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 supple-
mental funds available for management of fish and wildlife species of 
greatest conservation need as determined by State fish and wildlife agen-
cies, 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, 
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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. POR-
TER, 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. 
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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 ‘‘Recovering America’s 
Wildlife Act of 2021’’. 
TITLE I—WILDLIFE CONSERVA-
TION AND RESTORATION 
SEC. 101. WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION 
SUBACCOUNT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 of the Pittman-Robertson 
Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669b) is amended in 
subsection (c)— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
paragraphs (10) and (11); and 
(2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF SUBACCOUNT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There is established in 
the fund a subaccount to be known as the ‘Wild-
life Conservation and Restoration Subaccount’ 
(referred to in this section as the ‘Subaccount’). 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts in the Sub-
account shall be available without further appro-
priation, for each fiscal year, for apportionment 
in accordance with this Act. 
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‘‘(C) DEPOSITS INTO SUBACCOUNT.—Begin-
ning in fiscal year 2022, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall transfer $1,300,000,000 from the 
general fund of the treasury each fiscal year to 
the fund for deposit in the Subaccount. 
‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENT
NOT
SUPPLANT.—Amounts 
transferred to the Subaccount shall supplement, but 
not replace, existing funds available to the States 
from— 
‘‘(A) the funds distributed pursuant to the 
Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act; and 
‘‘(B) the fund. 
‘‘(3) INNOVATION GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall dis-
tribute 10 percent of funds apportioned from the 
Subaccount through a competitive grant pro-
gram to State fish and wildlife departments, the 
District of Columbia fish and wildlife depart-
ment, fish and wildlife departments of terri-
tories, or to regional associations of fish and 
wildlife departments (or any group composed of 
more than 1 such entity). 
‘‘(B) PURPOSE.—Such grants shall be pro-
vided for the purpose of catalyzing innovation of 
techniques, tools, strategies, or collaborative part-
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nerships that accelerate, expand, or replicate ef-
fective and measurable recovery efforts for species 
of greatest conservation need and species listed 
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and 
the habitats of such species. 
‘‘(C) REVIEW COMMITTEE.—The Secretary 
shall appoint a review committee comprised of— 
‘‘(i) a State Director from each re-
gional association of State fish and wildlife 
departments; 
‘‘(ii) the head of a department respon-
sible for fish and wildlife management in a 
territory; and 
‘‘(iii) 4 individuals representing 4 dif-
ferent nonprofit organizations each of which 
is actively participating in carrying out 
wildlife conservation restoration activities 
using funds apportioned from the Sub-
account. 
‘‘(D) SUPPORT FROM UNITED STATES FISH 
AND
WILDLIFE
SERVICE.—The United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service shall provide any per-
sonnel or administrative support services nec-
essary for such Committee to carry out its re-
sponsibilities under this Act. 
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‘‘(E) EVALUATION.—Such committee shall 
evaluate each proposal submitted under this 
paragraph and recommend projects for funding, 
giving preference to solutions that accelerate the 
recovery of species identified as priorities 
through regional scientific assessments of species 
of greatest conservation need. 
‘‘(F) SPECIAL
RULE
BEFORE
DISBURSE-
MENT OF FUNDS FROM SUBACCOUNT.—In any 
fiscal year that begins before the first disburse-
ment of funds from the Subaccount, any non-
profit organization that actively participates in 
carrying out wildlife conservation restoration ac-
tivities shall be deemed to fulfill the requirement 
described in subparagraph (C)(iii). 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds apportioned from 
the Subaccount— 
‘‘(A) shall be used to implement the Wildlife 
Conservation Strategy of a State, territory, or 
the District of Columbia, as required under sec-
tion 4(e), by carrying out, revising, or enhancing 
existing wildlife and habitat conservation and 
restoration programs and developing and imple-
menting new wildlife conservation and restora-
tion programs to recover and manage species of 
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greatest conservation need and the key habitats 
and plant community types essential to the con-
servation of those species as determined by the 
appropriate State fish and wildlife department; 
‘‘(B) shall be used to develop, revise, and 
enhance the Wildlife Conservation Strategy of a 
State, territory, or the District of Columbia, as 
may be required by this Act; 
‘‘(C) shall be used to assist in the recovery 
of species found in the State, territory, or the 
District of Columbia that are listed as endan-
gered species, threatened species, candidate spe-
cies or species proposed for listing, or species pe-
titioned for listing under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973 or under State law; 
‘‘(D) may be used for wildlife conservation 
education 
and 
wildlife-associated 
recreation 
projects, especially in historically underserved 
communities; 
‘‘(E) may be used to manage a species of 
greatest conservation need whose range is shared 
with another State, territory, Indian Tribe, or 
foreign government and for the conservation of 
the habitat of such species; 
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‘‘(F) may be used to manage, control, and 
prevent invasive species, disease, and other risks 
to species of greatest conservation need; and 
‘‘(G) may be used for law enforcement ac-
tivities that are directly related to the protection 
and conservation of a species of greatest con-
servation need and the habitat of such species. 
‘‘(5) MINIMUM REQUIRED SPENDING FOR ENDAN-
GERED SPECIES RECOVERY.—Not less than an aver-
age of 15 percent over a 5-year period of amounts ap-
portioned to a State, territory, or the District of Co-
lumbia from the Subaccount shall be used for pur-
poses described in paragraph (4)(C). The Secretary 
may reduce the minimum requirement of a State, ter-
ritory, or the District of Columbia on an annual 
basis if the Secretary determines that the State, terri-
tory, or the District of Columbia is meeting the con-
servation and recovery needs of all species described 
in paragraph (4)(C). 
‘‘(6) PUBLIC ACCESS TO PRIVATE LANDS NOT RE-
QUIRED.—Funds apportioned from the Subaccount 
shall not be conditioned upon the provision of public 
access to private lands, waters, or holdings. 
‘‘(7) REQUIREMENTS FOR MATCHING FUNDS.— 
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‘‘(A) For the purposes of the non-Federal 
fund matching requirement for a wildlife con-
servation or restoration program or project fund-
ed by the Subaccount, a State, territory, or the 
District of Columbia may use as matching non- 
Federal funds— 
‘‘(i) funds from Federal agencies other 
than the Department of the Interior and the 
Department of Agriculture; 
‘‘(ii) donated private lands and waters, 
including privately owned easements; 
‘‘(iii) in circumstances described in 
subparagraph 
(B), 
revenue 
generated 
through the sale of State hunting and fish-
ing licenses; and 
‘‘(iv) other sources consistent with part 
80 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, 
in effect on the date of enactment of the Re-
covering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021. 
‘‘(B) Revenue described in subparagraph 
(A)(iii) may only be used to fulfill the require-
ments of such non-Federal fund matching re-
quirement if— 
‘‘(i) no Federal funds apportioned to 
the State fish and wildlife department of 
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such State from the Wildlife Restoration 
Program or the Sport Fish Restoration Pro-
gram have been reverted because of a failure 
to fulfill such non-Federal fund matching 
requirement by such State during the pre-
vious 2 fiscal years; and 
‘‘(ii) the project or program being 
funded benefits the habitat of a hunted or 
fished species and a species of greatest con-
servation need. 
‘‘(8) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the funds au-
thorized under this subsection, not more than 3 per-
cent may be used by the Secretary for administrative 
costs. 
‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the fol-
lowing definitions apply: 
‘‘(A) PARTNERSHIPS.—The term ‘partner-
ships’ may include collaborative efforts with Fed-
eral agencies, State agencies, local agencies, In-
dian Tribes, nonprofit organizations, academic 
institutions, industry groups, and private indi-
viduals to implement a State’s Wildlife Con-
servation Strategy. 
‘‘(B) SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION 
NEED.—The term ‘species of greatest conserva-
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tion need’ may be fauna or flora, and may in-
clude terrestrial, aquatic, marine, and inverte-
brate species that are of low population, declin-
ing, rare, or facing threats and in need of con-
servation attention, as determined by each State 
fish and wildlife department, with respect to 
funds apportioned to such State. 
‘‘(C) TERRITORY
AND
TERRITORIES.—The 
terms ‘territory’ and ‘territories’ mean the Com-
monwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern 
Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, 
the United States Virgin Islands, and American 
Samoa. 
‘‘(D) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘wildlife’ means 
any species of wild, free-ranging fauna, includ-
ing fish, and also fauna in captive breeding pro-
grams the object of which is to reintroduce indi-
viduals of a depleted indigenous species into pre-
viously occupied range.’’. 
(b) OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—Section 3 of 
the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 
669b) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) To the Office of Inspector General, for the purposes 
of oversight and accountability with respect to the expendi-
ture of funds authorized under subsection (c), there is au-
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thorized to be appropriated, until September 30, 2029, 1⁄2 
of 1 percent of the amounts made available under such sub-
section.’’. 
(c) ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE 
AMOUNTS.—Section 4 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 
Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘to the District of Columbia and to the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, each’’ and 
inserting ‘‘To the District of Columbia’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘to Guam’’ and 
inserting ‘‘To Guam’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘not more than 
one-fourth of 1 percent’’ and inserting 
‘‘not less than 1⁄3 of 1 percent’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) To the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
a sum equal to not less than 1 percent thereof.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)(A)— 
(i) by amending clause (i) to read as 
follows: 
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‘‘(i) 1⁄2 of which is based on the ratio to 
which the land and water area of such State 
bears to the total land and water area of all such 
States;’’; 
(ii) in clause (ii)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘two-thirds’’ and 
inserting ‘‘1⁄4’’; and 
(II) by striking the period and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) 1⁄4 of which is based upon the ratio 
to which the number of species listed as endan-
gered or threatened under the Endangered Spe-
cies Act of 1973 in such State bears to the total 
number of such species listed in all such States.’’; 
(C) by amending paragraph (2)(B) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(B) The amounts apportioned under this 
paragraph shall be adjusted equitably so that no 
such State, unless otherwise designated, shall be 
apportioned a sum which is less than 1 percent 
or more than 5 percent of the amount available 
for apportionment under— 
‘‘(i) subparagraph (A)(i); 
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‘‘(ii) subparagraph (A)(ii); and 
‘‘(iii) the overall amount available for 
subparagraph (A).’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘3 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘1.85 percent’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)(4)— 
(A) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(B) Not more than an average of 15 percent 
over a 5-year period of amounts apportioned to each 
State, territory, or the District of Columbia under 
this section for a wildlife conservation and restoration 
program may be used for wildlife conservation edu-
cation and wildlife-associated recreation.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) $55 million shall be reserved for States and 
territories that include plants among their species of 
greatest conservation need and in the conservation 
planning and habitat prioritization efforts of their 
Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Each eligible State, 
territory, or the District of Columbia shall receive an 
additional 5 percent of their apportioned amount. 
Any unallocated resources shall be allocated propor-
tionally among all States and territories under the 
formulas of this section.’’; and 
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(3) by adding at the end following: 
‘‘(f) MINIMIZATION OF PLANNING AND REPORTING.— 
Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to require a State 
to create a comprehensive strategy related to conservation 
education or outdoor recreation. 
‘‘(g) ACCOUNTABILITY.—Not more than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Recovering America’s Wildlife 
Act of 2021 and every 3 years thereafter, each State fish 
and wildlife department of a State or territory that receives 
funding under subsection (c) shall submit a 3-year work 
plan and budget for implementing its Wildlife Conservation 
Strategy and a report describing the results derived from 
activities accomplished under subsection (c)(4) during the 
previous 3 years to— 
‘‘(1) the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works of the Senate; 
‘‘(2) the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives; and 
‘‘(3) the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice.’’. 
SEC. 102. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson 
Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘including 
fish,’’; and 
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(2) in paragraph (9)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘304(d)’’ and inserting 
‘‘4(d)’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘Indian Tribes, academic 
institutions,’’ before ‘‘wildlife conservation orga-
nizations’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Pittman-Rob-
ertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) in section 3 (16 U.S.C. 669b)— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘(1) An amount equal 
to’’ and inserting ‘‘An amount equal to’’; 
and 
(ii) by striking paragraph (2); 
(B) in subsection (c)— 
(i) in paragraph (10), as redesignated 
by section 101(a)(1), by striking ‘‘or an In-
dian tribe’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (11), as redesignated 
by section 101(a)(1), by striking ‘‘Wildlife 
Conservation and Restoration Account’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Subaccount’’; and 
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(C) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘Wildlife 
Conservation and Restoration Account’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Subaccount’’; 
(2) in section 4 (16 U.S.C. 669c)— 
(A) in subsection (d)— 
(i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AC-
COUNT’’ and inserting ‘‘SUBACCOUNT’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘Account’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘Subaccount’’; and 
(B) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘Ac-
count’’ and inserting ‘‘Subaccount’’; and 
(3) in section 8 (16 U.S.C. 669g), in subsection 
(a), by striking ‘‘Account’’ and inserting ‘‘Sub-
account’’. 
SEC. 103. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 
U.S.C. 669 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 13 as section 15; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 12 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 13. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 
‘‘Nothing in this Act shall be construed to enlarge or 
diminish the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of a 
State to manage, control, or regulate fish and wildlife under 
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the law and regulations of the State on lands and waters 
within the State, including on Federal lands and waters. 
‘‘SEC. 14. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION WITH RESPECT TO 
ALASKA. 
‘‘If any conflict arises between any provision of this 
Act and any provision of the Alaska National Interest 
Lands Conservation Act or the Alaska Native Claims Settle-
ment Act, then the provision in the Alaska National Interest 
Lands Conservation Act or the Alaska Native Claims Settle-
ment Act shall prevail.’’. 
TITLE 
II—TRIBAL 
WILDLIFE 
CONSERVATION 
AND 
RES-
TORATION 
SEC. 201. INDIAN TRIBES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ACCOUNT.—The term ‘‘Account’’ means the 
Tribal Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account 
established by subsection (b)(1). 
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
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(4) TRIBAL SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVA-
TION
NEED.—The term ‘‘Tribal species of greatest 
conservation need’’ means any species identified by 
an Indian Tribe as requiring conservation manage-
ment because of declining population, habitat loss, or 
other threats, or because of their biological or cultural 
importance to such Tribe. 
(5) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘‘wildlife’’ means— 
(A) any species of wild flora or fauna in-
cluding fish and marine mammals; 
(B) flora or fauna in a captive breeding, re-
habilitation, and holding or quarantine pro-
gram, the object of which is to reintroduce indi-
viduals of a depleted indigenous species into pre-
viously occupied range or to maintain a species 
for conservation purposes; and 
(C) does not include game farm animals. 
(b) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESTORA-
TION ACCOUNT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 
Treasury an account to be known as the ‘‘Tribal 
Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account’’. 
(2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts in the Account 
shall be available for each fiscal year without further 
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appropriation for apportionment in accordance with 
this title. 
(3) DEPOSITS.—Beginning in fiscal year 2022, 
and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall transfer $97,500,000 to the Account. 
(c) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO INDIAN TRIBES.— 
Each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit 
funds into the Account and distribute such funds through 
a noncompetitive application process according to guide-
lines and criteria, and reporting requirements determined 
by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director 
of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in consultation with In-
dian Tribes. Such funds shall remain available until ex-
pended. 
(d) WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.—The 
distribution guidelines and criteria described in subsection 
(c) shall be based, in part, upon an Indian Tribe’s wildlife 
management responsibilities. Any funding allocated to In-
dian Tribes in Alaska may only be used in a manner con-
sistent with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the 
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the 
Alaska Statehood Act. Alaska Native Corporations or Tribes 
may enter into cooperative agreements with the State of 
Alaska on conservation projects of mutual concern. 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Secretary may distribute funds from 
the Account to an Indian Tribe for any of the fol-
lowing purposes: 
(A) To develop, carry out, revise, or enhance 
wildlife conservation and restoration programs 
to manage Tribal species of greatest conservation 
need and the habitats of such species as deter-
mined by the Indian Tribe. 
(B) To assist in the recovery of species list-
ed as an endangered or threatened species under 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.). 
(C) For wildlife conservation education and 
wildlife-associated recreation projects. 
(D) To manage a Tribal species of greatest 
conservation need and the habitat of such species, 
the range of which may be shared with a foreign 
country, State, or other Indian Tribe. 
(E) To manage, control, and prevent 
invasive species as well as diseases and other 
risks to wildlife. 
(F) For law enforcement activities that are 
directly related to the protection and conserva-
tion of wildlife. 
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(G) To develop, revise, and implement com-
prehensive wildlife conservation strategies and 
plans for such Tribe. 
(H) For the hiring and training of wildlife 
conservation and restoration program staff. 
(2) CONDITIONS ON THE USE OF FUNDS.— 
(A) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.—In order to 
be eligible to receive funds under subsection (c), 
a Tribe’s application must include a proposal to 
use funds for at least 1 of the purposes described 
in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1). 
(B) IMPERILED
SPECIES
RECOVERY.—In 
distributing funds under this section, the Sec-
retary shall distribute not less than 15 percent of 
the total funds distributed to proposals to fund 
the recovery of a species, subspecies, or distinct 
population segment listed as a threatened spe-
cies, endangered species, or candidate species 
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) or Tribal law. 
(C) LIMITATION.—In distributing funds 
under this section, the Secretary shall distribute 
not more than 15 percent of all funds distributed 
under this section for the purpose described in 
paragraph (1)(C). 
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(f) NO MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRED.—No Indian 
Tribe shall be required to provide matching funds to be eli-
gible to receive funds under this Act. 
(g) PUBLIC ACCESS NOT REQUIRED.—Funds appor-
tioned from the Tribal Wildlife Conservation and Restora-
tion Account shall not be conditioned upon the provision 
of public or non-Tribal access to Tribal or private lands, 
waters, or holdings. 
(h) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the funds deposited 
under subsection (b)(3) for each fiscal year, not more than 
3 percent shall be used by the Secretary for administrative 
costs. 
(i) OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—To the Office 
of Inspector General, for the purposes of oversight and ac-
countability with respect to the expenditure of funds author-
ized under this title, there is authorized to be appropriated, 
until September 30, 2029, 1⁄2 of 1 percent of the amounts 
made available under this title. 
(j) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed as modifying or abrogating a treaty with any 
Indian Tribe, or as enlarging or diminishing the authority, 
jurisdiction, or responsibility of an Indian Tribe to man-
age, control, or regulate wildlife. If any conflict arises be-
tween any provision of this Act and any provision of the 
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or the 
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Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, then the provision in 
the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or the 
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act shall prevail. 
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Union Calendar No. 271 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2773 
[Report No. 117–359] 
A BILL 
To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora-
tion 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. 
JUNE 9, 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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