[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6854 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6854
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 2 grant programs
to sustain populations of species of migratory waterfowl through the
deployment of tools and practices that complement habitat conservation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 19, 2023
Mrs. Fischbach (for herself, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Thompson of
California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish 2 grant programs
to sustain populations of species of migratory waterfowl through the
deployment of tools and practices that complement habitat conservation.
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 ``Habitat Enhancement Now Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAMS TO SUSTAIN POPULATIONS OF SPECIES OF MIGRATORY
WATERFOWL.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the maintenance of healthy populations of migratory
birds in North America is largely dependent on the protection,
restoration, and management of wetland ecosystems and other
habitats in Canada, as well as in the United States and Mexico,
as identified in the Implementation Plans of Joint Ventures
authorized under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan;
(2) duck populations in North America are being threatened
by the loss in the quantity and quality of breeding habitat,
which leads to declining nest success;
(3) low nest success has been widely documented to be the
key annual driver in duck populations;
(4) additional tools can be employed to increase nest
success to complement the private, State, and Federal habitat
conservation programs and efforts in order to sustain healthy
waterfowl populations;
(5) relatively modest investments in management can make
meaningful impacts towards supplementing waterfowl production
in areas where waterfowl production outcomes have not been
fully met;
(6) numerous studies have made it clear that nesting
structures, in particular ``hen houses'', are the most
efficient and cost-effective tool for increasing nest success;
and
(7) providing incentives to private landowners to establish
nesting cover, create or restore brood ponds, and provide brood
water is a priority to enhance production of mallards,
gadwalls, and other breeding ducks in California.
(b) Grant Programs.--
(1) Hen house grant program.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a
competitive grant program to award amounts to eligible
entities to strategically place, build, and maintain
hen houses in the prairie pothole region for the
purpose of improving the nesting success rates of
populations of species of migratory waterfowl.
(B) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under
this paragraph, an eligible entity shall submit to the
Secretary an application in such form, at such time,
and containing such information as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(2) Breeding habitat grant program.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a
competitive grant program to award amounts to eligible
entities to develop breeding habitat for species of
migratory waterfowl within California for the purpose
of enhancing the breeding success rates of populations
of species of migratory waterfowl, including by--
(i) establishing nesting cover;
(ii) creating brood ponds; and
(iii) providing incentives to willing
landowners to carry out the activities
described in this subparagraph on land under
the control of such landowners within
California.
(B) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under
this paragraph, an eligible entity shall submit to the
Secretary an application in such form, at such time,
and containing such information as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a State, local, or Tribal government;
(B) a nonprofit organization; and
(C) an individual.
(2) Hen house.--The term ``hen house'' means a type of
cylindrical nest structure installed on a post in a prairie
pothole.
(3) Prairie pothole.--The term ``prairie pothole'' means a
depressional wetland, including a freshwater marsh, that
provides vital habitat to species of nesting waterfowl and
other species.
(4) Prairie pothole region.--The term ``prairie pothole
region'' means North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, and
Minnesota.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(d) Funding.--For each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, of the
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the ``Department of
the Interior--Office of the Secretary--Departmental Operations''
account for each such fiscal year--
(1) $1,500,000 shall be made available to carry out
subsection (b)(1); and
(2) $1,500,000 shall be made available to carry out
subsection (b)(2).
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