I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9619 
To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 20, 2022 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish a pilot program for native plant species, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native Plant Species 
Pilot Program Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT SPECIES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) INVASIVE
SPECIES.—The term ‘‘invasive 
species’’ means, with respect to a particular eco-
system, a nonnative organism, the introduction of 
which causes or is likely to cause economic or envi-
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ronmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant 
health. 
(2) LOCALLY
ADAPTED.—The term ‘‘locally 
adapted’’ means, with respect to plants, plants 
that— 
(A) originate from an area that is geo-
graphically proximate to a planting area; and 
(B) are environmentally adapted to and 
likely to become established and persist in that 
planting area. 
(3) NATIVE PLANT SPECIES.—The term ‘‘native 
plant species’’ means, with respect to a particular 
ecosystem, a species that, other than as a result of 
an introduction, historically occurred or currently oc-
curs in that ecosystem. 
(4) 
NONNATIVE.—The 
term 
‘‘nonnative’’ 
means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, an or-
ganism, including the seeds, eggs, spores, or other 
biological material of the organism capable of propa-
gating that species, that occurs outside of the nat-
ural range of the organism. 
(5) PLANT MATERIAL.—The term ‘‘plant mate-
rial’’ means a plant or the seeds, eggs, spores, or 
other biological material of a plant capable of propa-
gating the species of the plant. 
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(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date on which funds are made available to carry out 
this section, the Secretary shall, in accordance with any 
existing laws and management policies, carry out a pilot 
program to prioritize the use of native plant species within 
geographically diverse units of the National Park System 
and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—In carrying out the pilot pro-
gram under subsection (b), the Secretary shall, to the ex-
tent practicable— 
(1) give preference to the use of locally adapted 
native plant materials where appropriate; 
(2) incorporate efforts to prevent, control, or 
eradicate the spread of invasive species; 
(3) incorporate efforts to use native plants in 
areas that have experienced a recent wildfire event; 
and 
(4) identify situations in which the use of non- 
native plants may be warranted. 
(d) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall, in car-
rying out the pilot program under subsection (b), coordi-
nate activities with— 
(1) the National Seed Strategy of the Bureau 
of Land Management; 
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(2) the Plant Conservation Alliance; and 
(3) the Plant Materials Centers of the Natural 
Resources Conservation Service. 
(e) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to 
carry out the pilot program under subsection (b) termi-
nates on the date that is 5 years after the date on which 
the pilot program is established under that subsection. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
on which the authority to carry out the pilot program ter-
minates under subsection (e), the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report describing— 
(1) the results of the pilot program carried out 
under subsection (b); and 
(2) the cost-effectiveness of using native plants 
in units of the National Park System and public 
land administered by the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment. 
Æ 
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