89–010 

Calendar No. 18 

116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 116–8 

TARGET PRACTICE AND MARKSMANSHIP TRAINING 

SUPPORT ACT 

MARCH 14, 2019.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BARRASSO, from the Committee on Environmental and Public 

Works, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 94] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 94) to amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 

Restoration Act to facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in certain States, having considered 

the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

Pittman-Robertson funds are derived from an 11 percent ‘‘user 

pays’’ excise tax on firearms and ammunition, and the resulting receipts are set aside from the general treasury for firearms safety 

training programs and wildlife conservation. Almost $11 billion has 

been raised for the fund since President Franklin D. Roosevelt 

signed Pittman-Robertson into law in 1937, making target shooters 

and hunters amongst the largest financial supporters of wildlife 

conservation in the United States. 

Nevertheless, states have deployed a declining percentage of 

these funds to establish public shooting ranges, due to fiscal constraints. The costs associated with siting a range and the two-year 

timeline to deploy Pittman-Robertson funds for such a project before they are reclaimed by the federal government have led to a 

steep decline in the development of these sorts of projects. As a result, the public’s ability to undergo firearms safety training and for 

hunters to ‘‘sight in’’ their firearms before the hunting season have 


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been reduced and could lead to decreased public safety. Since the 

1980s, the number of participants in hunting and shooting activities has also declined, resulting in less funding for wildlife conservation. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGISLATION

The objective of this legislation is to help address a deficiency in 

opportunities for Americans to engage in recreational and competitive shooting safely on both public and private lands by allowing 

states to allocate a greater proportion of their federal Pittman-Robertson wildlife funds to the development and maintenance of public 

shooting ranges. Ultimately, these opportunities should increase 

sportsmen’s participation and generate more overall funds that can 

then be allocated through Pittman-Robertson. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

This section states this Act may be cited as the ‘‘Target Practice 

and Marksmanship Training Support Act.’’ 

Section 2. Findings; purpose 

This section states that the purpose of this Act is to facilitate the 

construction and expansion of public target ranges. 

Section 3. Definition of public target range 

This section defines the term ‘‘public target range’’ as a specific 

location that is identified by a governmental agency for recreational shooting, is open to the public, may be supervised, and 

may accommodate archery or rifle, pistol, or shotgun shooting. 

Section 4. Amendments to Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration 

Act 

This section provides that a state may use funds it receives from 

the section 4(c) Hunter Education and Safety program (‘Basic Hunter Education’) to pay for up to 90 percent of the costs for acquiring 

land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) it authorizes a state to elect to allocate up to 10 percent of the amount 

apportioned to it under 16 U.S.C. 669c(b) to supplement funds provided under the section 10 Enhanced Firearm and Bow Hunter 

Education and Safety Program (‘‘Enhanced Hunter Education’’) (16 

U.S.C. 669h-1) for acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a 

public target range; (3) it limits the federal share for acquiring 

land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range under 

such Act to 90 percent; and (4) it requires that amounts provided 

for those costs under the Enhanced Firearm and Bow Hunter Education and Safety Program remain available for expenditure and 

obligation for five fiscal years. 

Section 5. Sense of Congress regarding cooperation 

This section establishes the sense of Congress that, consistent 

with applicable laws and regulations, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management should cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry 

out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as 


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a public target range to encourage continued use of that land for 

target practice or marksmanship training. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

On January 10, 2019, Senator Capito introduced S. 94, the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, with Senators Bennett, Boozman, Crapo, Ernst, King, Manchin, Risch, 

Rounds, and Sullivan as original cosponsors. The bill was referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Senators Cassidy, Cornyn, and Heinrich subsequently cosponsored the bill. 

The text of S. 94 is substantially similar to the text of S. 593, 

the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act. Senator Capito introduced S. 593 on March 9, 2017. Senators Bennet, 

Boozman, and Heitkamp were original cosponsors. Senators Baldwin, Cassidy, Crapo, Ernst, Flake, Hatch, Heinrich, King, Manchin, 

Risch, Rounds, Strange, Sullivan, and Tester were cosponsors. The 

EPW Committee reported S.593 without amendment by voice vote 

on September 18, 2018. 

The text of S. 94 is also substantially similar to the text of section 2 of S. 1514, the Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy 

Preservation (HELP) for Wildlife Act. Senator Barrasso introduced 

S. 1514 on June 29, 2017. Senators Baldwin, Boozman, Capito, 

Cardin, and Klobuchar were original cosponsors. Senators Crapo, 

Enzi, Inhofe, Johnson, Kennedy, and King were cosponsors. The 

EPW Committee held a hearing on S. 1514 on July 19, 2017. The 

EPW Committee reported S. 1514 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute by a roll call vote of 14 ayes to 7 nays on July 

26, 2017. 

HEARINGS

A legislative hearing was not held on S. 94. As explained above, 

a legislative hearing was held on S. 1514 on July 19, 2017 during 

the 115th Congress. 

ROLLCALL VOTES

On February 5, 2019, the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works met to consider S. 94. The EPW Committee reported S. 94 

without amendment by voice vote. No roll call votes were taken. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes evaluation of the regulatory impact of the reported bill. 

The bill does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor 

will it cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of individuals. 

MANDATES ASSESSMENT

In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 

(Public Law 104–4), the committee finds that S. 94 would impose 

no Federal intergovernmental unfunded mandates on State, local, 

or tribal governments. 


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S. 94 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the 

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). The bill contains no new 

private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA. 

COST OF LEGISLATION

Section 403 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act requires that a statement of the cost of the reported bill, 

prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, be included in the report. That statement follows: 

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, February 28, 2019. 

Hon. JOHN BARRASSO, 

Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 94, the Target Practice and 

Marksmanship Training Support Act. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is David Hughes. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL, Director. 

Enclosure. 

S. 94 would allow states to use grants awarded under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to pay up to 90 percent of 

the cost of land acquisition, construction, or expansion of public 

target ranges. Under current law, federal excise taxes collected on 

pistols, revolvers, ammunition, bows, arrows, and archery accessories are provided to states through grants for purposes that include the construction, operation, and maintenance of public target 

ranges. Currently states may use those grants to cover up to 75 

percent of such costs. 

The bill also would allow states to retain Pittman-Robertson 

funds for up to five years to acquire, construct, or expand target 

ranges. After five years, those funds would be available to the Secretary of the Interior for other purposes. Under current law, any 


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such funds are made available to the Secretary for other purposes 

after two years. 

Enacting S. 94 would not affect the total amount of funds available to be spent but might have a minor effect on the timing of 

when those funds are spent. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would have no significant effect on direct spending. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is David Hughes. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules 

of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill as reported 

are shown as follows: Existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in øblack brackets¿, new matter is printed in italic , existing 

law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman: 

* * * * * * * 

PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 2. ø16 U.S.C. 669a¿ DEFINITIONS. 

As used in this Act— 

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

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

that— 

(A) is identified by a governmental agency for recreational shooting; 

(B) is open to the public; 

(C) may be supervised; and 

(D) may accommodate archery or rifle, pistol, or shotgun 

shooting; 

ø(2)¿(3) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior; 

ø(3)¿ (4) the term ‘‘State fish and game department’’ or 

‘‘State fish and wildlife department’’ means any department or 

division of department of another name, or commission, or official or officials, of a State empowered under its laws to exercise 

the functions ordinarily exercised by a State fish and game department or State fish and wildlife department. 

ø(4)¿ (5) the term ‘‘wildlife’’ means any species of wild, freeranging fauna including fish, and also fauna in captive breeding programs the object of which is to reintroduce individuals 

of a depleted indigenous species into previously occupied range; 

ø(5)¿ (6) the term ‘‘wildlife-associated recreation’’ means 

projects intended to meet the demand for outdoor activities associated with wildlife including, but not limited to, hunting and 

fishing, wildlife observation and photography, such projects as 

construction or restoration of wildlife viewing areas, observation towers, blinds, platforms, land and water trails, water access, field trialing, trail heads, and access for such projects; 

ø(6)¿ (7) the term ‘‘wildlife conservation and restoration program’’ means a program developed by a State fish and wildlife 


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department and approved by the Secretary under section 

304(d), the projects that constitute such a program, which may 

be implemented in whole or part through grants and contracts 

by a State to other State, Federal, or local agencies (including 

those that gather, evaluate, and disseminate information on 

wildlife and their habitats), wildlife conservation organizations, 

and outdoor recreation and conservation education entities 

from funds apportioned under this title, and maintenance of 

such projects; 

ø(7)¿ (8) the term ‘‘wildlife conservation education’’ means 

projects, including public outreach, intended to foster responsible natural resource stewardship; and 

ø(8)¿ (9) the term ‘‘wildlife-restoration project’’ includes the 

wildlife conservation and restoration program and means the 

selection, restoration, rehabilitation, and improvement of areas 

of land or water adaptable as feeding, resting, or breeding 

places for wildlife, including acquisition of such areas or estates or interests therein as are suitable or capable of being 

made suitable therefor, and the construction thereon or therein 

of such works as may be necessary to make them available for 

such purposes and also including such research into problems 

of wildlife management as may be necessary to efficient administration affecting wildlife resources, and such preliminary or 

incidental costs and expenses as may be incurred in and about 

such projects. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 8. ø16 U.S.C. 669g¿ (a) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(b) Each State¿ 

(b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE AREAS AND

RESOURCES .— 

(1) IN GENERAL.— Except as provided in paragraph (2), each 

State may use the funds apportioned to it under section 4(c)

pay up to 75 per centum of the costs of a hunter safety program and the øconstruction, operation,¿ operation and maintenance of public target ranges, as a part of such program. øThe 

non-Federal share¿ 

(2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding the limitation described in 

paragraph (1), a State may pay up to 90 percent of the cost of 

acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target 

range. 

(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share of such 

costs may be derived from license fees paid by hunters, but not 

from other Federal grant programs. øThe Secretary¿ 

(4) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue not later than 

the 120th day after the effective date of this subsection such 

regulations as he deems advisable relative to the criteria for 

the establishment of hunter safety programs and public target 

ranges under this subsection. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 10. ø16 U.S.C. 669h–1¿ FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION 

AND SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.— 


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(1) GRANTS.— * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(3) ALLOCATION OF ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS.—Of the amount 

apportioned to a State for any fiscal year under section 4(b), the 

State may elect to allocate not more than 10 percent, to be combined with the amount apportioned to the State under paragraph (1) for that fiscal year, for acquiring land for, expanding, 

or constructing a public target range. 

ø(b) COST SHARING.— The Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out with a grant under this section shall not exceed 75 

percent of the total cost of the activity.¿ 

(b) COST SHARING .— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 

Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out using a 

grant under this section shall not exceed 75 percent of the total 

cost of the activity. 

(2) PUBLIC TARGET RANGE CONSTRUCTION OR EXPANSION.— 

The Federal share of the cost of acquiring land for, expanding, 

or constructing a public target range in a State on Federal or 

non-Federal land pursuant to this section or section 8(b) shall 

not exceed 90 percent of the cost of the activity. 

* * * * * * * 

(c) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY; REAPPORTIONMENT.— 

(1) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—øAmounts made¿ 

(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraph 

(B), amounts made available and apportioned for grants 

under this section shall remain available only for the fiscal 

year for which the amounts are apportioned. 

(B) EXCEPTION.—Amounts provided for acquiring land 

for, constructing, or expanding a public target range shall 

remain available for expenditure and obligation during the 

5-fiscal-year period beginning on October 1 of the first fiscal year for which the amounts are made available. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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