published by 

7 the Department of Labor.’’; and 

8 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

10 ‘‘2016 through 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘2020 

11 through 2024’’; and 

12 (ii) by amending subparagraph (B) to 

13 read as follows— 

14 ‘‘(B) AVAILABLE AMOUNTS.—The available 

15 amount referred to in subparagraph (A) is— 

16 ‘‘(i) for fiscal year 2020, $8,339,466; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) for fiscal year 2021 and each fis19 cal year thereafter, the sum of— 

20 ‘‘(I) the available amount for the 

21 preceding fiscal year; and 

22 ‘‘(II) the amount determined by 

23 multiplying— 

24 ‘‘(aa) the available amount 

25 for the preceding fiscal year; and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) the change, relative to 

2 the preceding fiscal year, in the 

3 Consumer Price Index for All 

4 Urban Consumers published by 

5 the Department of Labor.’’; and 

6 (3) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘$900,000’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘$1,300,000’’. 

8 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 9(a) of the Dingell9 Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777h(a)) 

10 is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘on a full-time 

12 basis’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘on a part14 time basis for at least 20 hours each week’’; 

15 (3) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ‘‘full-time 

16 equivalent’’; and 

17 (4) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking ‘‘on a full18 time basis’’. 

19 (c) OTHER ACTIVITIES.—Section 14(e) of the Din20 gell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 

21 777m) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(3) A portion, as determined by the Sport 

23 Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, of funds 

24 disbursed for the purposes described in paragraph 

25 (2) but remaining unobligated prior to fiscal year 


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1 2020 shall be used to study the impact of derelict 

2 vessels and identify recyclable solutions for rec3 reational vessels.’’. 

4 SEC. 4. RECREATIONAL BOATING ACCESS. 

5 The United States Comptroller General shall, not 

6 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

7 submit a report to the Sport Fishing and Boating Part8 nership Council, the Committees on Natural Resources 

9 and Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

10 Representatives, and the Committees on Commerce, 

11 Science, and Transportation and Environment and Public 

12 Works of the Senate. The United States Comptroller Gen13 eral shall consult with the Sport Fishing and Boating 

14 Partnership Council and the National Boating Safety Ad15 visory Council on study design, scope, and priorities. To 

16 the extent practicable, given data available, the report 

17 shall document— 

18 (1) the use of non-motorized vessels in each 

19 State and how the increased use of non-motorized 

20 vessels is impacting motorized and non-motorized 

21 vessel access; 

22 (2) user conflicts at waterway access points; 

23 and 

24 (3) the use of Sport Fish Restoration Program 

25 funds to improve non-motorized access at waterway 


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1 entry points and the reasons for providing such ac2 cess, and Recreational Boating Safety Program 

3 funds for non-motorized boating safety programs. 

Æ 


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