[House Report 116-284]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


116th Congress    }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                    {      116-284

======================================================================



 
           NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS CONSERVATION EXTENSION ACT

                                _______
                                

 November 13, 2019.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Grijalva, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 925]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 925) to extend the authorization of 
appropriations for allocation to carry out approved wetlands 
conservation projects under the North American Wetlands 
Conservation Act through fiscal year 2024, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommend that the bill do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 925 is to extend the authorization of 
appropriations for allocation to carry out approved wetlands 
conservation projects under the North American Wetlands 
Conservation Act through fiscal year 2024.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) is a 
partnership-based program that leverages non-federal funds to 
protect and restore wetlands and associated habitats.\1\ NAWCA 
is one of the most cost-effective conservation programs: each 
federal dollar invested in NAWCA over the program's lifetime 
has been matched by more than three dollars from non-federal 
partners at the local and state level, including corporations, 
private landowners, and non-profits.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Pub. L. No. 101-233, 103 Stat. 1968 (1989).
    \2\See North American Wetlands Conservation Act, U.S. Fish & 
Wildlife Serv., https://www.fws.gov/birds/grants/north-american-
wetland-conservation-act.php (last updated Sept. 17, 2019).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This bill would reauthorize NAWCA for five years at $60 
million per year. The authorization for NAWCA expired at the 
end of FY 2012, but appropriators have continued to fund the 
program annually, most recently at $42 million for fiscal year 
2019.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 925 was introduced on January 30, 2019, by 
Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA). The bill was referred 
solely to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the 
Committee to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. 
On September 24, 2019, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the 
bill. On September 25, 2019, the Natural Resources Committee 
met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by 
unanimous consent. No amendments were offered, and the bill was 
adopted and ordered favorably reported to the House of 
Representatives by a roll call vote of 26 yeas and 9 nays, as 
follows:

              [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                Hearings

    For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 of the 
116th Congress--the following hearings were used to develop or 
consider H.R. 925: (1) legislative hearing by the Subcommittee 
on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife on H.R. 1326, the ``Authorizing 
Critical Conservation and Enabling Sportsmen and Sportswomen'' 
Act or ``ACCESS'' Act, which includes a provision to 
reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, held 
on March 26, 2019; and (2) legislative hearing by the 
Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife on H.R. 925 held on 
September 24, 2019.

            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 Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

      Compliance With House Rule XIII and Congressional Budget Act

    1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. 
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the 
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 30, 2019.
Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 925, the North 
American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani 
Shankaran.
            Sincerely,
                                             Mark P. Hadley
                                 (For Phillip L. Swagel, Director).
     Enclosure.

              [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    

    H.R. 925 would authorize the appropriation of $60 million 
annually over the 2020-2024 period for the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (USFWS) to carry out the North American 
Wetlands Conservation Act. Under that act, USFWS awards 
competitive grants for projects to conserve wetlands in the 
United States, Canada, and Mexico. In 2019, the agency received 
an appropriation of $42 million to carry out those activities.
    Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, and based 
on historical spending patterns for the program, CBO estimates 
that implementing H.R. 925 would cost $195 million over the 
2020-2024 period and $105 million after 2024.
    The costs of the legislation (detailed in Table 1) fall 
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).

                                    TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 925
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                    By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
                                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     2020    2021    2022    2023    2024    2025    2026    2027    2028    2029   2020-2024  2020-2029
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
 
Authorization.....................................      60      60      60      60      60       0       0       0       0       0       300        300
Estimated Outlays.................................      15      30      42      51      57      45      30      18       9       3       195        300
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani 
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goals and 
objectives of this bill are to extend the authorization of 
appropriations for allocation to carry out approved wetlands 
conservation projects under the North American Wetlands 
Conservation Act through fiscal year 2024.

                           Earmark Statement

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                 Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Statement

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                           Existing Programs

    This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of 
the federal government known to be duplicative of another 
program. Such program was not included in any report from the 
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139. The North American Wetlands 
Conservation Fund (CFDA No. 15.623) authorized by this bill is 
related and complementary to, but not duplicative of, the 
following programs identified in the most recent Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance published pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 
6104: Sport Fish Restoration (CFDA No. 15.605); Wildlife 
Restoration and Basic Hunter Education (CFDA No. 15.611); 
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration (CFDA No. 
15.614); and Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation (CFDA No. 
15.635).

                  Applicability to Legislative Branch

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.

               Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law

    Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or 
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's 
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the 
U.S. Constitution.

         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, and existing law in which no 
change is proposed is shown in roman):

                NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS CONSERVATION ACT




           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
SEC. 7. AMOUNTS AVAILABLE TO CARRY OUT THIS ACT.

  (a) Aid in Wildlife Restoration.--[Paragraphs (1) and (2) 
amends another Act--omitted]
  (3) The amendments made by this subsection of this Act take 
effect October 1, 1989.
  (b) Migratory Bird Fines, Penalties, Forfeitures.--The sums 
received under section 6 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 
U.S.C. 707) as penalties or fines, or from forfeitures of 
property are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of 
the Interior for purposes of allocation under section 8 of this 
Act. This subsection shall not be construed to require the sale 
of instrumentalities.
  (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to the 
amounts made available under subsections (a) and (b) of this 
section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Department of the Interior for purposes of allocation under 
section 8 of this Act [not to exceed--
          [(1) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
          [(2) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
          [(3) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
          [(4) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
          [(5) $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 
        through 2012.] not to exceed $60,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2020 through 2024.
  (d) Availability of Funds.--Sums made available under this 
section shall be available until expended.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


        Supplemental, Minority, Additional, or Dissenting Views

    None.

                                  [all]