S.Amdt. 3535

1. Adds SEC. ___. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND at the end of the bill

   Adds a section

   In S. 2363 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   (d) Limitation on Authority.--Section 11 of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3710) is amended by inserting "exclusive" before "authority".

   Inserted: SEC. ___. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--The Senate finds the following:

   Inserted: (1) The year 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Land and Water Conservation Fund under section 2 of the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-5) (referred to in this subsection as the "Fund"), the most successful and enduring conservation and outdoor recreation program of the United States.

   Inserted: (2) The Fund will expire in 2015 unless Congress takes action to renew this important program.

   Inserted: (3) The Fund has protected outdoor recreation sites in every State and nearly every county in the United States by ensuring access to hunting and fishing areas, protecting the most historic sites of the United States, supporting working forests and ranches, creating national scenic and historic trails, and conserving critical habitats.

   Inserted: (4) The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 et seq.) has a 50-year history of bipartisan support as, with the overwhelming support of Congress--

   Inserted: (A) support for the Act began during the Eisenhower Administration;

   Inserted: (B) the Act was proposed to Congress by President Kennedy; and

   Inserted: (C) the Act was signed into law by President Johnson.

   Inserted: (5) The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 et seq.) is fully funded, without relying on tax dollars, through the annual collection of $900,000,000 by the Treasury of the United States from a small percentage of royalties from offshore drilling and other Federal energy revenue sources.

   Inserted: (6) The Fund honors the principles of fiscal conservatism by reinvesting revenues from the sale of 1 national resource to protect other natural resources and ensure outdoor recreation for all people of the United States.

   Inserted: (7) Over the 50-year history of the Fund, more than half the amount credited to the Fund account has been diverted for other purposes.

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   Inserted: (8) Continued investments in the Fund will stimulate the economy of the United States, create jobs, and strengthen infrastructure.

   Inserted: (9) Outdoor recreation and conservation activities are important economic contributors and support jobs in communities across the United States.

   Inserted: (10) The Fund drives local economies by growing recreational land to match increases in population and development pressure while also creating and protecting jobs in working forests and on working farms and ranches.

   Inserted: (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that--

   Inserted: (1) the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 et seq.) should be reauthorized; and

   Inserted: (2) full, permanent, and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund would keep the promise that was made to the people of the United States in 1964 to invest a small portion of the proceeds from natural resource development in conservation and outdoor recreation.

   Original wording

   At the end of the bill, add the following:

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As printed