I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 877 

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

funding of wildlife conservation, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 30, 2019 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia (for himself, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. HUDSON, and 

Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

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’’. 

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 


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1 is to provide financial and technical assistance to the 

2 States for the promotion of hunting and recreational 

3 shooting.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora6 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

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

9 and 

10 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(2) for the purposes of determining the num13 ber of paid hunting-license holders in a State, the 

14 term ‘fiscal year’ means the fiscal year or license 

15 year of the State; 

16 ‘‘(3) the term ‘hunter recruitment and rec17 reational shooter recruitment’ means any activity or 

18 project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational 

19 shooters, including by— 

20 ‘‘(A) outreach and communications as a 

21 means— 

22 ‘‘(i) to improve communications with 

23 hunters, recreational shooters, and the 

24 general public with respect to hunting and 

25 recreational shooting opportunities; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) to reduce barriers to participa2 tion in these activities; 

3 ‘‘(iii) to advance the adoption of 

4 sound hunting and recreational shooting 

5 practices; 

6 ‘‘(iv) to promote conservation and the 

7 responsible use of the wildlife resources of 

8 the United States; and 

9 ‘‘(v) to further safety in hunting and 

10 recreational shooting; 

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

12 field demonstrations; 

13 ‘‘(C) enhancing access for hunting and rec14 reational shooting, including through range con15 struction; and 

16 ‘‘(D) providing education to the public 

17 about the role of hunting and recreational 

18 shooting in funding wildlife conservation;’’. 

19 SEC. 4. APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE AMOUNTS. 

20 (a) APPORTIONMENT OF CERTAIN TAXES.—The first 

21 subsection (c) of section 4 of the Pittman-Robertson Wild22 life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c) is amended— 

23 (1) by inserting ‘‘APPORTIONMENT OF REVE24 NUES FROM PISTOLS, REVOLVERS, BOWS, AND AR25 ROWS.—’’ after the enumerator; 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘One-half’’ and inserting the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

1 4 ⁄2’’; 

5 (3) by striking ‘‘: Provided, That’’ and inserting 

6 a period; 

7 (4) by striking ‘‘each State shall be apportioned 

8 not more than 3 per centum and not less than 1 per 

9 centum of such revenues’’ and inserting the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(2) CONDITION.—The amount apportioned to 

12 each State under paragraph (1) shall be not greater 

13 than 3 percent and not less than 1 percent of the 

14 revenues described in such paragraph’’; 

15 (5) by striking ‘‘For the purpose’’ and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(3) POPULATION DETERMINATION.—For the 

18 purpose’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—In addition to other uses 

21 authorized under this Act, amounts apportioned 

22 under this subsection may be used for hunter re23 cruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.’’. 

24 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Section 4 of the Pitt25 man-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c) 


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1 is amended by redesignating the second subsection (c) and 

2 subsection (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively. 

3 SEC. 5. EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE 

4 AREAS AND RESOURCES. 

5 Section 8 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora6 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669g) is amended— 

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

8 striking ‘‘and public relations’’; and 

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

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

11 SEC. 6. FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND SAFE12 TY PROGRAM GRANTS. 

13 Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Pittman-Robertson Wild14 life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1(a)(1)(A)) is 

15 amended— 

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

17 and 

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

19 ‘‘(v) the enhancement of hunter re20 cruitment and recreational shooter recruit21 ment; and’’. 

22 SEC. 7. MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 11 of the Pittman-Robert24 son Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–2) is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘Not more than’’ and in3 serting the following: 

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

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

6 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY FOR HUNTER AND

7 RECREATIONAL SHOOTER GRANTS.—Not more 

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

9 the fund from any tax imposed under section 

10 4161(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

11 for a fiscal year shall be available to the Sec12 retary exclusively for making hunter recruit13 ment and recreational shooter recruitment 

14 grants that promote a national hunting and 

15 shooting sport recruitment program, including 

16 related communication and outreach activi17 ties.’’; 

18 (2) in the matter preceding subsection 

19 (b)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘International’’; 

20 (3) in the matter preceding subsection 

21 (c)(2)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘International’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), by inserting ‘‘or 

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

24 and 


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1 (5) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘or to rec2 reational shooting activities’’ after ‘‘wildlife’’. 

3 (b) STUDY.—Not later than 10 years after the date 

4 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, 

5 acting through the Director of the United States Fish and 

6 Wildlife Service, shall— 

7 (1) review and evaluate the effects of the funds 

8 made available under subparagraph (B) of section 

9 11(a)(1) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora10 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–2(a)(1)) (as added by sub11 section (a)(1)(B)) on funds available for wildlife con12 servation; and 

13 (2) submit a report describing the results of the 

14 review and evaluation under paragraph (1) to— 

15 (A) the Committee on Environment and 

16 Public Works of the Senate; and 

17 (B) the Committee on Natural Resources 

18 of the House of Representatives. 

Æ 


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