I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 528 
To direct Federal public land management officials to exercise their authority 
under existing law to facilitate use of and access to Federal public 
lands for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 26, 2015 
Mr. BENISHEK (for himself, Mr. NUNNELEE, Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan, Mr. 
PITTENGER, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. HANNA, Mr. POMPEO, Mr. GUINTA, 
Mr. FINCHER, Mr. MESSER, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. 
AMODEI, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. 
WESTERMAN, Mrs. BLACK, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. WOMACK, Mr. RICE of 
South Carolina, Mr. KELLY
of Pennsylvania, Mr. SALMON, Mr. 
KINZINGER of Illinois, Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
SESSIONS, Mr. WALBERG, and Mr. COLLINS of New York) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 
and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct Federal public land management officials to exer-
cise their authority under existing law to facilitate use 
of and access to Federal public lands for fishing, sport 
hunting, and recreational shooting, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recreational Fishing 
and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) recreational fishing and hunting are impor-
tant and traditional activities in which millions of 
Americans participate; 
(2) recreational anglers and hunters have been 
and continue to be among the foremost supporters 
of sound fish and wildlife management and conserva-
tion in the United States; 
(3) recreational fishing and hunting are envi-
ronmentally acceptable and beneficial activities that 
occur and can be provided on Federal public lands 
and waters without adverse effects on other uses or 
users; 
(4) recreational anglers, hunters, and sporting 
organizations provide direct assistance to fish and 
wildlife managers and enforcement officers of the 
Federal Government as well as State and local gov-
ernments by investing volunteer time and effort to 
fish and wildlife conservation; 
(5) recreational anglers, hunters, and the asso-
ciated industries have generated billions of dollars of 
critical funding for fish and wildlife conservation, re-
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search, and management by providing revenues from 
purchases of fishing and hunting licenses, permits, 
and stamps, as well as excise taxes on fishing, hunt-
ing, and shooting equipment that have generated bil-
lions of dollars of critical funding for fish and wild-
life conservation, research, and management; 
(6) recreational shooting is also an important 
and traditional activity in which millions of Ameri-
cans participate, safe recreational shooting is a valid 
use of Federal public lands, including the establish-
ment of safe and convenient shooting ranges on such 
lands, and participation in recreational shooting 
helps recruit and retain hunters and contributes to 
wildlife conservation; 
(7) opportunities to recreationally fish, hunt, 
and shoot are declining, which depresses participa-
tion in these traditional activities, and depressed 
participation adversely impacts fish and wildlife con-
servation and funding for important conservation ef-
forts; and 
(8) the public interest would be served, and our 
citizens’ fish and wildlife resources benefitted, by ac-
tion to ensure that opportunities are facilitated to 
engage in fishing and hunting on Federal public 
land as recognized by Executive Order No. 12962, 
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relating to recreational fisheries, and Executive 
Order No. 13443, relating to facilitation of hunting 
heritage and wildlife conservation. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND.—The term ‘‘Fed-
eral public land’’ means any land or water that is 
owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Man-
agement or the Forest Service. 
(2) FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT OF-
FICIALS.—The term ‘‘Federal public land manage-
ment officials’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior and Di-
rector of the Bureau of Land Management re-
garding Bureau of Land Management lands 
and waters; and 
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture and Chief 
of the Forest Service regarding the National 
Forest System. 
(3) HUNTING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the term ‘‘hunting’’ means 
use of a firearm, bow, or other authorized 
means in the lawful— 
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(i) pursuit, shooting, capture, collec-
tion, trapping, or killing of wildlife; 
(ii) attempt to pursue, shoot, capture, 
collect, trap, or kill wildlife; or 
(iii) the training of hunting dogs, in-
cluding field trials. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘hunting’’ 
does not include the use of skilled volunteers to 
cull excess animals (as defined by other Federal 
law). 
(4) RECREATIONAL FISHING.—The term ‘‘rec-
reational fishing’’ means the lawful— 
(A) pursuit, capture, collection, or killing 
of fish; or 
(B) attempt to capture, collect, or kill fish. 
(5) 
RECREATIONAL
SHOOTING.—The 
term 
‘‘recreational shooting’’ means any form of sport, 
training, competition, or pastime, whether formal or 
informal, that involves the discharge of a rifle, hand-
gun, or shotgun, or the use of a bow and arrow. 
SEC. 4. RECREATIONAL FISHING, HUNTING, AND SHOOT-
ING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights 
and subsection (g), and cooperation with the respective 
State fish and wildlife agency, Federal public land man-
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agement officials shall exercise authority under existing 
law, including provisions regarding land use planning, to 
facilitate use of and access to Federal public lands, includ-
ing National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness 
Study Areas, and lands administratively classified as wil-
derness eligible or suitable and primitive or semi-primitive 
areas, for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shoot-
ing, except as limited by— 
(1) statutory authority that authorizes action or 
withholding action for reasons of national security, 
public safety, or resource conservation; 
(2) any other Federal statute that specifically 
precludes recreational fishing, hunting, or shooting 
on specific Federal public lands, waters, or units 
thereof; and 
(3) discretionary limitations on recreational 
fishing, hunting, and shooting determined to be nec-
essary and reasonable as supported by the best sci-
entific evidence and advanced through a transparent 
public process. 
(b) MANAGEMENT.—Consistent with subsection (a), 
the head of each Federal public land management agency 
shall exercise its land management discretion— 
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(1) in a manner that supports and facilitates 
recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting opportu-
nities; 
(2) to the extent authorized under applicable 
State law; and 
(3) in accordance with applicable Federal law. 
(c) PLANNING.— 
(1) EVALUATION OF EFFECTS ON OPPORTUNI-
TIES TO ENGAGE IN RECREATIONAL FISHING, HUNT-
ING, OR SHOOTING.—Federal public land planning 
documents, including land resources management 
plans, resource management plans, and comprehen-
sive conservation plans, shall include a specific eval-
uation of the effects of such plans on opportunities 
to engage in recreational fishing, hunting, or shoot-
ing. 
(2) NO MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—No action 
taken under this Act, or under section 4 of the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 
1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd), either individually or cu-
mulatively with other actions involving Federal pub-
lic lands or lands managed by the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service, shall be considered to be 
a major Federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of the human environment, and no additional 
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identification, analysis, or consideration of environ-
mental effects, including cumulative effects, is nec-
essary or required. 
(3) OTHER ACTIVITY NOT CONSIDERED.—Fed-
eral public land management officials are not re-
quired to consider the existence or availability of rec-
reational fishing, hunting, or shooting opportunities 
on adjacent or nearby public or private lands in the 
planning for or determination of which Federal pub-
lic lands are open for these activities or in the set-
ting of levels of use for these activities on Federal 
public lands, unless the combination or coordination 
of such opportunities would enhance the recreational 
fishing, hunting, or shooting opportunities available 
to the public. 
(d) FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS.— 
(1) LANDS OPEN.—Lands under the jurisdic-
tion of the Bureau of Land Management and the 
Forest Service, including Wilderness Areas, Wilder-
ness Study Areas, lands designated as wilderness or 
administratively classified as wilderness eligible or 
suitable and primitive or semi-primitive areas and 
National Monuments, but excluding lands on the 
Outer Continental Shelf, shall be open to rec-
reational fishing, hunting, and shooting unless the 
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managing Federal agency acts to close lands to such 
activity. Lands may be subject to closures or restric-
tions if determined by the head of the agency to be 
necessary and reasonable and supported by facts 
and evidence, for purposes including resource con-
servation, public safety, energy or mineral produc-
tion, energy generation or transmission infrastruc-
ture, water supply facilities, protection of other per-
mittees, protection of private property rights or in-
terest, national security, or compliance with other 
law. 
(2) SHOOTING RANGES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of each Fed-
eral agency shall use his or her authorities in 
a manner consistent with this Act and other ap-
plicable law, to— 
(i) lease or permit use of lands under 
the jurisdiction of the agency for shooting 
ranges; and 
(ii) designate specific lands under the 
jurisdiction of the agency for recreational 
shooting activities. 
(B) LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.—Any des-
ignation under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall not 
subject the United States to any civil action or 
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claim for monetary damages for injury or loss 
of property or personal injury or death caused 
by any activity occurring at or on such des-
ignated lands. 
(e) NECESSITY IN WILDERNESS AREAS AND ‘‘WITH-
IN AND SUPPLEMENTAL TO’’ WILDERNESS PURPOSES.— 
(1) MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
ADMINIS-
TRATION.—The provision of opportunities for hunt-
ing, fishing and recreational shooting, and the con-
servation of fish and wildlife to provide sustainable 
use recreational opportunities on designated Federal 
wilderness areas shall constitute measures necessary 
to meet the minimum requirements for the adminis-
tration of the wilderness area, provided that this de-
termination shall not authorize or facilitate com-
modity development, use, or extraction, motorized 
recreational access or use that is not otherwise al-
lowed under the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.), or permanent road construction or mainte-
nance within designated wilderness areas. 
(2) APPLICATION OF WILDERNESS ACT.—Provi-
sions of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.), stipulating that wilderness purposes are ‘‘with-
in and supplemental to’’ the purposes of the under-
lying Federal land unit are reaffirmed. When seek-
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ing to carry out fish and wildlife conservation pro-
grams and projects or provide fish and wildlife de-
pendent recreation opportunities on designated wil-
derness areas, the head of each Federal agency shall 
implement these supplemental purposes so as to fa-
cilitate, enhance, or both, but not to impede the un-
derlying Federal land purposes when seeking to 
carry out fish and wildlife conservation programs 
and projects or provide fish and wildlife dependent 
recreation opportunities in designated wilderness 
areas, provided that such implementation shall not 
authorize or facilitate commodity development, use 
or extraction, or permanent road construction or use 
within designated wilderness areas. 
(f) REPORT.—Beginning on the second October 1 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and biennially 
on October 1 thereafter, the head of each Federal agency 
who has authority to manage Federal public land on which 
fishing, hunting, or recreational shooting occurs shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate a report that describes— 
(1) any Federal public land administered by the 
agency head that was closed to recreational fishing, 
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