HR3276-119

What This Bill Does

The bill establishes the voluntary Urban Bird Treaty Program under the Secretary of the Interior acting through the Fish and Wildlife Service Director. It supports urban habitat restoration, invasive-species control, hazard reduction, community science and public education. A competitive grant program can fund research, planning, management, monitoring, capacity building and workforce training. Eligible grantees include Tribal, state and municipal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, community groups and academic institutions; federal agencies may participate as partners but are not listed as eligible grantees.

Who Benefits and How

Municipal agencies, Tribal agencies, conservation organizations and universities gain access to competitive funding and technical assistance. Urban residents may benefit from improved habitat and community projects. Awards must be distributed equitably, to the extent practicable, among small, midsize and large cities. These are funding opportunities, not guaranteed grants to every participating community.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Fish and Wildlife Service staff must run the program and assess applications. Grantees must submit information required by the Director. The bill authorizes $200,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2033, but does not itself appropriate those funds. Compared with the earlier proposal, this is a reduction from $1 million annually and shifts the seven-year period by one year. Administration by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation becomes optional rather than mandatory; the cited Foundation funding limitation is expressly disapplied.

Key Provisions

• Establishes voluntary urban habitat partnerships and competitive conservation grants.
• Authorizes $200,000 per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2033, subject to appropriations.
• Requires practicably equitable grant distribution across city sizes.
• Authorizes, rather than requires, grant administration through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.