Introduction of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the Pittman- Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act, which would amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to make the District of Columbia eligible for the same federal funding as states under these Acts. The District is treated as a state under federal programs, with a few exceptions, most of them simply oversights or failures to update post-home rule.

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act provides funding, derived from excise taxes on sporting equipment, for five distinct purposes: program administration, wildlife restoration, basic hunter education and safety, enhanced hunger education and safety grants and multistate conservation grants. The District does not receive any funding under this Act. The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act provides funding for sport fish restoration, aquatic education, wetlands restoration and boat-related activities. Under this Act, states receive a minimum of one percent of the total amount apportioned, while the District is capped at one-third of one percent.

This omission and lack of parity under these Acts have serious consequences for the District. The District has roughly 7,800 acres of parkland covering nearly a quarter of the city, which means it has more parkland per capita than any other city in the United States. This bill would define ``State'' in these Acts to include the District, providing the District with equitable access to valuable financial resources for wildlife conservation in our nation's capital.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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