Title: Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act
This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the construction and expansion of public target ranges by: (1) authorizing a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorizing a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for those costs; (3) limiting the federal share of those costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) requiring amounts provided for those costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years.
The United States shall be shielded from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function.
The bill urges the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 788 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 788

 To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate 
  the establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in 
                            certain States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2017

Mr. Hunter (for himself, Ms. Cheney, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Young of Alaska, 
 Mr. Walz, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Palazzo, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Abraham, Mr. 
   Comer, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Marshall, Mr. 
 Latta, Mr. Farenthold, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. Mast, Mr. Gosar, Mr. 
   LaMalfa, Mr. Welch, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Pearce, and Mr. 
    Polis) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate 
  the establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in 
                            certain States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Target Practice and Marksmanship 
Training Support Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the use of firearms and archery equipment for target 
        practice and marksmanship training activities on Federal land 
        is allowed, except to the extent specific portions of that land 
        have been closed to those activities;
            (2) in recent years preceding the date of enactment of this 
        Act, portions of Federal land have been closed to target 
        practice and marksmanship training for many reasons;
            (3) the availability of public target ranges on non-Federal 
        land has been declining for a variety of reasons, including 
        continued population growth and development near former ranges;
            (4) providing opportunities for target practice and 
        marksmanship training at public target ranges on Federal and 
        non-Federal land can help--
                    (A) to promote enjoyment of shooting, recreational, 
                and hunting activities; and
                    (B) to ensure safe and convenient locations for 
                those activities;
            (5) Federal law in effect on the date of enactment of this 
        Act, including the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 
        (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), provides Federal support for 
        construction and expansion of public target ranges by making 
        available to States amounts that may be used for construction, 
        operation, and maintenance of public target ranges; and
            (6) it is in the public interest to provide increased 
        Federal support to facilitate the construction or expansion of 
        public target ranges.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to facilitate the 
construction and expansion of public target ranges, including ranges on 
Federal land managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC TARGET RANGE.

    In this Act, the term ``public target range'' means a specific 
location that--
            (1) is identified by a governmental agency for recreational 
        shooting;
            (2) is open to the public;
            (3) may be supervised; and
            (4) may accommodate archery or rifle, pistol, or shotgun 
        shooting.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 2 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 
Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669a) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (8) as 
        paragraphs (3) through (9), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) the term `public target range' means a specific 
        location that--
                    ``(A) is identified by a governmental agency for 
                recreational shooting;
                    ``(B) is open to the public;
                    ``(C) may be supervised; and
                    ``(D) may accommodate archery or rifle, pistol, or 
                shotgun shooting;''.
    (b) Expenditures for Management of Wildlife Areas and Resources.--
Section 8(b) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 
U.S.C. 669g(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(b) Each State'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(b) Expenditures for Management of Wildlife Areas and 
Resources.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        each State'';
            (2) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by striking 
        ``construction, operation,'' and inserting ``operation'';
            (3) in the second sentence, by striking ``The non-Federal 
        share'' and inserting the following:
            ``(3) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share'';
            (4) in the third sentence, by striking ``The Secretary'' 
        and inserting the following:
            ``(4) Regulations.--The Secretary''; and
            (5) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as designated by 
        paragraph (1) of this subsection) the following:
            ``(2) Exception.--Notwithstanding the limitation described 
        in paragraph (1), a State may pay up to 90 percent of the cost 
        of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public 
        target range.''.
    (c) Firearm and Bow Hunter Education and Safety Program Grants.--
Section 10 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 
669h-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Allocation of additional amounts.--Of the amount 
        apportioned to a State for any fiscal year under section 4(b), 
        the State may elect to allocate not more than 10 percent, to be 
        combined with the amount apportioned to the State under 
        paragraph (1) for that fiscal year, for acquiring land for, 
        expanding, or constructing a public target range.'';
            (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Cost Sharing.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
        Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out using a 
        grant under this section shall not exceed 75 percent of the 
        total cost of the activity.
            ``(2) Public target range construction or expansion.--The 
        Federal share of the cost of acquiring land for, expanding, or 
        constructing a public target range in a State on Federal or 
        non-Federal land pursuant to this section or section 8(b) shall 
        not exceed 90 percent of the cost of the activity.''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``Amounts made'' and inserting the 
                following:
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), amounts made''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Exception.--Amounts provided for acquiring 
                land for, constructing, or expanding a public target 
                range shall remain available for expenditure and 
                obligation during the 5-fiscal-year period beginning on 
                October 1 of the first fiscal year for which the 
                amounts are made available.''.

SEC. 5. LIMITS ON LIABILITY.

    (a) Discretionary Function.--For purposes of chapter 171 of title 
28, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Federal Tort 
Claims Act''), any action by an agent or employee of the United States 
to manage or allow the use of Federal land for purposes of target 
practice or marksmanship training by a member of the public shall be 
considered to be the exercise or performance of a discretionary 
function.
    (b) Civil Action or Claims.--Except to the extent provided in 
chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code, the United States shall 
not be subject to any civil action or claim for money damages for any 
injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an 
activity occurring at a public target range that is--
            (1) funded in whole or in part by the Federal Government 
        pursuant to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 
        U.S.C. 669 et seq.); or
            (2) located on Federal land.

SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING COOPERATION.

    It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with applicable laws 
and regulations, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of 
the Bureau of Land Management should cooperate with State and local 
authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other 
activities on any Federal land used as a public target range to 
encourage continued use of that land for target practice or 
marksmanship training.
                                 <all>