I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6854 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 2 grant programs to 
sustain populations of species of migratory waterfowl through the deploy-
ment of tools and practices that complement habitat conservation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 19, 2023 
Mrs. FISCHBACH (for herself, Mr. LAMALFA, and Mr. THOMPSON of Cali-
fornia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 2 grant 
programs to sustain populations of species of migratory 
waterfowl through the deployment of tools and practices 
that complement habitat conservation. 
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 ‘‘Habitat Enhancement 
Now Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUSTAIN POPULATIONS OF 
SPECIES OF MIGRATORY WATERFOWL. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
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(1) the maintenance of healthy populations of 
migratory birds in North America is largely depend-
ent on the protection, restoration, and management 
of wetland ecosystems and other habitats in Canada, 
as well as in the United States and Mexico, as iden-
tified in the Implementation Plans of Joint Ventures 
authorized under the North American Waterfowl 
Management Plan; 
(2) duck populations in North America are 
being threatened by the loss in the quantity and 
quality of breeding habitat, which leads to declining 
nest success; 
(3) low nest success has been widely docu-
mented to be the key annual driver in duck popu-
lations; 
(4) additional tools can be employed to increase 
nest success to complement the private, State, and 
Federal habitat conservation programs and efforts in 
order to sustain healthy waterfowl populations; 
(5) relatively modest investments in manage-
ment 
can 
make 
meaningful 
impacts 
towards 
supplementing waterfowl production in areas where 
waterfowl production outcomes have not been fully 
met; 
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(6) numerous studies have made it clear that 
nesting structures, in particular ‘‘hen houses’’, are 
the most efficient and cost-effective tool for increas-
ing nest success; and 
(7) providing incentives to private landowners 
to establish nesting cover, create or restore brood 
ponds, and provide brood water is a priority to en-
hance production of mallards, gadwalls, and other 
breeding ducks in California. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAMS.— 
(1) HEN HOUSE GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a competitive grant program to award 
amounts to eligible entities to strategically 
place, build, and maintain hen houses in the 
prairie pothole region for the purpose of im-
proving the nesting success rates of populations 
of species of migratory waterfowl. 
(B) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a 
grant under this paragraph, an eligible entity 
shall submit to the Secretary an application in 
such form, at such time, and containing such 
information as the Secretary determines appro-
priate. 
(2) BREEDING HABITAT GRANT PROGRAM.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a competitive grant program to award 
amounts to eligible entities to develop breeding 
habitat for species of migratory waterfowl with-
in California for the purpose of enhancing the 
breeding success rates of populations of species 
of migratory waterfowl, including by— 
(i) establishing nesting cover; 
(ii) creating brood ponds; and 
(iii) providing incentives to willing 
landowners to carry out the activities de-
scribed in this subparagraph on land under 
the control of such landowners within Cali-
fornia. 
(B) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a 
grant under this paragraph, an eligible entity 
shall submit to the Secretary an application in 
such form, at such time, and containing such 
information as the Secretary determines appro-
priate. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a State, local, or Tribal government; 
(B) a nonprofit organization; and 
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(C) an individual. 
(2) HEN
HOUSE.—The term ‘‘hen house’’ 
means a type of cylindrical nest structure installed 
on a post in a prairie pothole. 
(3) PRAIRIE POTHOLE.—The term ‘‘prairie pot-
hole’’ means a depressional wetland, including a 
freshwater marsh, that provides vital habitat to spe-
cies of nesting waterfowl and other species. 
(4) PRAIRIE
POTHOLE
REGION.—The term 
‘‘prairie pothole region’’ means North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Montana, Iowa, and Minnesota. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(d) FUNDING.—For each of fiscal years 2024 
through 2028, of the amounts appropriated or otherwise 
made available to the ‘‘Department of the Interior—Office 
of the Secretary—Departmental Operations’’ account for 
each such fiscal year— 
(1) $1,500,000 shall be made available to carry 
out subsection (b)(1); and 
(2) $1,500,000 shall be made available to carry 
out subsection (b)(2). 
Æ 
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