[House Report 109-246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
109th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 109-246
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JUNIOR DUCK STAMP REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005
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October 7, 2005.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Pombo, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1339]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(S. 1339) to reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and
Design Program Act of 1994, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill
do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of S. 1339 is to reauthorize the Junior Duck
Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994.
Background and Need for Legislation
The purpose of the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and
Design Program is to ``teach conservation through the arts.''
The program provides students with a broad exposure to
migratory waterfowl, including lessons to help increase
students' knowledge and appreciation of migratory birds, and it
provides activities geared to motivate students to take an
active role in conserving these species. In the Curriculum
Guide, which is distributed free of charge to requesting
schools, students research any species of North American
waterfowl and then artistically portray the selected bird and
its habitat. Following this activity, students may choose to
enter their artwork in State Junior Duck Stamp contests. All
students from kindergarten through high school are eligible to
participate at the State level, and entries are judged by local
artists, stamp collectors, hunters, wildlife biologists and
conservationists. There are 52 coordinators for the Junior Duck
Stamp Program for each State, the District of Columbia and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.
The first place national winner receives a $5000 cash award
and his or her design is reproduced as the federal Junior Duck
Stamp for that year. The winner is also provided a free trip to
our Nation's capital, along with the winner's art teacher, one
parent or guardian and the State coordinator to attend the
First Day of Sales Ceremony, held on June 30th of each year.
In 2004, 26,589 students participated in the nationwide
wildlife art contest. The proceeds from the sale of the Junior
Duck Stamp, which costs five dollars, are returned to the
program to be used for awards and conservation education. In
2004, the sale of Junior Duck Stamps generated $172,000.
Proceeds from the sale of these stamps are returned to the
States for environmental and conservation education programs.
The Junior Duck Stamp conservation education program was
originally conducted from 1990 to 1994 under the authority of
the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956. It was funded through a
joint venture between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the
Department of the Interior, the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation and private donors. In fiscal year 1994, the program
was conducted in 25 States and had a total budget of $150,000.
On November 22, 1993, Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz (D-TX)
introduced the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design
Program Act. It was the subject of hearings, overwhelmingly
supported and passed by both bodies, and signed into law on
October 6, 1994 (Public Law 103-340). The goals of this measure
were to expand the Junior Duck Stamp design competition to any
interested State, to provide the authority to license the
marketing of Junior Duck Stamps, to direct that any proceeds
support the conservation education goals of the program, and to
offset any administrative costs by authorizing $250,000 per
year to the Department of the Interior until September 30,
2000.
On October 16, 2000, the President signed into law H. R.
2496 which extended the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and
Design Program until September 30, 2005. This Act also expanded
the geographic scope of the program to include the insular
areas of the United States. S. 1339 reauthorizes the program
through fiscal year 2010.
Committee Action
S. 1339 was introduced on June 30, 2005, by Senator James
Inhofe (R-OK). It was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent
on September 9, 2005\1\. In the House of Representatives, the
bill was referred to the Committee on Resources, and within the
Committee to the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans. On July
21, 2005, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the House
companion bill. On September 21, 2005, the Full Resources
Committee met to consider S. 1339. The Subcommittee on
Fisheries and Oceans was discharged from further consideration
by unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill
was ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives
by unanimous consent.
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\1\ The House companion measure is H.R. 3179, authorized by
Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz (D-TX).
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Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations
are reflected in the body of this report.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.
Compliance With House Rule XIII
1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp
Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
S. 1339--Junior Duck Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2005
S. 1339 would reauthorize discretionary funding for the
junior duck stamp program for fiscal years 2006 through 2010 at
the current authorization level of $250,000 annually. Under
existing law, the authority for this program expired at the end
of fiscal year 2005. Assuming appropriation of the amounts
authorized by the legislation, CBO estimates that the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) would spend up to $250,000 in each
of fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to carry out this program. In
recent years, the USFWS has spent less than $200,000 for this
purpose, mostly to conduct the annual competition for the
design of junior duck stamps.
Enacting S. 1339 would not affect direct spending or
revenues. The act contains no intergovernmental or private-
sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
and would have no significant impact on the budgets of state,
local, or tribal governments.
On July 25, 2005, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S.
1339 as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Environment
and Public Works. The two versions of S. 1339 are identical, as
are the estimated costs.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Compliance With Public Law 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
JUNIOR DUCK STAMP CONSERVATION AND DESIGN, PROGRAM ACT OF 1994
* * * * * * *
SEC. [6] 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
for administrative expenses of the Program $250,000 for each of
the fiscal years [2001 through 2005] 2006 through 2010.