Title: Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act
This bill amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The bill eliminates the requirement that the funds which are deposited into the LWCF remain in there until appropriated by Congress to carry out the purposes of the LWCF.
Funds deposited into the LWCF may be spent without being subject to the appropriations process. These funds are in addition to amounts made available by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 or otherwise appropriated from the LWCF.
The President shall submit to Congress detailed account, program, and project allocations as part of the President's annual budget submission.
At least 1.5% of the annual authorized funds shall be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6759 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6759

   To amend title 54, United States Code, to provide consistent and 
  reliable authority for, and for the funding of, the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund to maximize the effectiveness of the Fund for future 
                  generations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 10, 2018

Mr. Grijalva (for himself and Mr. Costello of Pennsylvania) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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 title 54, United States Code, to provide consistent and 
  reliable authority for, and for the funding of, the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund to maximize the effectiveness of the Fund for future 
                  generations, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Land and Water Conservation 
Authorization and Funding Act''.

SEC. 2. PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION AND FULL FUNDING OF THE LAND AND WATER 
              CONSERVATION FUND.

    (a) Authorization.--Section 200302 of title 54, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by striking ``During the period ending September 30, 2018, 
        there'' and inserting ``There'';
            (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``through September 
        30, 2018''; and
            (3) by striking subsection (c)(3).
    (b) Full Funding.--
            (1) In general.--Section 200303 of title 54, United States 
        Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 200303. Availability of funds
    ``(a) In General.--Amounts deposited in the Fund under section 
200302 shall be made available for expenditure, without further 
appropriation or fiscal year limitation, to carry out the purposes of 
the Fund (including accounts and programs made available from the Fund 
under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 
(Public Law 113-235)).
    ``(b) Additional Amounts.--Amounts made available under subsection 
(a) shall be in addition to amounts made available to the Fund under 
section 105 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43 
U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109-432) or otherwise appropriated from 
the Fund.
    ``(c) Allocation Authority.--
            ``(1) Submission of cost estimates.--The President shall 
        submit to Congress detailed account, program, and project 
        allocations to be funded under subsection (a) as part of the 
        annual budget submission of the President.
            ``(2) Alternate allocation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Appropriations Acts may provide 
                for alternate allocation of amounts made available 
                under subsection (a), including allocations by account 
                and program.
                    ``(B) Allocation by president.--
                            ``(i) No alternate allocations.--If 
                        Congress has not enacted legislation 
                        establishing alternate allocations by the date 
                        that is 120 days after the date on which the 
                        applicable fiscal year begins, amounts made 
                        available under subsection (a) shall be 
                        allocated by the President.
                            ``(ii) Insufficient alternate allocation.--
                        If Congress enacts legislation establishing 
                        alternate allocations for amounts made 
                        available under subsection (a) that are less 
                        than the full amount appropriated under that 
                        subsection, the difference between the amount 
                        appropriated and the alternate allocation shall 
                        be allocated by the President.
            ``(3) Annual report.--The President shall submit to 
        Congress an annual report that describes the final allocation 
        by account, program, and project of amounts made available 
        under subsection (a), including a description of the status of 
        obligations and expenditures.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
        2003 of title 54, United States Code, is amended by striking 
        the item relating to section 200303 and inserting the 
        following:

``200303. Availability of funds.''.
    (c) Public Access.--Section 200306 of title 54, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Public Access.--Not less than 1.5 percent of the annual 
authorized funding amount shall be made available each year for 
projects that secure recreational public access to existing Federal 
public land for hunting, fishing, or other recreational purposes.''.
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