I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4831 
To reauthorize and amend the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
Establishment Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 23, 2019 
Mrs. DINGELL (for herself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To reauthorize and amend the National Fish and Wildlife 
Foundation Establishment Act. 
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 ‘‘National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION ES-
TABLISHMENT ACT. 
(a) BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF FOUNDATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 of the National 
Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 
U.S.C. 3702) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (b)— 
(i) by striking paragraph (2) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(2) IN GENERAL.—After consulting with the 
Secretary of Commerce and considering the rec-
ommendations submitted by the Board, the Sec-
retary of the Interior shall appoint 28 Directors 
who, to the maximum extent practicable, shall— 
‘‘(A) be knowledgeable and experienced in 
matters relating to the conservation of fish, 
wildlife, or other natural resources; and 
‘‘(B) represent a balance of expertise in 
ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial re-
source conservation.’’; and 
(ii) by striking paragraph (3) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(3) TERMS.—Each Director (other than a Di-
rector described in paragraph (1)) shall be appointed 
for a term of 6 years.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (g)(2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘(A) Officers and employees may not be 
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appointed until the Foundation has suffi-
cient funds to pay them for their service. 
Officers’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Officers’’; and 
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(B) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Foun-
dation shall have an Executive Director who 
shall be— 
‘‘(i) appointed by, and serve at the di-
rection of, the Board as the chief executive 
officer of the Foundation; and 
‘‘(ii) knowledgeable and experienced in 
matters relating to fish and wildlife con-
servation.’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
4(a)(1)(B) of the North American Wetlands Con-
servation Act (16 U.S.C. 4403(a)(1)(B)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘Secretary of the Board’’ and inserting 
‘‘Executive Director of the Board’’. 
(b) RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF FOUNDATION.— 
Section 4 of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3703) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
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(F) by striking subparagraph (K) (as re-
designated by subparagraph (B)) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(K) to receive and administer restitution 
and community service payments, amounts for 
mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and 
other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or 
administrative proceedings, subject to the con-
dition that the amounts are received or admin-
istered for purposes that further the conserva-
tion and management of fish, wildlife, plants, 
and other natural resources; and 
‘‘(L) to do acts necessary to carry out the 
purposes of the Foundation.’’; and 
(G) by striking the undesignated matter at 
the end and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF REAL PROPERTY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this 
Act, an interest in real property shall be treated 
as including easements or other rights for pres-
ervation, conservation, protection, or enhance-
ment by and for the public of natural, scenic, 
historic, scientific, educational, inspirational, or 
recreational resources. 
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‘‘(B) ENCUMBERED REAL PROPERTY.—A 
gift, devise, or bequest may be accepted by the 
Foundation even though the gift, devise, or be-
quest is encumbered, restricted, or subject to 
beneficial interests of private persons if any 
current or future interest in the gift, devise, or 
bequest is for the benefit of the Foundation. 
‘‘(3) SAVINGS
CLAUSE.—The acceptance and 
administration of amounts by the Foundation under 
paragraph (1)(K) does not alter, supersede, or limit 
any regulatory or statutory requirement associated 
with those amounts.’’; 
(2) by striking subsections (f) and (g); and 
(3) by redesignating subsections (h) and (i) as 
subsections (f) and (g), respectively. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
10 of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Estab-
lishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3709) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (1) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act for each of fiscal 
years 2020 through 2024— 
‘‘(A) $15,000,000 to the Secretary of the 
Interior; 
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‘‘(B) $5,000,000 to the Secretary of Agri-
culture; and 
‘‘(C) $5,000,000 to the Secretary of Com-
merce.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) AMOUNTS FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In addition to the 
amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
subsection (a), Federal departments, agencies, 
or instrumentalities are authorized to provide 
funds to the Foundation through Federal finan-
cial assistance grants and cooperative agree-
ments, subject to the condition that the 
amounts are used for purposes that further the 
conservation and management of fish, wildlife, 
plants, and other natural resources in accord-
ance with this Act. 
‘‘(B) ADVANCES.—Federal departments, 
agencies, or instrumentalities may advance 
amounts described in subparagraph (A) to the 
Foundation in a lump sum without regard to 
when the expenses for which the amounts are 
used are incurred. 
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‘‘(C) MANAGEMENT FEES.—The Founda-
tion may assess and collect fees for the manage-
ment of amounts received under this para-
graph.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in the paragraph heading, by strik-
ing ‘‘FUNDS’’ and inserting ‘‘AMOUNTS’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘shall be used’’ and in-
serting ‘‘may be used’’; and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘and State and local 
government agencies’’ and inserting ‘‘, 
State and local government agencies, and 
other entities’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) ADMINISTRATION OF AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In entering into con-
tracts, agreements, or other partnerships pursu-
ant to this Act, a Federal department, agency, 
or instrumentality shall have discretion to waive 
any competitive process applicable to the de-
partment, agency, or instrumentality for enter-
ing into contracts, agreements, or partnerships 
with the Foundation if the purpose of the waiv-
er is— 
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‘‘(i) to address an environmental 
emergency resulting from a natural or 
other disaster; or 
‘‘(ii) as determined by the head of the 
applicable Federal department, agency, or 
instrumentality, to reduce administrative 
expenses and expedite the conservation and 
management of fish, wildlife, plants, and 
other natural resources. 
‘‘(B) REPORTS.—The Foundation shall in-
clude in the annual report submitted under sec-
tion 7(b) a description of any use of the author-
ity under subparagraph (A) by a Federal de-
partment, agency, or instrumentality in that fis-
cal year.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) USE OF GIFTS, DEVISES, OR BEQUESTS OF 
MONEY OR OTHER PROPERTY.—Any gifts, devises, or be-
quests of amounts or other property, or any other amounts 
or other property, transferred to, deposited with, or other-
wise in the possession of the Foundation pursuant to this 
Act, may be made available by the Foundation to Federal 
departments, agencies, or instrumentalities and may be 
accepted and expended (or the disposition of the amounts 
or property directed), without further appropriation, by 
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