IB
Union Calendar No. 42
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 39
[Report No. 106–80]
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to provide
assistance in the conservation of neotropical migratory birds.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 6, 1999
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska (for himself, Mr. SAXTON, and Mr. GEORGE MILLER
of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
APRIL 12, 1999
Additional sponsors: Mr. GREENWOOD and Mrs. KELLY
APRIL 12, 1999
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 January 16, 1999]
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a pro-
gram to provide assistance in the conservation of
neotropical migratory birds.
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 ‘‘Neotropical Migratory
Bird Conservation Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Neotropical migratory bird populations in
nations within the range of neotropical migratory
birds have continued to decline to the point that the
long-term survival of various species in the wild is in
jeopardy.
(2) 90 North American bird species are listed as
endangered species or threatened species under section
4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and 124
species of migratory birds are currently on the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service’s List of Migratory
Nongame Birds of Management Concern.
(3) The United States, through 4 bilateral trea-
ties, has responsibility of maintaining healthy popu-
lations of 778 species of migratory nongame birds
and 58 species of migratory game birds that migrate
between the Caribbean, Latin America, and North
America.
(4) The Government of Mexico presently lists ap-
proximately 390 bird species as endangered, threat-
ened, vulnerable, or rare.
(5) Healthy bird populations provide important
economic benefits, such as control of detrimental in-
sects on agricultural crops, thus preventing the loss of
millions of dollars each year to farming and timber
interests.
(6) Neotropical migratory birds travel across
many international borders, therefore the conservation
of these species requires that safeguards be established
at both the beginning and end of the migration
routes, as well as at essential stopover areas along the
way.
(7) Because the challenges facing the conserva-
tion of neotropical migratory birds are so great, re-
sources to date have not been sufficient to cope with
continued loss of habitat and the consequent reduction
of neotropical migratory bird populations.
(8) To reduce, remove, or otherwise effectively
address these threats through the long-term viability
of populations of neotropical migratory birds in the
wild will require the joint commitment and efforts of
nations within the range of neotropical migratory
birds and the private sector.
(9) A Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation
fund would provide much-needed support for projects
aimed at protecting critical habitat for declining mi-
gratory bird species, in an innovative way that pro-
motes conservation partnerships and cost sharing
through joint Federal and non-Federal support mech-
anisms.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are the following:
(1) 
To 
perpetuate 
healthy 
populations 
of
neotropical migratory birds.
(2) To assist in the conservation and protection
of neotropical migratory birds by supporting con-
servation initiatives in Canada, Latin America, and
the Caribbean.
(3) To provide financial resources and to foster
international cooperation for those initiatives.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) ACCOUNT.—The term ‘‘Account’’ means the
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Account es-
tablished by section 9(a).
(2) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘‘conservation’’
means the use of methods and procedures necessary to
bring a species of neotropical migratory bird to the
point at which there are sufficient populations in the
wild to ensure the long-term viability of the species,
including—
(A) 
protection 
and 
management 
of
neotropical migratory bird populations;
(B) maintenance, management, protection,
and restoration of neotropical migratory bird
habitat;
(C) research and monitoring;
(D) law enforcement; and
(E) community outreach and education.
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 5. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a pro-
gram to provide financial assistance for projects outside of
the United States to promote the conservation of neotropical
migratory birds.
(b) PROJECT APPLICANTS.—A project proposal may be
submitted by—
(1) an individual, corporation, partnership,
trust, association, or other private entity;
(2) an officer, employee, agent, department, or
instrumentality of the Federal Government, of any
State, municipality, or political subdivision of a
State, or of any foreign government;
(3) a State, municipality, or political subdivi-
sion of a State;
(4) any other entity subject to the jurisdiction of
the United States or of any foreign country; and
(5) an international organization (as defined in
section 1 of the International Organizations Immuni-
ties Act (22 U.S.C. 288)).
(c) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—To be considered for finan-
cial assistance for a project under this Act, an applicant
shall submit a project proposal that—
(1) includes—
(A) the name of the individual responsible
for the project;
(B) a succinct statement of the purposes of
the organization that will conduct the project
and of the project;
(C) a description of the qualifications of in-
dividuals conducting the project; and
(D) an estimate of the funds and time nec-
essary to complete the project, including sources
and amounts of matching funds;
(2) demonstrates that the project will enhance
the conservation of neotropical migratory bird species
in Latin America, the Caribbean, or the United
States;