In the Senate of the United States,
September 11, 1998.
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representa-
tives (H.R. 1856) entitled ‘‘An Act to amend the Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956 to direct the Secretary of the Interior
to conduct a volunteer pilot project at one national wildlife
refuge in each United States Fish and Wildlife Service re-
gion, and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following
AMENDMENTS:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge
System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhance-
ment Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the National Wildlife Refuge System (referred
to in this Act as the ‘‘System’’), consisting of more
than 500 refuges and 93,000,000 acres, plays an inte-
HR 1856 EAS
gral role in the protection of the natural resources of
the United States;
(2) the National Wildlife Refuge System Im-
provement Act of 1997 (Public Law 105–57; 111 Stat.
1252) significantly improved the law governing the
System, although the financial resources for imple-
menting this law and managing the System remain
limited;
(3) by encouraging volunteer programs and do-
nations, and facilitating non-Federal partnerships
with refuges, Federal funding for the refuges can be
supplemented and the System can fully benefit from
the amendments made by the National Wildlife Ref-
uge System Improvement Act of 1997; and
(4) by encouraging refuge educational programs,
public awareness of the resources of the System and
public participation in the conservation of those re-
sources can be promoted.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to encourage the use of volunteers to assist
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the
management of refuges within the System;
(2) to facilitate partnerships between the System
and non-Federal entities to promote public awareness
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of the resources of the System and public participa-
tion in the conservation of those resources; and
(3) to encourage donations and other contribu-
tions by persons and organizations to the System.
SEC. 3. GIFTS TO PARTICULAR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REF-
UGES.
Section 7(b)(2) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956
(16 U.S.C. 742f(b)(2)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘(2) Any’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(2) USE OF GIFTS, DEVISES, AND BEQUESTS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(B) GIFTS, DEVISES, AND BEQUESTS TO
PARTICULAR REFUGES.—
‘‘(i) DISBURSAL.—Any gift, devise, or
bequest made for the benefit of a particular
national wildlife refuge or complex of geo-
graphically related refuges shall be dis-
bursed only for the benefit of that refuge or
complex of refuges and without further ap-
propriations.
‘‘(ii) MATCHING.—Subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations and the require-
ments of the National Wildlife Refuge Ad-
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ministration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd
et seq.) and other applicable law, the Sec-
retary may provide funds to match gifts,
devises, and bequests made for the benefit of
a particular national wildlife refuge or
complex of geographically related refuges.
With respect to each gift, devise, or bequest,
the amount of Federal funds may not exceed
the amount (or, in the case of property or
in-kind services, the fair market value) of
the gift, devise, or bequest.’’.
SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER ENHANCEMENT.
(a) PILOT PROJECTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary of the Interior shall
carry out a pilot project at 2 or more national wild-
life refuges or complexes of geographically related ref-
uges in each United States Fish and Wildlife Service
region, but not more than 20 pilot projects nation-
wide.
(2) 
VOLUNTEER
COORDINATOR.—Each 
pilot
project shall provide for the employment of a full-time
volunteer coordinator for the refuge or complex of geo-
graphically related refuges. The volunteer coordinator
shall be responsible for recruiting, training, and su-
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pervising volunteers. The volunteer coordinator may
be responsible for assisting partner organizations in
developing projects and programs under cooperative
agreements under section 7(d) of the Fish and Wild-
life Act of 1956 (as added by section 5) and coordi-
nating volunteer activities with partner organizations
to carry out the projects and programs.
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the In-
terior shall submit a report to the Committee on Re-
sources of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Environment and Public Works of the Sen-
ate evaluating and making recommendations regard-
ing the pilot projects.
(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this subsection $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years
1999 through 2002.
(b) AWARDS AND RECOGNITION FOR VOLUNTEERS.—
Section 7(c)(2) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16
U.S.C. 742f(c)(2)) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘awards (including nominal
cash awards) and recognition,’’ after ‘‘lodging,’’; and
(2) by inserting ‘‘without regard to their places
of residence’’ after ‘‘volunteers’’.
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(c) SENIOR VOLUNTEER CORPS.—Section 7(c) of the
Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)) is amend-
ed by striking paragraph (6) and inserting the following:
‘‘(6) SENIOR VOLUNTEER CORPS.—The Secretary
of the Interior may establish a Senior Volunteer
Corps, consisting of volunteers over the age of 50. To
assist in the recruitment and retention of the volun-
teers, the Secretary may provide for additional inci-
dental expenses to members of the Corps beyond the
incidental expenses otherwise provided to volunteers
under this subsection. The members of the Corps shall
be subject to the other provisions of this subsection.’’.
SEC. 5. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP ENHANCEMENT.
Section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16
U.S.C. 742f) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(d) COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP ENHANCEMENT.—
‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF PARTNER ORGANIZATION.—
In this subsection, the term ‘partner organization’
means an organization that—
‘‘(A) draws its membership from private in-
dividuals, organizations, corporations, academic
institutions, or State or local governments;
‘‘(B) is established to promote the under-
standing of, education relating to, and the con-
servation of the fish, wildlife, plants, and cul-
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tural and historical resources of a particular ref-
uge or complex of geographically related refuges;
and
‘‘(C) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt
from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code.
‘‘(2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of the
Interior may enter into a cooperative agreement
(within the meaning of chapter 63 of title 31,
United States Code) with any partner organiza-
tion, academic institution, or State or local gov-
ernment agency to carry out 1 or more projects
or programs for a refuge or complex of geo-
graphically related refuges in accordance with
this subsection.
‘‘(B) PROJECTS
AND
PROGRAMS.—Subject
to the requirements of the National Wildlife Ref-
uge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) and other applicable law,
and such terms and conditions as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate, the Secretary may
approve projects and programs for a refuge or
complex of geographically related refuges that—
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‘‘(i) promote the stewardship of re-
sources of the refuge through habitat main-
tenance, restoration, and improvement, bio-
logical monitoring, or research;
‘‘(ii) support the operation and main-
tenance of the refuge through constructing,
operating, maintaining, or improving the
facilities and services of the refuge;
‘‘(iii) increase awareness and under-
standing of the refuge and the National
Wildlife Refuge System through the develop-
ment, publication, or distribution of edu-
cational materials and products;
‘‘(iv) advance education concerning the
purposes of the refuge and the mission of the
System through the use of the refuge as an
outdoor classroom and development of other
educational programs; or
‘‘(v) contribute financial resources to
the refuge, under terms that require that the
net revenues be used exclusively for the bene-
fit of the refuge, through donation of net
revenues from the sale of educational mate-
rials and products and through encourage-
ment of gifts, devises, and bequests.
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‘‘(C) FEDERAL
FUNDING
AND
OWNER-
SHIP.—
‘‘(i) MATCHING.—Subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations and the require-
ments of the National Wildlife Refuge Ad-
ministration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd
et seq.) and other applicable law, the Sec-
retary may provide funds to match non-
Federal funds donated under a cooperative
agreement under this paragraph. With re-
spect to each project or program, the
amount of funds provided by the Secretary
may not exceed the amount of the non-Fed-
eral funds donated through the project or
program.
‘‘(ii) USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—Any
Federal funds used to fund a project or pro-
gram under a cooperative agreement may be
used only for expenses directly related to the
project or program and may not be used for
operation or administration of any non-
Federal entity.
‘‘(iii) OWNERSHIP
OF
FACILITIES.—
Any new facility, improvement to an exist-
ing facility, or other permanent improve-
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ment to a refuge constructed under this sub-
section shall be the property of the United
States Government.
‘‘(D) TREASURY
ACCOUNT.—Amounts re-
ceived by the Secretary of the Interior as a result
of projects and programs under subparagraph
(B) shall be deposited in a separate account in
the Treasury. Amounts in the account that are
attributable to activities at a particular refuge
or complex of geographically related refuges shall
be available to the Secretary of the Interior,
without further appropriation, to pay the costs
of incidental expenses related to volunteer activi-
ties, and to carry out cooperative agreements for
the refuge or complex of refuges.’’.
SEC. 6. REFUGE EDUCATION PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.
Section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16
U.S.C. 742f) (as amended by section 5) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following:
‘‘(e) 
REFUGE
EDUCATION
PROGRAM
ENHANCE-
MENT.—
‘‘(1) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of
the Interior shall develop guidance for refuge edu-
cation programs to further the mission of the Na-
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tional Wildlife Refuge System and the purposes of in-
dividual refuges through—
‘‘(A) providing outdoor classroom opportu-
nities for students on national wildlife refuges
that combine educational curricula with the per-
sonal experiences of students relating to fish,
wildlife, and plants and their habitat and to the
cultural and historical resources of the refuges;
‘‘(B) promoting understanding and con-
servation of fish, wildlife, and plants and cul-
tural and historical resources of the refuges; and
‘‘(C) improving scientific literacy in con-
junction with both formal and nonformal edu-
cation programs.
‘‘(2) REFUGE PROGRAMS.—Based on the guid-
ance developed under paragraph (1), the Secretary of
the Interior may develop or enhance refuge education
programs as appropriate, based on the resources of
individual refuges and the opportunities available for
such programs in State, local, and private schools. In
developing and implementing each program, the Sec-
retary should cooperate with State and local edu-
cation authorities, and may cooperate with partner
organizations in accordance with subsection (d).’’.
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SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 7 of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16
U.S.C. 742f) (as amended by section 6) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following:
‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte-
rior to carry out subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) $2,000,000
for each of fiscal years 1999 through 2004.’’.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘An Act to amend the
Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to promote volunteer pro-
grams and community partnerships for the benefit of na-
tional wildlife refuges, and for other purposes.’’.
Attest:
Secretary.