[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1856 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 1856


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 5, 1997

 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 region, 
                        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 ``National Wildlife Refuge System 
Volunteer and Community Partnership Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR WILDLIFE.

    (a) Promotion of Volunteers at National Wildlife Refuges.--Section 
7(b)(2) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742f(b)(2)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: ``Any gift or bequest made 
for the benefit of a particular national wildlife refuge or complex of 
refuges shall be disbursed only for the benefit of that refuge or 
complex of refuges.''.
    (b) Awards and Recognition for Volunteers.--Section 7(c)(2) of that 
Act (16 U.S.C. 742f(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``awards and recognition,'' after 
        ``lodging,''; and
            (2) by inserting ``without regard to their place of 
        residence'' after ``volunteers''.
    (c) Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement.--Section 7 of 
that Act (16 U.S.C. 742) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement.--(1) The 
purposes of this subsection are the following:
            ``(A) To encourage the use of volunteers in the National 
        Wildlife Refuge System.
            ``(B) To facilitate partnerships between the National 
        Wildlife Refuge System and partner organizations.
            ``(C) To promote participation by individuals, 
        organizations, and communities in understanding and conserving 
        the fish and wildlife resources, lands, and facilities of the 
        National Wildlife Refuge System.
            ``(D) To enhance the availability of interpretive and 
        educational materials and services for the enjoyment of 
        visitors to national wildlife refuges.
    ``(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary 
of the Interior shall conduct a pilot project at 1 national wildlife 
refuge in each United States Fish and Wildlife Service region, under 
which the Secretary shall employ a full-time volunteer coordinator for 
each refuge.
    ``(3)(A) Subject to the compatibility requirements of the National 
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 and this paragraph, 
the Secretary of the Interior may enter into a cooperative agreement 
(as that term is used in chapter 63 of title 31, United States Code) 
with any partner organization, academic institution, or State or local 
government organization, for the conduct of a project on a national 
wildlife refuge, under which--
            ``(i) there will be provided enhanced opportunities for 
        private citizens to volunteer with a national wildlife refuge 
        in their local communities and contribute to stewardship of the 
        resources on that refuge;
            ``(ii) a partner organization, academic institution, or 
        State or local government organization will develop, produce, 
        publish, distribute, or sell educational materials and products 
        pertaining to a national wildlife refuge approved by the 
        Secretary, under conditions specified by the Secretary;
            ``(iii) a partner organization, academic institution, or 
        State or local government organization will construct, 
        maintain, operate, or improve a facility on a national wildlife 
        refuge necessary for the sale or distribution of educational 
        materials, products, programs, and services pertaining to 
        national wildlife refuges;
            ``(iv) a partner organization, academic institution, or 
        State or local government organization will provide visitor 
        services, facilities, or activities within a national wildlife 
        refuge, under terms that require that the net profits from such 
        services, facilities, or activities shall be used exclusively 
        for projects and programs that benefit the refuge and are 
        consistent with the purposes for which it was established; or
            ``(v) there will be carried out within a national wildlife 
        refuge, on a Federal/non-Federal cost sharing basis, habitat 
        restoration and improvement, biological monitoring, research, 
        public education and recreation, construction of facilities, or 
        other projects.
    ``(B) Any Federal funds used to fund a project under a cooperative 
agreement under this paragraph--
            ``(i) may be used only for expenses directly related to the 
        project; and
            ``(ii) may not be used for operation or administration of 
        any non-Federal entity.
    ``(C) A partner organization, academic institution, or State or 
local government organization shall not receive preferential treatment 
in any application process to provide visitor services, products, or 
facilities in a national wildlife refuge.
    ``(D) Any facility or permanent improvement constructed pursuant to 
this subsection shall be the property of the United States Government.
    ``(4)(A) Amounts received by the Secretary of the Interior as a 
result of activities under paragraph (3) shall be deposited in a 
separate account in the Treasury.
    ``(B) Amounts in the account referred to in subparagraph (A) that 
are attributable to activities at a particular national wildlife refuge 
or complex of refuges shall be available to the Secretary of the 
Interior without further appropriation--
            ``(i) for materials, training, and other uses related to 
        volunteer activities at the refuge or complex of refuges; or
            ``(ii) to carry out cooperative agreements under this 
        subsection applicable to the refuge or complex of refuges.
    ``(5) For the purposes of this subsection, the term `partner 
organization' means an organization--
            ``(A) the mission of which is to promote understanding and 
        conservation of the fish and wildlife, cultural, or historic 
        resources of a particular national wildlife refuge or a complex 
        of related national wildlife refuges;
            ``(B) that draws its membership primarily from communities 
        near that refuge or complex of related national wildlife 
        refuges; and
            ``(C) that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under 
        section 501(a) of that Code.
    ``(6) In addition to amounts available under paragraph (4)(B), 
there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 
Interior for each of fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 
2003--
            ``(A) $1,000,000 for carrying out activities under this 
        subsection and subsection (c); and
            ``(B) $1,050,000 for pilot projects under paragraph (2) 
        among the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Regions.''.
    (d) Conforming Amendment.--Section 7(c)(6) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 
742f(c)(6)) is amended by striking ``$100,000 for the Secretary of the 
Interior and''.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 4, 1997.

            Attest:

                                                ROBIN H. CARLE,

                                                                 Clerk.