Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act

Bill: 114-s-721
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2015-03-11
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Firearms and explosives

Forests, forestry, trees

Land transfers

Land use and conservation

Outdoor recreation

Solid waste and recycling

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Latest action: action_date: 2015-03-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-11
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act </b></p> <p> 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.</p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 721 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 11, 2015 Mr. Bennet (for himself and Ms. Heitkamp ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to facilitate the establishment of additional or expanded public target ranges in certain States.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act . 2. 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. 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. 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)) 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. . 5. Sense of congress regarding cooperation It is the sense of Congress that, consistent with applicable laws (including 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.