II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4144 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 1, 2020 

Mr. WICKER (for himself and Ms. CANTWELL) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

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 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating 

9 Trust Fund established by section 9504(a) of the InVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:42 Jul 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4144.IS S4144

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1 ternal Revenue Code of 1986 (referred to in this sec2 tion as the ‘‘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 

10 $650,000,000 annually for recreational infrastruc11 ture projects, coastal wetlands restoration, and boat12 ing safety and conservation programs in all 50 

13 States; 

14 (4) since 2010, more than 28,000 acres of habi15 tats have been restored and improved throughout 

16 coastal wetland ecosystems, which not only serve a 

17 critical role in conservation, but provide a significant 

18 economic benefit to coastal communities; 

19 (5) the recreational boating and angling com20 munity, as well as State agencies, recognize the sig21 nificant increase in the use of nonmotorized, human22 propelled vessels in recent years; and 

23 (6) growth of the human-propelled vessel com24 munity has required the Coast Guard and State 

25 agencies to use significant resources to address 


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1 human-propelled vessel infrastructure, boating safe2 ty, law enforcement, and search and rescue needs, 

3 all of which are paid for by the Trust Fund. 

4 SEC. 3. DIVISION OF ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

6 Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777c) is amend7 ed— 

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

9 inserting ‘‘2025’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

13 ‘‘2021’’ and inserting ‘‘2025’’; and 

14 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 

15 inserting the following: 

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

17 amount referred to in subparagraph (A) is— 

18 ‘‘(i) for the fiscal year that includes 

19 the date of enactment of the Sport Fish 

20 Restoration and Recreational Boating 

21 Safety Act of 2020, the sum obtained by 

22 adding— 

23 ‘‘(I) the available amount speci24 fied in this subparagraph for the pre25 ceding fiscal year; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) $979,500; and 

2 ‘‘(ii) for each fiscal year thereafter, 

3 the sum obtained by adding— 

4 ‘‘(I) the available amount speci5 fied in this subparagraph for the pre6 ceding fiscal year; and 

7 ‘‘(II) the product obtained by 

8 multiplying— 

9 ‘‘(aa) the available amount 

10 specified in this subparagraph for 

11 the preceding fiscal year; and 

12 ‘‘(bb) the change, relative to 

13 the preceding fiscal year, in the 

14 Consumer Price Index for All 

15 Urban Consumers published by 

16 the Department of Labor.’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

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

19 ‘‘2016 through 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘2020 

20 through 2025’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 

22 inserting the following: 

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

24 amount referred to in subparagraph (A) is— 


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1 ‘‘(i) for fiscal year 2020, $12,000,000; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(ii) for fiscal year 2021 and each fis4 cal year thereafter, the sum obtained by 

5 adding— 

6 ‘‘(I) the available amount speci7 fied in this subparagraph for the pre8 ceding fiscal year; and 

9 ‘‘(II) the product obtained by 

10 multiplying— 

11 ‘‘(aa) the available amount 

12 specified in this subparagraph for 

13 the preceding fiscal year; and 

14 ‘‘(bb) the change, relative to 

15 the preceding fiscal year, in the 

16 Consumer Price Index for All 

17 Urban Consumers published by 

18 the Department of Labor.’’; and 

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

20 and inserting ‘‘$1,300,000’’. 

21 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 9(a) of the Dingell22 Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777h(a)) 

23 is amended— 

24 (1) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and in25 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) personnel costs of employees for the work 

2 hours of each employee spent directly administering 

3 this Act, as those hours are certified by the super4 visor of the employee;’’; 

5 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

6 (12) as paragraphs (2) through (11), respectively; 

7 (3) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), by 

8 striking ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; 

10 (4) in paragraph (4)(B) (as so redesignated), 

11 by striking ‘‘full-time equivalent employee authorized 

12 under paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘em13 ployee authorized under paragraph (1)’’; 

14 (5) in paragraph (8)(A) (as so redesignated), by 

15 striking ‘‘on a full-time basis’’; and 

16 (6) in paragraph (10) (as so redesignated)— 

17 (A) by inserting ‘‘or part-time’’ after ‘‘full18 time’’; and 

19 (B) by inserting ‘‘, subject to the condition 

20 that the percentage of the relocation expenses 

21 paid with funds made available pursuant to this 

22 Act may not exceed the percentage of the work 

23 hours of the employee that are spent admin24 istering this Act’’ after ‘‘incurred’’. 


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1 (c) OTHER ACTIVITIES.—Section 14(e) of the Din2 gell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 

3 777m(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

5 Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, of funds 

6 disbursed for the purposes described in paragraph 

7 (2) but remaining unobligated as of October 1, 

8 2020, shall be used to study the impact of derelict 

9 vessels and identify recyclable solutions for rec10 reational vessels.’’. 

11 (d) RECREATIONAL BOATING SAFETY.—Section 

12 13107(c)(2) of title 46, United States Code, is amended 

13 by striking ‘‘No funds available’’ and inserting ‘‘On or 

14 after October 1, 2023, no funds available’’. 

15 SEC. 4. WILDLIFE RESTORATION FUND ADMINISTRATION. 

16 (a) ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAIL17 ABLE AMOUNTS.—Section 4(a) of the Pittman-Robertson 

18 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c(a)) is amend19 ed— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph 

21 (B) and inserting the following: 

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

23 amount referred to in subparagraph (A) is— 

24 ‘‘(i) for the fiscal year that includes 

25 the date of enactment of the Sport Fish 


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1 Restoration and Recreational Boating 

2 Safety Act of 2020, the sum obtained by 

3 adding— 

4 ‘‘(I) the available amount speci5 fied in this subparagraph for the pre6 ceding fiscal year; and 

7 ‘‘(II) $979,500; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) for each fiscal year thereafter, 

9 the sum obtained by adding— 

10 ‘‘(I) the available amount speci11 fied in this subparagraph for the pre12 ceding fiscal year; and 

13 ‘‘(II) the product obtained by 

14 multiplying— 

15 ‘‘(aa) the available amount 

16 specified in this subparagraph for 

17 the preceding fiscal year; and 

18 ‘‘(bb) the change, relative to 

19 the preceding fiscal year, in the 

20 Consumer Price Index for All 

21 Urban Consumers published by 

22 the Department of Labor.’’; and 

23 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

25 ‘‘subsequent’’ before ‘‘fiscal year.’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) APPORTIONMENT OF UNOBLIGATED

4 AMOUNTS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 

6 days after the end of a fiscal year, the Sec7 retary of the Interior shall apportion 

8 among the States any of the available 

9 amount under paragraph (1) that re10 mained available for obligation pursuant to 

11 subparagraph (A) during that fiscal year 

12 and remains unobligated at the end of that 

13 fiscal year. 

14 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.—The available 

15 amount apportioned under clause (i) shall 

16 be apportioned on the same basis and in 

17 the same manner as other amounts made 

18 available under this Act were apportioned 

19 among the States for the fiscal year in 

20 which the amount was originally made 

21 available.’’. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZED EXPENSES FOR ADMINISTRA23 TION.—Section 9(a) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 

24 Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h(a)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) personnel costs of employees for the work 

4 hours of each employee spent directly administering 

5 this Act, as those hours are certified by the super6 visor of the employee;’’; 

7 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

8 (12) as paragraphs (2) through (11), respectively; 

9 (3) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), by 

10 striking ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; 

12 (4) in paragraph (4)(B) (as so redesignated), 

13 by striking ‘‘full-time equivalent employee authorized 

14 under paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘em15 ployee authorized under paragraph (1)’’; 

16 (5) in paragraph (8)(A) (as so redesignated), by 

17 striking ‘‘on a full-time basis’’; and 

18 (6) in paragraph (10) (as so redesignated)— 

19 (A) by inserting ‘‘or part-time’’ after ‘‘full20 time’’; and 

21 (B) by inserting ‘‘, subject to the condition 

22 that the percentage of the relocation expenses 

23 paid with funds made available pursuant to this 

24 Act may not exceed the percentage of the work 


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1 hours of the employee that are spent admin2 istering this Act’’ after ‘‘incurred’’. 

3 SEC. 5. RECREATIONAL BOATING ACCESS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

6 of the United States shall submit to the Sport Fishing 

7 and Boating Partnership Council, the Committee on Nat8 ural Resources and the Committee on Transportation and 

9 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, and the 

10 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

11 and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of 

12 the Senate a report that, to the extent practicable, given 

13 available data, shall document— 

14 (1) the use of nonmotorized vessels in each 

15 State and how the increased use of nonmotorized 

16 vessels is impacting motorized and nonmotorized 

17 vessel access; 

18 (2) user conflicts at waterway access points; 

19 and 

20 (3) the use of— 

21 (A) Sport Fish Restoration Program funds 

22 to improve nonmotorized access at waterway 

23 entry points and the reasons for providing that 

24 access; and 


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1 (B) Recreational Boating Safety Program 

2 funds for nonmotorized boating safety pro3 grams. 

4 (b) CONSULTATION.—The Comptroller General of the 

5 United States shall consult with the Sport Fishing and 

6 Boating Partnership Council and the National Boating 

7 Safety Advisory Council on study design, scope, and prior8 ities for the report under subsection (a). 

Æ 


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