Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Improvement Act of 2006

        [Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 518 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]

Calendar No. 433
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 518

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 17, 2006

Received; read twice and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To require the Secretary of the Interior to refine the Department of
the Interior program for providing assistance for the conservation of
neotropical migratory birds.

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 ``Neotropical Migratory Bird
Conservation Improvement Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION ACT.

(a) Findings.--Section 2(1) of the Neotropical Migratory Bird
Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6101(1)) is amended by inserting ``but
breed in Canada and the United States'' after ``the Caribbean''.
(b) Purposes.--Section 3(2) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 6102(2)) is
amended by inserting ``Canada,'' after ``United States,''.
(c) Definition of Caribbean.--Section 4 of such Act (16 U.S.C.
6103) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs
(3) and (5), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Caribbean.--The term `Caribbean' includes Puerto Rico
and the United States Virgin Islands.''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (3), as so redesignated,
the following:
``(4) Fund.--The term `Fund' means the Neotropical
Migratory Bird Conservation Fund established by section
9(a).''.
(d) Authorization of Projects to Enhance Conservation in Canada.--
Section 5(c)(2) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 6104(c)(2)) is amended by
inserting ``Canada,'' after ``the United States,''.
(e) Cost Sharing.--Section 5(e) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 6104(e)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``25 percent'' and
inserting ``50 percent''; and
(2) in paragraph (2) by amending subparagraph (B) to read
as follows:
``(B) Form of payment.--
``(i) Projects in the united states and
canada.--The non-Federal share required to be
paid for a project carried out in the United
States or Canada shall be paid in cash.
``(ii) Projects in latin america and the
caribbean.--The non-Federal share required to
be paid for a project carried out in Latin
America or the Caribbean may be paid in cash or
in kind.''.
(f) Advisory Group.--
(1) Composition.--Section 7(b)(1) of such Act (16 U.S.C.
6106(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``The advisory group as a whole shall have expertise in the
methods and procedures set forth in section 4(2) in each
country and region of the Western Hemisphere''.
(2) Encouragement to convene.--The Secretary of the
Interior is encouraged to convene an advisory group under
section 7(b)(1) of such Act by not later than 6 months after
the effective date of this Act. This paragraph shall not be
considered to authorize delay of the schedule previously
established by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for
the submission, judging, and awarding of grants.
(g) Report.--Section 8 of such Act (16 U.S.C. 6107) is amended by
striking ``October 1, 2002,'' and inserting ``2 years after the date of
the enactment of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation
Improvement Act of 2006''.
(h) Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.--
(1) In general.--Section 9 of such Act (16 U.S.C. 6108) is
amended by striking so much as precedes subsection (c) and
inserting the following:

``SEC. 9. NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION FUND.

``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury a
separate account, which shall be known as the `Neotropical Migratory
Bird Conservation Fund'. The Fund shall consist of amounts deposited
into the Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection (b).
``(b) Deposits Into the Fund.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall
deposit into the Fund--
``(1) all amounts received by the Secretary in the form of
donations under subsection (d); and
``(2) other amounts appropriated to the Fund.''.
(2) Administrative expenses.--Section 9(c)(2) of such Act
(16 U.S.C. 6108(c)(2)) is amended by striking ``$80,000'' and
inserting ``$150,000''.
(3) Conforming amendments.--Such Act is amended further as
follows:
(A) In section 4 (16 U.S.C. 6103), by striking
paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
``(1) Fund.--The term `Fund' means the Neotropical
Migratory Bird Conservation Fund established by section
9(a).''.
(B) In section 9(d) (16 U.S.C. 6108(d)), by
striking ``Account'' and inserting ``Fund''.
(4) Transfer.--The Secretary of the Treasury may transfer
to the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund amounts
that were in the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation
Account immediately before the enactment of this Act.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 10 of such Act (16
U.S.C. 6109) is amended to read as follows:
(1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before the first
sentence;
(2) by striking ``$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001
through 2005'' and inserting ``for each of fiscal years 2006
through 2010 the amount specified for that fiscal year in
subsection (b)''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Authorized Amount.--The amount referred to in subsection (a)
is--
``(1) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 and 2007;
``(2) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2008;
``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
``(4) $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2010.
``(c) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under this section may
remain available until expended.
``(d) Allocation.--Of amounts appropriated under this section for
each fiscal year, not less than 75 percent shall be expended for
projects carried out outside the United States.''.

Passed the House of Representatives May 16, 2006.

Attest:

KAREN L. HAAS,

Clerk.
Calendar No. 433

109th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 518

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To require the Secretary of the Interior to refine the Department of
the Interior program for providing assistance for the conservation of
neotropical migratory birds.

_______________________________________________________________________

May 17, 2006

Received; read twice and placed on the calendar