I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4973 

To amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize volunteer programs and community partnerships for national wildlife refuges, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2010 

Mr. KRATOVIL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Wildlife Ref5 uge Volunteer Improvement Act of 2010’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO IM2 PLEMENT VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PART3 NERSHIP AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

4 UNDER FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 1956. 

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

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

7 to read as follows: 

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

9 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 

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

11 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014.’’. 

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

13 Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f) is amend14 ed in subsections (b)(2)(B)(ii) and (d)(2)(C)(i) by striking 

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

16 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘National Wildlife Ref17 uge System Administration Act of 1966’’. 

18 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 

19 SYSTEM VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY PART20 NERSHIP ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 1998. 

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

22 Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act 

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

24 (1) in the subsection heading by striking 

25 ‘‘PROJECTS’’ and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL VOLUNTEER

26 COORDINATION PROGRAM’’; 


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1 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol2 lows: 

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

4 of appropriations, and in conformance with the 

5 strategy developed under paragraph (2) and con6 sistent with the authorities regarding gifts, volunteer 

7 services, community partnerships, and refuge edu8 cation enhancement under section 7 of the Fish and 

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

10 of the Interior, through the Director of the United 

11 States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall carry out a 

12 National Volunteer Coordination Program within the 

13 National Wildlife Refuge System to— 

14 ‘‘(A) augment and support the capabilities 

15 and efforts of Federal employees to implement 

16 resource management, conservation, and public 

17 education programs and activities across the 

18 National Wildlife Refuge System; 

19 ‘‘(B) provide meaningful opportunities for 

20 volunteers to support the resource management, 

21 conservation, and public education programs 

22 and activities of national wildlife refuges or 

23 complexes of geographically related national 

24 wildlife refuges in each United States Fish and 

25 Wildlife Service region; and 


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

2 National Wildlife Refuge System under the Na3 tional Wildlife Refuge System Administration 

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

5 (3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol6 lows 

7 ‘‘(2) VOLUNTEER COORDINATION STRATEGY.— 

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

9 year after date of enactment of this paragraph, 

10 the Director shall publish in the Federal Reg11 ister a national strategy for the coordination 

12 and utilization of volunteers within the National 

13 Wildlife Refuge System. 

14 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—The 

15 strategy shall be developed in consultation with 

16 State fish and wildlife agencies, Indian tribes, 

17 refuge friends groups or similar volunteer orga18 nizations, and other relevant stakeholders. 

19 ‘‘(C) VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS.—The 

20 Director shall provide, subject to the availability 

21 of appropriations, no less than one regional vol22 unteer coordinator for each United States Fish 

23 and Wildlife Service region to implement the 

24 strategy published under this paragraph. Such 

25 coordinators may be responsible for assisting 


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1 partner organizations in developing and imple2 menting volunteer projects and activities under 

3 cooperative agreements under section 7(d) of 

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

5 742f(d)).’’; and 

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

7 of fiscal years 1999 through 2002’’ and inserting 

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

9 SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND 

10 EDUCATION PROGRAMS REPORT. 

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

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

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

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

15 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol16 lowing new subsection: 

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

18 of enactment of this subsection and every 5 years there19 after, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit a report 

20 to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

21 Representatives and the Committee on Environment and 

22 Public Works of the Senate— 

23 ‘‘(1) evaluating the accomplishments of the vol24 unteer program, the community partnerships pro25 gram, and the refuge education programs authorized 


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1 under this section, and of the National Volunteer 

2 Coordination Program and volunteer coordination 

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

4 Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partner5 ship Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1); 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(2) making recommendations to improve the 

8 effectiveness of such programs, including regarding 

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

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

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

12 National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Commu13 nity Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 

14 742f–1) is further amended by striking paragraph (3), 

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

16 Act) as paragraph (3). 

Æ 


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