[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20739-20740]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 AMENDING THE PITTMAN-ROBERTSON WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT TO EXTEND THE 
DATE AFTER WHICH SURPLUS FUNDS IN THE WILDLIFE RESTORATION FUND BECOME 
                      AVAILABLE FOR APPORTIONMENT

  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1340) to amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 
Restoration Act to extend the date after which surplus funds in the 
wildlife restoration fund become available for apportionment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1340

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. AVAILABILITY OF SURPLUS FUNDS IN WILDLIFE 
                   RESTORATION FUND.

       Section 3(b)(2)(C) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 
     Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669b(b)(2)(C) is amended by 
     striking ``2006'' and inserting ``2016''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Renzi) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi).


                             General Leave

  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1340 introduced by the distinguished 
chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator 
James Inhofe. This legislation can help fund repairs to the 
environmental damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina to the gulf coast, as 
well as help other high priority wetlands throughout the United States.
  When the North American Wetlands Conservation Act was enacted in 
1989, it directed that money appropriated to this program was to be 
deposited into an interest-bearing account and that the interest earned 
could be used for conservation purposes.

                              {time}  1545

  In the past 16 years the interest has amounted to $235 million or 
nearly one-third of the total Federal investment in the North American 
Wetlands Conservation Program.
  As a result of this money, millions of acres of critical wetlands 
habitat has been conserved, maintained, purchased and restored. Those 
wetlands are essential to the survival of not only millions of 
migratory waterfowl, but, more importantly, to the people who live 
along our coasts.
  Most of southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, is wetlands. And 
those communities, as well as Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi and 
Mobile, Alabama, can benefit from the projects funded under this bill. 
Unfortunately, the authority to retain earned interest expires on 
September 30 of 2005.

[[Page 20740]]

  S. 1340 extends that provision until 2016, and this legislation is 
supported by the Bush administration, a host of conservation groups, 
including Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsman Foundation, and 
the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a yea vote so that we can send this conservation 
measure to the President.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the purpose of S. 1340 is to extend for 10 years the 
authorization to use surplus funds in the Pittman-Robertson wildlife 
restoration account to support wetlands restoration projects, 
coordinated under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
  The accrued interest generated by funds deposited in the Pittman-
Robertson account since 1989 has provided over $235 million to fund 
North American wetlands conservation projects across the country.
  This extension will ensure the continuation of this valuable 
conservation funding source, and will be important to our future 
efforts to restore protected wetland habitats in the region devastated 
by Hurricane Katrina.
  I urge Members to support this worthy legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 1340.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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