IB 

Union Calendar No. 271 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2773 

[Report No. 117–359] 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make supplemental funds available for management of fish and wildlife species of 

greatest conservation need as determined by State fish and wildlife agencies, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2021 

Mrs. DINGELL (for herself, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. HILL, Miss 

GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

HUFFMAN, Mr. DEFAZIO, and Ms. PINGREE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

JUNE 9, 2022 

Additional sponsors: Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. KILMER, Mr. 

CARBAJAL, Mr. COLE, Ms. CRAIG, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. 

O’HALLERAN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. 

CROW, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. LEVIN of 

California, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mr. LAMB, Ms. 

SALAZAR, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. LEGER

FERNANDEZ, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. SCHRIER, Mr. 

MALINOWSKI, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. COURTNEY, 

Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. CRIST, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. EVANS, 

Mr. UPTON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. LONG, Ms. 

ROSS, Mr. COOPER, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. POCAN, Ms. WILD, Ms. NORTON, 

Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. 

PAPPAS, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. HIMES, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. 

STRICKLAND, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CARSON, Ms. CHU, Ms. 

TITUS, Mr. VELA, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. 

MCCAUL, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. LAWSON of 

Florida, Mrs. FLETCHER, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. 

BROWNLEY, Mr. AMODEI, Mr. BERGMAN, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 

CICILLINE, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. SOTO, 

Mr. HUIZENGA, Ms. JACOBS of California, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. PALAZZO, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 2773 RH

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. 

CARTER of Georgia, Mr. KATKO, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. KAHELE, Ms. 

BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. TONKO, Mr. GARAMENDI, 

Mr. WALBERG, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. LIEU, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. DEAN, Mr. 

PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. BACON, Mr. TRONE, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. 

HOULAHAN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. HARDER of California, Mr. 

GALLEGO, Ms. MANNING, Mr. KIND, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. 

HUDSON, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. KELLER, Mr. WELCH, Mr. CORREA, 

Mrs. TRAHAN, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. 

FLEISCHMANN, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. ADAMS, 

Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio, Mr. MCEACHIN, Ms. NEWMAN, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. 

COMER, Mr. GIMENEZ, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

STANTON, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. SABLAN, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. YOUNG, 

Mr. SARBANES, Mr. NEAL, Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina, Mrs. 

BUSTOS, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. MCCOLLUM, 

Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Miss 

RICE of New York, Mr. RUSH, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, 

Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. SCHRADER, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Ms. 

MATSUI, Ms. BROWN of Ohio, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. THOMPSON of California, 

Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. PORTER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. VALADAO, 

Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. TURNER, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 

KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. CUELLAR, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. 

VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. KIM of 

New Jersey, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. 

KEATING, Mr. GOLDEN, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GARBARINO, Ms. 

SLOTKIN, Mr. BUDD, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, and Ms. SA ́NCHEZ

JUNE 9, 2022 

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 April 22, 2021] 

A BILL 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 

to make supplemental funds available for management 

of fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need 

as determined by State fish and wildlife agencies, and 

for other purposes. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 2773 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 ‘‘Recovering America’s 

5 Wildlife Act of 2021’’. 

6 TITLE I—WILDLIFE CONSERVA7 TION AND RESTORATION 

8 SEC. 101. WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION 

9 SUBACCOUNT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 of the Pittman-Robertson 

11 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669b) is amended in 

12 subsection (c)— 

13 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

14 paragraphs (10) and (11); and 

15 (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF SUBACCOUNT.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There is established in 

19 the fund a subaccount to be known as the ‘Wild20 life Conservation and Restoration Subaccount’ 

21 (referred to in this section as the ‘Subaccount’). 

22 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts in the Sub23 account shall be available without further appro24 priation, for each fiscal year, for apportionment 

25 in accordance with this Act. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 2773 RH

1 ‘‘(C) DEPOSITS INTO SUBACCOUNT.—Begin2 ning in fiscal year 2022, the Secretary of the 

3 Treasury shall transfer $1,300,000,000 from the 

4 general fund of the treasury each fiscal year to 

5 the fund for deposit in the Subaccount. 

6 ‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts 

7 transferred to the Subaccount shall supplement, but 

8 not replace, existing funds available to the States 

9 from— 

10 ‘‘(A) the funds distributed pursuant to the 

11 Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the fund. 

13 ‘‘(3) INNOVATION GRANTS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall dis15 tribute 10 percent of funds apportioned from the 

16 Subaccount through a competitive grant pro17 gram to State fish and wildlife departments, the 

18 District of Columbia fish and wildlife depart19 ment, fish and wildlife departments of terri20 tories, or to regional associations of fish and 

21 wildlife departments (or any group composed of 

22 more than 1 such entity). 

23 ‘‘(B) PURPOSE.—Such grants shall be pro24 vided for the purpose of catalyzing innovation of 

25 techniques, tools, strategies, or collaborative partVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 Jun 09, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2773.RH H2773

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 2773 RH

1 nerships that accelerate, expand, or replicate ef2 fective and measurable recovery efforts for species 

3 of greatest conservation need and species listed 

4 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and 

5 the habitats of such species. 

6 ‘‘(C) REVIEW COMMITTEE.—The Secretary 

7 shall appoint a review committee comprised of— 

8 ‘‘(i) a State Director from each re9 gional association of State fish and wildlife 

10 departments; 

11 ‘‘(ii) the head of a department respon12 sible for fish and wildlife management in a 

13 territory; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) 4 individuals representing 4 dif15 ferent nonprofit organizations each of which 

16 is actively participating in carrying out 

17 wildlife conservation restoration activities 

18 using funds apportioned from the Sub19 account. 

20 ‘‘(D) SUPPORT FROM UNITED STATES FISH

21 AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.—The United States 

22 Fish and Wildlife Service shall provide any per23 sonnel or administrative support services nec24 essary for such Committee to carry out its re25 sponsibilities under this Act. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 2773 RH

1 ‘‘(E) EVALUATION.—Such committee shall 

2 evaluate each proposal submitted under this 

3 paragraph and recommend projects for funding, 

4 giving preference to solutions that accelerate the 

5 recovery of species identified as priorities 

6 through regional scientific assessments of species 

7 of greatest conservation need. 

8 ‘‘(F) SPECIAL RULE BEFORE DISBURSE9 MENT OF FUNDS FROM SUBACCOUNT.—In any 

10 fiscal year that begins before the first disburse11 ment of funds from the Subaccount, any non12 profit organization that actively participates in 

13 carrying out wildlife conservation restoration ac14 tivities shall be deemed to fulfill the requirement 

15 described in subparagraph (C)(iii). 

16 ‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds apportioned from 

17 the Subaccount— 

18 ‘‘(A) shall be used to implement the Wildlife 

19 Conservation Strategy of a State, territory, or 

20 the District of Columbia, as required under sec21 tion 4(e), by carrying out, revising, or enhancing 

22 existing wildlife and habitat conservation and 

23 restoration programs and developing and imple24 menting new wildlife conservation and restora25 tion programs to recover and manage species of 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 2773 RH

1 greatest conservation need and the key habitats 

2 and plant community types essential to the con3 servation of those species as determined by the 

4 appropriate State fish and wildlife department; 

5 ‘‘(B) shall be used to develop, revise, and 

6 enhance the Wildlife Conservation Strategy of a 

7 State, territory, or the District of Columbia, as 

8 may be required by this Act; 

9 ‘‘(C) shall be used to assist in the recovery 

10 of species found in the State, territory, or the 

11 District of Columbia that are listed as endan12 gered species, threatened species, candidate spe13 cies or species proposed for listing, or species pe14 titioned for listing under the Endangered Species 

15 Act of 1973 or under State law; 

16 ‘‘(D) may be used for wildlife conservation 

17 education and wildlife-associated recreation 

18 projects, especially in historically underserved 

19 communities; 

20 ‘‘(E) may be used to manage a species of 

21 greatest conservation need whose range is shared 

22 with another State, territory, Indian Tribe, or 

23 foreign government and for the conservation of 

24 the habitat of such species; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 2773 RH

1 ‘‘(F) may be used to manage, control, and 

2 prevent invasive species, disease, and other risks 

3 to species of greatest conservation need; and 

4 ‘‘(G) may be used for law enforcement ac5 tivities that are directly related to the protection 

6 and conservation of a species of greatest con7 servation need and the habitat of such species. 

8 ‘‘(5) MINIMUM REQUIRED SPENDING FOR ENDAN9 GERED SPECIES RECOVERY.—Not less than an aver10 age of 15 percent over a 5-year period of amounts ap11 portioned to a State, territory, or the District of Co12 lumbia from the Subaccount shall be used for pur13 poses described in paragraph (4)(C). The Secretary 

14 may reduce the minimum requirement of a State, ter15 ritory, or the District of Columbia on an annual 

16 basis if the Secretary determines that the State, terri17 tory, or the District of Columbia is meeting the con18 servation and recovery needs of all species described 

19 in paragraph (4)(C). 

20 ‘‘(6) PUBLIC ACCESS TO PRIVATE LANDS NOT RE21 QUIRED.—Funds apportioned from the Subaccount 

22 shall not be conditioned upon the provision of public 

23 access to private lands, waters, or holdings. 

24 ‘‘(7) REQUIREMENTS FOR MATCHING FUNDS.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 2773 RH

1 ‘‘(A) For the purposes of the non-Federal 

2 fund matching requirement for a wildlife con3 servation or restoration program or project fund4 ed by the Subaccount, a State, territory, or the 

5 District of Columbia may use as matching non6 Federal funds— 

7 ‘‘(i) funds from Federal agencies other 

8 than the Department of the Interior and the 

9 Department of Agriculture; 

10 ‘‘(ii) donated private lands and waters, 

11 including privately owned easements; 

12 ‘‘(iii) in circumstances described in 

13 subparagraph (B), revenue generated 

14 through the sale of State hunting and fish15 ing licenses; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) other sources consistent with part 

17 80 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, 

18 in effect on the date of enactment of the Re19 covering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021. 

20 ‘‘(B) Revenue described in subparagraph 

21 (A)(iii) may only be used to fulfill the require22 ments of such non-Federal fund matching re23 quirement if— 

24 ‘‘(i) no Federal funds apportioned to 

25 the State fish and wildlife department of 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 2773 RH

1 such State from the Wildlife Restoration 

2 Program or the Sport Fish Restoration Pro3 gram have been reverted because of a failure 

4 to fulfill such non-Federal fund matching 

5 requirement by such State during the pre6 vious 2 fiscal years; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) the project or program being 

8 funded benefits the habitat of a hunted or 

9 fished species and a species of greatest con10 servation need. 

11 ‘‘(8) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the funds au12 thorized under this subsection, not more than 3 per13 cent may be used by the Secretary for administrative 

14 costs. 

15 ‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the fol16 lowing definitions apply: 

17 ‘‘(A) PARTNERSHIPS.—The term ‘partner18 ships’ may include collaborative efforts with Fed19 eral agencies, State agencies, local agencies, In20 dian Tribes, nonprofit organizations, academic 

21 institutions, industry groups, and private indi22 viduals to implement a State’s Wildlife Con23 servation Strategy. 

24 ‘‘(B) SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION

25 NEED.—The term ‘species of greatest conservaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 Jun 09, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2773.RH H2773

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HR 2773 RH

1 tion need’ may be fauna or flora, and may in2 clude terrestrial, aquatic, marine, and inverte3 brate species that are of low population, declin4 ing, rare, or facing threats and in need of con5 servation attention, as determined by each State 

6 fish and wildlife department, with respect to 

7 funds apportioned to such State. 

8 ‘‘(C) TERRITORY AND TERRITORIES.—The 

9 terms ‘territory’ and ‘territories’ mean the Com10 monwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern 

11 Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, 

12 the United States Virgin Islands, and American 

13 Samoa. 

14 ‘‘(D) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘wildlife’ means 

15 any species of wild, free-ranging fauna, includ16 ing fish, and also fauna in captive breeding pro17 grams the object of which is to reintroduce indi18 viduals of a depleted indigenous species into pre19 viously occupied range.’’. 

20 (b) OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—Section 3 of 

21 the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 

22 669b) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(e) To the Office of Inspector General, for the purposes 

24 of oversight and accountability with respect to the expendi25 ture of funds authorized under subsection (c), there is auVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 Jun 09, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2773.RH H2773

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HR 2773 RH

thorized to be appropriated, until September 30, 2029, 1 1 ⁄2

2 of 1 percent of the amounts made available under such sub3 section.’’. 

4 (c) ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE

5 AMOUNTS.—Section 4 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 

6 Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (d)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

9 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

10 ‘‘to the District of Columbia and to the 

11 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, each’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘To the District of Columbia’’; 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

14 (I) by striking ‘‘to Guam’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘To Guam’’; and 

16 (II) by striking ‘‘not more than 

17 one-fourth of 1 percent’’ and inserting 

‘‘not less than 1 18 ⁄3 of 1 percent’’; and 

19 (iii) by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(C) To the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

22 a sum equal to not less than 1 percent thereof.’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (2)(A)— 

24 (i) by amending clause (i) to read as 

25 follows: 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HR 2773 RH

‘‘(i) 1 1 ⁄2 of which is based on the ratio to 

2 which the land and water area of such State 

3 bears to the total land and water area of all such 

4 States;’’; 

5 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

6 (I) by striking ‘‘two-thirds’’ and 

inserting ‘‘1 7 ⁄4’’; and 

8 (II) by striking the period and in9 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (iii) by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

‘‘(iii) 1 12 ⁄4 of which is based upon the ratio 

13 to which the number of species listed as endan14 gered or threatened under the Endangered Spe15 cies Act of 1973 in such State bears to the total 

16 number of such species listed in all such States.’’; 

17 (C) by amending paragraph (2)(B) to read 

18 as follows: 

19 ‘‘(B) The amounts apportioned under this 

20 paragraph shall be adjusted equitably so that no 

21 such State, unless otherwise designated, shall be 

22 apportioned a sum which is less than 1 percent 

23 or more than 5 percent of the amount available 

24 for apportionment under— 

25 ‘‘(i) subparagraph (A)(i); 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
14 

•HR 2773 RH

1 ‘‘(ii) subparagraph (A)(ii); and 

2 ‘‘(iii) the overall amount available for 

3 subparagraph (A).’’; and 

4 (D) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘3 per5 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘1.85 percent’’; and 

6 (2) in subsection (e)(4)— 

7 (A) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 

8 as follows: 

9 ‘‘(B) Not more than an average of 15 percent 

10 over a 5-year period of amounts apportioned to each 

11 State, territory, or the District of Columbia under 

12 this section for a wildlife conservation and restoration 

13 program may be used for wildlife conservation edu14 cation and wildlife-associated recreation.’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(C) $55 million shall be reserved for States and 

17 territories that include plants among their species of 

18 greatest conservation need and in the conservation 

19 planning and habitat prioritization efforts of their 

20 Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Each eligible State, 

21 territory, or the District of Columbia shall receive an 

22 additional 5 percent of their apportioned amount. 

23 Any unallocated resources shall be allocated propor24 tionally among all States and territories under the 

25 formulas of this section.’’; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
15 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (3) by adding at the end following: 

2 ‘‘(f) MINIMIZATION OF PLANNING AND REPORTING.— 

3 Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to require a State 

4 to create a comprehensive strategy related to conservation 

5 education or outdoor recreation. 

6 ‘‘(g) ACCOUNTABILITY.—Not more than 1 year after 

7 the date of enactment of the Recovering America’s Wildlife 

8 Act of 2021 and every 3 years thereafter, each State fish 

9 and wildlife department of a State or territory that receives 

10 funding under subsection (c) shall submit a 3-year work 

11 plan and budget for implementing its Wildlife Conservation 

12 Strategy and a report describing the results derived from 

13 activities accomplished under subsection (c)(4) during the 

14 previous 3 years to— 

15 ‘‘(1) the Committee on Environment and Public 

16 Works of the Senate; 

17 ‘‘(2) the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

18 House of Representatives; and 

19 ‘‘(3) the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv20 ice.’’. 

21 SEC. 102. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 

22 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson 

23 Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘including 

25 fish,’’; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
16 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (2) in paragraph (9)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘304(d)’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘4(d)’’; and 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘Indian Tribes, academic 

5 institutions,’’ before ‘‘wildlife conservation orga6 nizations’’. 

7 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Pittman-Rob8 ertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a et seq.) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in section 3 (16 U.S.C. 669b)— 

11 (A) in subsection (a)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘(1) An amount equal 

13 to’’ and inserting ‘‘An amount equal to’’; 

14 and 

15 (ii) by striking paragraph (2); 

16 (B) in subsection (c)— 

17 (i) in paragraph (10), as redesignated 

18 by section 101(a)(1), by striking ‘‘or an In19 dian tribe’’; and 

20 (ii) in paragraph (11), as redesignated 

21 by section 101(a)(1), by striking ‘‘Wildlife 

22 Conservation and Restoration Account’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘Subaccount’’; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
17 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (C) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘Wildlife 

2 Conservation and Restoration Account’’ and in3 serting ‘‘Subaccount’’; 

4 (2) in section 4 (16 U.S.C. 669c)— 

5 (A) in subsection (d)— 

6 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AC7 COUNT’’ and inserting ‘‘SUBACCOUNT’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘Account’’ each place it 

9 appears and inserting ‘‘Subaccount’’; and 

10 (B) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘Ac11 count’’ and inserting ‘‘Subaccount’’; and 

12 (3) in section 8 (16 U.S.C. 669g), in subsection 

13 (a), by striking ‘‘Account’’ and inserting ‘‘Sub14 account’’. 

15 SEC. 103. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 

16 The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 

17 U.S.C. 669 et seq.) is amended— 

18 (1) by redesignating section 13 as section 15; 

19 and 

20 (2) by inserting after section 12 the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 13. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 

22 ‘‘Nothing in this Act shall be construed to enlarge or 

23 diminish the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of a 

24 State to manage, control, or regulate fish and wildlife under 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
18 

•HR 2773 RH

1 the law and regulations of the State on lands and waters 

2 within the State, including on Federal lands and waters. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 14. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION WITH RESPECT TO 

4 ALASKA. 

5 ‘‘If any conflict arises between any provision of this 

6 Act and any provision of the Alaska National Interest 

7 Lands Conservation Act or the Alaska Native Claims Settle8 ment Act, then the provision in the Alaska National Interest 

9 Lands Conservation Act or the Alaska Native Claims Settle10 ment Act shall prevail.’’. 

11 TITLE II—TRIBAL WILDLIFE 

12 CONSERVATION AND RES13 TORATION 

14 SEC. 201. INDIAN TRIBES. 

15 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) ACCOUNT.—The term ‘‘Account’’ means the 

17 Tribal Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account 

18 established by subsection (b)(1). 

19 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

20 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

21 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

22 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

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

24 the Secretary of the Interior. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
19 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (4) TRIBAL SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVA2 TION NEED.—The term ‘‘Tribal species of greatest 

3 conservation need’’ means any species identified by 

4 an Indian Tribe as requiring conservation manage5 ment because of declining population, habitat loss, or 

6 other threats, or because of their biological or cultural 

7 importance to such Tribe. 

8 (5) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘‘wildlife’’ means— 

9 (A) any species of wild flora or fauna in10 cluding fish and marine mammals; 

11 (B) flora or fauna in a captive breeding, re12 habilitation, and holding or quarantine pro13 gram, the object of which is to reintroduce indi14 viduals of a depleted indigenous species into pre15 viously occupied range or to maintain a species 

16 for conservation purposes; and 

17 (C) does not include game farm animals. 

18 (b) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESTORA19 TION ACCOUNT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

21 Treasury an account to be known as the ‘‘Tribal 

22 Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account’’. 

23 (2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts in the Account 

24 shall be available for each fiscal year without further 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
20 

•HR 2773 RH

1 appropriation for apportionment in accordance with 

2 this title. 

3 (3) DEPOSITS.—Beginning in fiscal year 2022, 

4 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of the 

5 Treasury shall transfer $97,500,000 to the Account. 

6 (c) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO INDIAN TRIBES.— 

7 Each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit 

8 funds into the Account and distribute such funds through 

9 a noncompetitive application process according to guide10 lines and criteria, and reporting requirements determined 

11 by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director 

12 of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in consultation with In13 dian Tribes. Such funds shall remain available until ex14 pended. 

15 (d) WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.—The 

16 distribution guidelines and criteria described in subsection 

17 (c) shall be based, in part, upon an Indian Tribe’s wildlife 

18 management responsibilities. Any funding allocated to In19 dian Tribes in Alaska may only be used in a manner con20 sistent with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the 

21 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the 

22 Alaska Statehood Act. Alaska Native Corporations or Tribes 

23 may enter into cooperative agreements with the State of 

24 Alaska on conservation projects of mutual concern. 

25 (e) USE OF FUNDS.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
21 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), the Secretary may distribute funds from 

3 the Account to an Indian Tribe for any of the fol4 lowing purposes: 

5 (A) To develop, carry out, revise, or enhance 

6 wildlife conservation and restoration programs 

7 to manage Tribal species of greatest conservation 

8 need and the habitats of such species as deter9 mined by the Indian Tribe. 

10 (B) To assist in the recovery of species list11 ed as an endangered or threatened species under 

12 the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

13 1531 et seq.). 

14 (C) For wildlife conservation education and 

15 wildlife-associated recreation projects. 

16 (D) To manage a Tribal species of greatest 

17 conservation need and the habitat of such species, 

18 the range of which may be shared with a foreign 

19 country, State, or other Indian Tribe. 

20 (E) To manage, control, and prevent 

21 invasive species as well as diseases and other 

22 risks to wildlife. 

23 (F) For law enforcement activities that are 

24 directly related to the protection and conserva25 tion of wildlife. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
22 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (G) To develop, revise, and implement com2 prehensive wildlife conservation strategies and 

3 plans for such Tribe. 

4 (H) For the hiring and training of wildlife 

5 conservation and restoration program staff. 

6 (2) CONDITIONS ON THE USE OF FUNDS.— 

7 (A) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.—In order to 

8 be eligible to receive funds under subsection (c), 

9 a Tribe’s application must include a proposal to 

10 use funds for at least 1 of the purposes described 

11 in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1). 

12 (B) IMPERILED SPECIES RECOVERY.—In 

13 distributing funds under this section, the Sec14 retary shall distribute not less than 15 percent of 

15 the total funds distributed to proposals to fund 

16 the recovery of a species, subspecies, or distinct 

17 population segment listed as a threatened spe18 cies, endangered species, or candidate species 

19 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

20 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) or Tribal law. 

21 (C) LIMITATION.—In distributing funds 

22 under this section, the Secretary shall distribute 

23 not more than 15 percent of all funds distributed 

24 under this section for the purpose described in 

25 paragraph (1)(C). 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
23 

•HR 2773 RH

1 (f) NO MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRED.—No Indian 

2 Tribe shall be required to provide matching funds to be eli3 gible to receive funds under this Act. 

4 (g) PUBLIC ACCESS NOT REQUIRED.—Funds appor5 tioned from the Tribal Wildlife Conservation and Restora6 tion Account shall not be conditioned upon the provision 

7 of public or non-Tribal access to Tribal or private lands, 

8 waters, or holdings. 

9 (h) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the funds deposited 

10 under subsection (b)(3) for each fiscal year, not more than 

11 3 percent shall be used by the Secretary for administrative 

12 costs. 

13 (i) OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—To the Office 

14 of Inspector General, for the purposes of oversight and ac15 countability with respect to the expenditure of funds author16 ized under this title, there is authorized to be appropriated, 

until September 30, 2029, 1 17 ⁄2 of 1 percent of the amounts 

18 made available under this title. 

19 (j) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this Act shall be 

20 construed as modifying or abrogating a treaty with any 

21 Indian Tribe, or as enlarging or diminishing the authority, 

22 jurisdiction, or responsibility of an Indian Tribe to man23 age, control, or regulate wildlife. If any conflict arises be24 tween any provision of this Act and any provision of the 

25 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
24 

•HR 2773 RH

1 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, then the provision in 

2 the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or the 

3 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act shall prevail. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
Union Calendar No. 271 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2773 

[Report No. 117–359] 

A BILL 

To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restorapurposes. State fish and wildlife agencies, and for other greatest conservation need as determined by for management of fish and wildlife species of tion Act to make supplemental funds available 

JUNE 9, 2022 

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


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB