I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2591 
To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to modernize the 
funding of wildlife conservation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2017 
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia (for himself, Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina, 
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, and Mr. VEASEY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 
to modernize the funding of wildlife conservation, 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 ‘‘Modernizing the Pitt-
man-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The first section of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 
Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: ‘‘One of the purposes of this Act 
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is to provide financial and technical assistance to the 
States for the promotion of hunting and recreational 
shooting.’’. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora-
tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(8) as paragraphs (4) through (10), respectively; 
and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) for the purposes of determining the num-
ber of paid hunting-license holders in a State, the 
term ‘fiscal year’ means the fiscal year or license 
year of the State; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘hunter recruitment and rec-
reational shooter recruitment’ means any activity or 
project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational 
shooters, including by— 
‘‘(A) using social media, marketing, adver-
tising, surveying, television spots, print, and 
media; 
‘‘(B) providing education, mentoring, and 
field demonstrations; 
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‘‘(C) enhancing access for hunting and rec-
reational shooting, including through range con-
struction; 
‘‘(D) providing education to the public 
about the role of hunting and recreational 
shooting in funding wildlife conservation; and 
‘‘(E) using any other means to ensure the 
growth of hunting and recreational shooting, as 
determined by the Secretary;’’. 
SEC. 4. ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE 
AMOUNTS. 
(a) APPORTIONMENT TO STATES.—Section 4(b) of 
the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 
U.S.C. 669c(b)) is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘The Sec-
retary of the Interior’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; 
(2) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘Such 
apportionments’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) 
ADJUSTMENTS.—The 
apportionments 
under paragraph (1)’’; 
(3) by striking the third sentence; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), amounts apportioned under this 
subsection may be used for hunter recruitment 
and recreational shooter recruitment. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A State may make an 
expenditure under subparagraph (A) only if the 
amount of the expenditure during the fiscal 
year in which the expenditure is made plus the 
amount of the expenditures for hunter recruit-
ment and recreational shooter recruitment 
made during the 4 fiscal years preceding that 
fiscal year is not greater than 25 percent of the 
total amount apportioned to the State under 
this subsection during that 5-fiscal-year pe-
riod.’’. 
(b) APPORTIONMENT OF CERTAIN TAXES.—The first 
subsection (c) of section 4 of the Pittman-Robertson Wild-
life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c) is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘APPORTIONMENT OF REVE-
NUES FROM PISTOLS, REVOLVERS, BOWS, AND AR-
ROWS.—’’ after the enumerator; 
(2) by striking ‘‘One-half’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
1⁄2’’; 
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(3) by striking ‘‘: Provided, That’’ and inserting 
a period; 
(4) by striking ‘‘each State shall be apportioned 
not more than 3 per centum and not less than 1 per 
centum of such revenues’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) CONDITION.—The amount apportioned to 
each State under paragraph (1) shall be not greater 
than 3 percent and not less than 1 percent of the 
revenues described in such paragraph’’; 
(5) by striking ‘‘For the purpose’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(3) POPULATION
DETERMINATION.—For the 
purpose’’; and 
(6) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—In addition to other uses 
authorized under this Act, amounts apportioned 
under this subsection may be used for hunter re-
cruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.’’. 
SEC. 5. EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE 
AREAS AND RESOURCES. 
Section 8 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora-
tion Act (16 U.S.C. 669g) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), in the third sentence, by 
striking ‘‘and public relations’’; and 
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(2) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, by 
striking ‘‘, as a part of such program’’. 
SEC. 6. FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND SAFE-
TY PROGRAM GRANTS. 
Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Pittman-Robertson Wild-
life Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–1(a)(1)(A)) is 
amended— 
(1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(v) the enhancement of hunter re-
cruitment and recreational shooter recruit-
ment; and’’. 
SEC. 7. MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 11 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Res-
toration Act (16 U.S.C. 669h–2) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Not more than’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not more than’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY
FOR
HUNTER
AND 
RECREATIONAL SHOOTER GRANTS.—Not more 
than $5,000,000 of the revenues covered into 
the fund from any tax imposed under section 
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4161(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
for a fiscal year shall be available to the Sec-
retary exclusively for making hunter recruit-
ment and recreational shooter recruitment 
grants that promote a national hunting and 
shooting sport recruitment program, including 
related communication and outreach activi-
ties.’’; 
(2) 
in 
the 
matter 
preceding 
subsection 
(b)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘International’’; 
(3) 
in 
the 
matter 
preceding 
subsection 
(c)(2)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘International’’; 
(4) in subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), by inserting ‘‘or 
to recreational shooting activities’’ after ‘‘wildlife’’; 
and 
(5) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘or to rec-
reational shooting activities’’ after ‘‘wildlife’’. 
Æ 
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