II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1613 

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

funding of wildlife conservation, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 20, 2017 

Mr. RISCH 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 modernize the funding of wildlife conservation, 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 ‘‘Modernizing the Pitt5 man-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 The first section of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 

8 Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669) is amended by adding 

9 at the end the following: ‘‘One of the purposes of this Act 

10 is to extend financial and technical assistance to the 


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1 States for the promotion of hunting and recreational 

2 shooting.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora5 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

7 (8) as paragraphs (4) through (10), respectively; 

8 and 

9 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(2) the term ‘hunter recruitment and rec12 reational shooter recruitment’ means any activity or 

13 project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational 

14 shooters, including by— 

15 ‘‘(A) using social media, marketing, adver16 tising, surveying, television spots, print, and 

17 media; 

18 ‘‘(B) providing education, mentoring, and 

19 field demonstrations; 

20 ‘‘(C) enhancing access for hunting and rec21 reational shooting, including through range con22 struction; 

23 ‘‘(D) providing education to the public 

24 about the role of hunting and recreational 

25 shooting in funding wildlife conservation; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) using any other means to ensure the 

2 growth of hunting and recreational shooting, as 

3 determined by the Secretary; 

4 ‘‘(3) the term ‘fiscal year’ means a period of 12 

5 consecutive months beginning on October 1 and end6 ing on the succeeding September 30, except that the 

7 period for enumeration of paid hunting-license hold8 ers means the fiscal year or license year of the 

9 State;’’. 

10 SEC. 4. ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE 

11 AMOUNTS. 

12 (a) APPORTIONMENT TO STATES.—Section 4(b) of 

13 the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 

14 U.S.C. 669c(b)) is amended— 

15 (1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec16 retary of the Interior’’ and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 

18 (2) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘Such 

19 apportionments’’ and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The apportionments de21 scribed in paragraph (1)’’; 

22 (3) by striking the third sentence; and 

23 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara2 graph (B), amounts apportioned under this 

3 subsection may be used for hunter recruitment 

4 and recreational shooter recruitment. 

5 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A State may only 

6 make an expenditure under subparagraph (A) if 

7 the amount of the expenditure during the fiscal 

8 year in which the expenditure is made plus the 

9 amount of the expenditures for hunter recruit10 ment and recreational shooter recruitment 

11 made during the 4 fiscal years preceding that 

12 fiscal year is equal to or less than 25 percent 

13 of the total amount apportioned to the State 

14 under this subsection during that 5-fiscal-year 

15 period.’’. 

16 (b) APPORTIONMENT OF CERTAIN TAXES.—Section 

17 4(c) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 

18 (16 U.S.C. 669c(c)) is amended— 

19 (1) in the first sentence— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘One-half’’ and inserting 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) APPORTIONMENT OF CERTAIN TAXES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph (B), 1 24 ⁄2’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘Provided, That each 

2 State’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) CONDITION.—The apportionment 

4 made under subparagraph (A) shall be subject 

5 to the condition that each State’’; 

6 (2) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by 

7 striking ‘‘States:’’ and inserting ‘‘States.’’; 

8 (3) in subparagraph (B) (as so designated), by 

9 striking ‘‘For the purpose’’ and inserting the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(2) POPULATION DETERMINATION.—For the 

12 purpose’’; and 

13 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts apportioned 

15 under this subsection may be used for hunter re16 cruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.’’. 

17 SEC. 5. EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE 

18 AREAS AND RESOURCES. 

19 Section 8 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora20 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669g) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a), in the third sentence, by 

22 striking ‘‘and public relations’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, by 

24 striking ‘‘, as a part of such program’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND SAFE2 TY PROGRAM GRANTS. 

3 Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Pittman-Robertson Wild4 life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1(a)(1)(A)) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

7 and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(v) the enhancement of hunter re10 cruitment and recreational shooter recruit11 ment; and’’. 

12 SEC. 7. MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

13 Section 11 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Res14 toration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–2) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘Not more than’’ and in17 serting the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not more than’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY FOR HUNTER AND

21 RECREATIONAL SHOOTER GRANTS.—Not more 

22 than $5,000,000 of the revenues covered into 

23 the fund from any tax imposed under section 

24 4161(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

25 for a fiscal year shall be available to the Sec26 retary exclusively for making hunter recruitVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 Jul 29, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1613.IS S1613

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1 ment and recreational shooter recruitment 

2 grants that promote a national hunting and 

3 shooting sport recruitment program, including 

4 related communication and outreach activi5 ties.’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (b)(3), in the matter pre7 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Inter8 national’’; 

9 (3) in subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), by inserting ‘‘or 

10 to recreational shooting activities’’ after ‘‘wildlife’’; 

11 and 

12 (4) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘or to rec13 reational shooting activities’’ after ‘‘wildlife’’. 

Æ 


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