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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2156 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Migratory Bird Habitat Investment 
and Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps 
        (commonly known as ``duck stamps'') were created in 1934 as 
        Federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl;
            (2)(A) duck stamps are a vital tool for wetland 
        conservation;
            (B) 98 percent of the receipts from duck stamp sales are 
        used to acquire important migratory bird breeding, migration, 
        and wintering habitat, which are added to the National Wildlife 
        Refuge System; and
            (C) those benefits extend to all wildlife, not just ducks;
            (3) since its inception, the Federal duck stamp program 
        has--
                    (A) generated more than $500,000,000;
                    (B) preserved more than 5,000,000 acres of wetland 
                and wildlife habitat; and
                    (C) been called 1 of the most successful 
                conservation programs ever initiated;
            (4)(A) since 1934, when duck stamps cost $1, the price has 
        been increased 7 times to the price in effect on the date of 
        enactment of this Act of $15, which took effect in 1991; and
            (B) the price of the duck stamp has not increased since 
        1991, the longest single period without an increase in program 
        history; and
            (5)(A) with the price unchanged during the 20-year period 
        preceding the date of enactment of this Act, duck stamps have 
        lost 40 percent of their value based on the consumer price 
        index, while the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
        reports the price of land in targeted wetland areas has tripled 
        from an average of $306 to $1,091 per acre; and
            (B) a duck stamp would need to cost more than $24 as of the 
        date of enactment of this Act just to maintain the earlier 
        buying power of the stamp.

SEC. 3. COST OF STAMPS.

    Section 2 of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act 
(16 U.S.C. 718b) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting 
the following:
    ``(b) Cost of Stamps.--
            ``(1) In general.--For a 5-calendar-year period beginning 
        with calendar year 2013, and for each 5-calendar-year period 
        thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the Migratory 
        Bird Conservation Commission, shall establish the amount to be 
        collected under paragraph (2) for each stamp sold under this 
        section.
            ``(2) Collection of amounts.--The Postal Service shall 
        collect the amount established under paragraph (1) for each 
        stamp sold under this section for a hunting year if the 
        Secretary determines, at any time before February 1 of the 
        calendar year during which the hunting year begins, that all 
        amounts described in paragraph (3) have been obligated for 
        expenditure.
            ``(3) Amounts.--The amounts described in this paragraph are 
        amounts in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund available for 
        obligation and attributable to--
                    ``(A) amounts appropriated pursuant to this Act for 
                the fiscal year ending in the immediately preceding 
                calendar year; and
                    ``(B) the sale of stamps under this section during 
                that fiscal year.''.

SEC. 4. WAIVERS.

    Section 1(a) of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp 
Act (16 U.S.C. 718a(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and subsection (d)'' 
        after ``paragraph (2)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Waivers.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, may waive requirements 
        under this section for such individuals as the Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, 
        determines to be appropriate.
            ``(2) Limitation.--In making the determination described in 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall grant only those waivers the 
        Secretary determines will have a minimal adverse effect on 
        funds to be deposited in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund 
        established under section 4(a)(3).''.
                                 <all>
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