[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6854 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6854

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 2 grant programs 
 to sustain populations of species of migratory waterfowl through the 
deployment of tools and practices that complement habitat conservation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2023

     Mrs. Fischbach (for herself, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Thompson of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 2 grant programs 
 to sustain populations of species of migratory waterfowl through the 
deployment of tools and practices that complement habitat conservation.

    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 ``Habitat Enhancement Now Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUSTAIN POPULATIONS OF SPECIES OF MIGRATORY 
              WATERFOWL.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the maintenance of healthy populations of migratory 
        birds in North America is largely dependent on the protection, 
        restoration, and management of wetland ecosystems and other 
        habitats in Canada, as well as in the United States and Mexico, 
        as identified in the Implementation Plans of Joint Ventures 
        authorized under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan;
            (2) duck populations in North America are being threatened 
        by the loss in the quantity and quality of breeding habitat, 
        which leads to declining nest success;
            (3) low nest success has been widely documented to be the 
        key annual driver in duck populations;
            (4) additional tools can be employed to increase nest 
        success to complement the private, State, and Federal habitat 
        conservation programs and efforts in order to sustain healthy 
        waterfowl populations;
            (5) relatively modest investments in management can make 
        meaningful impacts towards supplementing waterfowl production 
        in areas where waterfowl production outcomes have not been 
        fully met;
            (6) numerous studies have made it clear that nesting 
        structures, in particular ``hen houses'', are the most 
        efficient and cost-effective tool for increasing nest success; 
        and
            (7) providing incentives to private landowners to establish 
        nesting cover, create or restore brood ponds, and provide brood 
        water is a priority to enhance production of mallards, 
        gadwalls, and other breeding ducks in California.
    (b) Grant Programs.--
            (1) Hen house grant program.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a 
                competitive grant program to award amounts to eligible 
                entities to strategically place, build, and maintain 
                hen houses in the prairie pothole region for the 
                purpose of improving the nesting success rates of 
                populations of species of migratory waterfowl.
                    (B) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under 
                this paragraph, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
                Secretary an application in such form, at such time, 
                and containing such information as the Secretary 
                determines appropriate.
            (2) Breeding habitat grant program.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a 
                competitive grant program to award amounts to eligible 
                entities to develop breeding habitat for species of 
                migratory waterfowl within California for the purpose 
                of enhancing the breeding success rates of populations 
                of species of migratory waterfowl, including by--
                            (i) establishing nesting cover;
                            (ii) creating brood ponds; and
                            (iii) providing incentives to willing 
                        landowners to carry out the activities 
                        described in this subparagraph on land under 
                        the control of such landowners within 
                        California.
                    (B) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under 
                this paragraph, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
                Secretary an application in such form, at such time, 
                and containing such information as the Secretary 
                determines appropriate.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a State, local, or Tribal government;
                    (B) a nonprofit organization; and
                    (C) an individual.
            (2) Hen house.--The term ``hen house'' means a type of 
        cylindrical nest structure installed on a post in a prairie 
        pothole.
            (3) Prairie pothole.--The term ``prairie pothole'' means a 
        depressional wetland, including a freshwater marsh, that 
        provides vital habitat to species of nesting waterfowl and 
        other species.
            (4) Prairie pothole region.--The term ``prairie pothole 
        region'' means North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, and 
        Minnesota.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
    (d) Funding.--For each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, of the 
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the ``Department of 
the Interior--Office of the Secretary--Departmental Operations'' 
account for each such fiscal year--
            (1) $1,500,000 shall be made available to carry out 
        subsection (b)(1); and
            (2) $1,500,000 shall be made available to carry out 
        subsection (b)(2).
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