16 USC 777 - Multistate conservation grant program

View all text of Chapter 10 B [§ 777 - § 777n]

§ 777m. Multistate conservation grant program

(a) In general

(1) Amount for grants

(2) Period of availability; apportionment

(A) Period of availability

(B) Apportionment

(b) Selection of projects

(1) States or entities to be benefitedA project shall not be eligible for a grant under this section unless the project will benefit—

(A) at least 26 States;

(B) a majority of the States in a region of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; or

(2) Use of submitted priority list of projects

(3) Priority list of projectsA priority list referred to in paragraph (2) is a priority list of sport fish restoration projects that the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—

(A) prepares through a committee comprised of the heads of State fish and game departments (or their designees), in consultation with—

(i) nongovernmental organizations that represent conservation organizations;

(ii) sportsmen organizations; and

(iii) industries that fund the sport fish restoration programs under this chapter;

(B) approves by vote of a majority of the heads of State fish and game departments (or their designees); and

(C) not later than October 1 of each fiscal year, submits to the Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs.

(4) Publication

(1) In generalThe Secretary of the Interior may make a grant under this section only to—

(A) a State or group of States;

(B) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or a State or group of States, for the purpose of carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation; and

(2) Nongovernmental organizations

(A) In generalAny nongovernmental organization that applies for a grant under this section shall submit with the application to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies a certification that the organization—

(i) will not use the grant funds to fund, in whole or in part, any activity of the organization that promotes or encourages opposition to the regulated taking of fish; and

(ii) will use the grant funds in compliance with subsection (d).

(B) Penalties for certain activities

(d) Use of grants

(e) Funding for other activitiesNot more than $1,200,000 of each annual appropriation made in accordance with the provisions of section 777b of this title shall be distributed to the Secretary of the Interior for use as follows:

(1) $200,000 shall be made available for each of—

(A) the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission;

(B) the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission;

(D) the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.

(2) $400,000 shall be made available for the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council established by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

(3) A portion, as determined by the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, of funds disbursed for the purposes described in paragraph (2) but remaining unobligated as of October 1, 2021, shall be used to study the impact of derelict vessels and identify recyclable solutions for recreational vessels.

(f) Nonapplicability of chapter 10 of title 5

(Aug. 9, 1950, ch. 658, § 14, as added Pub. L. 106–408, title I, § 122(a), Nov. 1, 2000, 114 Stat. 1772; amended Pub. L. 109–59, title X, § 10118, Aug. 10, 2005, 119 Stat. 1929; Pub. L. 109–241, title IX, § 901(r)(2), July 11, 2006, 120 Stat. 566; Pub. L. 111–281, title IX, § 903(a)(3), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 3010; Pub. L. 114–94, div. A, title X, § 10001(f), Dec. 4, 2015, 129 Stat. 1621; Pub. L. 117–58, div. B, title VIII, § 28001(a)(3), Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 887; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(103), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4317.)