II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2156 

To amend the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act to 

permit the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Migratory 

Bird Conservation Commission, to set prices for Federal Migratory Bird 

Hunting and Conservation Stamps and make limited waivers of stamp 

requirements for certain users. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 6, 2012 

Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation 

Stamp Act to permit the Secretary of the Interior, in 

consultation with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, to set prices for Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps and make limited waivers 

of stamp requirements for certain users. 

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 ‘‘Migratory Bird Habi5 tat Investment and Enhancement Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that— 

3 (1) Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Con4 servation Stamps (commonly known as ‘‘duck 

5 stamps’’) were created in 1934 as Federal licenses 

6 required for hunting migratory waterfowl; 

7 (2)(A) duck stamps are a vital tool for wetland 

8 conservation; 

9 (B) 98 percent of the receipts from duck stamp 

10 sales are used to acquire important migratory bird 

11 breeding, migration, and wintering habitat, which 

12 are added to the National Wildlife Refuge System; 

13 and 

14 (C) those benefits extend to all wildlife, not just 

15 ducks; 

16 (3) since its inception, the Federal duck stamp 

17 program has— 

18 (A) generated more than $500,000,000; 

19 (B) preserved more than 5,000,000 acres 

20 of wetland and wildlife habitat; and 

21 (C) been called 1 of the most successful 

22 conservation programs ever initiated; 

23 (4)(A) since 1934, when duck stamps cost $1, 

24 the price has been increased 7 times to the price in 

25 effect on the date of enactment of this Act of $15, 

26 which took effect in 1991; and 


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1 (B) the price of the duck stamp has not in2 creased since 1991, the longest single period without 

3 an increase in program history; and 

4 (5)(A) with the price unchanged during the 20- 

5 year period preceding the date of enactment of this 

6 Act, duck stamps have lost 40 percent of their value 

7 based on the consumer price index, while the United 

8 States Fish and Wildlife Service reports the price of 

9 land in targeted wetland areas has tripled from an 

10 average of $306 to $1,091 per acre; and 

11 (B) a duck stamp would need to cost more than 

12 $24 as of the date of enactment of this Act just to 

13 maintain the earlier buying power of the stamp. 

14 SEC. 3. COST OF STAMPS. 

15 Section 2 of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Con16 servation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 718b) is amended by 

17 striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(b) COST OF STAMPS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For a 5-calendar-year pe20 riod beginning with calendar year 2013, and for 

21 each 5-calendar-year period thereafter, the Sec22 retary, in consultation with the Migratory Bird Con23 servation Commission, shall establish the amount to 

24 be collected under paragraph (2) for each stamp sold 

25 under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(2) COLLECTION OF AMOUNTS.—The Postal 

2 Service shall collect the amount established under 

3 paragraph (1) for each stamp sold under this section 

4 for a hunting year if the Secretary determines, at 

5 any time before February 1 of the calendar year 

6 during which the hunting year begins, that all 

7 amounts described in paragraph (3) have been obli8 gated for expenditure. 

9 ‘‘(3) AMOUNTS.—The amounts described in this 

10 paragraph are amounts in the Migratory Bird Con11 servation Fund available for obligation and attrib12 utable to— 

13 ‘‘(A) amounts appropriated pursuant to 

14 this Act for the fiscal year ending in the imme15 diately preceding calendar year; and 

16 ‘‘(B) the sale of stamps under this section 

17 during that fiscal year.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. WAIVERS. 

19 Section 1(a) of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Con20 servation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 718a(a)) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and sub22 section (d)’’ after ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(d) WAIVERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta2 tion with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commis3 sion, may waive requirements under this section for 

4 such individuals as the Secretary, in consultation 

5 with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, 

6 determines to be appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—In making the determina8 tion described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

9 grant only those waivers the Secretary determines 

10 will have a minimal adverse effect on funds to be de11 posited in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund es12 tablished under section 4(a)(3).’’. 

Æ 


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