[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4591 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4591
To establish grant programs to sustain populations of species of
migratory waterfowl through the deployment of tools and practices that
complement habitat conservation, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2025
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 establish grant programs to sustain populations of species of
migratory waterfowl through the deployment of tools and practices that
complement habitat conservation, and for other purposes.
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, 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) 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 the primary nesting grounds of the majority of
North American ducks.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(c) Grant Programs.--
(1) Hen house grant program.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, 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 to receive 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.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, 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 those landowners within
California.
(B) Applications.--To be eligible to receive 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.
(d) Funding.--For each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, 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) $3,500,000 shall be made available to carry out
subsection (c)(1); and
(2) $3,500,000 shall be made available to carry out
subsection (c)(2).
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