111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4973 

AN ACT 

To amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize 

volunteer programs and community partnerships for national wildlife refuges, 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, 
2 

•HR 4973 EH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Wildlife Ref3 uge Volunteer Improvement Act of 2010’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO IM5 PLEMENT VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PART6 NERSHIP AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

7 UNDER FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 1956. 

8 (a) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 7(f) of the Fish 

9 and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(f)) is amended 

10 to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 

13 Interior to carry out subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f), 

14 $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014.’’. 

15 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 7 of the 

16 Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f) is amend17 ed in subsections (b)(2)(B)(ii) and (d)(2)(C)(i) by striking 

18 ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act of 1966’’ 

19 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘National Wildlife Ref20 uge System Administration Act of 1966’’. 

21 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 

22 SYSTEM VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY PART23 NERSHIP ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 1998. 

24 Section 4(a) of the National Wildlife Refuge System 

25 Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act 

26 of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1) is amended— 
3 

•HR 4973 EH

1 (1) in the subsection heading by striking 

2 ‘‘PROJECTS’’ and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL VOLUNTEER

3 COORDINATION PROGRAM’’; 

4 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 

7 of appropriations, and in conformance with the 

8 strategy developed under paragraph (2) and con9 sistent with the authorities regarding gifts, volunteer 

10 services, community partnerships, and refuge edu11 cation enhancement under section 7 of the Fish and 

12 Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 741f), the Secretary 

13 of the Interior, through the Director of the United 

14 States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall carry out a 

15 National Volunteer Coordination Program within the 

16 National Wildlife Refuge System to— 

17 ‘‘(A) augment and support the capabilities 

18 and efforts of Federal employees to implement 

19 resource management, conservation, and public 

20 education programs and activities across the 

21 National Wildlife Refuge System; 

22 ‘‘(B) provide meaningful opportunities for 

23 volunteers to support the resource management, 

24 conservation, and public education programs 

25 and activities of national wildlife refuges or 
4 

•HR 4973 EH

1 complexes of geographically related national 

2 wildlife refuges in each United States Fish and 

3 Wildlife Service region; and 

4 ‘‘(C) fulfill the purpose and mission of the 

5 National Wildlife Refuge System under the Na6 tional Wildlife Refuge System Administration 

7 Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.).’’; 

8 (3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘(2) VOLUNTEER COORDINATION STRATEGY.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No later than one 

12 year after date of enactment of this paragraph, 

13 the Director shall publish in the Federal Reg14 ister a national strategy for the coordination 

15 and utilization of volunteers within the National 

16 Wildlife Refuge System. 

17 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—The 

18 strategy shall be developed in consultation with 

19 State fish and wildlife agencies, Indian tribes, 

20 refuge friends groups or similar volunteer orga21 nizations, and other relevant stakeholders. 

22 ‘‘(C) VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS.—The 

23 Director shall provide, subject to the availability 

24 of appropriations, no less than one regional vol25 unteer coordinator for each United States Fish 
5 

•HR 4973 EH

1 and Wildlife Service region to implement the 

2 strategy published under this paragraph. Such 

3 coordinators may be responsible for assisting 

4 partner organizations in developing and imple5 menting volunteer projects and activities under 

6 cooperative agreements under section 7(d) of 

7 the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 

8 742f(d)).’’; and 

9 (4) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘for for each 

10 fiscal year through fiscal year 2009’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘for each fiscal year through fiscal year 2014’’. 

12 SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND 

13 EDUCATION PROGRAMS REPORT. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife 

15 Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(e)) is amended— 

16 (1) by redesignating subsection (f) (as amended 

17 by this Act) as subsection (g); and 

18 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol19 lowing new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

21 of enactment of this subsection and every 5 years there22 after, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit a report 

23 to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

24 Representatives and the Committee on Environment and 

25 Public Works of the Senate— 
6 

•HR 4973 EH

1 ‘‘(1) evaluating the accomplishments of the vol2 unteer program, the community partnerships pro3 gram, and the refuge education programs authorized 

4 under this section, and of the National Volunteer 

5 Coordination Program and volunteer coordination 

6 strategy under section 4(a) of the National Wildlife 

7 Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partner8 ship Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1); 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(2) making recommendations to improve the 

11 effectiveness of such programs, including regarding 

12 implementing subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of 

13 paragraph (1) of subsection (e).’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 4(a) of the 

15 National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Commu16 nity Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 

17 742f–1) is further amended by striking paragraph (3), 

18 and by redesignating paragraph (4) (as amended by this 

19 Act) as paragraph (3). 

Passed the House of Representatives July 13, 2010. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4973 

AN ACT 

To amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reother purposes. partnerships for national wildlife refuges, and for authorize volunteer programs and community