IB 

Union Calendar No. 287 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2406 

[Report No. 114–377, Part I] 

To protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and 

shooting, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 19, 2015 

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

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 

Committees on Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and 

Infrastructure, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

DECEMBER 10, 2015 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BABIN, Mr. FARENTHOLD, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. RIGELL, 

Mr. COLE, Mr. KLINE, Mr. LATTA, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. HUELSKAMP, Mr. 

DESJARLAIS, Mr. PETERSON, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. MESSER, Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan, Mr. 

WALBERG, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. JODY B. 

HICE of Georgia, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. EMMER of Minnesota, Mrs. MILLER

of Michigan, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. COLLINS of 

New York, Mr. NUGENT, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mr. VALADAO, 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. RATCLIFFE, Mr. MILLER of Florida, and Mr. 

KIND


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DECEMBER 10, 2015 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

DECEMBER 10, 2015 

The Committees on Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and 

Infrastructure, and the Judiciary discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 

printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 19, 2015] 

A BILL 

To protect and enhance opportunities for recreational 

hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Sportsmen’s Heritage 

5 and Recreational Enhancement Act of 2015’’ or the 

6 ‘‘SHARE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

8 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Report on economic impact. 

TITLE I—HUNTING, FISHING AND RECREATIONAL SHOOTING 

PROTECTION ACT 

Sec. 101. Short title. 

Sec. 102. Modification of definition. 

Sec. 103. Limitation on authority to regulate ammunition and fishing tackle. 

TITLE II—TARGET PRACTICE AND MARKSMANSHIP TRAINING 

SUPPORT ACT 

Sec. 201. Short title. 

Sec. 202. Findings; purpose. 

Sec. 203. Definition of public target range. 

Sec. 204. Amendments to Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. 

Sec. 205. Limits on liability. 

Sec. 206. Sense of Congress regarding cooperation. 

TITLE III—POLAR BEAR CONSERVATION AND FAIRNESS ACT 

Sec. 301. Short title. 

Sec. 302. Permits for importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts 

in Canada. 

TITLE IV—RECREATIONAL LANDS SELF-DEFENSE ACT 

Sec. 401. Short title. 

Sec. 402. Protecting Americans from violent crime. 

TITLE V—WILDLIFE AND HUNTING HERITAGE CONSERVATION 

COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

Sec. 501. Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee. 


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TITLE VI—RECREATIONAL FISHING AND HUNTING HERITAGE 

OPPORTUNITIES ACT 

Sec. 601. Short title. 

Sec. 602. Findings. 

Sec. 603. Fishing, hunting, and recreational shooting. 

Sec. 604. Volunteer Hunters; Reports; Closures and Restrictions. 

TITLE VII—FARMER AND HUNTER PROTECTION ACT 

Sec. 701. Short title. 

Sec. 702. Baiting of migratory game birds. 

TITLE VIII—TRANSPORTING BOWS ACROSS NATIONAL PARK 

SERVICE LANDS 

Sec. 801. Short title. 

Sec. 802. Bowhunting opportunity and wildlife stewardship. 

TITLE IX—FEDERAL LAND TRANSACTION FACILITATION ACT 

REAUTHORIZATION (FLTFA) 

Sec. 901. Short title. 

Sec. 902. Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act. 

TITLE X—AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION AND LEGAL IVORY 

POSSESSION ACT 

Sec. 1001. Short title. 

Sec. 1002. References. 

Sec. 1003. Limited exemption for certain African elephant ivory. 

Sec. 1004. Placement of United States Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement 

officer in each African elephant range country. 

Sec. 1005. Certification for the purposes of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 

1967. 

Sec. 1006. Treatment of elephant ivory. 

Sec. 1007. Sport-hunted elephant trophies. 

Sec. 1008. African Elephant Conservation Act financial assistance priority and 

reauthorization. 

TITLE XI—RESPECT FOR TREATIES AND RIGHTS 

Sec. 1101. Respect for Treaties and Rights. 

TITLE XII—INTEREST ON OBLIGATIONS HELD IN THE WILDLIFE 

RESTORATION FUND 

Sec. 1201. Interest on obligations held in the wildlife restoration fund. 

TITLE XIII—PERMITS FOR FILM CREWS OF FIVE PEOPLE OR LESS 

Sec. 1301. Annual permit and fee for film crews of 5 persons or fewer. 

TITLE XIV—STATE APPROVAL OF FISHING RESTRICTION 

Sec. 1401. State or Territorial Approval of Restriction of Recreational or Commercial Fishing Access to Certain State or Territorial Waters. 


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TITLE XV—HUNTING AND RECREATIONAL FISHING WITHIN 

CERTAIN NATIONAL FORESTS 

Sec. 1501. Definitions. 

Sec. 1502. Hunting and recreational fishing within the national forest system. 

TITLE XVI—GRAND CANYON BISON MANAGEMENT ACT 

Sec. 1601. Short title. 

Sec. 1602. Definitions. 

Sec. 1603. Bison management plan for Grand Canyon National Park. 

1 SEC. 3. REPORT ON ECONOMIC IMPACT. 

2 Not later than 12 months after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Interior shall submit a 

4 report to Congress that assesses expected economic impacts 

5 of the Act. Such report shall include— 

6 (1) a review of any expected increases in rec7 reational hunting, fishing, shooting, and conservation 

8 activities; 

9 (2) an estimate of any jobs created in each in10 dustry expected to support such activities described in 

11 paragraph (1), including in the supply, manufac12 turing, distribution, and retail sectors; 

13 (3) an estimate of wages related to jobs described 

14 in paragraph (2); and 

15 (4) an estimate of anticipated new local, State, 

16 and Federal revenue related to jobs described in para17 graph (2). 


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1 TITLE I—HUNTING, FISHING 

2 AND RECREATIONAL SHOOT3 ING PROTECTION ACT 

4 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Hunting, Fishing, and 

6 Recreational Shooting Protection Act’’. 

7 SEC. 102. MODIFICATION OF DEFINITION. 

8 Section 3(2)(B) of the Toxic Substances Control Act 

9 (15 U.S.C. 2602(2)(B)) is amended— 

10 (1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘, and’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘, or any component of any such article includ12 ing, without limitation, shot, bullets and other projec13 tiles, propellants, and primers,’’; 

14 (2) in clause (vi) by striking the period at the 

15 end and inserting ‘‘, and’’; and 

16 (3) by inserting after clause (vi) the following: 

17 ‘‘(vii) any sport fishing equipment (as such term 

18 is defined in subsection (a) of section 4162 of the In19 ternal Revenue Code of 1986) the sale of which is sub20 ject to the tax imposed by section 4161(a) of such 

21 Code (determined without regard to any exemptions 

22 from such tax as provided by section 4162 or 4221 or 

23 any other provision of such Code), and sport fishing 

24 equipment components.’’. 


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1 SEC. 103. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO REGULATE AMMU2 NITION AND FISHING TACKLE. 

3 (a) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in section 20.21 

4 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act, or any substantially simi6 lar successor regulation thereto, the Secretary of the Inte7 rior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and, except as provided 

8 by subsection (b), any bureau, service, or office of the De9 partment of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture, 

10 may not regulate the use of ammunition cartridges, ammu11 nition components, or fishing tackle based on the lead con12 tent thereof if such use is in compliance with the law of 

13 the State in which the use occurs. 

14 (b) EXCEPTION.—The limitation in subsection (a) 

15 shall not apply to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or 

16 the National Park Service. 

17 TITLE II—TARGET PRACTICE 

18 AND MARKSMANSHIP TRAIN19 ING SUPPORT ACT 

20 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

21 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Target Practice and 

22 Marksmanship Training Support Act’’. 

23 SEC. 202. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

24 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

25 (1) the use of firearms and archery equipment 

26 for target practice and marksmanship training acVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:15 Dec 10, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2406.RH H2406

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1 tivities on Federal land is allowed, except to the ex2 tent specific portions of that land have been closed to 

3 those activities; 

4 (2) in recent years preceding the date of enact5 ment of this Act, portions of Federal land have been 

6 closed to target practice and marksmanship training 

7 for many reasons; 

8 (3) the availability of public target ranges on 

9 non-Federal land has been declining for a variety of 

10 reasons, including continued population growth and 

11 development near former ranges; 

12 (4) providing opportunities for target practice 

13 and marksmanship training at public target ranges 

14 on Federal and non-Federal land can help— 

15 (A) to promote enjoyment of shooting, rec16 reational, and hunting activities; and 

17 (B) to ensure safe and convenient locations 

18 for those activities; 

19 (5) Federal law in effect on the date of enact20 ment of this Act, including the Pittman-Robertson 

21 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), pro22 vides Federal support for construction and expansion 

23 of public target ranges by making available to States 

24 amounts that may be used for construction, operation, 

25 and maintenance of public target ranges; and 


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1 (6) it is in the public interest to provide in2 creased Federal support to facilitate the construction 

3 or expansion of public target ranges. 

4 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this title is to facilitate 

5 the construction and expansion of public target ranges, in6 cluding ranges on Federal land managed by the Forest 

7 Service and the Bureau of Land Management. 

8 SEC. 203. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC TARGET RANGE. 

9 In this title, the term ‘‘public target range’’ means a 

10 specific location that— 

11 (1) is identified by a governmental agency for 

12 recreational shooting; 

13 (2) is open to the public; 

14 (3) may be supervised; and 

15 (4) may accommodate archery or rifle, pistol, or 

16 shotgun shooting. 

17 SEC. 204. AMENDMENTS TO PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILD18 LIFE RESTORATION ACT. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson 

20 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (8) 

22 as paragraphs (3) through (9), respectively; and 

23 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(2) the term ‘public target range’ means a spe2 cific location that— 

3 ‘‘(A) is identified by a governmental agency 

4 for recreational shooting; 

5 ‘‘(B) is open to the public; 

6 ‘‘(C) may be supervised; and 

7 ‘‘(D) may accommodate archery or rifle, 

8 pistol, or shotgun shooting;’’. 

9 (b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE

10 AREAS AND RESOURCES.—Section 8(b) of the Pittman11 Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669g(b)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘(b) Each State’’ and inserting 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE

16 AREAS AND RESOURCES.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para18 graph (2), each State’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by strik20 ing ‘‘construction, operation,’’ and inserting ‘‘oper21 ation’’; 

22 (3) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘The non23 Federal share’’ and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal 

25 share’’; 


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1 (4) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec2 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(4) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary’’; and 

4 (5) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as des5 ignated by paragraph (1) of this subsection) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding the limita8 tion described in paragraph (1), a State may pay up 

9 to 90 percent of the cost of acquiring land for, ex10 panding, or constructing a public target range.’’. 

11 (c) FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND

12 SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS.—Section 10 of the Pittman13 Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(3) ALLOCATION OF ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS.—Of 

18 the amount apportioned to a State for any fiscal year 

19 under section 4(b), the State may elect to allocate not 

20 more than 10 percent, to be combined with the 

21 amount apportioned to the State under paragraph (1) 

22 for that fiscal year, for acquiring land for, expanding, 

23 or constructing a public target range.’’; 

24 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) COST SHARING.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para3 graph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any activity 

4 carried out using a grant under this section shall not 

5 exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the activity. 

6 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC TARGET RANGE CONSTRUCTION OR

7 EXPANSION.—The Federal share of the cost of acquir8 ing land for, expanding, or constructing a public tar9 get range in a State on Federal or non-Federal land 

10 pursuant to this section or section 8(b) shall not ex11 ceed 90 percent of the cost of the activity.’’; and 

12 (3) in subsection (c)(1)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘Amounts made’’ and in14 serting the following: 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

16 subparagraph (B), amounts made’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Amounts provided for 

19 acquiring land for, constructing, or expanding a 

20 public target range shall remain available for ex21 penditure and obligation during the 5-fiscal-year 

22 period beginning on October 1 of the first fiscal 

23 year for which the amounts are made avail24 able.’’. 


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1 SEC. 205. LIMITS ON LIABILITY. 

2 (a) DISCRETIONARY FUNCTION.—For purposes of 

3 chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly re4 ferred to as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’), any action by 

5 an agent or employee of the United States to manage or 

6 allow the use of Federal land for purposes of target practice 

7 or marksmanship training by a member of the public shall 

8 be considered to be the exercise or performance of a discre9 tionary function. 

10 (b) CIVIL ACTION OR CLAIMS.—Except to the extent 

11 provided in chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code, 

12 the United States shall not be subject to any civil action 

13 or claim for money damages for any injury to or loss of 

14 property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity 

15 occurring at a public target range that is— 

16 (1) funded in whole or in part by the Federal 

17 Government pursuant to the Pittman-Robertson Wild18 life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.); or 

19 (2) located on Federal land. 

20 SEC. 206. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COOPERATION. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with appli22 cable laws and regulations, the Chief of the Forest Service 

23 and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management should 

24 cooperate with State and local authorities and other entities 

25 to carry out waste removal and other activities on any Fed26 eral land used as a public target range to encourage continVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:15 Dec 10, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2406.RH H2406

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1 ued use of that land for target practice or marksmanship 

2 training. 

3 TITLE III—POLAR BEAR CON4 SERVATION AND FAIRNESS 

5 ACT 

6 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Polar Bear Conserva8 tion and Fairness Act of 2015’’. 

9 SEC. 302. PERMITS FOR IMPORTATION OF POLAR BEAR 

10 TROPHIES TAKEN IN SPORT HUNTS IN CAN11 ADA. 

12 Section 104(c)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protec13 tion Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1374(c)(5)(D)) is amended to 

14 read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(D)(i) The Secretary of the Interior shall, expe16 ditiously after the expiration of the applicable 30-day 

17 period under subsection (d)(2), issue a permit for the 

18 importation of any polar bear part (other than an in19 ternal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt 

20 in Canada to any person— 

21 ‘‘(I) who submits, with the permit applica22 tion, proof that the polar bear was legally har23 vested by the person before February 18, 1997; or 

24 ‘‘(II) who has submitted, in support of a 

25 permit application submitted before May 15, 


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1 2008, proof that the polar bear was legally har2 vested by the person before May 15, 2008, from 

3 a polar bear population from which a sport4 hunted trophy could be imported before that date 

5 in accordance with section 18.30(i) of title 50, 

6 Code of Federal Regulations. 

7 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall issue permits under 

8 clause (i)(I) without regard to subparagraphs (A) and 

9 (C)(ii) of this paragraph, subsection (d)(3), and sec10 tions 101 and 102. Sections 101(a)(3)(B) and 

11 102(b)(3) shall not apply to the importation of any 

12 polar bear part authorized by a permit issued under 

13 clause (i)(I). This clause shall not apply to polar bear 

14 parts that were imported before June 12, 1997. 

15 ‘‘(iii) The Secretary shall issue permits under 

16 clause (i)(II) without regard to subparagraph (C)(ii) 

17 of this paragraph or subsection (d)(3). Sections 

18 101(a)(3)(B) and 102(b)(3) shall not apply to the im19 portation of any polar bear part authorized by a per20 mit issued under clause (i)(II). This clause shall not 

21 apply to polar bear parts that were imported before 

22 the date of enactment of the Polar Bear Conservation 

23 and Fairness Act of 2015.’’. 


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1 TITLE IV—RECREATIONAL 

2 LANDS SELF-DEFENSE ACT 

3 SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Recreational Lands 

5 Self-Defense Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 402. PROTECTING AMERICANS FROM VIOLENT CRIME. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The Second Amendment to the Constitution 

9 provides that ‘‘the right of the people to keep and bear 

10 Arms, shall not be infringed’’. 

11 (2) Section 327.13 of title 36, Code of Federal 

12 Regulations, provides that, except in special cir13 cumstances, ‘‘possession of loaded firearms, ammuni14 tion, loaded projectile firing devices, bows and arrows, 

15 crossbows, or other weapons is prohibited’’ at water 

16 resources development projects administered by the 

17 Secretary of the Army. 

18 (3) The regulations described in paragraph (2) 

19 prevent individuals complying with Federal and 

20 State laws from exercising the second amendment 

21 rights of the individuals while at such water resources 

22 development projects. 

23 (4) The Federal laws should make it clear that 

24 the second amendment rights of an individual at a 


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1 water resources development project should not be in2 fringed. 

3 (b) PROTECTING THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUALS TO

4 BEAR ARMS AT WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

5 PROJECTS.—The Secretary of the Army shall not promul6 gate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual 

7 from possessing a firearm, including an assembled or func8 tional firearm, at a water resources development project 

9 covered under section 327.0 of title 36, Code of Federal Reg10 ulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act), 

11 if— 

12 (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by 

13 law from possessing the firearm; and 

14 (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance 

15 with the law of the State in which the water resources 

16 development project is located. 

17 TITLE V—WILDLIFE AND HUNT18 ING HERITAGE CONSERVA19 TION COUNCIL ADVISORY 

20 COMMITTEE 

21 SEC. 501. WILDLIFE AND HUNTING HERITAGE CONSERVA22 TION COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

23 The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 

24 661 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 10. WILDLIFE AND HUNTING HERITAGE CONSERVA2 TION COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established the 

4 Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advi5 sory Committee (in this section referred to as the ‘Advisory 

6 Committee’) to advise the Secretaries of the Interior and 

7 Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, 

8 and recreational shooting. 

9 ‘‘(b) CONTINUANCE AND ABOLISHMENT OF EXISTING

10 WILDLIFE AND HUNTING HERITAGE CONSERVATION COUN11 CIL.—The Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation 

12 Council established pursuant to section 441 of the Revised 

13 Statutes (43 U.S.C. 1457), section 2 of the Fish and Wildlife 

14 Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a), and other Acts applicable 

15 to specific bureaus of the Department of the Interior— 

16 ‘‘(1) shall continue until the date of the first 

17 meeting of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Con18 servation Council established by the amendment made 

19 by subsection (a); and 

20 ‘‘(2) is hereby abolished effective on that date. 

21 ‘‘(c) DUTIES OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The Ad22 visory Committee shall advise the Secretaries with regard 

23 to— 

24 ‘‘(1) implementation of Executive Order No. 

25 13443: Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife 

26 Conservation, which directs Federal agencies ‘to faVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:15 Dec 10, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2406.RH H2406

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1 cilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting 

2 opportunities and the management of game species 

3 and their habitat’; 

4 ‘‘(2) policies or programs to conserve and restore 

5 wetlands, agricultural lands, grasslands, forest, and 

6 rangeland habitats; 

7 ‘‘(3) policies or programs to promote opportuni8 ties and access to hunting and shooting sports on 

9 Federal lands; 

10 ‘‘(4) policies or programs to recruit and retain 

11 new hunters and shooters; 

12 ‘‘(5) policies or programs that increase public 

13 awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation 

14 and the social and economic benefits of recreational 

15 hunting and shooting; and 

16 ‘‘(6) policies or programs that encourage coordi17 nation among the public, the hunting and shooting 

18 sports community, wildlife conservation groups, and 

19 States, tribes, and the Federal Government. 

20 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP.— 

21 ‘‘(1) APPOINTMENT.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Com23 mittee shall consist of no more than 16 discre24 tionary members and 7 ex officio members. 


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1 ‘‘(B) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The ex officio 

2 members are— 

3 ‘‘(i) the Director of the United States 

4 Fish and Wildlife Service or a designated 

5 representative of the Director; 

6 ‘‘(ii) the Director of the Bureau of 

7 Land Management or a designated rep8 resentative of the Director; 

9 ‘‘(iii) the Director of the National Park 

10 Service or a designated representative of the 

11 Director; 

12 ‘‘(iv) the Chief of the Forest Service or 

13 a designated representative of the Chief; 

14 ‘‘(v) the Chief of the Natural Resources 

15 Conservation Service or a designated rep16 resentative of the Chief; 

17 ‘‘(vi) the Administrator of the Farm 

18 Service Agency or a designated representa19 tive of the Administrator; and 

20 ‘‘(vii) the Executive Director of the As21 sociation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 

22 ‘‘(C) DISCRETIONARY MEMBERS.—The dis23 cretionary members shall be appointed jointly by 

24 the Secretaries from at least one of each of the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) State fish and wildlife agencies. 

2 ‘‘(ii) Game bird hunting organizations. 

3 ‘‘(iii) Wildlife conservation organiza4 tions. 

5 ‘‘(iv) Big game hunting organizations. 

6 ‘‘(v) Waterfowl hunting organizations. 

7 ‘‘(vi) The tourism, outfitter, or guiding 

8 industry. 

9 ‘‘(vii) The firearms or ammunition 

10 manufacturing industry. 

11 ‘‘(viii) The hunting or shooting equip12 ment retail industry. 

13 ‘‘(ix) Tribal resource management or14 ganizations. 

15 ‘‘(x) The agriculture industry. 

16 ‘‘(xi) The ranching industry. 

17 ‘‘(xii) Women’s hunting and fishing 

18 advocacy, outreach, or education organiza19 tion. 

20 ‘‘(xiii) Minority hunting and fishing 

21 advocacy, outreach, or education organiza22 tion. 

23 ‘‘(xiv) Veterans service organization. 

24 ‘‘(D) ELIGIBILITY.—Prior to the appoint25 ment of the discretionary members, the SecreVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:15 Dec 10, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2406.RH H2406

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1 taries shall determine that all individuals nomi2 nated for appointment to the Advisory Com3 mittee, and the organization each individual 

4 represents, actively support and promote sustain5 able-use hunting, wildlife conservation, and rec6 reational shooting. 

7 ‘‘(2) TERMS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

9 subparagraph (B), members of the Advisory 

10 Committee shall be appointed for a term of 4 

11 years. Members shall not be appointed for more 

12 than 3 consecutive or nonconsecutive terms. 

13 ‘‘(B) TERMS OF INITIAL APPOINTEES.—As 

14 designated by the Secretary at the time of ap15 pointment, of the members first appointed— 

16 ‘‘(i) 6 members shall be appointed for 

17 a term of 4 years; 

18 ‘‘(ii) 5 members shall be appointed for 

19 a term of 3 years; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) 5 members shall be appointed for 

21 a term of 2 years. 

22 ‘‘(3) PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC ADVISORY STA23 TUS.—No individual may be appointed as a discre24 tionary member of the Advisory Committee while 


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1 serving as an officer or employee of the Federal Gov2 ernment. 

3 ‘‘(4) VACANCY AND REMOVAL.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any vacancy on the 

5 Advisory Committee shall be filled in the manner 

6 in which the original appointment was made. 

7 ‘‘(B) REMOVAL.—Advisory Committee mem8 bers shall serve at the discretion of the Secre9 taries and may be removed at any time for good 

10 cause. 

11 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION OF SERVICE.—Each ap12 pointed member may continue to serve after the expi13 ration of the term of office to which such member was 

14 appointed until a successor has been appointed. 

15 ‘‘(6) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the Ad16 visory Committee shall be appointed for a 3-year 

17 term by the Secretaries, jointly, from among the mem18 bers of the Advisory Committee. An individual may 

19 not be appointed as Chairperson for more than 2 con20 secutive or nonconsecutive terms. 

21 ‘‘(7) PAY AND EXPENSES.—Members of the Advi22 sory Committee shall serve without pay for such serv23 ice, but each member of the Advisory Committee may 

24 be reimbursed for travel and lodging incurred through 

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1 proved subgroup meetings in the same amounts and 

2 under the same conditions as Federal employees (in 

3 accordance with section 5703 of title 5, United States 

4 Code). 

5 ‘‘(8) MEETINGS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Com7 mittee shall meet at the call of the Secretaries, 

8 the chairperson, or a majority of the members, 

9 but not less frequently than twice annually. 

10 ‘‘(B) OPEN MEETINGS.—Each meeting of 

11 the Advisory Committee shall be open to the pub12 lic. 

13 ‘‘(C) PRIOR NOTICE OF MEETINGS.—Timely 

14 notice of each meeting of the Advisory Committee 

15 shall be published in the Federal Register and be 

16 submitted to trade publications and publications 

17 of general circulation. 

18 ‘‘(D) SUBGROUPS.—The Advisory Com19 mittee may establish such workgroups or sub20 groups as it deems necessary for the purpose of 

21 compiling information or conducting research. 

22 However, such workgroups may not conduct 

23 business without the direction of the Advisory 

24 Committee and must report in full to the Advi25 sory Committee. 


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1 ‘‘(9) QUORUM.—Nine members of the Advisory 

2 Committee shall constitute a quorum. 

3 ‘‘(e) EXPENSES.—The expenses of the Advisory Com4 mittee that the Secretaries determine to be reasonable and 

5 appropriate shall be paid by the Secretaries. 

6 ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL SERV7 ICES, AND ADVICE.—A designated Federal Officer shall be 

8 jointly appointed by the Secretaries to provide to the Advi9 sory Committee the administrative support, technical serv10 ices, and advice that the Secretaries determine to be reason11 able and appropriate. 

12 ‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

13 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED.—Not later than September 30 

14 of each year, the Advisory Committee shall submit a 

15 report to the Secretaries, the Committee on Natural 

16 Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of the 

17 House of Representatives, and the Committee on En18 ergy and Natural Resources and the Committee on 

19 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. If 

20 circumstances arise in which the Advisory Committee 

21 cannot meet the September 30 deadline in any year, 

22 the Secretaries shall advise the Chairpersons of each 

23 such Committee of the reasons for such delay and the 

24 date on which the submission of the report is antici25 pated. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para2 graph (1) shall describe— 

3 ‘‘(A) the activities of the Advisory Com4 mittee during the preceding year; 

5 ‘‘(B) the reports and recommendations 

6 made by the Advisory Committee to the Secre7 taries during the preceding year; and 

8 ‘‘(C) an accounting of actions taken by the 

9 Secretaries as a result of the recommendations. 

10 ‘‘(h) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The Ad11 visory Committee shall be exempt from the Federal Advisory 

12 Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).’’. 

13 TITLE VI—RECREATIONAL FISH14 ING AND HUNTING HERITAGE 

15 OPPORTUNITIES ACT 

16 SEC. 601. SHORT TITLE. 

17 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Recreational Fishing 

18 and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act’’. 

19 SEC. 602. FINDINGS. 

20 Congress finds that— 

21 (1) recreational fishing and hunting are impor22 tant and traditional activities in which millions of 

23 Americans participate; 

24 (2) recreational anglers and hunters have been 

25 and continue to be among the foremost supporters of 


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1 sound fish and wildlife management and conservation 

2 in the United States; 

3 (3) recreational fishing and hunting are environ4 mentally acceptable and beneficial activities that 

5 occur and can be provided on Federal lands and 

6 waters without adverse effects on other uses or users; 

7 (4) recreational anglers, hunters, and sporting 

8 organizations provide direct assistance to fish and 

9 wildlife managers and enforcement officers of the Fed10 eral Government as well as State and local govern11 ments by investing volunteer time and effort to fish 

12 and wildlife conservation; 

13 (5) recreational anglers, hunters, and the associ14 ated industries have generated billions of dollars of 

15 critical funding for fish and wildlife conservation, re16 search, and management by providing revenues from 

17 purchases of fishing and hunting licenses, permits, 

18 and stamps, as well as excise taxes on fishing, hunt19 ing, and recreational shooting equipment that have 

20 generated billions of dollars of critical funding for 

21 fish and wildlife conservation, research, and manage22 ment; 

23 (6) recreational shooting is also an important 

24 and traditional activity in which millions of Ameri25 cans participate; 


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1 (7) safe recreational shooting is a valid use of 

2 Federal lands, including the establishment of safe and 

3 convenient recreational shooting ranges on such lands, 

4 and participation in recreational shooting helps re5 cruit and retain hunters and contributes to wildlife 

6 conservation; 

7 (8) opportunities to recreationally fish, hunt, 

8 and shoot are declining, which depresses participation 

9 in these traditional activities, and depressed partici10 pation adversely impacts fish and wildlife conserva11 tion and funding for important conservation efforts; 

12 and 

13 (9) the public interest would be served, and our 

14 citizens’ fish and wildlife resources benefitted, by ac15 tion to ensure that opportunities are facilitated to en16 gage in fishing and hunting on Federal land as recog17 nized by Executive Order No. 12962, relating to rec18 reational fisheries, and Executive Order No. 13443, 

19 relating to facilitation of hunting heritage and wild20 life conservation. 

21 SEC. 603. FISHING, HUNTING, AND RECREATIONAL SHOOT22 ING. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 

25 means any land or water that is owned by the United 


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1 States and under the administrative jurisdiction of 

2 the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Serv3 ice. 

4 (2) FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS.— 

5 The term ‘‘Federal land management officials’’ 

6 means— 

7 (A) the Secretary of the Interior and Direc8 tor of the Bureau of Land Management regard9 ing Bureau of Land Management lands and in10 terests in lands under the administrative juris11 diction of the Bureau of Land Management; and 

12 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture and Chief 

13 of the Forest Service regarding National Forest 

14 System lands. 

15 (3) HUNTING.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

17 subparagraph (B), the term ‘‘hunting’’ means 

18 use of a firearm, bow, or other authorized means 

19 in the lawful— 

20 (i) pursuit, shooting, capture, collec21 tion, trapping, or killing of wildlife; 

22 (ii) attempt to pursue, shoot, capture, 

23 collect, trap, or kill wildlife; or 

24 (iii) the training of hunting dogs, in25 cluding field trials. 


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1 (B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘hunting’’ does 

2 not include the use of skilled volunteers to cull 

3 excess animals (as defined by other Federal law). 

4 (4) RECREATIONAL FISHING.—The term ‘‘rec5 reational fishing’’ means the lawful— 

6 (A) pursuit, capture, collection, or killing of 

7 fish; or 

8 (B) attempt to capture, collect, or kill fish. 

9 (5) RECREATIONAL SHOOTING.—The term ‘‘rec10 reational shooting’’ means any form of sport, train11 ing, competition, or pastime, whether formal or infor12 mal, that involves the discharge of a rifle, handgun, 

13 or shotgun, or the use of a bow and arrow. 

14 (b) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights and 

15 subsection (e), and cooperation with the respective State fish 

16 and wildlife agency, Federal land management officials 

17 shall exercise authority under existing law, including provi18 sions regarding land use planning, to facilitate use of and 

19 access to Federal lands, including National Monuments, 

20 Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and lands ad21 ministratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable 

22 and primitive or semi-primitive areas, for fishing, hunting, 

23 and recreational shooting, except as limited by— 


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1 (1) statutory authority that authorizes action or 

2 withholding action for reasons of national security, 

3 public safety, or resource conservation; 

4 (2) any other Federal statute that specifically 

5 precludes fishing, hunting, or recreational shooting on 

6 specific Federal lands, waters, or units thereof; and 

7 (3) discretionary limitations on fishing, hunting, 

8 and recreational shooting determined to be necessary 

9 and reasonable as supported by the best scientific evi10 dence and advanced through a transparent public 

11 process. 

12 (c) MANAGEMENT.—Consistent with subsection (a), 

13 Federal land management officials shall exercise their land 

14 management discretion— 

15 (1) in a manner that supports and facilitates 

16 fishing, hunting, and recreational shooting opportuni17 ties; 

18 (2) to the extent authorized under applicable 

19 State law; and 

20 (3) in accordance with applicable Federal law. 

21 (d) PLANNING.— 

22 (1) EVALUATION OF EFFECTS ON OPPORTUNITIES

23 TO ENGAGE IN FISHING, HUNTING, OR RECREATIONAL

24 SHOOTING.—Planning documents that apply to Fed25 eral lands, including land resources management 


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1 plans, resource management plans, travel manage2 ment plans, and general management plans shall in3 clude a specific evaluation of the effects of such plans 

4 on opportunities to engage in fishing, hunting, or rec5 reational shooting. 

6 (2) STRATEGIC GROWTH POLICY FOR THE NA7 TIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM.—Section 4(a)(3) 

8 of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administra9 tion Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd(a)(3)) is amend10 ed— 

11 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) 

12 and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respec13 tively; and 

14 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B), 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘(C) the Secretary shall integrate wildlife-de17 pendent recreational uses in accordance with their 

18 status as priority general public uses into proposed or 

19 existing regulations, policies, criteria, plans, or other 

20 activities to alter or amend the manner in which in21 dividual refuges or the National Wildlife Refuge Sys22 tem (System) are managed, including, but not limited 

23 to, any activities which target or prioritize criteria 

24 for long and short term System acquisitions;’’. 


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1 (3) NO MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—No action 

2 taken under this title, or under section 4 of the Na3 tional Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 

4 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd), either individually or cumu5 latively with other actions involving Federal lands or 

6 lands managed by the United States Fish and Wild7 life Service, shall be considered to be a major Federal 

8 action significantly affecting the quality of the 

9 human environment, and no additional identifica10 tion, analysis, or consideration of environmental ef11 fects, including cumulative effects, is necessary or re12 quired. 

13 (4) OTHER ACTIVITY NOT CONSIDERED.—Federal 

14 land management officials are not required to con15 sider the existence or availability of fishing, hunting, 

16 or recreational shooting opportunities on adjacent or 

17 nearby public or private lands in the planning for or 

18 determination of which Federal lands are open for 

19 these activities or in the setting of levels of use for 

20 these activities on Federal lands, unless the combina21 tion or coordination of such opportunities would en22 hance the fishing, hunting, or recreational shooting 

23 opportunities available to the public. 

24 (e) FEDERAL LANDS.— 


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1 (1) LANDS OPEN.—Lands under the jurisdiction 

2 of the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest 

3 Service, including Wilderness Areas, Wilderness 

4 Study Areas, lands designated as wilderness or ad5 ministratively classified as wilderness eligible or suit6 able and primitive or semi-primitive areas and Na7 tional Monuments, but excluding lands on the Outer 

8 Continental Shelf, shall be open to fishing, hunting, 

9 and recreational shooting unless the managing Fed10 eral agency acts to close lands to such activity. Lands 

11 may be subject to closures or restrictions if deter12 mined by the head of the agency to be necessary and 

13 reasonable and supported by facts and evidence, for 

14 purposes including resource conservation, public safe15 ty, energy or mineral production, energy generation 

16 or transmission infrastructure, water supply facili17 ties, protection of other permittees, protection of pri18 vate property rights or interest, national security, or 

19 compliance with other law. 

20 (2) RECREATIONAL SHOOTING RANGES.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The head of each Federal 

22 agency shall use his or her authorities in a man23 ner consistent with this Act and other applicable 

24 law, to— 


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1 (i) lease or permit use of lands under 

2 the jurisdiction of the agency for rec3 reational shooting ranges; and 

4 (ii) designate specific lands under the 

5 jurisdiction of the agency for recreational 

6 shooting activities. 

7 (B) LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.—Any des8 ignation under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall not 

9 subject the United States to any civil action or 

10 claim for monetary damages for injury or loss of 

11 property or personal injury or death caused by 

12 any activity occurring at or on such designated 

13 lands. 

14 (f) NECESSITY IN WILDERNESS AREAS AND ‘‘WITHIN

15 AND SUPPLEMENTAL TO’’ WILDERNESS PURPOSES.— 

16 (1) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMINISTRA17 TION.—The provision of opportunities for fishing, 

18 hunting, and recreational shooting, and the conserva19 tion of fish and wildlife to provide sustainable use 

20 recreational opportunities on designated Federal wil21 derness areas shall constitute measures necessary to 

22 meet the minimum requirements for the administra23 tion of the wilderness area, provided that this deter24 mination shall not authorize or facilitate commodity 

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1 reational access or use that is not otherwise allowed 

2 under the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), or 

3 permanent road construction or maintenance within 

4 designated wilderness areas. 

5 (2) APPLICATION OF WILDERNESS ACT.—Provi6 sions of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 

7 stipulating that wilderness purposes are ‘‘within and 

8 supplemental to’’ the purposes of the underlying Fed9 eral land unit are reaffirmed. When seeking to carry 

10 out fish and wildlife conservation programs and 

11 projects or provide fish and wildlife dependent recre12 ation opportunities on designated wilderness areas, 

13 each Federal land management official shall imple14 ment these supplemental purposes so as to facilitate, 

15 enhance, or both, but not to impede the underlying 

16 Federal land purposes when seeking to carry out fish 

17 and wildlife conservation programs and projects or 

18 provide fish and wildlife dependent recreation oppor19 tunities in designated wilderness areas, provided that 

20 such implementation shall not authorize or facilitate 

21 commodity development, use or extraction, or perma22 nent road construction or maintenance within des23 ignated wilderness areas. 

24 (g) NO PRIORITY.—Nothing in this section requires a 

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1 ing, hunting, or recreational shooting over other uses of 

2 Federal land or over land or water management priorities 

3 established by Federal law. 

4 (h) CONSULTATION WITH COUNCILS.—In fulfilling the 

5 duties under this section, Federal land management offi6 cials shall consult with respective advisory councils as es7 tablished in Executive Order Nos. 12962 and 13443. 

8 (i) AUTHORITY OF THE STATES.—Nothing in this sec9 tion shall be construed as interfering with, diminishing, or 

10 conflicting with the authority, jurisdiction, or responsi11 bility of any State to exercise primary management, con12 trol, or regulation of fish and wildlife under State law (in13 cluding regulations) on land or water within the State, in14 cluding on Federal land. 

15 (j) FEDERAL LICENSES.—Nothing in this section shall 

16 be construed to authorize a Federal land management offi17 cial to require a license, fee, or permit to fish, hunt, or trap 

18 on land or water in a State, including on Federal land 

19 in the States, except that this subsection shall not affect the 

20 Migratory Bird Stamp requirement set forth in the Migra21 tory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 

22 718 et seq.). 

23 SEC. 604. VOLUNTEER HUNTERS; REPORTS; CLOSURES AND 

24 RESTRICTIONS. 

25 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 


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1 (1) PUBLIC LAND.—The term ‘‘public land’’ 

2 means— 

3 (A) units of the National Park System; 

4 (B) National Forest System lands; and 

5 (C) land and interests in land owned by the 

6 United States and under the administrative ju7 risdiction of— 

8 (i) the Fish and Wildlife Service; or 

9 (ii) the Bureau of Land Management. 

10 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

11 means— 

12 (A) the Secretary of the Interior and in13 cludes the Director of the National Park Service, 

14 with regard to units of the National Park Sys15 tem; 

16 (B) the Secretary of the Interior and in17 cludes the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Serv18 ice, with regard to Fish and Wildlife Service 

19 lands and waters; 

20 (C) the Secretary of the Interior and in21 cludes the Director of the Bureau of Land Man22 agement, with regard to Bureau of Land Man23 agement lands and waters; and 


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1 (D) the Secretary of Agriculture and in2 cludes the Chief of the Forest Service, with re3 gard to National Forest System lands. 

4 (3) VOLUNTEER FROM THE HUNTING COMMU5 NITY.—The term ‘‘volunteer from the hunting commu6 nity’’ means a volunteer who holds a valid hunting 

7 license issued by a State. 

8 (b) VOLUNTEER HUNTERS.—When planning wildlife 

9 management involving reducing the size of a wildlife popu10 lation on public land, the Secretary shall consider the use 

11 of and may use volunteers from the hunting community as 

12 agents to assist in carrying out wildlife management on 

13 public land. The Secretary shall not reject the use of volun14 teers from the hunting community as agents without the 

15 concurrence of the appropriate State wildlife management 

16 authorities. 

17 (c) REPORT.—Beginning on the second October 1 after 

18 the date of the enactment of this Act and biennially on Octo19 ber 1 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

20 on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and 

21 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen22 ate a report that describes— 

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1 reational shooting at any time during the preceding 

2 year; and 

3 (2) the reason for the closure. 

4 (d) CLOSURES OR SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Other than closures estab6 lished or prescribed by land planning actions referred 

7 to in section 604(e) or emergency closures described in 

8 paragraph (2), a permanent or temporary with9 drawal, change of classification, or change of manage10 ment status of public land that effectively closes or 

11 significantly restricts any acreage of public land to 

12 access or use for fishing, hunting, recreational shoot13 ing, or activities related to fishing, hunting, or rec14 reational shooting, or a combination of those activi15 ties, shall take effect only if, before the date of with16 drawal or change, the Secretary— 

17 (A) publishes appropriate notice of the 

18 withdrawal or change, respectively; 

19 (B) demonstrates that coordination has oc20 curred with a State fish and wildlife agency; 

21 and 

22 (C) submits to the Committee on Natural 

23 Resources of the House of Representatives and 

24 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 


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1 of the Senate written notice of the withdrawal or 

2 change, respectively. 

3 (2) EMERGENCY CLOSURES.—Nothing in this 

4 Act prohibits the Secretary from establishing or im5 plementing emergency closures or restrictions of the 

6 smallest practicable area to provide for public safety, 

7 resource conservation, national security, or other pur8 poses authorized by law. Such an emergency closure 

9 shall terminate after a reasonable period of time un10 less converted to a permanent closure consistent with 

11 this Act. 

12 TITLE VII—FARMER AND 

13 HUNTER PROTECTION ACT 

14 SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE. 

15 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Hunter and Farmer 

16 Protection Act’’. 

17 SEC. 702. BAITING OF MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS. 

18 Section 3 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 

19 704) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION OF BAITING.— 

22 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

23 ‘‘(A) BAITED AREA.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘baited 

25 area’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(I) any area on which salt, 

2 grain, or other feed has been placed, 

3 exposed, deposited, distributed, or scat4 tered, if the salt, grain, or feed could 

5 lure or attract migratory game birds; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(II) in the case of waterfowl, 

8 cranes (family Gruidae), and coots 

9 (family Rallidae), a standing, unhar10 vested crop that has been manipulated 

11 through activities such as mowing, 

12 discing, or rolling, unless the activities 

13 are normal agricultural practices. 

14 ‘‘(ii) EXCLUSIONS.—An area shall not 

15 be considered to be a ‘baited area’ if the 

16 area— 

17 ‘‘(I) has been treated with a nor18 mal agricultural practice; 

19 ‘‘(II) has standing crops that have 

20 not been manipulated; or 

21 ‘‘(III) has standing crops that 

22 have been or are flooded. 

23 ‘‘(B) BAITING.—The term ‘baiting’ means 

24 the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depos25 iting, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or 


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1 other feed that could lure or attract migratory 

2 game birds to, on, or over any areas on which 

3 a hunter is attempting to take migratory game 

4 birds. 

5 ‘‘(C) MIGRATORY GAME BIRD.—The term 

6 ‘migratory game bird’ means migratory bird 

7 species— 

8 ‘‘(i) that are within the taxonomic 

9 families of Anatidae, Columbidae, Gruidae, 

10 Rallidae, and Scolopacidae; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) for which open seasons are pre12 scribed by the Secretary of the Interior. 

13 ‘‘(D) NORMAL AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘normal 

15 agricultural practice’ means any practice 

16 in 1 annual growing season that— 

17 ‘‘(I) is carried out in order to 

18 produce a marketable crop, including 

19 planting, harvest, postharvest, or soil 

20 conservation practices; and 

21 ‘‘(II) is recommended for the suc22 cessful harvest of a given crop by the 

23 applicable State office of the Coopera24 tive Extension System of the Depart25 ment of Agriculture, in consultation 


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1 with, and if requested, the concurrence 

2 of, the head of the applicable State de3 partment of fish and wildlife. 

4 ‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.— 

5 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Subject to 

6 subclause (II), the term ‘normal agri7 cultural practice’ includes the destruc8 tion of a crop in accordance with prac9 tices required by the Federal Crop In10 surance Corporation for agricultural 

11 producers to obtain crop insurance 

12 under the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

13 (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) on land on 

14 which a crop during the current or im15 mediately preceding crop year was not 

16 harvestable due to a natural disaster 

17 (including any hurricane, storm, tor18 nado, flood, high water, wind-driven 

19 water, tidal wave, tsunami, earth20 quake, volcanic eruption, landslide, 

21 mudslide, drought, fire, snowstorm, or 

22 other catastrophe that is declared a 

23 major disaster by the President in ac24 cordance with section 401 of the Robert 

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1 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

2 5170)). 

3 ‘‘(II) LIMITATIONS.—The term 

4 ‘normal agricultural practice’ only in5 cludes a crop described in subclause (I) 

6 that has been destroyed or manipulated 

7 through activities that include (but are 

8 not limited to) mowing, discing, or 

9 rolling if the Federal Crop Insurance 

10 Corporation certifies that flooding was 

11 not an acceptable method of destruction 

12 to obtain crop insurance under the 

13 Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 

14 1501 et seq.). 

15 ‘‘(E) WATERFOWL.—The term ‘waterfowl’ 

16 means native species of the family Anatidae. 

17 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—It shall be unlawful for any 

18 person— 

19 ‘‘(A) to take any migratory game bird by 

20 baiting or on or over any baited area, if the per21 son knows or reasonably should know that the 

22 area is a baited area; or 

23 ‘‘(B) to place or direct the placement of bait 

24 on or adjacent to an area for the purpose of 

25 causing, inducing, or allowing any person to 


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1 take or attempt to take any migratory game bird 

2 by baiting or on or over the baited area. 

3 ‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of the Inte4 rior may promulgate regulations to implement this 

5 subsection. 

6 ‘‘(4) REPORTS.—Annually, the Secretary of Ag7 riculture shall submit to the Secretary of the Interior 

8 a report that describes any changes to normal agri9 cultural practices across the range of crops grown by 

10 agricultural producers in each region of the United 

11 States in which the recommendations are provided to 

12 agricultural producers.’’. 

13 TITLE VIII—TRANSPORTING 

14 BOWS ACROSS NATIONAL 

15 PARK SERVICE LANDS 

16 SEC. 801. SHORT TITLE. 

17 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Hunter Access Cor18 ridors Act’’. 

19 SEC. 802. BOWHUNTING OPPORTUNITY AND WILDLIFE 

20 STEWARDSHIP. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 1015 of 

22 title 54, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

23 end the following: 

24 ‘‘§ 101513. Hunter access corridors 

25 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) NOT READY FOR IMMEDIATE USE.—The 

2 term ‘not ready for immediate use’ means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a bow or crossbow, the arrows of which 

4 are secured or stowed in a quiver or other arrow 

5 transport case; and 

6 ‘‘(B) with respect to a crossbow, uncocked. 

7 ‘‘(2) VALID HUNTING LICENSE.—The term ‘valid 

8 hunting license’ means a State-issued hunting license 

9 that authorizes an individual to hunt on private or 

10 public land adjacent to the System unit in which the 

11 individual is located while in possession of a bow or 

12 crossbow that is not ready for immediate use. 

13 ‘‘(b) TRANSPORTATION AUTHORIZED.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall not re15 quire a permit for, or promulgate or enforce any reg16 ulation that prohibits an individual from trans17 porting bows and crossbows that are not ready for 

18 immediate use across any System unit if— 

19 ‘‘(A) in the case of an individual traversing 

20 the System unit on foot— 

21 ‘‘(i) the individual is not otherwise 

22 prohibited by law from possessing the bows 

23 and crossbows; 

24 ‘‘(ii) the bows or crossbows are not 

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1 riod during which the bows or crossbows are 

2 transported across the System unit; 

3 ‘‘(iii) the possession of the bows and 

4 crossbows is in compliance with the law of 

5 the State in which the System unit is lo6 cated; and 

7 ‘‘(iv)(I) the individual possesses a 

8 valid hunting license; 

9 ‘‘(II) the individual is traversing the 

10 System unit en route to a hunting access 

11 corridor established under subsection (c)(1); 

12 or 

13 ‘‘(III) the individual is traversing the 

14 System unit in compliance with any other 

15 applicable regulations or policies; or 

16 ‘‘(B) the bows or crossbows are not ready 

17 for immediate use and remain inside a vehicle. 

18 ‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—Nothing in this subsection 

19 limits the authority of the Director to enforce laws 

20 (including regulations) prohibiting hunting or the 

21 taking of wildlife in any System unit. 

22 ‘‘(c) ESTABLISHMENT OF HUNTER ACCESS COR23 RIDORS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—On a determination by the 

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1 tablish and publish (in accordance with section 1.5 of 

2 title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 

3 regulation)), on a publicly available map, hunter ac4 cess corridors across System units that are used to ac5 cess public land that is— 

6 ‘‘(A) contiguous to a System unit; and 

7 ‘‘(B) open to hunting. 

8 ‘‘(2) DETERMINATION BY DIRECTOR.—The deter9 mination referred to in paragraph (1) is a deter10 mination that the hunter access corridor would pro11 vide wildlife management or visitor experience bene12 fits within the boundary of the System unit in which 

13 the hunter access corridor is located. 

14 ‘‘(3) HUNTING SEASON.—The hunter access cor15 ridors shall be open for use during hunting seasons. 

16 ‘‘(4) EXCEPTION.—The Director may establish 

17 limited periods during which access through the hun18 ter access corridors is closed for reasons of public safe19 ty, administration, or compliance with applicable 

20 law. 

21 ‘‘(5) IDENTIFICATION OF CORRIDORS.—The Di22 rector shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) make information regarding hunter 

24 access corridors available on the individual 

25 website of the applicable System unit; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) provide information regarding any 

2 processes established by the Director for trans3 porting legally taken game through individual 

4 hunter access corridors. 

5 ‘‘(6) REGISTRATION; TRANSPORTATION OF

6 GAME.—The Director may— 

7 ‘‘(A) provide registration boxes to be located 

8 at the trailhead of each hunter access corridor for 

9 self-registration; 

10 ‘‘(B) provide a process for online self-reg11 istration; and 

12 ‘‘(C) allow nonmotorized conveyances to 

13 transport legally taken game through a hunter 

14 access corridor established under this subsection, 

15 including game carts and sleds. 

16 ‘‘(7) CONSULTATION WITH STATES.—The Direc17 tor shall consult with each applicable State wildlife 

18 agency to identify appropriate hunter access cor19 ridors. 

20 ‘‘(d) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section— 

21 ‘‘(1) diminishes, enlarges, or modifies any Fed22 eral or State authority with respect to recreational 

23 hunting, recreational shooting, or any other rec24 reational activities within the boundaries of a System 

25 unit; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) authorizes— 

2 ‘‘(A) the establishment of new trails in Sys3 tem units; or 

4 ‘‘(B) authorizes individuals to access areas 

5 in System units, on foot or otherwise, that are 

6 not open to such access. 

7 ‘‘(e) NO MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any action taken under this 

9 section shall not be considered a major Federal action 

10 significantly affecting the quality of the human envi11 ronment under the National Environmental Policy 

12 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

13 ‘‘(2) NO ADDITIONAL ACTION REQUIRED.—No 

14 additional identification, analyses, or consideration 

15 of environmental effects (including cumulative envi16 ronmental effects) is necessary or required with re17 spect to an action taken under this section.’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for 

19 title 54, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

20 the item relating to section 101512 the following: 

‘‘101513. Hunter access corridors.’’. 


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1 TITLE IX—FEDERAL LAND 

2 TRANSACTION FACILITATION 

3 ACT REAUTHORIZATION 

4 (FLTFA) 

5 SEC. 901. SHORT TITLE. 

6 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Land Trans7 action Facilitation Act Reauthorization of 2015’’. 

8 SEC. 902. FEDERAL LAND TRANSACTION FACILITATION 

9 ACT. 

10 The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in section 203(1) (43 U.S.C. 2302(1)), by 

13 striking ‘‘cultural, or’’ and inserting ‘‘cultural, rec14 reational access and use, or other’’; 

15 (2) in section 203(2) in the matter preceding 

16 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘on the date of enact17 ment of this Act was’’ and inserting ‘‘is’’; 

18 (3) in section 205 (43 U.S.C. 2304)— 

19 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘section 

20 206’’ and all that follows through the period and 

21 inserting the following: ‘‘section 206— 

22 ‘‘(1) to complete appraisals and satisfy other 

23 legal requirements for the sale or exchange of public 

24 land identified for disposal under approved land use 


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1 plans under section 202 of the Federal Land Policy 

2 and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712); 

3 ‘‘(2) not later than 180 days after the date of the 

4 enactment of the Federal Land Transaction Facilita5 tion Act Reauthorization of 2015, to establish and 

6 make available to the public, on the website of the De7 partment of the Interior, a database containing a 

8 comprehensive list of all the land referred to in para9 graph (1); and 

10 ‘‘(3) to maintain the database referred to in 

11 paragraph (2).’’; and 

12 (B) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘11’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘22’’; 

14 (4) by amending section 206(c)(1) (43 U.S.C. 

15 2305(c)(1)) to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(1) USE OF FUNDS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Funds in the Federal 

18 Land Disposal Account shall be expended in ac19 cordance with this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(B) PURPOSES.—Except as authorized 

21 under paragraph (2), funds in the Federal Land 

22 Disposal Account shall be used for one or more 

23 of the following purposes: 

24 ‘‘(i) To purchase lands or interests 

25 therein that are otherwise authorized by law 


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1 to be acquired and are one or more of the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(I) Inholdings. 

4 ‘‘(II) Adjacent to federally des5 ignated areas and contain exceptional 

6 resources. 

7 ‘‘(III) Provide opportunities for 

8 hunting, recreational fishing, rec9 reational shooting, and other rec10 reational activities. 

11 ‘‘(IV) Likely to aid in the per12 formance of deferred maintenance or 

13 the reduction of operation and mainte14 nance costs or other deferred costs. 

15 ‘‘(ii) To perform deferred maintenance 

16 or other maintenance activities that en17 hance opportunities for recreational ac18 cess.’’; 

19 (5) in section 206(c)(2) (43 U.S.C. 2305(c)(2))— 

20 (A) by striking subparagraph (A); 

21 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), 

22 (C), and (D) as subparagraphs (A), (B), and 

23 (C), respectively; 

24 (C) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated 

25 by this paragraph)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘PURCHASES’’ and in2 serting ‘‘LAND PURCHASES AND PERFORM3 ANCE OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ACTIVI4 TIES’’; 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (C)’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (B)’’; and 

7 (iii) by inserting ‘‘for the activities 

8 outlined in paragraph (2)’’ after ‘‘gen9 erated’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(D) Any funds made available under sub12 paragraph (C) that are not obligated or ex13 pended by the end of the fourth full fiscal year 

14 after the date of the sale or exchange of land that 

15 generated the funds may be expended in any 

16 State.’’; 

17 (6) in section 206(c)(3) (43 U.S.C. 2305(c)(3))— 

18 (A) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(B) the extent to which the acquisition of 

21 the land or interest therein will increase the pub22 lic availability of resources for, and facilitate 

23 public access to, hunting, fishing, and other rec24 reational activities;’’; and 


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1 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

2 and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D); 

3 (7) in section 206(f) (43 U.S.C. 2305(f)), by 

4 amending paragraph (2) to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(2) any remaining balance in the account shall 

6 be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit re7 duction, except that in the case of a fiscal year for 

8 which there is no Federal budget deficit, such 

9 amounts shall be used to reduce the Federal debt (in 

10 such manner as the Secretary of the Treasury con11 siders appropriate).’’; and 

12 (8) in section 207(b) (43 U.S.C. 2306(b))— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

14 (i) by striking ‘‘96–568’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘96–586’’; and 

16 (ii) by striking ‘‘; or’’ and inserting a 

17 semicolon; 

18 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) by inserting ‘‘Public Law 105– 

20 263;’’ before ‘‘112 Stat.’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

22 and inserting a semicolon; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(3) the White Pine County Conservation, Recre2 ation, and Development Act of 2006 (Public Law 

3 109–432; 120 Stat. 3028); 

4 ‘‘(4) the Lincoln County Conservation, Recre5 ation, and Development Act of 2004 (Public Law 

6 108–424; 118 Stat. 2403); 

7 ‘‘(5) subtitle F of title I of the Omnibus Public 

8 Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 

9 Public Law 111–11); 

10 ‘‘(6) subtitle O of title I of the Omnibus Public 

11 Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 460www 

12 note, 1132 note; Public Law 111–11); 

13 ‘‘(7) section 2601 of the Omnibus Public Land 

14 Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–11; 123 

15 Stat. 1108); or 

16 ‘‘(8) section 2606 of the Omnibus Public Land 

17 Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–11; 123 

18 Stat. 1121).’’. 

19 TITLE X—AFRICAN ELEPHANT 

20 CONSERVATION AND LEGAL 

21 IVORY POSSESSION ACT 

22 SEC. 1001. SHORT TITLE. 

23 This title may be cited as the ‘‘African Elephant Con24 servation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 1002. REFERENCES. 

2 Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 

3 this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

4 an amendment to, or repeal of, a provision, the reference 

5 shall be considered to be made to a provision of the African 

6 Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.). 

7 SEC. 1003. LIMITED EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN AFRICAN 

8 ELEPHANT IVORY. 

9 Section 2203 (16 U.S.C. 4223) is amended— 

10 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before the 

11 first sentence; 

12 (2) by inserting ‘‘and subsection (b) of this sec13 tion’’ after ‘‘2202(e)’’; and 

14 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) EXEMPTION.—Nothing in this Act or subsection 

16 (a) or (d) of section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 

17 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1538) shall be construed to prohibit impor18 tation or exportation, or to require permission of the Sec19 retary for importation or exportation, of— 

20 ‘‘(1) any raw ivory or worked ivory— 

21 ‘‘(A) imported solely for purposes of becom22 ing part of a museum’s permanent collection, re23 turn to a lending museum, or display in a mu24 seum; or 

25 ‘‘(B) exported solely for purposes of— 

26 ‘‘(i) display in a foreign museum; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) return to a foreign person who 

2 lent such ivory to a museum in the United 

3 States; 

4 ‘‘(2) any raw ivory or worked ivory that was 

5 lawfully importable into the United States on Feb6 ruary 24, 2014, regardless of when acquired; or 

7 ‘‘(3) any worked ivory that was previously law8 fully possessed in the United States.’’. 

9 SEC. 1004. PLACEMENT OF UNITED STATES FISH AND WILD10 LIFE SERVICE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER 

11 IN EACH AFRICAN ELEPHANT RANGE COUN12 TRY. 

13 Part I (16 U.S.C. 4211 et seq.) is amended by adding 

14 at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 2105. PLACEMENT OF UNITED STATES FISH AND 

16 WILDLIFE SERVICE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFI17 CER IN EACH AFRICAN ELEPHANT RANGE 

18 COUNTRY. 

19 ‘‘The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 

20 State, may station one United States Fish and Wildlife 

21 Service law enforcement officer in the primary United 

22 States diplomatic or consular post in each African country 

23 that has a significant population of African elephants, who 

24 shall assist local wildlife rangers in the protection of Afri25 can elephants and facilitate the apprehension of individuals 


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1 who illegally kill, or assist the illegal killing of, African ele2 phants.’’. 

3 SEC. 1005. CERTIFICATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE 

4 FISHERMEN’S PROTECTIVE ACT OF 1967. 

5 Section 2202 (16 U.S.C. 4222) is amended by adding 

6 at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(g) CERTIFICATION.—When the Secretary of the Inte8 rior finds that a country, directly or indirectly, is a signifi9 cant transit or destination point for illegal ivory trade, the 

10 Secretary shall certify such fact to the President with re11 spect to the country for the purposes of section 8(a) of the 

12 Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967 (22 U.S.C. 1978(a)).’’. 

13 SEC. 1006. TREATMENT OF ELEPHANT IVORY. 

14 Section 2203 (16 U.S.C. 4223) is further amended by 

15 adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(c) TREATMENT OF ELEPHANT IVORY.—Nothing in 

17 this Act or the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

18 1538) shall be construed— 

19 ‘‘(1) to prohibit, or to authorize prohibiting, the 

20 possession, sale, delivery, receipt, shipment, or trans21 portation of African elephant ivory, or any product 

22 containing African elephant ivory, that has been law23 fully imported or crafted in the United States; or 

24 ‘‘(2) to authorize using any means of deter25 mining for purposes of this Act or the Endangered 


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1 Species Act of 1973 whether African elephant ivory 

2 has been lawfully imported, including any presump3 tion or burden of proof applied in such determina4 tion, other than such means used by the Secretary as 

5 of February 24, 2014.’’. 

6 SEC. 1007. SPORT-HUNTED ELEPHANT TROPHIES. 

7 Section 2203 (16 U.S.C. 4223) is further amended by 

8 adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(d) SPORT-HUNTED ELEPHANT TROPHIES.—Nothing 

10 in this Act or subsection (a) or (d) of section 9 of the En11 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1538) shall be con12 strued to prohibit any citizen or legal resident of the United 

13 States, or an agent of such an individual, from importing 

14 a sport-hunted African elephant trophy under section 

15 2202(e) of this Act, if the country in which the elephant 

16 was taken had an elephant population on Appendix II of 

17 CITES at the time the trophy elephant was taken. 

18 ‘‘(e) RELATIONSHIP TO THE CONVENTION.—Nothing 

19 in this section shall be construed as modifying or repealing 

20 the Secretary’s duties to implement CITES and the appen21 dices thereto, or as modifying or repealing section 8A or 

22 9(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

23 1537a and 1538(c)).’’. 


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1 SEC. 1008. AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION ACT FINAN2 CIAL ASSISTANCE PRIORITY AND REAUTHOR3 IZATION. 

4 (a) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PRIORITY.—Section 2101 

5 (16 U.S.C. 4211) is amended by redesignating subsections 

6 (e) and (f) as subsections (f) and (g), respectively, and by 

7 inserting after subsection (d) the following: 

8 ‘‘(e) PRIORITY.—In providing financial assistance 

9 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to 

10 projects designed to facilitate the acquisition of equipment 

11 and training of wildlife officials in ivory producing coun12 tries to be used in anti-poaching efforts.’’. 

13 (b) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 2306(a) (16 U.S.C. 

14 4245(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘2007 through 2012’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘2016 through 2020’’. 

16 TITLE XI—RESPECT FOR 

17 TREATIES AND RIGHTS 

18 SEC. 1101. RESPECT FOR TREATIES AND RIGHTS. 

19 Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 

20 Act shall be construed to affect or modify any treaty or 

21 other right of any federally recognized Indian tribe. 


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1 TITLE XII—INTEREST ON OBLI2 GATIONS HELD IN THE WILD3 LIFE RESTORATION FUND 

4 SEC. 1201. INTEREST ON OBLIGATIONS HELD IN THE WILD5 LIFE RESTORATION FUND. 

6 Section 3(b)(2)(C) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 

7 Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669b(b)(2)(C)) is amended by 

8 striking ‘‘2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2026’’. 

9 TITLE XIII—PERMITS FOR FILM 

10 CREWS OF FIVE PEOPLE OR 

11 LESS 

12 SEC. 1301. ANNUAL PERMIT AND FEE FOR FILM CREWS OF 

13 5 PERSONS OR FEWER. 

14 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to pro15 vide commercial film crews of 5 persons or fewer access to 

16 film in areas designated for public use during public hours 

17 on Federal land and waterways. 

18 (b) NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM LAND.—Section 100905 

19 of title 54, United States Code, is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Sec22 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 

23 paragraph (3), the Secretary’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULES FOR FILM CREWS OF 5 PER2 SONS OR FEWER.— 

3 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF FILM CREW.—In this 

4 paragraph, the term ‘film crew’ means any per5 sons present on Federal land or waterways 

6 under the jurisdiction of the Secretary who are 

7 associated with the production of a film. 

8 ‘‘(B) REQUIRED PERMIT AND FEE.—For 

9 any film crew of 5 persons or fewer, the Sec10 retary shall require a permit and assess an an11 nual fee of $200 for commercial filming activi12 ties or similar projects on Federal land and wa13 terways administered by the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(C) COMMERCIAL FILMING ACTIVITIES.—A 

15 permit issued under subparagraph (B) shall be 

16 valid for commercial filming activities or simi17 lar projects that occur in areas designated for 

18 public use during public hours on all Federal 

19 land and waterways administered by the Sec20 retary for a 1-year period beginning on the date 

21 of issuance of the permit. 

22 ‘‘(D) NO ADDITIONAL FEES.—For persons 

23 holding a permit issued under this paragraph, 

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1 retary shall not assess any fees in addition to the 

2 fee assessed under subparagraph (B). 

3 ‘‘(E) USE OF CAMERAS.—The Secretary 

4 shall not prohibit, as a mechanized apparatus or 

5 under any other purposes, use of cameras or re6 lated equipment used for the purpose of commer7 cial filming activities or similar projects in ac8 cordance with this paragraph on Federal land 

9 and waterways administered by the Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(F) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—A film 

11 crew of 5 persons or fewer subject to a permit 

12 issued under this paragraph shall notify the ap13 plicable land management agency with jurisdic14 tion over the Federal land at least 48 hours be15 fore entering the Federal land. 

16 ‘‘(G) DENIAL OF ACCESS.—The head of the 

17 applicable land management agency may deny 

18 access to a film crew under this paragraph if— 

19 ‘‘(i) there is a likelihood of resource 

20 damage that cannot be mitigated; 

21 ‘‘(ii) there would be an unreasonable 

22 disruption of the use and enjoyment of the 

23 site by the public; 

24 ‘‘(iii) the activity poses health or safety 

25 risks to the public; or 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the filming includes the use of 

2 models or props that are not part of the 

3 natural or cultural resources or administra4 tive facilities of the Federal land.’’; and 

5 (2) in the first sentence of subsection (b), by 

6 striking ‘‘collect any costs’’ and inserting ‘‘recover 

7 any costs’’. 

8 (c) OTHER FEDERAL LAND.—Section 1 of Public Law 

9 106–206 (16 U.S.C. 460l–6d) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Sec12 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 

13 paragraph (3), the Secretary’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULES FOR FILM CREWS OF 5 PER16 SONS OR FEWER.— 

17 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF FILM CREW.—In this 

18 paragraph, the term ‘film crew’ means any per19 sons present on Federal land or waterways 

20 under the jurisdiction of the Secretary who are 

21 associated with the production of a film. 

22 ‘‘(B) REQUIRED PERMIT AND FEE.—For 

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1 ties or similar projects on Federal land and wa2 terways administered by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(C) COMMERCIAL FILMING ACTIVITIES.—A 

4 permit issued under subparagraph (B) shall be 

5 valid for commercial filming activities or simi6 lar projects that occur in areas designated for 

7 public use during public hours on all Federal 

8 land and waterways administered by the Sec9 retary for a 1-year period beginning on the date 

10 of issuance of the permit. 

11 ‘‘(D) NO ADDITIONAL FEES.—For persons 

12 holding a permit issued under this paragraph, 

13 during the effective period of the permit, the Sec14 retary shall not assess any fees in addition to the 

15 fee assessed under subparagraph (B). 

16 ‘‘(E) USE OF CAMERAS.—The Secretary 

17 shall not prohibit, as a mechanized apparatus or 

18 under any other purposes, use of cameras or re19 lated equipment used for the purpose of commer20 cial filming activities or similar projects in ac21 cordance with this paragraph on Federal land 

22 and waterways administered by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(F) NOTIFICATION REQUIRED.—A film 

24 crew of 5 persons or fewer subject to a permit 

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1 plicable land management agency with jurisdic2 tion over the Federal land at least 48 hours be3 fore entering the Federal land. 

4 ‘‘(G) DENIAL OF ACCESS.—The head of the 

5 applicable land management agency may deny 

6 access to a film crew under this paragraph if— 

7 ‘‘(i) there is a likelihood of resource 

8 damage that cannot be mitigated; 

9 ‘‘(ii) there would be an unreasonable 

10 disruption of the use and enjoyment of the 

11 site by the public; 

12 ‘‘(iii) the activity poses health or safety 

13 risks to the public; or 

14 ‘‘(iv) the filming includes the use of 

15 models or props that are not part of the 

16 natural or cultural resources or administra17 tive facilities of the Federal land.’’; and 

18 (2) in the first sentence of subsection (b)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘collect any costs’’ and in20 serting ‘‘recover any costs’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘similar project’’ and in22 serting ‘‘similar projects’’. 


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1 TITLE XIV—STATE APPROVAL OF 

2 FISHING RESTRICTION 

3 SEC. 1401. STATE OR TERRITORIAL APPROVAL OF RESTRIC4 TION OF RECREATIONAL OR COMMERCIAL 

5 FISHING ACCESS TO CERTAIN STATE OR TER6 RITORIAL WATERS. 

7 (a) APPROVAL REQUIRED.—The Secretary of the Inte8 rior and the Secretary of Commerce shall not restrict rec9 reational or commercial fishing access to any State or terri10 torial marine waters or Great Lakes waters within the ju11 risdiction of the National Park Service or the Office of Na12 tional Marine Sanctuaries, respectively, unless those restric13 tions are developed in coordination with, and approved by, 

14 the fish and wildlife management agency of the State or 

15 territory that has fisheries management authority over those 

16 waters. 

17 (b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘marine 

18 waters’’ includes coastal waters and estuaries. 

19 TITLE XV—HUNTING AND REC20 REATIONAL FISHING WITHIN 

21 CERTAIN NATIONAL FORESTS 

22 SEC. 1501. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this title: 

24 (1) HUNTING.—The term ‘‘hunting’’ means use 

25 of a firearm, bow, or other authorized means in the 


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1 lawful pursuit, shooting, capture, collection, trapping, 

2 or killing of wildlife; attempt to pursue, shoot, cap3 ture, collect, trap, or kill wildlife; or the training and 

4 use of hunting dogs, including field trials. 

5 (2) RECREATIONAL FISHING.—The term ‘‘rec6 reational fishing’’ means the lawful pursuit, capture, 

7 collection, or killing of fish; or attempt to capture, 

8 collect, or kill fish. 

9 (3) FOREST PLAN.—The term ‘‘forest plan’’ 

10 means a land and resource management plan pre11 pared by the Forest Service for a unit of the National 

12 Forest System pursuant to section 6 of the Forest and 

13 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

14 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604). 

15 (4) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Na16 tional Forest System’’ has the meaning given that 

17 term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland 

18 Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 

19 U.S.C. 1609(a)) 

20 SEC. 1502. HUNTING AND RECREATIONAL FISHING WITHIN 

21 THE NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM. 

22 (a) PROHIBITION OF RESTRICTIONS.—The Secretary 

23 of Agriculture or Chief of the Forest Service may not estab24 lish policies, directives, or regulations that restrict the type, 

25 season, or method of hunting or recreational fishing on 


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1 lands within the National Forest System that are otherwise 

2 open to those activities and are consistent with the applica3 ble forest plan. 

4 (b) PRIOR RESTRICTIONS VOID.—Any restrictions im5 posed by the Secretary of Agriculture or Chief of the Forest 

6 Service regarding the type, season, or method of hunting 

7 or recreational fishing on lands within the National Forest 

8 System that are otherwise open to those activities in force 

9 on the date of the enactment of this Act shall be void and 

10 have no force or effect. 

11 (c) APPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply only to 

12 the Kisatchie National Forest in the State of Louisiana, 

13 the De Soto National Forest in the State of Mississippi, 

14 and the Ozark National Forest, the St. Francis National 

15 Forest and the Ouachita National Forest in the States of 

16 Arkansas and Oklahoma. 

17 (d) STATE AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this section, sec18 tion 1 of the Act of June 4, 1897 (16 U.S.C. 551), or section 

19 32 of the Act of July 22, 1937 (7 U.S.C. 1011) shall affect 

20 the authority of States to manage hunting or recreational 

21 fishing on lands within the National Forest System. 


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1 TITLE XVI—GRAND CANYON 

2 BISON MANAGEMENT ACT 

3 SEC. 1601. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Grand Canyon Bison 

5 Management Act’’. 

6 SEC. 1602. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this title: 

8 (1) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage9 ment plan’’ means the management plan published 

10 under section 1603(a). 

11 (2) PARK.—The term ‘‘Park’’ means the Grand 

12 Canyon National Park. 

13 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of the Interior. 

15 (4) SKILLED PUBLIC VOLUNTEER.—The term 

16 ‘‘skilled public volunteer’’ means an individual who 

17 possesses— 

18 (A) a valid hunting license issued by the 

19 State of Arizona; and 

20 (B) such other qualifications as the Sec21 retary may require, after consultation with the 

22 Arizona Game and Fish Commission. 


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1 SEC. 1603. BISON MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR GRAND CANYON 

2 NATIONAL PARK. 

3 (a) PUBLICATION OF PLAN.—Not later than 180 days 

4 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

5 publish a management plan to reduce, through humane le6 thal culling by skilled public volunteers and by other non7 lethal means, the population of bison in the Park that the 

8 Secretary determines are detrimental to the use of the Park. 

9 (b) REMOVAL OF ANIMAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

10 provision of law, a skilled public volunteer may remove a 

11 full bison harvested from the Park. 

12 (c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordinate 

13 with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission regarding the 

14 development and implementation of the management plan. 

15 (d) NEPA COMPLIANCE.—In developing the manage16 ment plan, the Secretary shall comply with all applicable 

17 Federal environmental laws (including regulations), in18 cluding the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

19 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

20 (e) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this title applies to the 

21 taking of wildlife in the Park for any purpose other than 

22 the implementation of the management plan. 


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Union Calendar No. 287 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2406 

[Report No. 114–377, Part I] 

A BILL 

To protect and enhance opportunities for recother purposes. reational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for 

DECEMBER 10, 2015 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with 

an amendment 

DECEMBER 10, 2015 

The Committees on Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, 

printed House on the State of the Union and ordered to be discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Judiciary 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS