title I of the Department of the Interior and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (16 U.S.C. 4246). 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 3. HIGHLY ENDANGERED AMPHIBIAN SPECIES ASSIST-
ANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In consultation with other Federal 
officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund to 
carry out a competitive grant program to provide financial 
assistance for the conservation of highly endangered am-
phibian species. 
(b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE
APPLICANTS.—A proposal for a 
grant under subsection (a) may be submitted to the 
Secretary by— 
(A) any wildlife management authority of a 
foreign country that has within its boundaries 
natural habitat of a highly endangered amphib-
ian species if the activities of the authority di-
rectly or indirectly benefit that species’ conserva-
tion; or 
(B) any other person or group with the 
demonstrated expertise and capacity required for 
the conservation of a highly endangered amphib-
ian species. 
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(2) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—A project proposal 
shall include— 
(A) evidence of support for the project by 
appropriate governmental entities of the country 
in which the project will be conducted, if the Sec-
retary determines that such support is required 
for the success of the project; 
(B) evidence of sensitivity to local historic 
and cultural resources and compliance with ap-
plicable laws; 
(C) evidence of free, prior, and informed 
consent by indigenous peoples and local commu-
nities in the areas the project will be conducted, 
if the Secretary, based on the nature of the 
project, determines that such consent is required 
for the success of the project; 
(D) information regarding the source and 
amount of matching funding available for the 
project; and 
(E) any other information that the Sec-
retary determines to be appropriate. 
(c) EVALUATION AND APPROVAL.— 
(1) GOALS.—The Secretary may approve a pro-
posal under this section if the project will— 
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(A) help recover and sustain viable popu-
lations in the wild of a highly endangered am-
phibian species with a range that is, in whole or 
in part, outside of the United States; 
(B) enhance compliance with provisions of 
the Convention and laws of the United States or 
a foreign country related to the conservation of 
a highly endangered amphibian species; or 
(C) develop sound scientific information on 
that species’ habitat, population numbers and 
trends, 
reproduction, 
mortality, 
and 
other 
threats to survival. 
(2) METHODS.—The Secretary may approve a 
proposal under this section if the proposal would 
achieve one of the goals set forth in paragraph (1) 
through— 
(A) protection, restoration, and manage-
ment of habitat; 
(B) in situ research and monitoring of pop-
ulations, habitats, annual reproduction, and spe-
cies population trends; 
(C) development, implementation, and im-
provement of national and regional management 
plans for a highly endangered amphibian species 
and the habitat of such species; 
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(D) enforcement and implementation of the 
Convention or the law of a foreign country to— 
(i) protect and manage a highly en-
dangered amphibian species or the habitat 
of such species; 
(ii) prevent illegal or unsustainable re-
moval of a highly endangered amphibian 
species from the wild; or 
(iii) prevent illegal trade of a highly 
endangered amphibian species; 
(E) training and capacity building for local 
law enforcement officials in the interdiction and 
prevention of the illegal killing, removal from the 
wild, or trade of a highly endangered amphibian 
species; 
(F) an initiative to resolve a conflict be-
tween humans and a highly endangered amphib-
ian species; 
(G) research and implementation of projects 
to address disease and threats to the health of a 
highly endangered amphibian species; 
(H) community outreach and education on 
conservation of a highly endangered amphibian 
species and the habitat of such species; or 
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(I) strengthening the ability of local com-
munities to implement a conservation program. 
(3) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall, prior 
to approving any proposal under this section, consult 
with each of the following with respect to such pro-
posal: 
(A) The Government of each country in 
which such proposal will be carried out. 
(B) Any other Federal agency the Secretary 
determines is appropriate. 
(4) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION.—In deter-
mining whether to approve a proposal, the Secretary 
shall give preference to a proposal that— 
(A) is designed to ensure effective, long-term 
conservation of highly endangered amphibian 
species and their habitats; and 
(B) has matching funds available. 
(5) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall, within 180 
days of receiving a proposal under this section, ap-
prove or disapprove of the proposal and provide writ-
ten notification of such approval or disapproval to— 
(A) the person who submitted such proposal; 
(B) any Federal agency the Secretary deter-
mines appropriate; and 
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(C) the foreign country in which such pro-
posal would be carried out. 
(d) PROJECT REPORTING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require 
each person that receives assistance under this section 
to submit periodic reports including such information 
as the Secretary may require in order to evaluate the 
progress and success of each grant issued under this 
section. 
(2) AVAILABILITY
TO
THE
PUBLIC.—Reports 
under paragraph (1), and any other documents relat-
ing to projects for which financial assistance is pro-
vided under this Act except for documents that the 
Secretary determines to be confidential in nature, 
shall be made available to the public. 
(e) LIMITATIONS ON USE FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING.— 
Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— 
(1) may not be used for captive breeding of high-
ly endangered amphibian species other than for cap-
tive breeding designed for release into the wild; and 
(2) may be used for captive breeding of a species 
for release into the wild only if no other conservation 
method for the species is biologically or technically 
feasible. 
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SEC. 4. HIGHLY ENDANGERED AMPHIBIAN SPECIES CON-
SERVATION FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the Mul-
tinational Species Conservation Fund a separate account 
to be known as the ‘‘Highly Endangered Amphibian Species 
Conservation Fund’’, consisting of— 
(1) amounts transferred to the Secretary of the 
Treasury for deposit into the Fund under subsections 
(d) and (e); 
(2) amounts appropriated to the Fund under 
section 5; and 
(3) any interest earned on investment of 
amounts in the Fund under subsection (c). 
(b) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), at 
the request of the Secretary, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Sec-
retary, without further appropriation, such amounts 
as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out 
section 3. 
(2) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Of 
the 
amounts in the account available for each fiscal year, 
the Secretary may expend not more than 3 percent, 
or up to $150,000, whichever is greater, to pay the 
administrative expenses necessary to carry out this 
Act. 
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(c) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, in the 
judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, required to 
meet current withdrawals. Investments may be made 
only in interest-bearing obligations of the United 
States. 
(2) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the pur-
pose of investments under paragraph (1), obligations 
may be acquired— 
(A) on original issue at the issue price; or 
(B) by purchase of outstanding obligations 
at market price. 
(3) SALE OF OBLIGATIONS.—Any obligation ac-
quired by the Fund may be sold by the Secretary of 
the Treasury at market price. 
(4) CREDITS TO FUND.—The interest on, and the 
proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obliga-
tions held in the Fund shall be credited to and form 
a part of the Fund. 
(d) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts required to be 
transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 
transferred at least monthly from the general fund of 
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the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of estimates 
made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 
(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall be 
made in amounts subsequently transferred to the ex-
tent prior estimates were in excess of or less than the 
amounts required to be transferred. 
(e) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.—The Sec-
retary may accept and use donations to provide assistance 
under section 3. Amounts received by the Secretary in the 
form of donations shall be transferred to the Secretary of 
the Treasury for deposit in the Fund. The Secretary may 
reject a gift under this section when the rejection is in the 
interest of the Government. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027. 
SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report on the results and effectiveness 
of the program carried out under this Act. 
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Union Calendar No. 408 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2026 
[Report No. 117–567] 
A BILL 
To assist in the conservation of highly endangered 
amphibian species in foreign countries, and for 
other purposes. 
NOVEMBER 16, 2022 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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