[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 150 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7933-H7934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             KEEP AMERICA'S REFUGES OPERATIONAL ACT OF 2022

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6734) to amend the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to 
reauthorize the volunteer services, community partnership, and refuge 
education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6734

       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 ``Keep America's Refuges 
     Operational Act of 2022''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM 
                   VOLUNTEER SERVICES, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP, AND 
                   REFUGE EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

       Section 7(g) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 
     U.S.C. 742f) is amended by striking ``2018 through 2022'' and 
     inserting ``2023 through 2027''.

     SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Carl) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?

[[Page H7934]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6734, the Keep America's 
Refuges Operational Act, introduced by our colleague, Representative 
Hakeem Jeffries.
  This bill will reauthorize the volunteer services, community 
partnerships, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife 
Refuge System.
  The refuge system spreads itself across 568 national wildlife refuges 
and protects nearly 837 million acres of land, water, and wetlands. 
These important lands serve as homes for over an array of species, 
including 700 birds, 220 mammals, 1,000 fish, and 250 reptile and 
amphibian species.
  Volunteers in the refuge system are crucial to keeping the refuges 
running, encouraging millions of the tourists each year, and generating 
billions of local revenue while creating jobs for neighboring 
communities.
  Reauthorizing these volunteer services allows the Fish and Wildlife 
Service to continue providing transportation, uniforms, lodging, 
awards, subsistence, and training for those who selflessly choose to 
volunteer on these projects.
  During the March hearing on the bill, we heard from Ms. Caroline 
Brouwer of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and Ms. Joan 
Patterson from the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates about the 
outside role that volunteers and friend groups play in keeping refuges 
running, as well as serving and connecting with the local community.
  The Fish and Wildlife Service also testified in support of the 
legislation. In June, the National Resources Committee reported the 
bill to the House by unanimous consent.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the bill sponsor and my colleagues on 
the committee for the bipartisan support for this legislation, and I 
urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6734, the Keep America's 
Refuges Operational Act of 2022.
  This bill introduced by my colleagues, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Wittman, and 
Mr. Graves, reauthorizes volunteer programs at our national wildlife 
refuges.
  Specifically, this bill would reauthorize for 5 fiscal years several 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services programs, including those related to 
volunteer services, community partnerships, donations and gifts, and 
education projects.
  The Fish and Wildlife Services currently utilize volunteers for 
tours, restoring the habitat, plant and animal surveys, staffing refuge 
stores and visitor centers, and all other activities.
  While I believe more work needs to be done to improve our overall 
management of our national wildlife refuges, the volunteer activities 
that this bill will reauthorize are an effective tool to perform needed 
work without increasing costs to taxpayers.
  Solutions such as this legislation are especially welcome during 
times like these when our national debt continues to balloon, and 
inflation continues to soar because of reckless spending pushed forward 
by the majority and the current administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for 
yielding, as well as his continued leadership of this all-important 
committee and in connection with this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H.R. 6734, the Keep America's Refuges 
Operational Act. I thank my colleagues, Representatives Thompson and 
Sablan, and certainly Representative Wittman for his leadership on the 
other side of the aisle.
  This commonsense and bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the National 
Wildlife Refuge System volunteer, community partnership, and education 
program. Because of this program, refuges continue to benefit from 
volunteer support, which has successfully saved taxpayer dollars, 
generated millions for local economies, and promoted jobs in 
communities throughout America.

  The National Wildlife Refuge System is comprised of over 560 refuges 
located in every United States territory and State. They make up over 
800 million acres of habitat dedicated to the conservation of fish and 
wildlife. Each year, National Wildlife Refuge System hosts more than 60 
million visitors, generating over $3 billion in revenue for local 
economies and supporting more than 40,000 jobs.
  Visitors come from all over to explore, hunt, fish, and enjoy 
America's natural beauty. Refuges help to mold the next generation of 
conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts by providing learning 
experiences and cherished memories.
  But this wouldn't be possible without the dedicated refuge volunteers 
and community partners who donate their time and their energy to keep 
refuges open and operational. During fiscal year 2021, approximately 
11,700 volunteers gave close to 649,000 hours of their time, which is 
the equivalent of nearly 318 full-time employees or a contribution of 
more than $18 million.
  Volunteers provide critical support to full-time staff in numerous 
ways. They operate visitor centers, conduct fish and wildlife 
population surveys, maintain visitor structures, roads and paths, fight 
invasive species, and protect native plants and animals. They also help 
refuges raise money for key infrastructure projects and visitor 
centers.
  Volunteers are of all ages, come from diverse walks of life, work in 
many different capacities, and truly represent the gorgeous mosaic of 
the American people. But one thing they all have in common is their 
commitment to preserving America's natural beauty so that we can all 
enjoy it for years to come.
  In the 115th Congress, the House passed an identical reauthorization 
bill, which was signed into law by President Trump in April of 2018. 
Since that time, the program has continued to leverage volunteer hours 
allowing wildlife refuges to remain accessible for millions of visitors 
each year. It is my hope that we can again work across the aisle to 
support, in different ways, our National Wildlife Refuge System.

                              {time}  1745

  I will take a moment to acknowledge the cosponsors of this 
legislation, Chairman Grijalva and Representatives Graves, Thompson, 
and Sablan, with a particular special thanks to Representative Wittman 
for partnering with me, once again, to advance this legislation. I 
greatly appreciate their leadership and longstanding support for the 
National Wildlife Refuge System.
  Supporting this bill in this Chamber means supporting the economic 
benefits to be gained from being good stewards of the environment that 
God has given to this great country.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6734.
  Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate all involved on a 
significant partnership on this legislation that has brought benefits 
historically to our park systems and refuge systems and will continue 
to do so. Let me thank my friends across the aisle for their 
bipartisanship on that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6734, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________