[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 16, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WILDLIFE AND SPORT FISH RESTORATION PROGRAMS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 16, 2000

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, the Wildlife and Sport Fish 
Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000, which I have introduced 
with several of my Colleagues, amends the Pittman-Robertson Act and the 
Dingell Johnson Act regarding the use of funds to administer those 
Acts. This bill will maintain the integrity of the two Acts by ensuring 
that funds used for ``true administration'' will be used responsibly 
and that funds not used for ``true administration'' will pass to the 
States for restoration projects that benefit fish and wildlife as 
required under the law. it will ensure that the millions of excise tax 
dollars from guns, ammo, archery equipment, and fishing equipment paid 
by sportsmen and sportswomen will go to the States for wildlife and 
sport fish restoration projects.
  During three Congressional oversight hearings in 1999, the House 
Committee on Resources uncovered numerous spending improprieties 
involving wildlife and sport fish administrative funds by the Fish and 
Wildlife Service's Division of Federal Aid. As much as one-half of the 
``administration'' money may have been improperly used. This was the 
first time since Pittman-Robertson was passed in 1937, and since 
Dingell-Johnson was passed in 1950, that the administration of these 
Acts has been examined by Congress. Officials testifying from the non-
partisan General Accounting Office were critical of the management of 
administrative funds by the Division of Federal Aid, stating that ``the 
combined experience of the audit team that did this work represents 
about 160 years worth of audit experience. To our knowledge, this is, 
if not the worst, one of the worst managed programs we have 
encountered.''
  The trust has been broken between the sportsmen and sportswomen who 
fund the Acts through excise taxes and the Fish and Wildlife Service 
who were responsible for administering the Acts. At each of these 
hearings we learned that administrative funds were used for expenses 
unrelated to the administration of the Acts. We learned that 
administrative funds that were used for administration of the Acts were 
not used responsibly. We learned that if the administration of these 
Acts is not properly implemented, the State wildlife and sport fish 
restoration suffers.
  Some internal changes have already been made by the Fish and Wildlife 
Service in the Division of Federal Aid to address the abuses of 
administrative funds and we are encouraged that steps are being taken 
toward fixing the problems. But these are only steps, they are not 
permanent. Legislation is needed to clearly explain how administrative 
funds can and cannot be spent. In addition to taking initiative to make 
changes in the Division of Federal Aid, I am pleased that the 
Administration has been involved in working with us on this bill. The 
millions of dollars sportsmen and sportswomen have paid in excise taxes 
have to be protected. This bill offers them that much needed 
protection. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this measure and I intend 
on taking deliberate action to move this bill in my committee in March.

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