[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1497 Reported in House (RH)]

                                                  Union Calendar No. 76
108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1497

                      [Report No. 108-100, Part I]

                To reauthorize title I of the Sikes Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 27, 2003

  Mr. Pombo introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Armed 
Services, 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

                              May 14, 2003

        Reported from the Committee on Resources with amendments
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

                              May 14, 2003

   Referral to the Committee on Armed Services extended for a period 
                  ending not later than June 13, 2003

                             June 13, 2003

The Committee on Armed Services discharged; committed to the Committee 
 of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 
                               27, 2003]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                To reauthorize title I of the Sikes Act.

    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 ``Sikes Act Reauthorization Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF TITLE I OF SIKES ACT.

    Section 108 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670f) is amended by 
striking ``fiscal years 1998 through 2003'' each place it appears and 
inserting ``fiscal years 2004 through 2008''.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of Defense maintains over 25,000,000 
        acres of valuable fish and wildlife habitat on approximately 
        400 military installations nationwide.
            (2) These lands contain a wealth of plant and animal life, 
        vital wetlands for migratory birds, and nearly 300 federally 
        listed threatened species and endangered species.
            (3) Increasingly, land surrounding military bases are being 
        developed with residential and commercial infrastructure that 
        fragments fish and wildlife habitat and decreases its ability 
        to support a diversity of species.
            (4) Comprehensive conservation plans, such as integrated 
        natural resource management plans under the Sikes Act (16 
        U.S.C. 670 et seq.), can ensure that these ecosystem values can 
        be protected and enhanced while allowing these lands to meet 
        the needs of military operations.
            (5) Section 107 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670e-2) 
        requires sufficient numbers of professionally trained natural 
        resources management personnel and natural resources law 
        enforcement personnel to be available and assigned 
        responsibility to perform tasks necessary to carry out title I 
        of the Sikes Act, including the preparation and implementation 
        of integrated natural resource management plans.
            (6) Managerial and policymaking functions performed by 
        Department of Defense on-site professionally trained natural 
        resource management personnel on military installations are 
        appropriate governmental functions.
            (7) Professionally trained civilian biologists in permanent 
        Federal Government career managerial positions are essential to 
        oversee fish and wildlife and natural resource conservation 
        programs are essential to the conservation of wildlife species 
        on military land.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Defense should take whatever steps are necessary to ensure 
that section 107 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670e-2) is fully 
implemented consistent with the findings made in subsection (a).

SEC. 4. ADVANCE NOTICE AND CONSULTATION REGARDING INTEGRATED NATURAL 
              RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS.

    Section 101(a)(2) of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a(a)(2)) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(B)(i) The Secretary of a military department shall 
        advise the Secretary of the Interior and the head of the 
        appropriate State fish and wildlife agency of the intent of the 
        Secretary of the military department to prepare or revise an 
        integrated natural resources management plan under this 
        subsection, by not later than 30 days before publishing public 
        notice of such intent.
            ``(ii) The Secretary of the military department, the 
        Secretary of the Interior, and the head of such appropriate 
        State fish and wildlife agency, in the period beginning on the 
        date of publication of notice under clause (i) and ending on 
        the date of publication of public notice referred to in clause 
        (i), shall consult to determine the following:
                    ``(I) The intended scope of the integrated natural 
                resources management plan that is the subject of the 
                notice.
                    ``(II) The timetable for preparation or revision of 
                such plan.
                    ``(III) What steps must be taken to comply with 
                section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 
                1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332) in such preparation or revision.
                    ``(IV) An estimation of the financial and human 
                resources needed to complete such preparation or 
                revision.''.

SEC. 5. RESOURCE AGENCY CERTIFICATIONS REGARDING INTEGRATED NATURAL 
              RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS.

    Section 101 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a) is further amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2), by adding at the end the 
        following:
            ``(C) An integrated natural resources management plan 
        prepared or revised under this section shall not be considered 
        to reflect the mutual agreement of the parties for purposes of 
        subparagraph (A) unless the Secretary of the Interior, the head 
        of the appropriate State fish and wildlife agency, and the 
        Secretary of the military department that prepares or revises 
        the plan each certify that the plan adequately addresses 
        conservation, protection, and management of fish and wildlife 
        resources.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ``and recertified 
        under subsection (a)(2)(C) by each of the Secretary of the 
        Interior, the head of the appropriate State fish and wildlife 
        agency, and the Secretary of the military department that 
        prepared the plan'' after ``parties thereto''; and
            (3) in subsection (f)(2), by adding at the end the 
        following: ``The report shall include a statement of the number 
        of integrated natural resources management plans that were 
        certified or recertified by the Secretary of the Interior under 
        subsection (a)(2)(C) in the year covered by the report.''.

SEC. 6. PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT REGARDING INTEGRATED NATURAL RESOURCE 
              MANAGEMENT PLANS.

    Section 101(a)(2) of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a(a)(2)) is 
further amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(D) The Secretary of a military department shall--
                    ``(i) publish public notice in the Federal Register 
                or, if more appropriate, a readily accessible 
                publication such as a local or regional newspaper, of 
                the intent of the Secretary to prepare or revise an 
                integrated natural resources management plan under this 
                paragraph; and
                    ``(ii) provide an opportunity for the submission by 
                the public of comments regarding such preparation or 
                revision, for a period of at least 30 days.''.

SEC. 7. INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT FOR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 101(b)(1) of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 
670a(b)(1)) is amended by redesignating subparagraphs (D) through (J) 
in order as subparagraphs (E) through (K), and by inserting after 
subparagraph (C) the following:
                    ``(D) in the case of a plan for a military 
                installation in Guam, management, control, and 
                eradication of invasive species that are not native to 
                the ecosystem of the military installation and the 
                introduction of which cause or may cause harm to 
                military readiness, the environment, the economy, or 
                human health and safety;''.
    (b) Application.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply--
            (1) to any integrated natural resources management plan 
        prepared under section 101(a)(1) of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 
        670a(a)(1)) on or after the date of the enactment of this Act; 
        and
            (2) to any integrated natural resources management plan 
        prepared under section 101(a)(1) of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 
        670a(a)(1)) before the date of the enactment of this Act, 
        effective March 1, 2004.
            Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to reauthorize 
        title I of the Sikes Act, and for other purposes.''.




                                                  Union Calendar No. 76

108th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 1497

                      [Report No. 108-100, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

                To reauthorize title I of the Sikes Act.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             June 13, 2003

The Committee on Armed Services discharged; committed to the Committee 
 of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed