I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4818 

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

funding of wildlife conservation, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 21, 2016 

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. WALZ, and 

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas) 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 of 2016’’. 

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 extend 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) the term ‘hunter recruitment and rec13 reational shooter recruitment’ means any activity or 

14 project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational 

15 shooters, including by— 

16 ‘‘(A) using social media, marketing, adver17 tising, surveying, television spots, print, and 

18 media; 

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

20 field demonstrations; 

21 ‘‘(C) enhancing access for hunting and rec22 reational shooting, including through range con23 struction; 


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1 ‘‘(D) providing education to the public 

2 about the role of hunting and recreational 

3 shooting in funding wildlife conservation; and 

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

5 growth of hunting and recreational shooting, as 

6 determined by the Secretary; 

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

8 consecutive months beginning on October 1 and end9 ing on the succeeding September 30, except that the 

10 period for enumeration of paid hunting-license hold11 ers means the fiscal year or license year of the 

12 State;’’. 

13 SEC. 4. ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE 

14 AMOUNTS. 

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

16 the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 

17 U.S.C. 669c(b)) is amended— 

18 (1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec19 retary of the Interior’’ and inserting the following: 

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

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

22 apportionments’’ and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The apportionments de24 scribed in paragraph (1)’’; 

25 (3) by striking the third sentence; and 


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

2 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara4 graph (B), amounts apportioned under this 

5 subsection may be used for hunter recruitment 

6 and recreational shooter recruitment. 

7 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A State may only 

8 make an expenditure under subparagraph (A) if 

9 the amount of the expenditure during the fiscal 

10 year in which the expenditure is made plus the 

11 amount of the expenditures for hunter recruit12 ment and recreational shooter recruitment 

13 made during the 4 fiscal years preceding that 

14 fiscal year is equal to or less than 25 percent 

15 of the total amount apportioned to the State 

16 under this subsection during that 5-fiscal-year 

17 period.’’. 

18 (b) APPORTIONMENT OF CERTAIN TAXES.—Section 

19 4(c) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 

20 (16 U.S.C. 669c(c)) is amended— 

21 (1) in the first sentence— 

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

23 the following: 

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


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

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

4 State’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(B) CONDITION.—The apportionment 

6 made under subparagraph (A) shall be subject 

7 to the condition that each State’’; 

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

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

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

11 striking ‘‘For the purpose’’ and inserting the fol12 lowing: 

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

14 purpose’’; and 

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

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

17 under this subsection may be used for hunter re18 cruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.’’. 

19 SEC. 5. EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE 

20 AREAS AND RESOURCES. 

21 Section 8 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora22 tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669g) is amended— 

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

24 striking ‘‘and public relations’’; and 


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

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

3 SEC. 6. FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND SAFE4 TY PROGRAM GRANTS. 

5 Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Pittman-Robertson Wild6 life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1(a)(1)(A)) is 

7 amended— 

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

9 and 

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

11 ‘‘(v) the enhancement of hunter re12 cruitment and recreational shooter recruit13 ment; and’’. 

14 SEC. 7. MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

15 Section 11 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Res16 toration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–2) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘Not more than’’ and in19 serting the following: 

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

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

22 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY FOR HUNTER AND

23 RECREATIONAL SHOOTER GRANTS.—Not more 

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

25 the fund from any tax imposed under section 


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1 4161(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

2 for a fiscal year shall be available to the Sec3 retary exclusively for making hunter recruit4 ment and recreational shooter recruitment 

5 grants that promote a national hunting and 

6 shooting sport recruitment program, including 

7 related communication and outreach activi8 ties.’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (b)(3), in the matter pre10 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Inter11 national’’; 

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

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

14 and 

15 (4) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘or to rec16 reational shooting activities’’ after ‘‘wildlife’’. 

Æ 


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