II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2384 

To promote botanical research and botanical sciences capacity, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2019 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. 

HARRIS, Mr. CARPER, and Mr. CARDIN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To promote botanical research and botanical sciences 

capacity, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, 

6 Restoration, and Promotion Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•S 2384 IS

TITLE I—PROMOTING BOTANICAL RESEARCH AND BOTANICAL 

SCIENCES CAPACITY 

Sec. 101. Definitions. 

Sec. 102. Department of the Interior botanical research. 

Sec. 103. Staff enhancement. 

TITLE II—GENERATING DEMAND FOR NATIVE PLANT 

MATERIALS 

Sec. 201. Policy for use of locally adapted native plant materials by Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior. 

Sec. 202. Policy for use of locally adapted native plant materials by Department of Defense. 

Sec. 203. Surface transportation program. 

Sec. 204. Native plant materials requirements for Federal development 

projects. 

TITLE III—AUTHORIZATION OF FEDERAL NATIVE PLANT 

MATERIALS RELATED ACTIVITIES 

Sec. 301. Interagency plant materials efforts. 

Sec. 302. Bureau of Land Management plant conservation program. 

Sec. 303. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation plant conservation programs. 

Sec. 304. Grants to support collaborative efforts to prevent endangered species 

status. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term 

4 ‘‘invasive plant species’’ means a plant species that 

5 is nonnative with respect to an ecosystem and whose 

6 introduction into that ecosystem will cause, or is 

7 likely to cause— 

8 (A) economic harm; 

9 (B) environmental harm; or 

10 (C) harm to— 

11 (i) human health; 

12 (ii) animal health; or 

13 (iii) plant health. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•S 2384 IS

1 (2) LOCALLY ADAPTED.—The term ‘‘locally 

2 adapted’’ means, with respect to a plant, a plant 

3 that— 

4 (A) originates from an area that is geo5 graphically proximate to a planting area; and 

6 (B) is environmentally adapted to, and 

7 likely to succeed in becoming established and 

8 persisting within, that area. 

9 (3) NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term ‘‘native 

10 plant species’’ means indigenous terrestrial and 

11 aquatic plant species that evolved naturally in a de12 fined native ecosystem. 

13 (4) NONNATIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term 

14 ‘‘nonnative plant species’’ means a plant that has 

15 been introduced by humans to a location outside the 

16 native or natural range of the plant and may, de17 pending on relevant facts and circumstances, include 

18 a species introduced from— 

19 (A) another continent; 

20 (B) another ecosystem; 

21 (C) another seed zone; or 

22 (D) another habitat within an ecosystem. 

23 (5) PLANT MATERIAL.—The term ‘‘plant mate24 rial’’ includes, with respect to a native plant species 

25 or a nonnative plant species, such a plant or mateVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 Aug 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2384.IS S2384

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•S 2384 IS

1 rial of the plant capable of propagating that species, 

2 including— 

3 (A) the seeds of the plant; 

4 (B) the eggs of the plant; 

5 (C) the spores of the plant; or 

6 (D) other biological material of the plant. 

7 TITLE I—PROMOTING BOTAN8 ICAL RESEARCH AND BOTAN9 ICAL SCIENCES CAPACITY 

10 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this title: 

12 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

13 means the Department of the Interior. 

14 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

15 the Secretary of the Interior. 

16 SEC. 102. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BOTANICAL RE17 SEARCH. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support a 

19 program of intramural and extramural botanical science 

20 research as appropriate to support the land management 

21 responsibilities of the Department. 

22 (b) AREAS OF EMPHASIS.—Research conducted 

23 under this section shall include a focus on the following 

24 topics: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
5 

•S 2384 IS

1 (1) Effective approaches to restoring habitat 

2 damaged by wildfires that incorporate the use of ap3 propriate plant materials. 

4 (2) Effective methods for developing and using 

5 locally adapted plant materials of native plant spe6 cies in land management activities. 

7 (3) Effective mitigation strategies for com8 bating invasive plant species. 

9 (4) Mitigation strategies relating to the impacts 

10 of long- and medium-term environmental changes 

11 such as changes in— 

12 (A) moisture levels; 

13 (B) temperature; 

14 (C) landscape fragmentation; 

15 (D) nonnative animal species; 

16 (E) nonnative plant species; and 

17 (F) human activity. 

18 (5) Methods to promote the recovery of threat19 ened and endangered species. 

20 (c) EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—As determined appropriate 

22 by the Secretary, research conducted under this sec23 tion may be carried out through competitively 

24 awarded grants or contracts, or cooperative agreeVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 Aug 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2384.IS S2384

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
6 

•S 2384 IS

1 ments, awarded or entered into in accordance with 

2 all applicable requirements governing that research. 

3 (2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

4 the cost of a grant, contract, or cooperative agree5 ment awarded or entered into under this subsection 

6 shall be not more than 50 percent. 

7 (d) AGENCIES.—This section shall apply to— 

8 (1) the Bureau of Land Management; 

9 (2) the United States Geological Survey; 

10 (3) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 

11 (4) the National Park Service; and 

12 (5) any other agencies and instrumentalities of 

13 the Department as the Secretary determines appro14 priate. 

15 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec17 tion— 

18 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and 

19 (2) such sums as are necessary for each fiscal 

20 year thereafter. 

21 SEC. 103. STAFF ENHANCEMENT. 

22 (a) DEFINITION OF BOTANICAL SCIENTIST.—In this 

23 section, the term ‘‘botanical scientist’’ means an individual 

24 with post-secondary education in botanical sciences, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 Aug 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2384.IS S2384

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
7 

•S 2384 IS

1 cluding a plant ecologist and an individual with a bachelor 

2 degree in plant biology. 

3 (b) BOTANICAL SCIENCES STAFF ENHANCEMENT.— 

4 For the purpose of improving the land management capa5 bilities of the Department, the Secretary shall augment 

6 the expertise of the Department in the botanical sciences 

7 by— 

8 (1) hiring additional personnel who are botan9 ical scientists under subsection (c); and 

10 (2) establishing a loan forgiveness program 

11 under subsection (d) to facilitate the hiring of those 

12 personnel. 

13 (c) HIRING OF BOTANICAL SCIENTISTS.— 

14 (1) HIRING.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—By not later than Sep16 tember 30, 2021, the Secretary shall hire not 

17 fewer than 1 and not greater than 20 full-time 

18 botanical scientists to support the land manage19 ment responsibilities of the Department. 

20 (B) PLACEMENT.—The Secretary shall de21 termine the appropriate placement of the botan22 ical scientists hired under subparagraph (A) 

23 within the appropriate agencies of the Depart24 ment with major land management responsibil25 ities. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
8 

•S 2384 IS

1 (C) UTILIZATION OF PATHWAYS PRO2 GRAMS.—To the extent practicable, the Sec3 retary shall carry out this section through the 

4 Pathways Programs under Executive Order 

5 13562 (5 U.S.C. 3301 note; relating to recruit6 ing and hiring students and recent graduates). 

7 (D) WAIVER OF LIMITATIONS.—The Sec8 retary may waive any limitation on the number 

9 of full-time equivalent personnel assigned to the 

10 Department in order to carry out the purposes 

11 of this section. 

12 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A botanical scientist 

13 hired under paragraph (1) shall be— 

14 (A) in addition to— 

15 (i) any position authorized in the De16 partment on the day before the date of en17 actment of this Act; and 

18 (ii) any existing vacancy within the 

19 Department on that day; 

20 (B) part of the competitive service (as de21 fined in section 2102 of title 5, United States 

22 Code); and 

23 (C) hired in compliance with all applicable 

24 provisions of title 5, United States Code. 

25 (d) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
9 

•S 2384 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

2 a program to provide educational loan repayment to 

3 qualifying individuals who agree to a term of em4 ployment with the Department as a botanical sci5 entist. 

6 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to participate 

7 in the loan repayment program under this sub8 section, an individual shall— 

9 (A) either— 

10 (i) have a degree in botanical sciences; 

11 (ii) be enrolled in an approved grad12 uate training program in botanical 

13 sciences; or 

14 (iii) be enrolled as a full-time student 

15 in an accredited educational institution 

16 and in the final year of a course of a study 

17 or program, offered by that institution and 

18 approved by the Secretary, leading to a de19 gree in botanical sciences; and 

20 (B) submit to the Secretary an application 

21 for a contract described in paragraph (4). 

22 (3) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED WITH AP23 PLICATION AND CONTRACT FORMS.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—In distributing applica25 tion forms and contract forms to individuals inVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 Aug 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2384.IS S2384

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
10 

•S 2384 IS

1 terested in the loan repayment program under 

2 this subsection, the Secretary shall include with 

3 those forms a summary of the rights and liabil4 ities of an individual whose— 

5 (i) application is approved; and 

6 (ii) whose contract is accepted. 

7 (B) REQUIREMENT.—The summary de8 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall be written in 

9 a manner calculated to be understood by an av10 erage individual applying to participate in the 

11 loan repayment program, as determined by the 

12 Secretary. 

13 (4) CONTRACTS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—An individual shall be15 come a participant in the loan repayment pro16 gram under this subsection only on the Sec17 retary and the individual entering into a written 

18 contract in which— 

19 (i) the Secretary agrees to repay loans 

20 on behalf of the individual in accordance 

21 with paragraph (5); and 

22 (ii) the individual agrees— 

23 (I) to accept loan payments on 

24 behalf of the individual; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
11 

•S 2384 IS

1 (II) if applicable, to maintain en2 rollment and acceptable academic 

3 standing in a training program or 

4 course of study or program described 

5 in clause (ii) or (iii) of paragraph 

6 (2)(A), respectively; and 

7 (III) to serve for a period equal 

8 to 2 years, or any longer period as the 

9 individual may agree, as a botanical 

10 scientist employed by the Department. 

11 (B) OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A 

12 contract under this paragraph shall include any 

13 other appropriate terms and conditions to clar14 ify the rights, obligations, and liabilities of the 

15 parties. 

16 (5) REPAYMENT.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—A loan repayment 

18 under this subsection shall consist of repayment 

19 by the Secretary on behalf of the individual of 

20 government and commercial loans received by 

21 the individual regarding the education described 

22 in paragraph (2)(A) of the individual for— 

23 (i) tuition; 

24 (ii) other reasonable educational ex25 penses; or 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
12 

•S 2384 IS

1 (iii) reasonable living expenses, as de2 termined by the Secretary. 

3 (B) AMOUNTS.— 

4 (i) IN GENERAL.—For each year of 

5 obligated service that an individual con6 tracts to serve in the Department, the Sec7 retary may pay not more than $50,000 on 

8 behalf of the individual for loans described 

9 in subparagraph (A). 

10 (ii) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—For 

11 fiscal year 2021 and each subsequent fiscal 

12 year, the Secretary shall adjust the amount 

13 of the limitation described in clause (i) to 

14 reflect inflation. 

15 (iii) AGREEMENTS.—In making a de16 termination of the amount to pay under 

17 subparagraph (A) for a year of service by 

18 an individual, the Secretary may enter into 

19 an agreement with the holder of any loan 

20 for which payments are made to establish 

21 a schedule for making those payments. 

22 (C) LOANS.—A payment under this sub23 section may be used to repay— 

24 (i) principal on a qualifying loan; 

25 (ii) interest on a qualifying loan; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
13 

•S 2384 IS

1 (iii) related expenses on a qualifying 

2 loan. 

3 (6) EMPLOYMENT CEILING.—An individual who 

4 has entered into a written contract with the Sec5 retary under this subsection while undergoing aca6 demic or other training shall not be counted against 

7 any employment ceiling affecting the Department. 

8 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated— 

10 (1) for fiscal year 2020— 

11 (A) $3,000,000 to carry out subsection (b); 

12 and 

13 (B) $1,000,000 to carry out subsection (c); 

14 and 

15 (2) such sums as are necessary to carry out this 

16 section for each fiscal year thereafter. 

17 TITLE II—GENERATING DEMAND 

18 FOR NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS 

19 SEC. 201. POLICY FOR USE OF LOCALLY ADAPTED NATIVE 

20 PLANT MATERIALS BY DEPARTMENT OF AG21 RICULTURE AND DEPARTMENT OF THE INTE22 RIOR. 

23 (a) POLICY.—In carrying out a land management ac24 tivity on Federal land, including maintenance and restora25 tion in response to degradation caused by human activity 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
14 

•S 2384 IS

1 or natural events (such as fire, flood, or infestation), it 

2 is the policy of the United States that, to the extent prac3 ticable, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

4 Chief of the Forest Service, or the Secretary of the Inte5 rior, acting through the heads of land management agen6 cies of the Department of the Interior, as appropriate (re7 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary concerned’’), 

8 shall give preference to the use of locally adapted plant 

9 materials of native plant species. 

10 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary concerned 

11 shall— 

12 (1) implement the policy established by sub13 section (a) through appropriate administrative ac14 tions; and 

15 (2) specifically identify situations in which the 

16 use of plant materials of nonnative plant species 

17 may be warranted, including situations in which— 

18 (A) emergency conditions require the pro19 tection of basic resource values; 

20 (B) an interim, nonpersistent measure is 

21 needed to aid in the reestablishment of native 

22 plant species; 

23 (C) plant materials of native plant species 

24 are not reasonably available; or 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
15 

•S 2384 IS

1 (D) the plant community subject to the 

2 land management activity has been permanently 

3 altered. 

4 SEC. 202. POLICY FOR USE OF LOCALLY ADAPTED NATIVE 

5 PLANT MATERIALS BY DEPARTMENT OF DE6 FENSE. 

7 (a) POLICY.—Chapter 159 of title 10, United States 

8 Code, is amended by inserting after section 2692 the fol9 lowing new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 2693. Policy for use of locally adapted native plant 

11 materials in management of Department 

12 of Defense lands 

13 ‘‘(a) POLICY.—In undertaking a land management 

14 activity on land under the jurisdiction of the Department 

15 of Defense, including land withdrawn for or held by permit 

16 or lease, it is the policy of the United States that pref17 erence to the extent practicable shall be made for the use 

18 of locally adapted plant materials of native plant species. 

19 ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of Defense, 

20 acting through the Assistant Secretary of Defense for En21 ergy, Installations, and Environment, shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) implement the policy established by sub23 section (a) through appropriate administrative ac24 tions; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
16 

•S 2384 IS

1 ‘‘(2) specifically identify situations in which the 

2 use of plant materials of nonnative plant species 

3 may be warranted, including situations in which— 

4 ‘‘(A) emergency conditions require the pro5 tection of basic resource values; 

6 ‘‘(B) an interim, nonpersistent measure is 

7 needed to aid in the reestablishment of native 

8 plant species; 

9 ‘‘(C) plant materials of native plant species 

10 are not reasonably available; or 

11 ‘‘(D) the plant community subject to the 

12 land management activity has been permanently 

13 altered. 

14 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Defense 

15 shall consult with the Secretary of the Interior and the 

16 Secretary of Agriculture regarding implementation of this 

17 section. 

18 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY.—The term 

20 ‘land management activity’ includes— 

21 ‘‘(A) maintenance and restoration; and 

22 ‘‘(B) conservation and cultural activities 

23 pursuant to sections 2691 and 2694 of this 

24 title. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
17 

•S 2384 IS

1 ‘‘(2) LOCALLY ADAPTED.—The term ‘locally 

2 adapted’ with respect to a plant, a plant that— 

3 ‘‘(A) originates from an area that is geo4 graphically proximate to a planting area; and 

5 ‘‘(B) is environmentally adapted to, and 

6 likely to succeed in becoming established and 

7 persisting within, that area. 

8 ‘‘(3) NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term ‘na9 tive plant species’ means indigenous terrestrial and 

10 aquatic plant species that evolved naturally in a de11 fined native ecosystem. 

12 ‘‘(4) NONNATIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term 

13 ‘nonnative plant species’ means a plant that has 

14 been introduced by humans to a location outside the 

15 native or natural range of the plant and may, de16 pending on relevant facts and circumstances, include 

17 a species introduced from— 

18 ‘‘(A) another continent; 

19 ‘‘(B) another ecosystem; 

20 ‘‘(C) another seed zone; or 

21 ‘‘(D) another habitat within an ecosystem. 

22 ‘‘(5) PLANT MATERIALS.—The term ‘plant ma23 terial’ includes, with respect to a native plant species 

24 or a nonnative plant species, such a plant or mateVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:41 Aug 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2384.IS S2384

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
18 

•S 2384 IS

1 rial of the plant capable of propagating that species, 

2 including— 

3 ‘‘(A) the seeds of the plant; 

4 ‘‘(B) the eggs of the plant; 

5 ‘‘(C) the spores of the plant; or 

6 ‘‘(D) other biological material of the 

7 plant.’’. 

8 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

9 at the beginning of chapter 159 of title 10, United States 

10 Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

11 section 2692 the following: 

‘‘2693. Policy for use of locally adapted native plant materials in management 

of Department of Defense lands.’’. 

12 SEC. 203. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 

13 Section 329 of title 23, United States Code, is 

14 amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(d) NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the 

17 terms ‘locally adapted’, ‘native plant species’, and 

18 ‘plant materials’ have the meanings given the terms 

19 in section 2 of the Botanical Sciences and Native 

20 Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Pro21 motion Act. 

22 ‘‘(2) USE OF NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS.—In 

23 carrying out environmental mitigation efforts and 

24 environmental restoration and pollution abatement 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
19 

•S 2384 IS

1 activities as authorized by section 328, a State shall, 

2 to the maximum extent practicable, use locally 

3 adapted plant materials of native plant species. 

4 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con5 sult with the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec6 retary of Agriculture regarding the implementation 

7 of this subsection.’’. 

8 SEC. 204. NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS FOR 

9 FEDERAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. 

10 The sponsor of any development or redevelopment 

11 project involving a Federal facility with a footprint that 

12 exceeds 5,000 square feet shall use site planning, design, 

13 construction, and maintenance strategies for the property 

14 to establish, maintain, or restore, to the maximum extent 

15 technically feasible, the use of locally adapted plant mate16 rials of native plant species on all natural spaces, includ17 ing, where feasible, roofs and other appropriate portions 

18 of the structure. 

19 TITLE III—AUTHORIZATION OF 

20 FEDERAL NATIVE PLANT MA21 TERIALS RELATED ACTIVI22 TIES 

23 SEC. 301. INTERAGENCY PLANT MATERIALS EFFORTS. 

24 (a) DEFINITION OF FEDERAL AGENCY.—In this sec25 tion, the term ‘‘Federal agency’’ means the following— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
20 

•S 2384 IS

1 (1) in the Department of the Interior— 

2 (A) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; 

3 (B) the Bureau of Land Management; 

4 (C) the National Park Service; 

5 (D) the United States Fish and Wildlife 

6 Service; and 

7 (E) the United States Geological Survey; 

8 (2) in the Department of Agriculture— 

9 (A) the Agricultural Research Service; 

10 (B) the Forest Service; 

11 (C) the National Institute of Food and Ag12 riculture; and 

13 (D) the Natural Resources Conservation 

14 Service; 

15 (3) the United States Botanic Garden; 

16 (4) the Smithsonian Institution; and 

17 (5) the Federal Highway Administration. 

18 (b) ACTIVITIES.—The heads of the Federal agencies 

19 shall collaborate, as appropriate, regarding land use re20 sponsibility to carry out the following activities relating 

21 to plant materials of native plant species: 

22 (1) Identifying seed needs and ensuring the re23 liable availability of genetically appropriate seed. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
21 

•S 2384 IS

1 (2) Conducting research to develop genetically 

2 appropriate seed and improving technology for seed 

3 production and ecological restoration. 

4 (3) Supporting the ability of land managers to 

5 make timely and informed seeding decisions for eco6 logical restoration. 

7 (4) Enhancing, protecting, and restoring plant 

8 materials, as necessary to support pollinators and 

9 dispersers. 

10 (5) Coordinating activities with the goals of 

11 sustaining and restoring public land through the use 

12 of techniques and materials that promote, to the ex13 tent practicable, the use of locally adapted plant ma14 terials of native plant species. 

15 SEC. 302. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT PLANT CON16 SERVATION PROGRAM. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Bureau of 

18 Land Management (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Di19 rector’’) may carry out activities to develop and use plant 

20 materials of native plant species. 

21 (b) ACTIVITIES.—Activities that may be carried out 

22 under subsection (a) include the following: 

23 (1) Identifying, evaluating, and protecting rare 

24 plants on public land. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
22 

•S 2384 IS

1 (2) Understanding the effects of human activity 

2 on native plant species and communities on public 

3 land. 

4 (3) Supporting efforts to develop genetically ap5 propriate plant materials of native plant species for 

6 restoring and maintaining habitat for animal species 

7 (including the sage grouse) and plant species and 

8 monitoring the effectiveness of those plant materials. 

9 (4) Ensuring that the needs of the Director for 

10 plant materials of native plant species are met. 

11 (5) Developing seed transfer zones and guide12 lines. 

13 (6) Supporting public-private partnerships to 

14 catalogue and store plant materials. 

15 (7) Coordinating a national network of seed 

16 storage warehouses. 

17 (8) Implementing habitat conservation and res18 toration on a landscape scale. 

19 (9) Supporting public-private efforts and volun20 teer efforts to support plant conservation. 

21 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec23 tion— 

24 (1) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
23 

•S 2384 IS

1 (2) such sums as are necessary for each fiscal 

2 year thereafter. 

3 SEC. 303. NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION 

4 PLANT CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. 

5 The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (referred 

6 to in this section as the ‘‘Foundation’’) shall— 

7 (1) ensure that a program of activities specifi8 cally focused on the conservation and protection of 

9 native plant species is incorporated into the existing 

10 programs and activities of the Foundation; and 

11 (2) not later than September 30 of each year, 

12 submit to Congress a report describing the imple13 mentation of paragraph (1). 

14 SEC. 304. GRANTS TO SUPPORT COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS 

15 TO PREVENT ENDANGERED SPECIES STATUS. 

16 The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a 

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

18 ‘‘SEC. 15. THREATENED AND ENDANGERED PLANTS. 

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

20 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en21 tity’ means— 

22 ‘‘(A) a State; 

23 ‘‘(B) a unit of local government; 

24 ‘‘(C) an Indian tribe; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
24 

•S 2384 IS

1 ‘‘(D) a Native Hawaiian organization (as 

2 defined in section 2 of the Native American 

3 Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 

4 U.S.C. 3001)); and 

5 ‘‘(E) a nonprofit organization. 

6 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 

7 has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the 

8 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation 

9 Act (25 U.S.C. 3001). 

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

11 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di12 rector of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv13 ice. 

14 ‘‘(4) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

15 ‘‘(A) each of the several States of the 

16 United States; 

17 ‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; 

18 ‘‘(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

19 ‘‘(D) the United States Virgin Islands; 

20 ‘‘(E) Guam; 

21 ‘‘(F) American Samoa; and 

22 ‘‘(G) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

23 Mariana Islands. 

24 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
25 

•S 2384 IS

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab2 lish a program to provide collaborative grants to eli3 gible entities for projects— 

4 ‘‘(A) to prevent rare plant species from be5 coming endangered species; and 

6 ‘‘(B) to encourage the recovery of endan7 gered plant species. 

8 ‘‘(2) PROCEDURES.—A grant under this section 

9 shall be made competitively in compliance with fully 

10 transparent procedures, as established by the Sec11 retary. 

12 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

13 the cost of a grant awarded under this section shall 

14 be not more than 50 percent. 

15 ‘‘(c) PREFERENCE.—The Secretary shall give pref16 erence to projects described in subsection (b)(1) that— 

17 ‘‘(1) involve collaboration between— 

18 ‘‘(A) the Federal Government, States, In19 dian tribes, and units of local government; and 

20 ‘‘(B) nonprofit organizations with knowl21 edge and experience in rare and endangered 

22 plant restoration issues; and 

23 ‘‘(2) are in States or communities that are 

24 home to a significant percentage of threatened or 

25 endangered plants. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
26 

•S 2384 IS

1 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec3 tion— 

4 ‘‘(1) $54,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and 

5 ‘‘(2) such sums as are necessary for each fiscal 

6 year thereafter.’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS