National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act Amendment of 2008

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3891) to amend the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act to increase the number of Directors on the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 3891, introduced by my colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), expands the size of the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation from 25 to 30 members.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation was established by Congress in 1984 as a charitable nonprofit corporation. The foundation was formed to further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

While the foundation and its conservation programs continue to grow and fundraising for these programs keeps pace, it is considerably more difficult to meet the increasing administrative expenses of the foundation. Expanding the size of the board of directors will improve the ability of the foundation to raise private funds, to cover its administrative expenses, and to improve the implementation of its conservation programs.

I commend Congressman Henry Brown, again, a good friend of many of us here in the Congress and a friend of the Natural Resources, for introducing this bill, and urge all Members to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, before yielding back the balance of my time, and I will do so, I have a brief closing insert that I would like to read from Congresswoman Bordallo who, as I indicated, finds it impossible to be here today at this time. She says as follows:

Madam Speaker, as Chairwoman on the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, I reiterate that the Natural Resources Committee supports this bill as a means to maximize community participation in the activities of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

It is our expectation, that is to say Congresswoman Bordallo's expectation, that the foundation will view this expansion of its Board of Directors as an opportunity to increase the diversity of professional backgrounds and views that board members bring to the foundation, and also that the Secretary of the Interior will appoint qualified individuals, hopefully with conservation experience in the offshore territories.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R. 3891, a bill I introduced with Fisheries, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee Chairwoman Madeleine Bordallo. The fundamental purpose of this legislation is to increase from 25 to 30 the number of members who may serve on the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation was created by Congress in 1984. Since that time, it has financed more than 9,500 conservation projects throughout the United States and in other countries. By using a partnership and challenge grant approach, the Foundation has provided $1.3 billion in critical funding to accomplish its strategic goals of sustaining, restoring and enhancing fish, wildlife and plant populations and their essential habitat.

Under current law, the Secretary of the Interior may appoint up to 25 individuals to serve on the Foundation's Board of Directors. The members of this Board have expertise in fish, wildlife and natural resource conservation; they serve as conservation Ambassadors throughout the world; they review and approve projects submitted to the Foundation and they raise funds for the operation of this highly successful organization.

By increasing the size of the Board, we will greatly enhance the Foundation's ability to finance additional meritorious projects in the future.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yea'' on H.R. 3891.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3891. It does increase by five members the Board of Directors on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Since its inception, this foundation has financed more than 9,500 conservation projects to sustain, restore, and enhance fish wildlife population and their essential habitat. Under current law, the Secretary of the Interior may

appoint 25 individuals to serve on the Board of Directors. These members have expertise in fish, wildlife, natural resources, and conservation. They serve as conservation ambassadors, and they approve projects submitted to the foundation, and raise funds for the operation of this successful organization. The additional five members will help to enhance that job description. I urge my colleagues to vote favorably on H.R. 3891.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 860, H.R. 3891.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.