II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 593 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the 

establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in certain States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 9, 2017 

Mrs. CAPITO (for herself, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BENNET, and Ms. HEITKAMP) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 

to facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded 

public target ranges in certain States. 

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 ‘‘Target Practice and 

5 Marksmanship Training Support Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the use of firearms and archery equipment 

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1 tivities on Federal land is allowed, except to the ex2 tent specific portions of that land have been closed 

3 to those activities; 

4 (2) in recent years preceding the date of enact5 ment of this Act, portions of Federal land have been 

6 closed to target practice and marksmanship training 

7 for many reasons; 

8 (3) the availability of public target ranges on 

9 non-Federal land has been declining for a variety of 

10 reasons, including continued population growth and 

11 development near former ranges; 

12 (4) providing opportunities for target practice 

13 and marksmanship training at public target ranges 

14 on Federal and non-Federal land can help— 

15 (A) to promote enjoyment of shooting, rec16 reational, and hunting activities; and 

17 (B) to ensure safe and convenient locations 

18 for those activities; 

19 (5) Federal law in effect on the date of enact20 ment of this Act, including the Pittman-Robertson 

21 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), 

22 provides Federal support for construction and ex23 pansion of public target ranges by making available 

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1 tion, operation, and maintenance of public target 

2 ranges; and 

3 (6) it is in the public interest to provide in4 creased Federal support to facilitate the construction 

5 or expansion of public target ranges. 

6 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to facili7 tate the construction and expansion of public target 

8 ranges, including ranges on Federal land managed by the 

9 Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. 

10 SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC TARGET RANGE. 

11 In this Act, the term ‘‘public target range’’ means 

12 a specific location that— 

13 (1) is identified by a governmental agency for 

14 recreational shooting; 

15 (2) is open to the public; 

16 (3) may be supervised; and 

17 (4) may accommodate archery or rifle, pistol, or 

18 shotgun shooting. 

19 SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE 

20 RESTORATION ACT. 

21 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Pittman-Robert22 son Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amend23 ed— 

24 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

25 (8) as paragraphs (3) through (9), respectively; and 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(2) the term ‘public target range’ means a 

4 specific location that— 

5 ‘‘(A) is identified by a governmental agen6 cy for recreational shooting; 

7 ‘‘(B) is open to the public; 

8 ‘‘(C) may be supervised; and 

9 ‘‘(D) may accommodate archery or rifle, 

10 pistol, or shotgun shooting;’’. 

11 (b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILD12 LIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.—Section 8(b) of the Pitt13 man-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 

14 669g(b)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘(b) Each State’’ and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILD18 LIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para20 graph (2), each State’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

22 striking ‘‘construction, operation,’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘operation’’; 

24 (3) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘The 

25 non-Federal share’’ and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal 

2 share’’; 

3 (4) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec4 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(4) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary’’; and 

6 (5) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as des7 ignated by paragraph (1) of this subsection) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding the limita10 tion described in paragraph (1), a State may pay up 

11 to 90 percent of the cost of acquiring land for, ex12 panding, or constructing a public target range.’’. 

13 (c) FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND

14 SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS.—Section 10 of the Pittman15 Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1) 

16 is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(3) ALLOCATION OF ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS.— 

20 Of the amount apportioned to a State for any fiscal 

21 year under section 4(b), the State may elect to allo22 cate not more than 10 percent, to be combined with 

23 the amount apportioned to the State under para24 graph (1) for that fiscal year, for acquiring land for, 

25 expanding, or constructing a public target range.’’; 


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1 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(b) COST SHARING.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para5 graph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any activ6 ity carried out using a grant under this section shall 

7 not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the activ8 ity. 

9 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC TARGET RANGE CONSTRUCTION OR

10 EXPANSION.—The Federal share of the cost of ac11 quiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public 

12 target range in a State on Federal or non-Federal 

13 land pursuant to this section or section 8(b) shall 

14 not exceed 90 percent of the cost of the activity.’’; 

15 and 

16 (3) in subsection (c)(1)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘Amounts made’’ and in18 serting the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 subparagraph (B), amounts made’’; and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Amounts provided for 

23 acquiring land for, constructing, or expanding a 

24 public target range shall remain available for 

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1 year period beginning on October 1 of the first 

2 fiscal year for which the amounts are made 

3 available.’’. 

4 SEC. 5. LIMITS ON LIABILITY. 

5 (a) DISCRETIONARY FUNCTION.—For purposes of 

6 chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly 

7 referred to as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’), any action 

8 by an agent or employee of the United States to manage 

9 or allow the use of Federal land for purposes of target 

10 practice or marksmanship training by a member of the 

11 public shall be considered to be the exercise or perform12 ance of a discretionary function. 

13 (b) CIVIL ACTION OR CLAIMS.—Except to the extent 

14 provided in chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code, 

15 the United States shall not be subject to any civil action 

16 or claim for money damages for any injury to or loss of 

17 property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity 

18 occurring at a public target range that is— 

19 (1) funded in whole or in part by the Federal 

20 Government pursuant to the Pittman-Robertson 

21 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.); or 

22 (2) located on Federal land. 

23 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COOPERATION. 

24 It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with appli25 cable laws and regulations, the Chief of the Forest Service 


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1 and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management 

2 should cooperate with State and local authorities and 

3 other entities to carry out waste removal and other activi4 ties on any Federal land used as a public target range 

5 to encourage continued use of that land for target practice 

6 or marksmanship training. 

Æ 


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