[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 211 (Monday, December 14, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT AND 
    DINGELL-JOHNSON SPORT FISH RESTORATION ACT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
                              EQUALITY ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 14, 2020

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the Pittman-
Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish 
Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act, which would amend 
the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson 
Sport Fish Restoration Act to make the District of Columbia eligible 
for the same federal funding as states under these Acts. The District 
is treated as a state under federal programs, with a few exceptions, 
most of them simply oversights or failures to update post-home rule.
  The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act provides funding, 
derived from excise taxes on sporting equipment, for five distinct 
purposes: program administration, wildlife restoration, basic hunter 
education and safety, enhanced hunger education and safety grants and 
multistate conservation grants. The District does not receive any 
funding under this Act. The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act 
provides funding for sport fish restoration, aquatic education, 
wetlands restoration and boat-related activities. Under this Act, 
states receive a minimum of one percent of the total amount 
apportioned, while the District is capped at one-third of one percent.
  This omission and lack of parity under these Acts have serious 
consequences for the District. The District has roughly 7,800 acres of 
parkland covering nearly a quarter of the city, which means it has more 
parkland per capita than any other city in the United States. This bill 
would define ``State'' in these Acts to include the District, providing 
the District with equitable access to valuable financial resources for 
wildlife conservation in our nation's capital.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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