IB 

Union Calendar No. 546 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 788 

[Report No. 115–707, Part I] 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the 

establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in certain States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2017 

Mr. HUNTER (for himself, Ms. CHENEY, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. WALZ, Mr. KINZINGER, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. 

ABRAHAM, Mr. COMER, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

MARSHALL, Mr. LATTA, Mr. FARENTHOLD, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. 

MAST, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. WELCH, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. 

CUELLAR, Mr. PEARCE, and Mr. POLIS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 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 

MAY 29, 2018 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BACON, Mr. EMMER, Mr. STEWART, Mr. VALADAO, 

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. 

JODY B. HICE of Georgia, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, 

Mr. KIND, Mr. COLLINS of New York, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. 

MARINO, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. BIGGS, Mrs. BLACK, Mr. HUDSON, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. AMODEI, Mrs. 

HARTZLER, Mr. ROKITA, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, 

Mr. ROSS, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. PAULSEN, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. 

GAETZ, Mr. BUDD, Mr. TIPTON, Mrs. LOVE, Mr. MULLIN, and Mr. STIVERS

MAY 29, 2018 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 


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MAY 29, 2018 

The Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the Committee of 

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

A BILL 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 

to facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded 

public target ranges in certain States. 


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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 ‘‘Target Practice and 

5 Marksmanship Training Support Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the use of firearms and archery equipment 

9 for target practice and marksmanship training ac10 tivities on Federal land is allowed, except to the ex11 tent specific portions of that land have been closed 

12 to those activities; 

13 (2) in recent years preceding the date of enact14 ment of this Act, portions of Federal land have been 

15 closed to target practice and marksmanship training 

16 for many reasons; 

17 (3) the availability of public target ranges on 

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

19 reasons, including continued population growth and 

20 development near former ranges; 

21 (4) providing opportunities for target practice 

22 and marksmanship training at public target ranges 

23 on Federal and non-Federal land can help— 

24 (A) to promote enjoyment of shooting, rec25 reational, and hunting activities; and 


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1 (B) to ensure safe and convenient locations 

2 for those activities; 

3 (5) Federal law in effect on the date of enact4 ment of this Act, including the Pittman-Robertson 

5 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), 

6 provides Federal support for construction and ex7 pansion of public target ranges by making available 

8 to States amounts that may be used for construc9 tion, operation, and maintenance of public target 

10 ranges; and 

11 (6) it is in the public interest to provide in12 creased Federal support to facilitate the construction 

13 or expansion of public target ranges. 

14 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to facili15 tate the construction and expansion of public target 

16 ranges, including ranges on Federal land managed by the 

17 Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. 

18 SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC TARGET RANGE. 

19 In this Act, the term ‘‘public target range’’ means 

20 a specific location that— 

21 (1) is identified by a governmental agency for 

22 recreational shooting; 

23 (2) is open to the public; 

24 (3) may be supervised; and 


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

2 shotgun shooting. 

3 SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE 

4 RESTORATION ACT. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Pittman-Robert6 son Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

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

10 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(2) the term ‘public target range’ means a 

13 specific location that— 

14 ‘‘(A) is identified by a governmental agen15 cy for recreational shooting; 

16 ‘‘(B) is open to the public; 

17 ‘‘(C) may be supervised; and 

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

19 pistol, or shotgun shooting;’’. 

20 (b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILD21 LIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.—Section 8(b) of the Pitt22 man-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 

23 669g(b)) is amended— 

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

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(b) EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILD2 LIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para4 graph (2), each State’’; 

5 (2) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 

6 striking ‘‘construction, operation,’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘operation’’; 

8 (3) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘The 

9 non-Federal share’’ and inserting the following: 

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

11 share’’; 

12 (4) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec13 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

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

15 (5) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as des16 ignated by paragraph (1) of this subsection) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding the limita19 tion described in paragraph (1), a State may pay up 

20 to 90 percent of the cost of acquiring land for, ex21 panding, or constructing a public target range.’’. 

22 (c) FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND

23 SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS.—Section 10 of the Pittman24 Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1) 

25 is amended— 


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

2 following: 

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

4 Of the amount apportioned to a State for any fiscal 

5 year under section 4(b), the State may elect to allo6 cate not more than 10 percent, to be combined with 

7 the amount apportioned to the State under para8 graph (1) for that fiscal year, for acquiring land for, 

9 expanding, or constructing a public target range.’’; 

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

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(b) COST SHARING.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para14 graph (2), the Federal share of the cost of any activ15 ity carried out using a grant under this section shall 

16 not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the activ17 ity. 

18 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC TARGET RANGE CONSTRUCTION OR

19 EXPANSION.—The Federal share of the cost of ac20 quiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public 

21 target range in a State on Federal or non-Federal 

22 land pursuant to this section or section 8(b) shall 

23 not exceed 90 percent of the cost of the activity.’’; 

24 and 

25 (3) in subsection (c)(1)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘Amounts made’’ and in2 serting the following: 

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

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

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

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

7 acquiring land for, constructing, or expanding a 

8 public target range shall remain available for 

9 expenditure and obligation during the 5-fiscal10 year period beginning on October 1 of the first 

11 fiscal year for which the amounts are made 

12 available.’’. 

13 SEC. 5. LIMITS ON LIABILITY. 

14 (a) DISCRETIONARY FUNCTION.—For purposes of 

15 chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly 

16 referred to as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’), any action 

17 by an agent or employee of the United States to manage 

18 or allow the use of Federal land for purposes of target 

19 practice or marksmanship training by a member of the 

20 public shall be considered to be the exercise or perform21 ance of a discretionary function. 

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

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

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

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


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

2 occurring at a public target range that is— 

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

4 Government pursuant to the Pittman-Robertson 

5 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.); or 

6 (2) located on Federal land. 

7 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COOPERATION. 

8 It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with appli9 cable laws and regulations, the Chief of the Forest Service 

10 and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management 

11 should cooperate with State and local authorities and 

12 other entities to carry out waste removal and other activi13 ties on any Federal land used as a public target range 

14 to encourage continued use of that land for target practice 

15 or marksmanship training. 


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Union Calendar No. 546 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 788 

[Report No. 115–707, Part I] 

A BILL 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife RestoraStates. tional or expanded public target ranges in certain tion Act to facilitate the establishment of addiMAY 29, 2018 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 

MAY 29, 2018 

The Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed 

the Union and ordered to be printed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 


pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS