I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2735 

To provide additional funding for operation of national wildlife refuges. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 14, 2007 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska (for himself and Mr. THOMPSON of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 

Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Ways and Means, 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 provide additional funding for operation of national 

wildlife refuges. 

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 ‘‘National Wildlife Ref5 uge System Operations Enhancement Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

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

8 (1) The National Wildlife Refuge System is a 

9 unique network of Federal lands that provides wildmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 life dependent recreational opportunities to the over2 whelming majority of the 40 million people who visit 

3 at least one refuge in a year. 

4 (2) There are 547 national wildlife refuges com5 prised of 96 million acres of Federal land. These ref6 uges are located in every State, island possession, 

7 and territory of the United States. These lands are 

8 a national treasure. 

9 (3) A decade ago, the Congress enacted the Na10 tional Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 

11 1997 (Public Law 105–97), which was a landmark 

12 law that established for the first time an organic 

13 statute and mission statement for the System. 

14 (4) Four years ago, the National Wildlife Ref15 uge System celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 

16 designation of the first refuge by President Theo17 dore Roosevelt at Pelican Island, Florida on March 

18 14, 1903. 

19 (5) In commemoration of that historic event, 

20 the Congress created the National Wildlife Refuge 

21 System Centennial Commission and appropriated the 

22 highest level of funding ever for refuge operations. 

23 (6) Since the end of that anniversary celebra24 tion, however, funding for refuge operations has sig25 nificantly declined, and the United States Fish and 

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1 Wildlife Service has not received adequate funding to 

2 offset either inflation or uncontrollable fixed costs 

3 like salary and benefit increases, energy costs, and 

4 General Services Administration rent adjustments. 

5 (7) The net result is that the United States 

6 Fish and Wildlife Service now has 600 vacant posi7 tions with a total workforce of only 9,000 full-time 

8 employees. There are also now 86 refuges that are 

9 closed to the public and 188 refuges that are 

10 unstaffed. 

11 (8) According to the Cooperative Alliance for 

12 Refuge Enhancement, a coalition of 20 conservation 

13 and hunting organizations including Ducks Unlim14 ited, the National Audubon Society, and the Con15 gressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, ‘‘[t]he National 

16 Wildlife Refuge System faces a crippling conserva17 tion deficit’’. 

18 (9) According to the United States Fish and 

19 Wildlife Service with respect to the Northeast Re20 gion of the Service, ‘‘[i]n three years, 74 percent of 

21 the national wildlife refuges (70 refuges) would be 

22 operating either ‘in the red’ or at crisis levels, in 5 

23 years, 89 percent, and in 7 years, 93 percent’’. This 

24 funding crisis is being felt throughout the National 

25 Wildlife Refuge System. 

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1 (10) It is essential that the Congress appro2 priate additional funds for refuge operations and 

3 enact new funding mechanisms that alleviate some, 

4 if not all, of these staggering operational deficits. 

5 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to estab6 lish new funding mechanisms to pay for the otherwise un7 funded costs of operating and maintaining the National 

8 Wildlife Refuge System. 

9 TITLE I—MIGRATORY BIRD 

10 HUNTING STAMPS 

11 SEC. 101. PRICE OF STAMP. 

12 (a) INCREASE IN PRICE.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Sections 2(b) of the Act of 

14 March 16, 1934 (chapter 71; 16 U.S.C. 718b(b)), 

15 popularly known as the Duck Stamp Act, is amend16 ed to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(b) PRICE OF STAMP.—A person authorized to sell 

18 stamps under this section shall collect, for each stamp 

19 sold— 

20 ‘‘(1) $20 for a stamp for any of hunting years 

21 2008 through 2010; and 

22 ‘‘(2) $25 for a stamp for each hunting year 

23 after hunting year 2010.’’. 

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1 (2) LIMITATION ON APPLICATION.—This sub2 section shall not affect the application of section 2 

3 of such Act before July 1, 2008. 

4 (b) USE OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—Section 4(b) of 

5 such Act (16 U.S.C. 718d(b)) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘So much’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘Subject to paragraph (3), so much’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

9 (3) and subsection (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 

10 (3) and (4)’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(4) REFUGE OPERATIONS.—The amount re13 ceived for each stamp sold in excess of $15.00 shall 

14 be used by the Secretary for the costs of national 

15 wildlife refuge operations.’’. 

16 SEC. 102. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

17 It is the sense of the Congress that nothing in this 

18 title should directly or indirectly cause a net decrease in 

19 total funds received by the United States Fish and Wild20 life Service for national wildlife refuge operations account 

21 below the level that would otherwise have been received 

22 but for the enactment of this section. 

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1 TITLE II—SPECIAL POSTAGE 

2 STAMP 

3 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Wildlife Ref5 uge System Semipostal Stamp Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 202. SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMP FOR THE NATIONAL 

7 WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to afford a convenient 

9 way for members of the public to contribute to funding 

10 for the operations of the National Wildlife Refuge System, 

11 the United States Postal Service shall provide for a special 

12 postage stamp in accordance with subsection (b). 

13 (b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The issuance and sale 

14 of the stamp referred to in subsection (a) shall be gov15 erned by section 416 of title 39, United States Code, and 

16 regulations under such section, subject to the following: 

17 (1) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.—All amounts 

18 becoming available from the sale of such stamp shall 

19 be transferred to the United States Fish and Wild20 life Service, for the purpose described in subsection 

21 (a), through payments which shall be made at least 

22 twice a year. 

23 (2) DURATION.—Such stamp shall be made 

24 available to the public for a period of at least 3 

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1 years, beginning no later than 12 months after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 (3) LIMITATION.—Such stamp shall not be 

4 counted for purposes of applying any numerical limi5 tation under subsection (e)(1)(C) of such section. 

6 TITLE III—DESIGNATION OF 

7 INCOME TAX OVERPAYMENT 

8 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

9 This title may be cited as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge 

10 Checkoff Act of 2007’’. 

11 SEC. 302. DESIGNATION OF OVERPAYMENTS AND CON12 TRIBUTIONS FOR THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE 

13 REFUGE SYSTEM TRUST FUND. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter A of chapter 61 of the 

15 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to returns and 

16 records) is amended by adding at the end thereof the fol17 lowing new part: 

18 ‘‘PART IX—DESIGNATION OF OVERPAYMENTS 

19 AND CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE NATIONAL 

20 WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM TRUST FUND 

‘‘Sec.6097.Amounts for National Wildlife Refuge System Trust Fund. 

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1 ‘‘SEC. 6097. AMOUNTS FOR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 

2 SYSTEM TRUST FUND. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to each taxpayer’s 

4 return for the taxable year of the tax imposed by chapter 

5 1, such taxpayer may designate that— 

6 ‘‘(1) $1 of any overpayment of such tax for 

7 such taxable year, and 

8 ‘‘(2) any cash contribution which the taxpayer 

9 includes with such return, 

10 be paid over to the National Wildlife Refuge System Trust 

11 Fund. 

12 ‘‘(b) JOINT RETURNS.—In the case of a joint return 

13 showing an overpayment of $2 or more, each spouse may 

14 designate $1 of such overpayment under subsection (a)(1). 

15 ‘‘(c) MANNER AND TIME OF DESIGNATION.—A des16 ignation under subsection (a) may be made with respect 

17 to any taxable year only at the time of filing the return 

18 of the tax imposed by chapter 1 for such taxable year. 

19 Such designation shall be made on the first page of the 

20 return. 

21 ‘‘(d) OVERPAYMENTS TREATED AS REFUNDED.— 

22 For purposes of this title, any overpayment of tax des23 ignated under subsection (a) shall be treated as being re24 funded to the taxpayer as of the last date prescribed for 

25 filing the return of tax imposed by chapter 1 (determined 

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1 without regard to extensions) or, if later, the date the re2 turn is filed.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of parts for 

4 subchapter A of chapter 61 of such Code is amended by 

5 adding at the end thereof the following new item: 

‘‘PART IX. DESIGNATION OF OVERPAYMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM TRUST FUND.’’. 

6 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 this section shall apply to taxable years ending after the 

8 date of enactment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 303. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REF10 UGE SYSTEM TRUST FUND. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter A of chapter 98 of the 

12 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to trust fund 

13 code) is amended by adding at the end thereof the fol14 lowing new section: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 9511. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM TRUST 

16 FUND. 

17 ‘‘(a) CREATION OF TRUST FUND.—There is estab18 lished in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund 

19 to be known as the ‘National Wildlife Refuge System 

20 Trust Fund’, consisting of such amounts as may be appro21 priated or credited to the National Wildlife Refuge System 

22 Trust Fund as provided in this section or section 9602(b). 

23 ‘‘(b) TRANSFER TO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

24 SYSTEM TRUST FUND OF AMOUNTS DESIGNATED.— 

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1 There is hereby appropriated to the National Wildlife Ref2 uge System Trust Fund amounts equivalent to the 

3 amounts designated under section 6097 and received in 

4 the Treasury. 

5 ‘‘(c) EXPENDITURES FROM TRUST FUND.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall pay, 

7 not less often than quarterly, to the United States 

8 Fish and Wildlife Service from the National Wildlife 

9 Refuge System Trust Fund an amount equal to the 

10 amount in such Fund as of the time of such pay11 ment less any administrative expenses of the Sec12 retary which may be paid under paragraph (2). 

13 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Amounts in 

14 the National Wildlife Refuge System Trust Fund 

15 shall be available to pay the administrative expenses 

16 of the Department of the Treasury directly allocable 

17 to— 

18 ‘‘(A) modifying the individual income tax 

19 return forms to carry out section 6097, 

20 ‘‘(B) carrying out this chapter with respect 

21 to such Fund, and 

22 ‘‘(C) processing amounts received under 

23 section 6097 and transferring such amounts to 

24 such Fund.’’. 

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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

2 for such subchapter A is amended by adding at the end 

3 thereof the following new item: 

‘‘Sec.9511.National Wildlife Refuge System Trust Fund.’’. 

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