IB 

Union Calendar No. 304 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4973 

[Report No. 111–531] 

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 

JULY 13, 2010 

Additional sponsors: Mr. ROSS, Mrs. CAPPS, and Mr. CASTLE

JULY 13, 2010 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

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

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 25, 2010] 


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•HR 4973 RH

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. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
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•HR 4973 RH

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 Refuge 

5 Volunteer Improvement Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO IMPLE7 MENT VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PARTNER8 SHIP AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS UNDER 

9 FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 1956. 

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

11 Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(f)) is amended to read 

12 as follows: 

13 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

14 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte15 rior to carry out subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f), 

16 $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014.’’. 

17 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 7 of the Fish 

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

19 subsections (b)(2)(B)(ii) and (d)(2)(C)(i) by striking ‘‘Na20 tional Wildlife Refuge Administration Act of 1966’’ each 

21 place it appears and inserting ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge 

22 System Administration Act of 1966’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 

2 SYSTEM VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY PART3 NERSHIP ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 1998. 

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

5 Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act 

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

7 (1) in the subsection heading by striking 

8 ‘‘PROJECTS’’ and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL VOLUNTEER

9 COORDINATION PROGRAM’’; 

10 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol11 lows: 

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

13 appropriations, and in conformance with the strategy 

14 developed under paragraph (2) and consistent with 

15 the authorities regarding gifts, volunteer services, 

16 community partnerships, and refuge education en17 hancement under section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife 

18 Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 741f), the Secretary of the In19 terior, through the Director of the United States Fish 

20 and Wildlife Service, shall carry out a National Vol21 unteer Coordination Program within the National 

22 Wildlife Refuge System to— 

23 ‘‘(A) augment and support the capabilities 

24 and efforts of Federal employees to implement re25 source management, conservation, and public 


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1 education programs and activities across the Na2 tional Wildlife Refuge System; 

3 ‘‘(B) provide meaningful opportunities for 

4 volunteers to support the resource management, 

5 conservation, and public education programs 

6 and activities of national wildlife refuges or 

7 complexes of geographically related national 

8 wildlife refuges in each United States Fish and 

9 Wildlife Service region; and 

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

11 National Wildlife Refuge System under the Na12 tional Wildlife Refuge System Administration 

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

14 (3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol15 lows 

16 ‘‘(2) VOLUNTEER COORDINATION STRATEGY.— 

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

18 after date of enactment of this paragraph, the 

19 Director shall publish in the Federal Register a 

20 national strategy for the coordination and utili21 zation of volunteers within the National Wildlife 

22 Refuge System. 

23 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—The 

24 strategy shall be developed in consultation with 

25 State fish and wildlife agencies, Indian tribes, 


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•HR 4973 RH

1 refuge friends groups or similar volunteer orga2 nizations, and other relevant stakeholders. 

3 ‘‘(C) VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS.—The Di4 rector shall provide, subject to the availability of 

5 appropriations, no less than one regional volun6 teer coordinator for each United States Fish and 

7 Wildlife Service region to implement the strategy 

8 published under this paragraph. Such coordina9 tors may be responsible for assisting partner or10 ganizations in developing and implementing vol11 unteer projects and activities under cooperative 

12 agreements under section 7(d) of the Fish and 

13 Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(d)).’’; and 

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

15 fiscal year through fiscal year 2009’’ and inserting 

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

17 SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND 

18 EDUCATION PROGRAMS REPORT. 

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

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

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

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

23 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following 

24 new subsection: 


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

2 enactment of this subsection and every 5 years thereafter, 

3 the Secretary of the Interior shall submit a report to the 

4 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Represent5 atives and the Committee on Environment and Public 

6 Works of the Senate— 

7 ‘‘(1) evaluating the accomplishments of the vol8 unteer program, the community partnerships pro9 gram, and the refuge education programs authorized 

10 under this section, and of the National Volunteer Co11 ordination Program and volunteer coordination strat12 egy under section 4(a) of the National Wildlife Refuge 

13 System Volunteer and Community Partnership En14 hancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1); and 

15 ‘‘(2) making recommendations to improve the ef16 fectiveness of such programs, including regarding im17 plementing subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of para18 graph (1) of subsection (e).’’. 

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

20 National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community 

21 Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 742f–1) 

22 is further amended by striking paragraph (3), and by redes23 ignating paragraph (4) (as amended by this Act) as para24 graph (3). 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 304 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4973 

[Report No. 111–531] 

A BILL 

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

JULY 13, 2010 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS