Title: Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act of 2017
This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make it one of the purposes of the Act to provide financial and technical assistance to the states for the promotion of hunting and recreational shooting.
The bill also prescribes a formula for the allocation of funds apportioned to a state that may be used for any activity or project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational shooters.
In addition to other uses authorized under this bill, amounts apportioned to the states from any taxes on pistols, revolvers, bows, and arrows may be used for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.
The funds apportioned to a state for wildlife restoration management may be used for related public relations.
If a state has not used all of the tax revenues apportioned to it for firearm and bow hunter education and safety program grants, it may use its remaining apportioned funds for the enhancement of hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment.
Up to $5 million of the revenues covered into the wildlife restoration fund in the Treasury from any tax imposed for a fiscal year on the sale of certain bows, arrows, and archery equipment shall be available to the Department of the Interior exclusively for making hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment grants that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2591 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2591

 To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to modernize 
     the funding of wildlife conservation, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2017

Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Duncan of South Carolina, 
Mr. Gene Green of Texas, and Mr. Veasey) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to modernize 
     the funding of wildlife conservation, 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 ``Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson 
Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The first section of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act 
(16 U.S.C. 669) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``One of 
the purposes of this Act is to provide financial and technical 
assistance to the States for the promotion of hunting and recreational 
shooting.''.

SEC. 3. 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 (4) through (10), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) for the purposes of determining the number of paid 
        hunting-license holders in a State, the term `fiscal year' 
        means the fiscal year or license year of the State;
            ``(3) the term `hunter recruitment and recreational shooter 
        recruitment' means any activity or project to recruit or retain 
        hunters and recreational shooters, including by--
                    ``(A) using social media, marketing, advertising, 
                surveying, television spots, print, and media;
                    ``(B) providing education, mentoring, and field 
                demonstrations;
                    ``(C) enhancing access for hunting and recreational 
                shooting, including through range construction;
                    ``(D) providing education to the public about the 
                role of hunting and recreational shooting in funding 
                wildlife conservation; and
                    ``(E) using any other means to ensure the growth of 
                hunting and recreational shooting, as determined by the 
                Secretary;''.

SEC. 4. ALLOCATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF AVAILABLE AMOUNTS.

    (a) Apportionment to States.--Section 4(b) of the Pittman-Robertson 
Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c(b)) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence, by striking ``The Secretary of 
        the Interior'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary'';
            (2) in the second sentence, by striking ``Such 
        apportionments'' and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Adjustments.--The apportionments under paragraph 
        (1)'';
            (3) by striking the third sentence; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Use of funds.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), 
                amounts apportioned under this subsection may be used 
                for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter 
                recruitment.
                    ``(B) Limitation.--A State may make an expenditure 
                under subparagraph (A) only if the amount of the 
                expenditure during the fiscal year in which the 
                expenditure is made plus the amount of the expenditures 
                for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter 
                recruitment made during the 4 fiscal years preceding 
                that fiscal year is not greater than 25 percent of the 
                total amount apportioned to the State under this 
                subsection during that 5-fiscal-year period.''.
    (b) Apportionment of Certain Taxes.--The first subsection (c) of 
section 4 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 
669c) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``Apportionment of Revenues From Pistols, 
        Revolvers, Bows, and Arrows.--'' after the enumerator;
            (2) by striking ``One-half'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), \1/2\'';
            (3) by striking ``: Provided, That'' and inserting a 
        period;
            (4) by striking ``each State shall be apportioned not more 
        than 3 per centum and not less than 1 per centum of such 
        revenues'' and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Condition.--The amount apportioned to each State 
        under paragraph (1) shall be not greater than 3 percent and not 
        less than 1 percent of the revenues described in such 
        paragraph'';
            (5) by striking ``For the purpose'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(3) Population determination.--For the purpose''; and
            (6) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Use of funds.--In addition to other uses authorized 
        under this Act, amounts apportioned under this subsection may 
        be used for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter 
        recruitment.''.

SEC. 5. EXPENDITURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE AREAS AND RESOURCES.

    Section 8 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 
U.S.C. 669g) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), in the third sentence, by striking 
        ``and public relations''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, by striking 
        ``, as a part of such program''.

SEC. 6. FIREARM AND BOW HUNTER EDUCATION AND SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS.

    Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration 
Act (16 U.S.C. 669h-1(a)(1)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) the enhancement of hunter recruitment 
                        and recreational shooter recruitment; and''.

SEC. 7. MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    Section 11 of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 
U.S.C. 669h-2) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``Not more than'' and inserting the 
                following:
                    ``(A) In general.--Not more than''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Availability for hunter and recreational 
                shooter grants.--Not more than $5,000,000 of the 
                revenues covered into the fund from any tax imposed 
                under section 4161(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
                1986 for a fiscal year shall be available to the 
                Secretary exclusively for making hunter recruitment and 
                recreational shooter recruitment grants that promote a 
                national hunting and shooting sport recruitment 
                program, including related communication and outreach 
                activities.'';
            (2) in the matter preceding subsection (b)(3)(A), by 
        striking ``International'';
            (3) in the matter preceding subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), by 
        striking ``International'';
            (4) in subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), by inserting ``or to 
        recreational shooting activities'' after ``wildlife''; and
            (5) in subsection (d), by inserting ``or to recreational 
        shooting activities'' after ``wildlife''.
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